Goalposts = down

[Weir]

it was pretty awesome. but it looked like somebody got their head busted, anyone know that story?

[HPPony]

I think it was pretty serious. Turner was down on the field when they took the kid (a soph guy) away on the stretcher. After Turner got back up in the concourse, he told a group of parents standing around that the kid was moving and talking. Good news, but I also talked to a student who had been down on the field when it happened and he said they had to give the kid CPR. Please keep this injured student in your prayers.

[Nacho]

That was very scary. Hopefully he will be ok. Sometimes I think we are the most jinxed school in history. We can't even tear down a goal post without someone getting injured. That was the first time I have ever seen a goalpost torn down by SMU students. I wanted them to do it. Now I feel terrible that this guy was apparently seriously injured. SMU. What can you say?

[PlanoStang]

Last time I saw the goalposts, they were surrounded by 10+ Dallas Police each with NO threats in sight. The last wall jumpers were being sent back up in the stands by the yellow shirts.

Somehow I think the goalposts still live.

Well, the one in the south end of the field doesn't anymore now that I see the picture in the DMN on-line. Bringing down the posts isn't a real smart idea since now days they're not made of wood. They're probably really heavy, and could hurt someone coming down.

Kinda ruined a really great day....

[HPPony]

SMU student injured after game

Fan who was among wild celebrants on field taken to hospital


12:11 AM CDT on Sunday, September 26, 2004


By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News



UNIVERSITY PARK – A fan was injured following SMU's 36-13 victory over San Jose State at Ford Stadium on Saturday night.

Despite the presence of four police officers surrounding the south goal post, several fans from the student section succeeded in tearing it down.

The injured fan was a male SMU student, according to school officials. He lay bleeding from the side of the head in the end zone for several moments before he was transported to an area hospital. He was part of a wild crowd celebrating SMU's victory over San Jose State that ended a 15-game losing streak.

Fans started to boo with three minutes to play in the game when a group of security personnel stood in front of the student section behind the San Jose State bench. Several SMU and area police officers stood around both goal posts. When fans were thwarted in their attempts to tear down the north goal post, some ran down the field and jumped over a small group of officers to tear down the south goal post.

A group of fans took the crossbar into the stands before it was retrieved by security.

"The incident is under review," said Brad Sutton, SMU's assistant athletic director for media relations. "The university will review our postgame procedures and make any changes if necessary."

Sutton did not know the injured student's name or what hospital he was taken to.

[MrMustang1965]

First, I think it was foolish of the administration to show a 'sign of force' by lining the student side with yellow shirts (event staffers) to prevent the students from coming onto the field. The student body outnumbered them at least 25-1.

Second, the SMU Police Department should have realized LONG before this game began that the chance for something like this happening (students tearing down goalposts following a drought-ending victory!) existed and made contingencies with extra personnel. It was apparent that the uniformed personnel started 'scrambling' to make sure they had enough people on the field before the end of the game. It made me think of the Gestapo with the way they tried to show 'force'. (And before anyone thinks I don't support the police...you're wrong. Heck, I used to work for the Houston Police Department!)

But here's the bottom line that many of us in the stands were saying...and bear in mind that a LOT of these fans were either parents of current students or alumni...and that was "Let 'em tear down the goalposts! Let 'em have their fun! The university has enough $$$ to either repair 'em or buy new ones!" My god...how long has SMU been asking for the students to show some 'spirit' and then...when they do!...it's squelched!!!! HYPOCRISY!

It's unfortunate that a student was hurt and I pray that he's not seriously hurt (I was still in the stands when the University Park paramedics wheeled him out on the stretcher). But if the SMU PD and the Event Staff personnel had let the students take down the goalposts at the northern endzone in an 'organized manner'...instead of forcing the students to make a mad dash to the southern endzone where there weren't as many guards...then that young man might not have been hurt at that end of the field following the game.

But that's just my opinion.

(Note to PlanoStang: the south endzone goal post came down. I saw it happen. That's the endzone where the student was injured. The poles were carried up into the student section. All of the parts were later retrieved and were lined up along the wall of the grassy knoll. I would almost bet those posts are back up tomorrow.)

[PlanoStang]

Nope, I guess they didn't have enough officers on the south posts, but I thought there were about 10 on each. I worked construction while I was in college, and we had to help throw scrap metal, short girders, etc. from a truck into a rail car bin so I know that goal posts must weigh a lot.

It's really dangerous to let a crowd of students tear down goal posts even unopposed.

[Roach]

This just means we have to win again so we can get this goalpost thing right the next time.
My thoughts are with the injured kid. What a shame to end the game that way.

[Weir]

there were just as many cops on each end of the end zone. The thing is, the cops weren't even attempting to stop them. I think they were put there to discourage people in the first place but were told not to mess with them if they tried to tear down the posts. The group that tore down the north goalpost was only about 15 strong, cops would have had no problem with them stopping it. im glad they let us have our fun, too bad about the injured kid, hope he is ok.

[Mustangs35SMU]

I was also just saying

"Come on let them tear them down"

I mean hello!!! We hadnt won a game in 15 games! If I was a student I would wanna run like crazy and jump on those things also!

Crazy serously is. OO Well WE WON! And the Goalposts came down no matter how they look at it!

Prayers for the guy that got hurt..Just remember the power of the Mustangs (that was cheesey but oo well)

[MrMustang1965]

there were just as many cops on each end of the end zone. The thing is, the cops weren't even attempting to stop them. I think they were put there to discourage people in the first place but were told not to mess with them if they tried to tear down the posts. The group that tore down the north goalpost was only about 15 strong, cops would have had no problem with them stopping it. im glad they let us have our fun, too bad about the injured kid, hope he is ok.

I saw one cop give a ticket to one student. The north goal post stayed up. The south goal post came down.

[aus10fromhous10]

I was on the field taking pictures during the game and i got to talking to one of the SMU cops and he made it seem that they didn't think the SMU students would rush the field, they weren't expecting it. What appalled me was the manner in which not only the police but also the event staff were manhandling the students who ran on the field. Granted students should not have been on the field, but I strongly believe that the police as well as the event staff crossed the line in the amount of force they were using against those students who did rush the field. As for the tearing down of the goal posts, I think they could have let the students run on the field but have the cops by the goalposts to stop people from tearing them down. It's unfortunate that the student was injured, but I think the PD should have handled the situation better. The same thing happened against Texas Tech when the fight broke out that night, none of the cops from the four agencies at the game did a thing when that fight broke out.

[PonySnob]

I think it was pretty serious. Turner was down on the field when they took the kid (a soph guy) away on the stretcher. After Turner got back up in the concourse, he told a group of parents standing around that the kid was moving and talking. Good news, but I also talked to a student who had been down on the field when it happened and he said they had to give the kid CPR. Please keep this injured student in your prayers.

Will this student have any grounds on which to sue SMU after being injured last night?

[HPPony]

We need to just keep this student in our prayers. I haven't heard an update on him this morning. Any news?

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

with all the new innovations in materials of great strength but lightweight shouldn't they start making goalposts out of these new high tech compounds?....or at least the outer poles so that when they come crashing down they are not so heavy?..... if they were really giving the kid CPR jeezzzz that is pretty serious........are we sure the kid was injured by the goalpost or was he injured by an overzealous policeman and/or the stampede of people?......remember that callege football game a few years ago I believe in Wis where people trying to stampede the field got caught on the fence and many were crushed and injured.....