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This was 12 years before I was born. Who did we play in the Cotton Bowl in 83' and win 10 to 7?

Fun fact of this game that has nothing to do with SMU. In 1948, there wasn't a hotel in Dallas that would accept blacks and whites. One has to choose between all white players at one hotel and the black players at a separate hotel or another arrangement. There simple wasn't any integration in the South at that time. PSU had at least one Black on the team. PSU choose to stay at the Naval Air Station in Irving, TX for this bowl game. HS Truman was president of the US and at that time was integrating the military. This may be the only time in bowl history that a military base has been the host to a visiting bowl team. The world has changed in more ways than one.

Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie?

Bergermeister wrote:Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie?

I hope so It's a long bus ride from Corpus Christi. My dad was a pilot stationed there in Grand Prairie, and used to come to SMU games while in the Navy. Graduated from SMU in 50, and was probably a student about that time. I remember that he told us kids when he was in college, SMU won the SWC and went to the Cotton Bowl 2 years in a row. We didn't believe him because it was 1962, and SMU was 2 - 8.

CONGRATS!! to the members of the '48 team...thanks for a great Mustang memory!! We sincerely appreciate your hard work. Way to go, and THANKS!!

ponyte wrote:Fun fact of this game that has nothing to do with SMU. In 1948, there wasn't a hotel in Dallas that would accept blacks and whites. One has to choose between all white players at one hotel and the black players at a separate hotel or another arrangement. There simple wasn't any integration in the South at that time. PSU had at least one Black on the team. PSU choose to stay at the Naval Air Station in Irving, TX for this bowl game. HS Truman was president of the US and at that time was integrating the military. This may be the only time in bowl history that a military base has been the host to a visiting bowl team. The world has changed in more ways than one.

I know you didnt mean it that way, but I'd call it a sad fact, not a fun fact. No matter how many times I hear it, I'll never understand what the hell people were thinking back then. Where were all the people with a friggin clue?

Since Friday was my father's b'day (he would have been 81) and he was an SMU 'yell leader' in '47-'48 this is one 'memory' that's truly appreciated by me and my family. Thanks!