Conversation with Ramon Flanigan and 1997 bowl?

[Big10Ponyfan]

I've run into Ramon Flanigan on a couple of occasions, and we talked about the frustration of the 1997 (6-5) season. As we know, had we defeated TCU in the finale, we would have likely been invited to the Independence Bowl. That didn't happen because Mike Cavan went bananas on Donte Womack breaking curfew.

What Ramon told me is that we were "invited" or still in talks with the then-inaugural Humanitarian Bowl. That game featured Utah State and Cincinnati.

From what Ramon said, Copeland (Mr. Brilliant) turned it down or broke off talks because he thought we were going to lose money on it despite the exposure and us coming back from dead and whatnot.

I'm curious if others had known about this because I never found anything in the DMN about it from 1997.

Best regards,

[SMU Football Blog]

Never heard it and sorry to say, I seriously doubt Flannigan has his facts right on that.

In all likelyhood, SMU would not have gone bowling even if it did beat TCU. There were many other teams with better records that year that didn't go to a bowl. Even in our own conference, Wyoming and Rice had better records than SMU in 1997 and didn't go to a bowl. BYU and Utah both went 6-5 and didn't go to a bowl, either.

Also, Utah State went to the Humanitarian Bowl at 6-5 because they were the champs of the now defunct Big West Conference. The Humanitarian Bowl had tie-ins with Big West (Boise State was in the Big West at the time and the Las Vegas Bowl had just dumped the Big West) and C-USA . There were available teams in both conferences; there was no way to get SMU a bid.

And as much as I rip Copeland, it is also extremely unlikely he would have turned a bowl game down.

[ALEX LIFESON]

It was all but a done deal. All SMU had to do was beat TCU that night, and we would have played LSU in the Independence Bowl.

[ThadFilms]

It was all but a done deal. All SMU had to do was beat TCU that night, and we would have played LSU in the Independence Bowl.

Notre Dame.... not LSU.

[GoRedGoBlue]

It was all but a done deal. All SMU had to do was beat TCU that night, and we would have played LSU in the Independence Bowl.

Notre Dame.... not LSU.

lsu

[ALEX LIFESON]

Mabey I am wrong on this, but I thought ND came in the picture after SMU lost to the frogs.

[SMU Football Blog]

I suggest you search the DMN archives for articles the week of 11/17/1997-11/21/1997. It was very clearly anything but a done deal.

[Stallion]

there is so much misinformation out there on this. It was not a done deal. When Notre Dame unexpectantly lost to someone that week they became availiable and SMU would have been left out of the Independence Bowl without question. LSU v. ND in a Louisiana Bowl is a once in a lifetime matchup for a secondary bowl.

[ponyplayer]

I am really lost on this, do not know who to believe, think i will lean towards Stallion..........................empirical evidence used in court is creditable..........................

[NavyCrimson]

stallion is a true classic

[Big10Ponyfan]

I'm not suggesting that we were going bowling had we defeated TCU. The point of this entry was trying to get a clarification about this Humanitarian Bowl thing.

Maybe Ramon was trying to forward an agenda.

[OC Mustang]

Moot point now. Next subject.

[PonyPride]

While in the press box before that game at TCU, I had my pre-game meal with some guy I'd never met -- he introduced himself as a representative from the Liberty Bowl. He said then that if SMU beat TCU, he was going to extend a bid to the Independence Bowl to Coach Cavan on the Amon Carter field that night.

But, because of the way that game turned out, it became a chapter in the What Might Have Been history books.

[D1Football]

would of, could of, should of........
Let's not reminisce of the 1997 football season and focus on winning in 2006!

[MFFL02]

Stop living in the past everyone.