PonyFans.com

Hmmm...sound familiar? The first two years of a new decade in which the tide turned in SMU's favor with the hiring of a new coach. It may have been 40 years ago but history sometimes has a way of repeating itself. Read on, true believers! (From the SMU archives)

The first two years of the decade found the Mustangs shackled with mounting losses and sagging attendance. In 1960, SMU finished 0-9-1, as the Mustangs' average home attendance fell below 30,000 for the first time since 1946. Following a 2-7-1 season in 1961, SMU introduced Hayden Fry as the Mustangs' eighth head coach. Fry lifted SMU back to national prominence in 1966, when SMU was ranked ninth in the nation and won its first conference championship in 18 years. During the 1966 season, sophomore wide receiver Jerry Levias led the Mustangs in scoring with 54 points. Levias became the first African-American player in the Southwest Conference to receive an athletic scholarship after choosing SMU largely because of its accounting program. As a senior in 1968, Levias caught 80 passes for a school-record 1131 yards when he was selected both an All-American and Academic All-American. Combined with quarterback Chuck Hixson, Levias helped lead the Mustangs to a 28-27 win over Oklahoma in the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, giving SMU its first bowl victory since the 1949 Cotton Bowl. Hixson was just a sophomore in 1968, but he finished the season as the nation's leading passer by completing 265 of 468 attempts for 3,103 yards.

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

great memories. you're taking me back to my childhood; to a time when I 1st became aware of SMU and followed Hayden's and Doc Hayes' teams. Hayden and Tom Landry were both neighbors of ours and I grew up playing ball with Hayden's sons Randy & Zach and lusting after Landry's daughter, "Kitty". Yep; the 60's were good.

And I wonder how many folks realize that former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips was an assistant coach at SMU under Hayden Fry. My father always said that Phillips should have been named head coach at SMU following Fry's departure. Imagine what might have been had that happened.

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

That whole ordeal was incredible. Yeah, Bum Phillips SHOULD have been named coach, but he couldn't outshine Dave Smith's politics. What a HUGE mistake. The guy might have been a good assistant coach but he was a NUTcase!!

Correction. When we hired Dave Smith, he was not an assistant coach, he was head coach at OSU.

Bergermeister: I'm confused by your reply. Do you think Bum should or should not have been named as Fry's replacement as HC? And are you saying that Bum or Smith was a nutcase?

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

Regarding Dave Smith: He was a nice man but when I learned that he was one of the Aggies that quit in Bear Bryants first year at Aggieland..I felt he couldn't get the job done. And he didn't.

Regarding Dave Smith: He was a nice man but when I learned that he was one of the Aggies that quit in Bear Bryants first year at Aggieland..I felt he couldn't get the job done. And he didn't.

Arkpony: Was he one of the Aggies that fled the Junction Death Camp?

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MrMustang1965:
<B>Bergermeister: I'm confused by your reply. Do you think Bum should or should not have been named as Fry's replacement as HC? And are you saying that Bum or Smith was a nutcase?

</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Bum shoulda been the choice.

Agreed.

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

Fry had to get a little help to get into the Cotton Bowl. And he had serious problems beating Texas.

Of course most coaches did until Meyer and Collins came along.

The university must commit to winning and not simple hire a coach and hope for the best. Does anyone remember the one-man athletic destruction machine in Pye? He did more to kill our beloved Mustang program than the death penalty. We must demand the University commit to winning as well as support our teams.

So much for my rants but I truly believe it is time to put the death penalty and the Pye legacy behind us and start demanding and expecting winning.

Bennett is going to take places all the other coaches combined could only dream of going. He is the most inspiring coach I've ever heard give a speech!