Feature article on Mickey Dollens

[Garret]

I do not search for articles about SMU, but when articles pop up like this (found under my search for University of Hawaii football) I figure I should pass them along.

Five year ago at this time, Mickey Dollens was a Bartlesville High Bruin senior football player emerging from a dismal 1-9 season and would soon be headed to a Southern Methodist University grid program which would finish 1-11 both his freshman and sophomore years.

My how things have changed!

When he arrived at SMU, prior to the 2008 season, “he brought the Aloha spirit,” said Dollens. “Under our previous coach, it had been pretty stressful ... Coach Jones’ philosophy is pretty much Aloha. Everything we do is fun. We practice hard, but we don’t kill each other. He treats us like men, everyone.”

In fact, the day before the Hawaii Bowl (which was played Christmas Eve 2009), Dollens and his teammates went surfing with one of the assistant coaches who had worked with Jones in Hawaii.

“We had a great camaraderie,” said Dollens. “We got to Hawaii four days before the game and it was like going on vacation with my teammates ... When it came time to play we were loose and ready to go. It seemed like they (Nevada players) were tensed up.”

http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2010/01/06/sports/sports846.txt

[Garret]

Nice mention of Coach Gansz in the article.

This past season, Dollens played on the punt team, “as one of the three main shields on the punt team,” he said, adding “I should be pushing for more playing time this spring.”

Dollens said Gansz — who Dollens referred to as “one of our beloved coaches” — had inspired the Mustangs to achieve at a high level.

“Before he died, he had talked about making it back to a bowl game,” he said.

After the Mustangs won the Hawaii Bowl, they remembered Gansz “and what we had talked about five months earlier,” Dollens said. “It was special ... It was really an awesome experience putting it on Nevada.”

[that's great raplh]

this is a nice article

keep it up mustangs

[SMUfiji43]

Nice article. Mickey is a cool dude. I lived next door to him last year.

[Junior]

i thought this thread was about the monkees.

[smusic 00]

"He treats us like men"

I have learned a lot about coaching and leadership (and football) by comparing Jones' last two years here with what is being said about Mike Leach. There are still folks who think Leach's humiliation technique is the best way to teach. Kids don't respond to that anymore for a host of reasons (separate thread). Just look what happens when you introduce a little positive encouragement and accountability.

[ponyinNC]

Just look what happens when you introduce a little positive encouragement ..

[MiracleOnMockingbird]

He's actually a reserve defensive end, not a reverse defensive end.

[Junior]

He's actually a reserve defensive end, not a reverse defensive end.

If he were, would that make him an offensive tackle?