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I believe that SMU's president and athletic director have positioned the Mustangs for a successful athletic future.

Solid coaching is crucial but it is worth noting that since they joined SMU in 1995:

* Raised funds to build Ford Stadium and return football to the Hilltop.

* Raised funds to build the Loyd All Sports Center.

* Exceptional student-athlete graduation rates.

* Kept SMU Athletics scandal-free (excluding former Coach Malin's actions).

* Established "The Boulevard".

* Maintained SMU's traditional national strengths in Olympic sports (Sears Cup) while competing in the high-travel-cost and unappealing WAC.

* Improved marketing efforts and maintained a reasonably-well-managed athletic department in the face of constant budget constraints.

* Streamlined some admissions procedures resulting in a more-level playing field when competing for HS student-athletes.

* Participated in Dallas' unsuccessful bid to win the 2012 Olympics which would have produced new world-class athletic facilities (aquatic center, etc.) for SMU.

* Secured SMU's membership in a geographically compact division (with traditional rivals) in the established and nationally recognized CUSA...giving SMU's coaches more to sell.

SMU made some HC hiring mistakes in revenue sports since 1995, but numerous other schools have too.

It is too early to fairly judge Coach Bennett.

If Moody Coliseum is renovated, SMU will possess first-rate facilities in the key revenue sports.

SMU Football will be successful again in the future in part because of Ford Stadium, Loyd ASC and CUSA recruiting advantages in SMU's fertile recriuting region. Mr. Copeland and Dr. Turner cannot make SMU's teams win. They can only supply/hire the tools necessary to build winners.

SMU's on-campus facilities and fresh CUSA advantages combined with gradual adjustments to admissions flexibility give me solid hope for future Mustang gridiron victories.

I could not say that without the significant accomplishments of Mr. Copeland and Dr. Turner.

Kept SMU Athletics scandal-free (excluding former Coach Malin's actions).

they either kept it scandal-free or they didn't. So based on your own acknowledgement they didn't

Based on the CUSA thing alone, Copeland should have PF.com's Pony of the Week.

Great encouraging words Cheesesteak. I do and always have believed in SMU sports. I also believe SMU will be back on top soon........ Cream of all Crops! Maybe this is what it will take to turn the programs around. Great Move to the CUSA!


Best of Luck to all sports in the future

Hang in there bro! I see a light at the end of the tunnel....... :p

Cheesesteak that is a great post!

Sometimes we all get caught up in the negative posts and forget about all the positive things that have happened in recent years concerning the on-going process of improving the SMU sports program.

Joining CUSA is another step in the right direction.

GO MUSTANGS!


<img src="http://www.louisville.edu/athletics/academics/cusa.gif" alt=" - " />

Unfortunately, you are wrong. All of the good teams have on campus stadiums, so adding Ford Stadium to SMU just gave us what every other school has. There are many other schools in BCS conferences that recruit Texas and take players that SMU is after. You mentioned that SMU has made changes to make it a 'more level' playing field with other schools. SMU is still at a disadvantage. This all does not anything until the administration deceides that it wants to win and level the playing field competely and let the coaches recruit from the same pool of players as the other successful schools. North Texas does not have any of our amenities, but they would whip us any Saturday of the year because they recruit good players that SMU could not even look at. I appreciate the enthusiasm but let's all come back down to reality.

JR - you keep beating this drum like no changes have been made to recruiting. NTSU wishes they could have a recruiting class like our last class.

JR -

"All of the good teams have on campus stadiums"
Actually, Miami (7-1), USC (8-1), Pittsburgh (6-2), Minnesota (8-2), South Florida (5-3), UCLA (6-3) and Connecticut (7-3) don't.

Ford Stadium gives SMU a tremendous facility and atmosphere improvement over the tired and distant from campus Cotton Bowl.

..."let the coaches recruit from the same pool of players as the other successful schools."

SMU now has recruiting access to plenty of talented HS football players. Dallas is the center of one of America's most fertile HS football recruiting areas. It is SMU's coaches' job to sell SMU's avantages and sign college-ready football players.

I'm comfortable with SMU avoiding the abysmal "student-athletes" that commonly end up in places like Knoxville, TN or Starkville, MS.

Also, UNT has a once-in-a-generation/short-term edge over SMU. If SMU's recruiting momentum continues, SMU will again eclipse UNT.

I am the perpetual cheerleader. But if you want to thank someone for this favorable turn of events, you might want to start with Donna Shalala, president of U of Miami. Without Miami's surprising jump to the ACC, the dominos would not be falling right now.

And while I personally think Turner and Copeland have been doing a good job of putting things in place the last 4-5 years to get us on the road to redemption, I think ConfUSA would have come knocking without these efforts because they need warm bodies, and even with our current football record, we're about the warmest around that makes geographic sense for the survival of ConfUSA.

What's interesting is that despite our last 15 years, we are in the top 2 or 3 football now in ConfUSA when it comes to tradition and history. Not a lot of "storied" football programs in the bunch. Not a complaint, just a comment.

Nice try but the same type of students also end up in Lubbock, Waco, Stillwater, Reno, El Paso, San Jose, Boise, Tulsa, Fresno, and hmmm Ruston-see a pattern? Naive comments like that get you to 0-9!!!! You and others Sunshiners on this board may be COMFORTABLE with being 0-9 but that's got me really concerned You have made an excellent argument about what SMU has but SMU has always had huge advantages over the foregoing institutions and we are at the Bottom of the Bottom 10.

<small>[ 11-05-2003, 07:33 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

Bennett and his coaching staff should be thanked also as they did a lot of behind the scenes lobbying with C-USA coaches. I personally know of one occasion where some of our coaches were visiting with some C-USA coaches at 1st and 10 last winter. I did not hear any of the conversation, but it was obvious they had a good relationship with each other. That has to have helped.

It seems that Johnny Rock and Stallion are only a few of the 'realists' on this board. I agree with Stallion's comments completely.

Stallion -

I follow recruiting and I am completely aware that the same type of athletes end up in Lubbock, Ruston, Stillwater...

I chose not to use our conference and non-conference opponents as examples because it is sort of insulting to them to point out that some of their "student-athletes" might not belong in college.

SMU's advantages are obvious once they are showcased. That is why I am hopeful that Coach Bennett and staff can sell (recruit) SMU to success. Good coaching is necessary too.

I always smile when you label various posters on PonyFans as naieve.

You have a curious need to believe that you and only you have insights into the real world of college football.

.....and I'm perfectly fine with your admission that you knew it and chose to ignore it in your post. That says it all. Really truly I know that many of the administrators, staff, coaches and Mustang Club members on here aren't naive. Its one big game that has been played since 1989. Phil Bennett knows exactly what needs to be done and probably so does Copeland. What's funny is that some of you don't realize that what I'm saying on this board are the exactly same thing each and every coach at this institution has said behind closed doors. Its probably what Copeland tells Turner every time he sees him. Heck Turner has worked at Mississippii for god sakes-even he knows what needs to be done. Many of the Mustang Clubbers attacking me on this board know that I am right-they just would not like to upset the apple-cart. Its a Conspiracy of Silence because everybody is too scared to say anything publicly. Well after 15 years and a place at the Bottom 10 its time to raise a little hell!!

<small>[ 11-05-2003, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

re:

Phil Bennett knows exactly what needs to be done and probably so does Copeland. Its probably what Copeland tells Turner every time he sees him. Heck Turner has worked at Mississippii for god sakes-even he knows what needs to be done.

So Stallion what is it exactly (be specific) that keeps Turner & Copeland from making the changes you speak of?

Is the President of the University "powerless" and if he is....why is that?

Who is it specifically that is preventing us from
"leveling the playing field"?

What is your exact plan on how we can make this happen?

Please dont use some vague term like "we can raise some hell".

<small>[ 11-05-2003, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: Texas Pony ]</small>