Pressure

[Dooby]

There seems to be a desire by many to put pressure on the administration to "level the playing field." While the easiest thing is to do nothing and let apathy take its course, does anybody have any ideas on how to apply enough pressure to this administration to force it to make changes? I know I am asking for trouble by asking this, but is anyone interested in developing some form of coordinated effort?

[Johnny Rock]

The pressure has to come from the 'big' money donors and season ticket holders. Low attendance figures speaks loudly that the fans are fed up. Also, TCU and N. Texas' success coupled with our failures is an eye opening experience for the decision makers at SMU. We could picket Copeland and Turner's houses and invite the local news. That would make for a great story.

[Dooby]

I agree that the pressure needs to come from the "big money". But how much does the big money know? Not much, I expect.

The ticket uses the term "KVIL Cowboy Fan" to describe the fan that doesn't know much; roots for the team religiously; buys into all the hype; starts out thinking the team will go 16-0 every year. I think the same can be said of the "big money" SMU donor. Everything is "Aw shucks, we'll get 'em next year. The death penalty sure did hurt our program."

We need to build awareness. Until I started coming to this site and mustangmaniacs, I assumed our failings were largey caused by the death penalty. I bet 95% of SMU alumni are unaware that there are any recruiting restrictions.

[Dooby]

Nobody?

[abezontar]

There is always the tried and true letter writing campaign. Send them to Turner, Copeland, and all of the major donors. You would need to get a lot of people together to do it, but it is a possibility. If they get enough, of if you can persuade enough of the big money donors you might be able to create more change, or at least spark that change.

[j_bowling]

I would be on board with some of these things if I didn't think SMU has been doing things to right the program the past several years. But maybe what we need to do is be a a little patient. Maybe the necessary pressure is already being applied. Aren't we already seeing results? We complained about the recruiting restrictions and they were finally lessened. And don't say they are still holding us back because our recruiting class last year was pretty dang good. Now we have to build on it. And then there's Cavan, who couldn't recruit or coach for crap (at least from what I saw.) So we fired his butt. At the time of Bennet's hiring was ANYone questioning the move? It was considered a step in the right direction. (Whether or not that turns out to be true remains to be seen. But the *intent* was to better our program.) Our administration just successfully got us out of the WAC and into a better athletic conference. As for big money applying pressure, I know who paid for our beautiful new stadium, facilities and other buildings. The SMU campus is incredibly more sellable to recruits than it was even 10 years ago. And I'd like to think Gerald J. Ford and friends aren't spending their money without getting certain commitments behind closed doors...in case you missed it, he spoke at the C-USA announcement. We can't change things overnight. But what I've seen the past several years is encouraging, 0-12 notwithstanding. Now, we've committed to Bennett for a few years, which all if not most of us were in agreement with. My gut feeling is that bennett can be better than he's been, but he's not as bad a coach as it seems. but even if it turns out he can't coach, if he recruits good for 3 years, we'll be in a decent enough position to get it right the next time. But right now isn't the time to apply the pressure. Things have been done. Decisions have been made. We have to let them take their course. If they don't work then it will be time to voice a solution.

[gostangs]

Agree with most of your post until you got to the part about now is not the time - If it does not turn in the next two years we are toast - write or e-mail Turner, copeland and Ford and any other Trustee right now or it will be too late - let them know SMU has got to allow the athletic program every tool any other contemporary private school with a good team has - or we will continue to come up short, will have to move down to level II, and then the University will not be able to fulfill its academic mission and fiduciary responsibility due to reduced applicant pool. Who can post the e-mail list?

[j_bowling]

i said 0-12 earlier...sorry about that. i guess i'm not completely opposed to applying more pressure if it isn't done in a condescending way. we want and expect them to do whatever they can to improve our program, and it wouldn't hurt for them to get a reminder that there are a lot of us who care. but as i see it right now, our recruiting classes are good. we have a coach in place. our facilities are in place. the boulevard is rockin. i don't know what else to ask for other than continuing what they've started. if we can't start turning things around with all that's been done...well, you may be right about toast.

[Stallion]

Fact SMU did not have the highest rated non-BCS recruiting class-according to Rivals we had the 6th highest rated non-BCS recruiting class and according to the Insiders we are WAY down the list-probably barely in the top half of the WAC-because they focus on the JUCO kids that have been beating our brains in for years. If you think the momentum we had last year is likely to continue then you are pretty damn naive. I'm glad you are so satisfied with all that our wonderful administration has brought us-it is truly a remarkable achievement during these last 15 years! Call me a radical but I think it is common sense to allow our coaches to compete on an even playing field with our conference and Texas rivals. Fact we aren't! As June Jones says we simply aren't competing on an even playing field. That is unacceptable and after 15 years I really don't care what Cheerleaders like you think!!!!!!

[GoRedGoBlue]

You act liek the administration has been the same for the past 15 years.

There is a time lag involved in turning around a huge ship...Turner has righted this ship, but it took several years to get the recruiting restricions replaced and to develop some 'curriculum' necessary to have some of the lesser brainiacs be able to graduate.

Yes, Copeland has been here a while, but until Turner arrived, NOTHING was going to change. You cannot blame Copeland for the failures due to the very recruiting restrictions that handcuffed the prior 3 head coaches.

Now that the ship is free to sail in the right diretion, we have to wait, yet again, to see if it chose the right path.

[Stallion]

Well you want to explain to me then the section in the DMN article where it clearly said that Bennett would prefer the option of using JUCO players but it was difficult to get them in school. I've been told for a couple of years by naive poster exactly like you that Bennett didn't want JUCOs-and people like you bought this propaganda coming from the administration. Bottom Line I don't think we should handicap our head coach in competing with our Texas and conference rivals. I want the administration to stop making football decisions that handicap our program so that Bennett can go out and do what Coach Fran, Joe Novack, Hayden Fry, June Jones, Snyder and Dickey have done. Right now that is simply impossible.

[gostangs]

Can someone please post the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of Pres. Turner, and all Trustees?

[Dooby]

A frind from houston and I have been doing some brainstorming. This is what we came up with. I an going out on a limb by posting it here. This is what I think we can do:

1) Form an organization.

2) Start a website-call it "fixSMUfootball.com"

A) Detail the history of SMU football;

B) Detail the problems SMU football faces;

C) Detail the ways to solve the problem;

D) Make an effort to get people involved;

i) A petition sounds hokey, but it is a start; builds a database of names;

ii) list of people visitors can contact.

3) Promote the website and the cause.

A) To the SMU fan in general

i) Start here. E-mail everyone you know;

ii) Reserve a spot for tailgating before football games. Get a banner with the name "fixSMUfootball.com" Tailgate before all the games. People remember the name and check out the website at home or at work the following day.

B) To the SMU Administration

i) See above.

C) To the Board of Trustees.

i) See above;

ii) Letters to all members of the Board of Trustees;

iii) Ad in the Daily Campus coordinated with time that Board of Trustees meets on campus.

Will any one thing work? I don't know. But if we can generate awareness of the problem to the people that can make a difference. And that is the first step-generate awareness.

[j_bowling]

stallion, first off, i'm not a cheerleader. if you want to debate your fellow alums, do it with some class. second off, i'm not opposed to the idea of brining in juco's. i never said that. my point is that i see the recent administration has been doing some good things. if we want to ask them to continue doing good things, i'm not opposed to that. third off, no, i don't think it will be as easy to recruit as strong as last year b/c of our awful record this season. but i'd like to think our next class won't be hateful either.

[Johnny Rock]

AdGrad, you are wrong, wrong, wrong!!! It is a shame that there are too many in the athletic department that share your views. One of the problems with many of the SMU types is that they have not pulled their heads out of their own asses to realize that they are failing miserably in Division 1 athletics. And before you mention it in a reply, do not cite me crap about the Sear's cup standings, because most of us do not care about rowing and the horseshoe toss. Fix the system or drop down to Divsion II. I repeat fix the system or drop down to Division II. I am sure that one of Turner or Copeland's interns will read this or someone that kisses their asses in hopes that they get invited to the members only athletic club dinner so pass my message on to them...fix the system or drop down to Division II.