A Payroll To Meet
Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:35 pmI wonder if Thad's film could spur a reprinting/new edition of the book. It really had a similar tone to the movie; SMU was definitely guilty, but there were a lot of other forces in action at the same time that led to the Death Penalty.
It started out with a history of Dallas and then SMU and the football program. Some key things I remembered:
-Meyer realized the importance of image and appearance. He had all his coaches dress exactly alike for game days. He introduced new SMU uniforms with the triple stripes on sleeves, pants, helmets, and socks, I think. (anyone have a pic of this uni?) This was later toned down to the now-classic Pony Express look.
-He and his coaches designed a tunnel entrance for the team that was supposed to file into nice clean rows on the field, immediately going into unison warmups. They never got it right in practice leading up to the first game, but at the game, out came in the team in their sharp new uni's and filed perfectly into their neat rows to start team warmups. Looked sharp and the crowd and opponents realized "Wow, SMU has their stuff together".
-Recruits mentioned that the SMU coaching staff was always polished and sharply dressed when making visits, and Endicott's blonde hair stood out in a crowd.
-Playing in Texas Stadium was a huge recruiting tool. In the fast times of the 70's and 80's, big recruits didn't care about Doak Walker or a 1936 Rose Bowl. As mentioned in Pony Excess, it was almost a metaphorical stepping stone to the pro's to be able to play where the Cowboys play.
It started out with a history of Dallas and then SMU and the football program. Some key things I remembered:
-Meyer realized the importance of image and appearance. He had all his coaches dress exactly alike for game days. He introduced new SMU uniforms with the triple stripes on sleeves, pants, helmets, and socks, I think. (anyone have a pic of this uni?) This was later toned down to the now-classic Pony Express look.
-He and his coaches designed a tunnel entrance for the team that was supposed to file into nice clean rows on the field, immediately going into unison warmups. They never got it right in practice leading up to the first game, but at the game, out came in the team in their sharp new uni's and filed perfectly into their neat rows to start team warmups. Looked sharp and the crowd and opponents realized "Wow, SMU has their stuff together".
-Recruits mentioned that the SMU coaching staff was always polished and sharply dressed when making visits, and Endicott's blonde hair stood out in a crowd.
-Playing in Texas Stadium was a huge recruiting tool. In the fast times of the 70's and 80's, big recruits didn't care about Doak Walker or a 1936 Rose Bowl. As mentioned in Pony Excess, it was almost a metaphorical stepping stone to the pro's to be able to play where the Cowboys play.