SMUstang wrote:In Greggs defense. He had no coaching experience. He had a team full of small walk-ons going up against seasoned SWC opponents.
We will be forever grateful for Forrest Gregg and his commitment to SMU at our darkest hour,
From
Wikipedia:
Gregg resigned from the Packers in January 1988 and took a pay cut to take over at SMU, his alma mater. He was brought in to revive the Mustang football program after it received the "death penalty" from the NCAA for massive violations of NCAA rules. Though the NCAA had only canceled the 1987 season, school officials later opted to cancel the 1988 season due to fears that fielding a competitive team would be impossible; nearly every letterman from the 1986 squad had transferred elsewhere. Gregg knew that any new coach would be essentially rebuilding the program from scratch, but when acting president William Stalcup asked him to return, he felt he could not refuse.
As it turned out, when Gregg arrived, he was presented with a severely undersized and underweight roster composed mostly of freshmen. Gregg was taller and heavier than nearly the entire 70-man squad. The team was so short on offensive linemen that Gregg had to make several wide receivers bulk up and switch to the line. By nearly all accounts, the Mustangs attempting to play the 1988 season under such conditions would have been unthinkable.
In 1989, the Mustangs went 2–9, including a 95–21 thrashing by Houston—the second-worst loss in school history. In that game, eventual Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware threw six touchdown passes in the first half, and David Klingler added four more in the second, even with the game long out of reach. Gregg was so disgusted that he refused to shake Houston coach Jack Pardee's hand after the game. Nonetheless, Gregg reflected fondly on the experience. In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, he said the players on the two teams he coached should have had their numbers retired for restoring dignity to the program. "I never coached a group of kids that had more courage," he said. "They thought that they could play with anyone. They were quality people. It was one of the most pleasurable experiences in my football life. Period."
After the season, Gregg was named SMU's athletic director. The Mustangs went 1–10 in 1990, and after the season, he resigned as coach to focus on his duties as athletic director. Gregg's coaching record at SMU was 3–19, and he served as athletic director until 1994.
Career highlights and awards3× Super Bowl champion (I, II, VI)
6x NFL champion (1961, 1962, 1965–1967), Super Bowl VI
7× First-team All-Pro (1960, 1962–1967)
2× Second-team All-Pro (1959, 1961)
9× Pro Bowl (1959–1964, 1966–1968)
AP NFL Coach of the Year (1975)
NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
SMU Mustangs Jersey No. 73 honored
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 4:05 pm
In his defense, Gregg had to coach that 1st team against SWC level competition