DMN - Letter to the editor

[JayM]

Here is the letter:

SMU's missteps
This is why I think SMU has lost fans and will have some difficulty in finding new ones.

I will begin wiht a policy of exclusion that began in the 1950s when SMU officials attempted to keep Texas Tech out of the Southwest Conference. That policy continued into the 1960s with regard to the University of Houston.

The inexplicable firing of Hayden Fry followed in the 1970s, although he recruited the first black starter in the SWC, had some great and exciting teams and won a conference championship when those titles seemed to be the exclusive property of either Texas or Arkansas.

Following that miscalculation came the peculiar decision to move the football games to Texas Stadium, where Dallas high school kids, and especially inner-city kids, found it difficult to attend games, although it was apparently no problem for drunken SMU students to show up by halftime waving banners informing everyone that their maids had gone to the University of Texas. The memories of those high jinx still linger.

The death penalty in the 1980s needs no discussion here except as a reminder that SMU was already on probation many times and had been warned of the consequences of further violations. Nevertheless, those violations continued with arrogance and impunity.

Finally, back to the policy of exclusion and SMU's support for membership in C-USA for a Louisiana school instead of North Texas. This decision is nothing short of idiotic. UNT's membership would create a natural backyard rivalry and would create interest and ticket sales, replacing that puffed up canard with TCU-a rivalry now as dead as a mashed horned toad, anyway.

If SMU is to regain a loyal hometown following for its athletic program, it must make wiser decisions in the future than it has made in the past.

I will not drive to Ruston.
- A. B. Thomas, Carrollton

[Buddha]

On the contrary, the decision to support LaTech's inclusion in CUSA is a wise one. Coach Bennett has said he wants to expand his recruiting base into northern Louisiana -- which isn't exactly Tulane country -- and the addition of LaTech would make SMU a more appealing option to players in that area, since they could play a game near their homes each year. As much as I would like to see SMU play North Texas, LaTech makes more sense. After all, LaTech brought a decent (although not huge) contingent of fans to Dallas, and would continue to do so. Would UNT bring more? Probably, but not a lot more. The benefit to recruiting alone makes LaTech a much more appealing choice.

[LA_Mustang]

NTSU people make me laugh. I’m sure that hundreds of Dallas sports fans sat at home last fall saying “I would go to that SMU game if only they wouldn’t have treated Tech and U of H soooo badly back in the 50s.” Or “I would go see SMU play if it werent for those drunk, smug students.” This guy is comical.

NTSU supporters need to realize that the key to SMU getting fans back is WINNING. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UNT! BTW, someone tell Mr. Thomas that SMU/TCU will always be a rivalry...SMU/NTSU, no. And hopefully the SMU program will be able to recover since he will not be making the trip to Ruston.

[JayM]

NTSU people make me laugh. I’m sure that hundreds of Dallas sports fans sat at home last fall saying “I would go to that SMU game if only they wouldn’t have treated Tech and U of H soooo badly back in the 50s.” Or “I would go see SMU play if it werent for those drunk, smug students.” This guy is comical.

NTSU supporters need to realize that the key to SMU getting fans back is WINNING. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UNT! BTW, someone tell Mr. Thomas that SMU/TCU will always be a rivalry...SMU/NTSU, no. And hopefully the SMU program will be able to recover since he will not be making the trip to Ruston.

This letter to the editor is from someone with a tie to SMU not North Texas.

[Sam I Am]

Mr. Thomas is so disaffected and critical of SMU that his letter should only be published in Denton or Ft. Worth, not Dallas. His premise is all wrong. Only winning or losing affects community support of SMU football. The kiss of death was the breakup of the SWC, and exclusion from the BCS. Supporting UNT in the C-USA instead of La Tech is immaterial. And frankly there doesn't seem to be much way to improve our lot short of a breakup of the BCS cartel. Rock on.

[crazy horse]

What makes you think this person has any ties to SMU? Was there more to the letter?

This is a bitter person with a big axe to grind when it comes to SMU.

I am sure all of SMUs fan base and the greater Dallas sports fans are chomping at the bit to see that SMU/NT game. Get real.

Frankly, I don't care if its NT or LaTech. They're basically the same to me. I would much rather see an eastern team added. That would push So Miss west and make for a much better competitive balance in CUSA.

[LA_Mustang]

Ok. So we have had 20 years of no bowls (1 winning season) in football and no bball NCAA appearances in 11 years and this gentleman chooses to write a letter to the DMN voicing his displeasure with SMU favoring La Tech over NTSU for conference affiliation?? Come on. If he really has SMU ties and not UNT, which I seriously doubt, I think he could find a REAL reason to write the DMN, but I guess having a letter that highlights the low points in SMU athletic history just to prove that we should play NTSU printed in a major newspaper is his way of helping out. For the record, I’m sure that would solve all of our problems.

[leopold]

People need to get this straight: The biggest hurdle UNT faces trying to get into C-USA isn't going to come from SMU, it's going to come from the schools in the east who are looking at enormous travel expenses coming their way. According to the response Dr. Turner gave the UNT fan who wrote to him, ECU and possibly now Marshall are trying to get the conference to look at some schools closer to them for this very reason. (In fact, that apparently was a major consideration in picking Marshall to begin with - they give ECU a travel partner.) As the good doctor said, is he necessarily pushing for UNT? No. But is SMU going to stand in the way is the rest of the conference wants them? No.
UNT fans or SMU fans or whoever needs to quit [deleted] on this board because I guarantee you if Copeland or Turner see UNT as helping SMU they will get behind them. The Pirates and the Herd are another matter, however, and are the ones who need to be shown how the Mean Green would help the conference AS A WHOLE.

[Water Pony]

I agree that UNT is not the issue. What SMU supports isn't the determining factor. Adding in the East, helps CUSA more and adds balance.

[leopold]

One more thing:

That letter is ridiculous. Granted, SMU DOES need to make some better decisions in the future on its athletic department, but I guarantee you not one bit of SMU's current situation has anything to do with the decisions the school made before, say, around 1980 or 81. NO students in the past eight years care about what went on before the WAC, with the possible exception of the FEW that know that we used to actually win football games. In fact, SMU's past winning might, might keep in mind, be one of the few selling points we can make to fans, donors, and potential conference mates; i.e., "We've done it once, we can do it again." NOBODY from Tech cares that SMU might have pushed against them for inclusion because they GOT IN. Nobody at UH cares either, cause they got in too, only to be left behind when the Big XII came around.

For God's sakes man, come into the 21st century.

[EastStang]

The UNT flamer can write all the letters to the editor that he wants, its a free country, and he just shows his bias and ignorance. The fact is that SMU has lost fans because A) it isn't winning. B) it isn't playing in the same conference as UT and A&M anymore. Those two reasons combined to put the program in a freeze. UNT is not the answer and will never be the answer. CUSA will be a great conference for us. We need to make sure that all its members feel that they are in a good situation to create stability. That will come when UAB, Marshall, UCF and ECU feel that the conference is as geographically balanced as it can be. If that means adding La. Tech so be it. If that means adding Temple, Appalachian State, Middle Tennessee State, Toledo, No. Illinois, then so be it.

[Dooby]

There was a UNT poster a few weeks ago mouthing off that SMU fought to keep UNT out of the southwest conference. Granted, I graduated in 1995, but that was news to me. As if SMU alone could keep any school out of the SWC.

Truth is that this this is some UNT fan regurgitating that same bent. And if UNT is not selected for C-USA it will, of course, be all SMU's fault.

[MeanGreenGem]

NTSU people make me laugh. I’m sure that hundreds of Dallas sports fans sat at home last fall saying “I would go to that SMU game if only they wouldn’t have treated Tech and U of H soooo badly back in the 50s.” Or “I would go see SMU play if it werent for those drunk, smug students.” This guy is comical.

NTSU supporters need to realize that the key to SMU getting fans back is WINNING. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UNT! BTW, someone tell Mr. Thomas that SMU/TCU will always be a rivalry...SMU/NTSU, no. And hopefully the SMU program will be able to recover since he will not be making the trip to Ruston.

And SMU will be a contender to host the Cotton Bowl in 2004, too.

When are some of you going to join the rest of us in this millineum? As Bob Dylan wrote, "the times they are 'a-changin' ."

You should be more concerned with what Metroplexers who didn't attend SMU or UNT are saying about all this, not just one of your alums who wrote this letter to the editor. I have heard a few of those kind of comments over here in Tarrant County and you would not like them.

But look at the upside of all this UNT/SMU talk, its kept your minds off other far negative things this off season from your previous season and for sure takes your minds off the fact that TCU just changed addresses (once again) without giving yall their forwarding address.

UNT has done well without SMU on our schedule lately, but your SMU alum was merely trying to make a point in that DMN letter to the editor that probably more of your fellow "non smack board" alums agree with than not.

FWIW, UNT is moving forward and growing like a sumbich' with or without SMU on any schedule, even an equestrian matchup.

[SWC Grey Hair]

This guy doesn't have his fact straight. SMU cast the deciding vote in favor of TTech being admitted to the SWC. Stanley Marcus told SMU that TTech would be good for business in Dallas and to vote for them. TTech made it in by one vote, ours. The vote was taken at the old Shamrock Hilton in Houston. The old TTEch fans I know have always been ver grateful to SMU for that vote.

[MeanGreenGem]

This guy doesn't have his fact straight. SMU cast the deciding vote in favor of TTech being admitted to the SWC. Stanley Marcus told SMU that TTech would be good for business in Dallas and to vote for them. TTech made it in by one vote, ours. The vote was taken at the old Shamrock Hilton in Houston. The old TTEch fans I know have always been ver grateful to SMU for that vote.

Well, as far as the rest of the story, it was money that got Stanley Marcus's undivided attention on that story and here is why:

SMU had to be co-erced to change their minds and their vote on TTech when west Texans from all over the Panhandle threatened a major boycott of that famous Dallas' store by a letter writing campaign with their threat to cut up all their N/M charge cards and mail them back to that Dallas department store's HQ's in Big D. SMU had a change of heart only with some pressure from one of its most well known citizens and entrepaneurs. Always funny how it is always money involved with these things.

To a prior poster. I am sure that NW Louisiana fertile recruiting ground will prove to be a boon to the SMU football program. You all might let UT and TAMU in on what they have apparently been missing all these years with that part of cajun country since I don't see that they have signed that many recruits from that area the last 50 years!