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this post will deal with graduation rates-as in football players from each school we have competed against who have graduated to the NFL based on a 2005 ESPN List-I know there have been many changes since but this was the only list I have found.

A&M 30
UT 23
BYU 23
SDSU 20
Southern Miss 20
Arkansas 19
Fresno 17
Memphis 14
Texas Tech 13
Marshall 13
SJSU 13
CSU 12
Hawaii 12
Utah 12
UCF 11
Baylor 9
La Tech 9
TCU 9
Rice 8
ECU 8
BSU 6
Tulsa 6
UNLV 6
UTEP 6
Wyoming 6
Houston 5
Nevada 5
Tulane 5
UAB 5
New Mexico 4
LAST: Dear Ole SMU with 2 (Kevin Garrett and Keylon Kincade) neither of whom were active for a single game last year. See if we could just get a coach to motivate the boys....

I still don't think that's the proper measuring stick. There will be some players graduating off of UT's team this year that won't make the pros, I'm sure, but we'd surely have given our left one to get them on the Hilltop a few years ago. And last time I checked I think it was Grambling that had put more players in the NFL than any other college. Not sure if they still are or how that fits into your argument. But you are correct about one thing, our talent level consistently falls below those other teams' you mentioned.

I highly doubt SMU will only have 2 for very long. While the talent at SMU isn't on par with a lot of schools, it's getting much better. Hopefully the Cowboys and other regional teams will start keying into the talent level increase at SMU and "steal" a few players that other teams passed on.

This is interesting. And it shows something, but the list is certainly not everything. The goal is not to get Mustangs in the NFL, but for SMU to win football games, win championships, go to bowl games. Obviously, the best teams have the best players and the best players make the best teams and championship teams will have mroe players in the NFL. But look at this list, which is from last year- UCF has 12, till this year, UCF had never been to a bowl game. SJSU has 13 and no bowl games since 1990. La Tech has eight, one bowl game since 1990. Rice has eight; anybody want Rice's record?

You know what is tells me:

Having 15 or fewer players in the NFL does not guarantee success in College Football.

Having only 1 player in the NFL guarantees FAILURE.

SoCal_Pony wrote:You know what is tells me:

Having 15 or fewer players in the NFL does not guarantee success in College Football.

Having only 1 player in the NFL guarantees FAILURE.

Nope...it's the failure that guarantees having only one player in the NFL.

PK wrote:

SoCal_Pony wrote:You know what is tells me:

Having 15 or fewer players in the NFL does not guarantee success in College Football.

Having only 1 player in the NFL guarantees FAILURE.

Nope...it's the failure that guarantees having only one player in the NFL.

That makes me feel SOOOO Much BETTER...thanks for the pearls...

btw, name me the best NFL player from SMU over the past 20 years..

Jerry Ball is best SMU player in pros in past 20 years (1986-2006).
I think there is not only a correlation between the DP/aftermath & lack of NFL players, but causality as well.

Jerry Ball is the only player I recall seeing consistently in the late 80s thru mid 90s. ED, I think, only stayed in the NFL for a handful of seasons. He was unbelievable during those seasons, and clearly gets the nod for best player for the last 25 years.

But Ball I think gets this award.

You have got to be kidding? Dickerson played 10 years in the NFL and retired in the 1993. He is 6th in career rushing yds and holds the NFL single season rushing record.

Dickerson played 11 seasons, racking up 13,259 rushing yards, the second-highest total in NFL history at the time. He made six Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro five times.

Jerry Ball was great, but Dickerson was the best, in my opinion.

Mickey wrote:You have got to be kidding? Dickerson played 10 years in the NFL and retired in the 1993. He is 6th in career rushing yds and holds the NFL single season rushing record.

Right. And is the 248 he ran for against the Dallas Cowboys still a single-game postseason rushing record? I think it is.

Did he play that long? Then it definitely was an oops on my part.
ED is best, but I still say that Ball was a NFL stalwart.
Different position, though. And lineman, regardless of offense or defense, don't get the props that running backs do.
So I give it to him because I prefer lineman.

I think Wes Hopkins was underrated. Probably because all of us w/ Dallas ties subconsciously shortchanged him b/c he played for the Eagles.

Wes Hopkins was VERY underrated. He and Andre Waters were about the nastiest pair of safeties in the NFL for quite a while.

Personally, I vote for Dickerson, of course, followed by the Carter boys (DT Michael and S Russell) and Jerry Ball.