I am \"sportologically\" depressed. Your thoughts?

[StangEsq]

Lincoln HS could have beaten us tonight (seriously). That was a p!ss poor performance. Tech is a team full of average players. We seem to be made up of mostly below-average players.

So far this season we:
1) barely beat a (practically) JUCO team;
2) went to overtime against one of the worst teams in the NCAA;
3) got blown out at home by a good team that didn't play well; and
4) got murdered by an average team.

As I was sitting in my home with a few SMU and Tech fans discussing another 40-point deficit, it occurred to us that SMU fans must be the most beaten down of any fans in the country. What other school has fallen so far from where it was 20 years ago?

Like many of you, I am a sports fanatic. I haven't missed a Cowboys game since I was 6 years old. I watch Stars and Mavs games religiously. I used to love college football and basketball and even go to some soccer games. But SMU has made my college sports life miserable. I feel like banging my head against the wall sometimes. I have thrown speakers into the pool in disgust. I hate the fact that schools like Tech and TCU, which most considered lesser programs back in the 80s, are now light years ahead of us. I hate the fact that we're in a conference that no one cares about, and we are soon to be in one that is just as bad playing schools we will have little interest in. I hate the fact that our venues are half empty unless the other team's fans fill them.

I was at SMU from 91-98, so I know that most of our problems stem from the death penalty and from bad decisions made by our school after the death penalty. I know we've made some changes to our policies. We've changed coaches. We've recruited a few highly touted players (mostly in basketball), but they never seem to hit that highest level. Our coaches seem to start fast in recruiting only to have their momentum capped by disappointing results on the field or court.

It seems like we're spinning our wheels in the money sports. I thought the hire of Copeland was great considering what he did at Virginia. But man nights like these are getting old.

I'd like to hear some opinions on Copeland from people who know more about what he's doing behind the scenes than I do.... any thoughts?

[PonySnob]

I'd like to hear some opinions on Copeland from people who know more about what he's doing behind the scenes than I do.... any thoughts?

I think Copeland is approaching retirement age and he doesn't really want to "rock the boat" with regards to the administration at SMU and its policies that are killing the athletic department.

[OldPony]

I think he is past retirement age right now.

[Dement-ed]

He'll be an AD for another 10-15 years.

[Diehard Pony]

Tech is a team full of average players. We seem to be made up of mostly below-average players.

This group (plus Chris Lowe) beat T. Tech, Purdue and took Wake Forest to the buzzer. I was very excited to hear that Jimmy Tubbs was going to be our basketball coach, but based on what I have seen so far I would consider begging Dement to come back unless things change dramatically. I understand that he can't make BHop play to his potential, but NOTHING on this team is working.

I thought the hire of Copeland was great considering what he did at Virginia. But man nights like these are getting old.

I'd like to hear some opinions on Copeland from people who know more about what he's doing behind the scenes than I do.... any thoughts?

I have heard from more than one credible source that Copeland had already been issued his pink slip by Virginia's President over disagreements with their head football coach (and apparently other issues) at the time he accepted the SMU job. One of those sources works for the Cox School and got the information from his peer at Virginia.
When you think about it, why would anyone in their right mind voluntarily leave their alma mater in a beautiful part of the country to AD a program mired in the effects of the death penalty and, at the time, no hope in sight on the academic or facilities side.

He did not get us into C-USA. Britton Banowsky and Gerald Turner are very good friends. Banowsky wanted us in in '99 but the Malin thing was working and we were 0-6 in football. Shortly after SMU was announced as a new member of C-USA Banowsky moved C-USA's office to Dallas where he lives.

He did not build Ford Stadium. That is something that Gerald J., the Hunts and a few others wanted to get done in their lifetime.

What he has done is fired our best post death penaly football coach (Rossley), and then followed those hirings with Cavan and Bennett. His seemingly promisingly hiring of Dement didn't lead to an NCAA birth in 9 years. The Tubbs era (albeit very eary) is off to an embarassing start. Under his "leadership" has relegated our two revenue sports the lowest level in SMU history, and with that greatly diminished revenues at a time when Title IX requires more. This past year we lost a Track and Field team that won the WAC and finished in the top 5 in the country as a consequence.

To add insult to injury, He is coming up dramatically short of his personal goal of Mustang Club donations (not the general donations), his personal goal outside of that target.

A lot of my friends are SMU supporters, and I cannot name one who does not feel pretty much exactly the way I do. Do any of you know of anybody who is not confined to Terrell State Hospital who does not feel the same way?

[davidsmu94]

The day Copeland is gone, will be the happiest day of my life. Bastard

[SoCal_Pony]

DH,

Blaming Copeland for firing ‘A’ and replacing him with ‘B’ is missing the bigger picture. Why you and others are so fixated on Rossley is beyond me. Don’t you get it by now? How many more failures will it take? We are the 4th worst program in all of D-1A over the past 18 years. Only Buffalo, Kent State and Temple are worst than us. We debate whether or not we deserve to be in the Bottom 10 with programs I didn’t even know existed when I attended SMU.

In BB, approximately 100 teams get invited to post-season play and we’ve been what, 3 times in 18 years, and 2 of those have been NIT bids? We have never won a WAC title or seriously competed for one. Some trumpet our new savior Jimmy Tubbs, then 4 games into his career start doubting.

It is the Model, stop blaming the pawn, or in Copeland’s case, the rook. He is impacted by our failed model as much as any revenue coach. Under this model everyone loses, especially us.

The only difference I see is that as AD he is in a better position to advance change, which I believe he has failed at. That is why I think he should go. But replacing him with another suit will not change things.

[Diehard Pony]

DH,

Blaming Copeland for firing ‘A’ and replacing him with ‘B’ is missing the bigger picture. Why you and others are so fixated on Rossley is beyond me. Don’t you get it by now? How many more failures will it take? We are the 4th worst program in all of D-1A over the past 18 years. Only Buffalo, Kent State and Temple are worst than us. We debate whether or not we deserve to be in the Bottom 10 with programs I didn’t even know existed when I attended SMU.

In BB, approximately 100 teams get invited to post-season play and we’ve been what, 3 times in 18 years, and 2 of those have been NIT bids? We have never won a WAC title or seriously competed for one. Some trumpet our new savior Jimmy Tubbs, then 4 games into his career start doubting.

It is the Model, stop blaming the pawn, or in Copeland’s case, the rook. He is impacted by our failed model as much as any revenue coach. Under this model everyone loses, especially us.

The only difference I see is that as AD he is in a better position to advance change, which I believe he has failed at. That is why I think he should go. But replacing him with another suit will not change things.

SoCal, I have always been a supporter of the fact that the model needs fixing. I have stated so many times on this board, and did not feel that I needed to do it again. Copeland might (and I emphasize might) work out at T&M or some other place where all you have to do is go around and slap backs and drink a few beers with the boys, but SMU requires a proactive, innovator, and implementer and anyone who knows Copeland knows that those adjectives do not apply. He will not even implement good ideas that are given to him in Committees (like those that were held this past summer) after he agrees they are good and should be implemented. Those that know him and have worked with him know that he is a "no" man. "No we can't do that because.....".

Yes, the system needs additional fixing, but Copeland is clearly not the guy we need at the top. All we will get is more of the same guaranteed.

[Diehard Pony]

While I am delighted to see a solid majority is voting for change at the top, I am dumbfounded as to how anybody could vote for "Quit your [deleted]" in light of the current state of SMU' revenue sports. It's that kind of attitude that will keep us where we are......at the bottom.

[stang_fan]

Diehard, I don't think we can do any better. If we keep firing and re-hiring no one will want to come here. There is a point when no one is successful at a certain place that you have to think maybe there is something wrong with the place itself. I hate this opinion, too, but that is the opinion of the outside world. Leave someone in there that cares about it turning around.