Bring back Mike Cavan!

[Stallion]

.....he was also coaching a SWC program when he went out and recruited those players who competed against SWC competition ie part of his job description. He failed to compete-you forget many of his wins to give him that grand 24% winning percentage were not against SWC competition. I forgot what it was exactly-I've posted it on the board before but he won something like 16% of his SWC games Bennett is not coaching in the SWC and does not have that advantage in recruiting. QAuite frankly if SMU stayed with a SWC conference team in those days if was probably because the other team was laughing so hard at how pathetic our stadium and program were that they took us lightly. After all-it was SMU. Come on this is a coach that Baylor humiliated by crushing SMU without even attempting a pass. Humiliating.

[WorldStang]

I'm still waiting for the DVD that we'll get for the great games at Aggy and with Tulane. Athletic Dept.. What Gives? Where are my DVDs?

Still can't believe we put out a DVD of that game.. ridiculous.

[PlanoStang]

As I said earlier, let's figure out why we aren't succeeding now and then we can fire who needs to be fired, hire who needs to be hired, and be successful. Otherwise, we're just changing deck chairs on the Titanic.

Changing deck chairs on the Titanic is what Copeland started 10 years ago with Rossley, then Shumate, Cavan, and Dement. He, and his scapegoat method is a big part of the problem, and he needs to retire, resign, or be fired. We need some one who has new ideas, and a passion
to turn things around for SMU.

[carolina stang]

I know this has been said many times, but I have to laugh when people go on the defensive about Small college champ wonder boy Mike Cavan.

If Cavan was so wonderful, why was his only good year (1997) achieved with Rossley's players? He became worse every year. He possibly cost us a bowl game by sitting Flanagan part of the TCU game in 97 and not playing Donte at all. I'm not here to say that Bennett is any better (his record is not), but this love affair with Cavan makes no sense. I mean there were games we didn't even show up when Cavan was coach. (Much like today)Rossley at least had us competitive in a better conference. Example A&M games in 94-95, UCLA in 94, three wins over ARKANSAS. And I ask. What is Rossely doing now and what is Cavan doing.

All I hear about is how the well was dry when Cavan left. The team was going backwards year after year. Rossley was 5-6 his last year and the great Mike Cavan came in and promptly went 6 and 5 and lost to an 0-10 team.

I'm just curious how the apologists on this board can sometimes act like Cavan was the golden era of Mustang football. Remember; he was Dopie's hire!

[Stallion]

the well has been dry for 16 years. Cavan has the best record, the best overall record by far-he did what he could do under difficult circumsrtances-he had only one player recruited under the modified recruiting rules allowing early commitments. All SMU coaches have failed since the DP. Cavan was the most competitive over the longest period of time. None of them ever would have succeeded under the hand dealt them. In Rossley's 4th and 5th years with his own players he was 2-19-1 a miniscule winning percentage-he damn sure should have won playing in the WAC with SWC recruited players. They all failed-just don't try and [deleted] me with the notion that Rossley was just about to turn things around. He couldn't even beat Rice which sealed his fate. When we have people defining success by losing to Rice for 6 straight years then its obvious how far we have fallen.

[carolina stang]

Stallion, I agree that none of these coaches has had a realistic chance with the constraints they have had. And I am not saying that Rossley "had the program turned around." All I am saying is Cavan's only real success came with Rossley's players. Rossley also recruited as a "WAC" coach in the fall of 94, 95 and the part of 96 before being fired. (Since the SWC demise was actually in early 94) So he didn't always recruit as a SWC coach.

Finally, if Rossley's entire SMU career had been in the WAC, I daresay he would have had a much better record overall. Hell, the man was competitive in many of the big games and he only spent one year in the WAC.

I think you can tell alot about a guy by what he says. After SMU beat Arkansas in Shreveport in 97 you would have thought the man parted the red sea. His quote after the game was something like "maybe being close in the past was good enough, but it's not now." SMU beat Arkansas the year before in Fayetteville in front of a much more hostile crowd so it wasn't like it had not happened before. And 95 in Dallas and 92 in Arkansas. When Phil Bennett took over the program he was gracious enough to compliment Cavan and say "he didn't leave the cupboard bare." Did Cavan have any significant wins other than Arkansas the one time and Kansas? Maybe Fresno in 99? BYU in 97?.

Stallion, your best point is that we're even talking about this. I brought it up so I am the guilty one. When we have a program this bad you have to hang on to something. It's funny that I am dredging up our little success in 96, 97 or 92. Hell, 1978 (the real birth of Mustang Mania) through 86 (specifically 80-84) around my college years almost seems now like a dream.

[jtstang]

He couldn't even beat Rice which sealed his fate. When we have people defining success by losing to Rice for 6 straight years then its obvious how far we have fallen.

Well, if you define success by beating Rice, then Cavan got two wins in his 5 years, so clearly he was the best coach. But, then again, if you define success by beating Rice, then your football team clearly sucks in any event.

[Hoofbeat83]

this running debate y'all have about which is the worst among a bunch of bad coaches is about as pathetic as our on field performance.

[Hoofbeat83]

oops. carolina stang: just realized you were participating in the debate. sorry buddy. no offense. you know we see eye to eye.

hope you and CW have a good time in WV this weekend. be sure to tell him i said hello. i'll be watching the game on the computer looking for y'all in the crowd.

and how 'bout those astroooooooooooooos! looking good. ensberg is a god.

uh oh, kiss of death, 0-4 this weekend against the cubbies.

koosh!

[carolina stang]

No offense taken Hoof Beat. You know what a fan I am of Cavan. (snicker). Thank God for the Astros! Unlike the Ponies, they have greatly helped my methadone tratments!

[Nacho]

I thought I was the only stros fan on this board. I think we'll get in. I wonder how Beltran feels now. Since the Mets helped us out I can't feel too bad about him.

[Hoofbeat83]

nope nacho. carolina stang and i are life-rs for the astros.

we talk about SMU being a coaches graveyard. the mets are a graveyard as well. i hate to talk bad about beltran after the way he delivered for us last year, but i also have some guilty pleasure about the way things turned out for him.

just hope we don't have a meltdown this weekend like 2 seasons ago against the brew crew.

[carolina stang]

I've hated the Brewers ever since that lost final weekend of 2003. Before, they were just irrelevant. Probably like our Ponies are considered by most.

If only our AD Dopie was more like Hunsicker or Tim Purpura. They don't have the resources either and we still make the playoffs (baseball's version of a bowl game!)