Was The Rise Real?

[mtrout]

What is the vision for our football team? What is the goal? Seriously. It sure seems like our goal is sportmanship and 0 ncaa violations of any kind. In that case, mission accomplished.

LeadershipΓÇÖs goal should be to gas up our coaches not frustrate the hell out of them.

[JasonB]

There are two sides to every story. The information Mex shared is accurate. However, we also have to realize:
- Our facilities depend on private donations. We had donors lined up in the past for the IPF that backed out, which lead to delays. It wasn't lies by the administration, but the commitments had dependencies.
- Rick understands how to work the system. June and Chad didn't have the patience for it. LB was frustrated, but took the time to work the system and got significant changes, including the admission process. The Frazier and Mudiay incidents set that back a bit, which frustrated both Larry and Chad.
- LB and June were promised significant changes to the tutoring system for athletes that never got resolved. Chad came in and LB had him make it part of the contract. Chad had the leverage to get it done through Rick. We are much better off now than we were three years ago. Getting Ben on track and graduated is a testament to that.

Coaches can be successful here. But they have to be willing to work the system. And they need clout to get things done. Jank is a perfect fit - he plays clean, knows his stuff, has some pedigree to make things happen, and he is patient. Dykes could be a perfect fit as well - he can play the politics, has patience, and has the rep.

Bringing in Traylor or anyone without a pedigree is a disaster at SMU. Turner wants a successful athletic department, but does everything he can to not take sides between the AD and faculty. The AD needs strength behind him in order to successfully negotiate against the faculty.

If you aren't willing to recognize that some of what happened with June and Morris is due to the situations they have to deal with, then you have your head stuck in the sand.

[Puckhead48E]

Just glad to hear that during the past 30 years of futility, at no time was our repetitive toiling towards ignominious failure ever the fault of the people on the field. Well....except Hicks.

Actually, the entirety of the last 3 decades of athletic failure can be laid bare at the feet of Hicks because itΓÇÖs all his fault. That damn kid never even had to decency to teach the defenders how to tackle! What a jerk!


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[tristatecoog]

is the challenge with faculty the fact that the AD loses around $20M per year? Guess SC, Duke Miami, Vandy, etc have all the TV and conference $$ so they probably don't lose much.

[redpony]

Bottom Line: SMU will get the athletic program that its alumni are willing to pay for--the everyday alumni have not proven that they have any interest in supporting the football program at sufficient levels over a 30 year period to justify our current AAC level. The big financial supporters on the football side have not proven they are willing to pay for anything better than a mid-tier AAC program.

This is the famous chicken and the egg problem. People (other than a few rabid fans) have little interest and are not willing to actively support a program that is less than successful and plays schools of little or no interest. When we start winning 9-10+ games a year against real competition than fans will start showing up, might even get the T-shirt fans interested in attending a few games.
We used to play schools that were in Texas and had at least a semi-rivalry (old SWC days) now we play 'patsies' so we can pad our record and then play conference schools who fans have no interest in watching.
Plus RGT has done little to rebuild our fball program in the 20+ years he has been here hence we are relegated to a minor conference (G6) while the big boys enjoy a revenue stream that SMU can only dream about.
let's all hope the HCSD is a roaring success because if he fails than we just might drop down to DII or lower and become known as a basketball school.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Unhappy endings. Doesn't help, the last three seasons our fans get a gut-shot going into the offseason. Our last three season finales SMU has lost, 63-0, 75-31 and 51- 10 in our bowl game, to a half-ass Louisiana Tech team. It would be nice, if we didn't go into every offseason, with the taste of vomit in our mouths.

[SMU21TCU10]

Excellent post Mex. I do not know what happens behind the scenes. All I know is that anyone looking can see that June came here excited, and left depressed and hating the school. His son even posted itΓÇÖs the worst football school in America. I was shocked that SMU bent over and took the probation in B-ball, and LB seemed frustrated here. Then Chad comes, all excited, and within a year is trying everything he can to get the hell out. ItΓÇÖs pretty obvious itΓÇÖs a miserable place to coach and everyone is set up for failure. Your post confirms everything a reasonable SMU fan should be assuming at this point.

[SMU21TCU10]

I can't understand how La Tech and our peers can recruit better talent than SMU. Other teams go from 0-10 tp 10-0 in a couple of seasons and we are in year 30+. I'm hopeful Sonny is our Patterson.

Snobby SMU culture plays a much bigger role in recruiting and perception than many on here want to admit.

You mean the recruits arenΓÇÖt impressed with our boulevard ΓÇ£soireeΓÇÖsΓÇ¥?

[Black Horseshoe]

I can't understand how La Tech and our peers can recruit better talent than SMU. Other teams go from 0-10 tp 10-0 in a couple of seasons and we are in year 30+. I'm hopeful Sonny is our Patterson.

Snobby SMU culture plays a much bigger role in recruiting and perception than many on here want to admit.

Good win last night

[SoCal_Pony]

Unhappy endings. Doesn't help, the last three seasons our fans get a gut-shot going into the offseason. Our last three season finales SMU has lost, 63-0, 75-31 and 51- 10 in our bowl game, to a half-ass Louisiana Tech team. It would be nice, if we didn't go into every offseason, with the taste of vomit in our mouths.

Merry Christmas to you Alex.

I appreciate MexMustangΓÇÖs posts. Among other things, I agree with his simple question of why hasnΓÇÖt our AD done more in regards to marketing.

I also agree with what you are saying, but I think it goes much deeper than that. We all acknowledge that SMU needs brand opponents to energize our base and attendance. Amazingly, against Big12 South opponents post-DP we are 0-55-1. ItΓÇÖs like a 30-year perpetual gut punch and IMO rests completely on Turner.

I also remember being a student at Cox Business when one of my professors, Art Patton, predicted SMU would see their endowment and academic prestige grow exponentially due to wealthy older alumni ready to ΓÇÿPony UpΓÇÖ for SMU. At the time SMU was ranked ~53 nationally. What Professor Patton and others didnΓÇÖt fully anticipate was the meteoric rise of the city of Dallas itself on the national stage. Today our law school competes against Waco and Coog high, but not UT. Today our school is ranked 60th academically, weΓÇÖve digressed. ThatΓÇÖs on Turner as well.

I donΓÇÖt think RGT is a bad guy, but IΓÇÖm disappointed heΓÇÖs been President this long and now seen his contract extended. I do think some of his better achievements could have been accomplished by many.

[78pony]

SoCal Pony gets it. Our BoT doesnΓÇÖt. WeΓÇÖre not racking up wins in the classroom or on the fields (court is the exception). But we build buildings and have a beautiful campus so I guess maybe the goal is one I donΓÇÖt understand very well. The Emperor (Turner) has new clothes tale comes to mind.

[MV pony]

Thanks for the insight, Mex.

Little gt will never voluntarily retire because then he loses his clout in the community. Sad. That's why I'm betting SMUis gone in the next 100 years. Obsolence of a small liberal arts school.

[RGV Pony]

The Idiot Regurgitations of a Lunatic

I've spent hours proving he spouts crap about topics he doesn't understand especially NCAA academic standards and SMU admissions.

Bottom Line: SMU will get the athletic program that its alumni are willing to pay for--If SMU's alumni, family or friends don't support the program by attendance and donations -IT WILL NOT GET DONE PERIOD. See Ford, Moody, Crum, Indoor Practice Facility, Natatorium, Tennis Facility, Golf Facility. Just like every other private school those facilities need to be privately funded.

As a department, 44% of SMU's revenue comes from donation. That's far above the national average at any level.

[Stallion]

Of course it is because we only have about 8,000 fans--its a money pit for a program that doesn't have sufficient alumni, family and friends that are willing to pay for a ticket and put their butts in seats. (See "attendance" above). Its simple math. At other schools the university derives revenue from ticket sales and at P5 schools for Conference Bowl and TV payouts. We have a few alumni willing to float the program. Too many Chiefs and not enough Injuns. Not coincidently SMU drew 14,000 in a Bowl down the tollway--I'm guessin there were about 8,000 SMU fans there

[RGV Pony]

Oughta just pack it in then I guess