Greatest SMU Wide Receiver

[ponyboy]

Ok, I was four years old when he graduated. Would love to find some video

[mrydel]

I do not know if there is any video from our olden days. In 68 we played in the Astro Bluebonnet Bowl but freshmen were not eligible to play varsity then so he was not in that one. We had no other bowl games during our time there. There was not the glut of bowl games then like there is today.

[peruna81]

Emanuel Tolbert was also a pretty fair receiver back in the Mike Ford/Clement Fox days...

Still have to go with Hammond, though. He made being a young SMU fan smile on Saturday afternoons...

[max the wonder dog]

Emanuel Tolbert was also a pretty fair receiver back in the Mike Ford/Clement Fox days...

Still have to go with Hammond, though. He made being a young SMU fan smile on Saturday afternoons...

We never got to see Hammond's potential as a wide receiver. Freshmen were ineligible when he was on campus, then he moved to running back his junior year and quarterback as a senior. If there's a category for Most Versatile he wins hands down. One of the all time great Mustangs.

Jerry Levias still gets my pick for Greatest Wide Receiver.

Aside from his All American honors and NFL career, he was the Jackie Robinson of the Southwest Conference. He performed under pressure that the other great receivers cited in this thread never faced. I would like to see his statue at Ford.

[peruna81]

Emanuel Tolbert was also a pretty fair receiver back in the Mike Ford/Clement Fox days...

Still have to go with Hammond, though. He made being a young SMU fan smile on Saturday afternoons...

We never got to see Hammond's potential as a wide receiver. Freshmen were ineligible when he was on campus, then he moved to running back his junior year and quarterback as a senior. If there's a category for Most Versatile he wins hands down. One of the all time great Mustangs.

Jerry Levias still gets my pick for Greatest Wide Receiver.

Aside from his All American honors and NFL career, he was the Jackie Robinson of the Southwest Conference. He performed under pressure that the other great receivers cited in this thread never faced. I would like to see his statue at Ford.

Aye.

[Mexmustang]

Amen!

I always imagined a statue of Jerry, with Hayden's arm on his shou!der, saying something to the effect, "Just show them who you are!" .

[ponyboy]

I'd put Courtland Sutton up against any receiver that's ever played here. Two best hearts I ever saw were Mick Rossley and James Proche. And Beasley. Now's the golden age.

[PoconoPony]

No question at all--Jerry Levias. SMU All-American, none of these other players were All-American. If he isn't listed as our all time best receiver then he is at least our all time best special teams player. He had speed, in the days of long grass and outdoor stadiums. He was quick and he was shifty, he left whole teams running around like drunken ants! Think Bobby Leech on steroids. He personally beat A&M one year in the old Cotton Bowl. I've never ever seen an entire crowd stand every time a kick off or punt might go to him. The whole stadium lit up when he broke into the open before the pass even left our QB's hand. I've seen all the others play, but Jerry outshined every one of them in terms of excitement. Remember he was, when he played for SMU, the best amongst his peers. None of the others can say that.

And, he played under enormous personal pressure!

Most devastating block I have ever seen in football was in the TAMU game in the Cotton Bowl when Jerry took a punt and headed to the Aggie side of the field and needed one block to turn the corner. I forgot who got the block, but the entire crowd lost track of Jerry for a split second when you could hear the crunch of the block and an Aggie lie almost unconscious at mid field. Jerry scored and the Aggie was motionless for several minutes. I view Jerry as the almost dangerous return man ever for SMU where his speed and quickness were/are almost unmatched. Our offense for much of his time really failed to get the ball to him enough. We simply did not have a sufficient passing attack to really show case his ability. Yes, he was key and made great catches, but in my opinion did not sufficiently feature him and he disappeared in some games. Maybe we simply did not have a feared second receiver to take away the double and triple teams.

On a side note. I had several occasions his frosh year to hand time him in the 100 yard dash at track meets and he was a legitimate 9.5 guy coupled with the fact that he could do a 2 hand one step slam dunk from behind the neck with a basketball.

[mrydel]

If it is the game I recall, the block was by Pinky Clements who I believe passed away not too long ago. I can still visualize the block. It was as you said, devastating.

[panhandle_pony]

The blocker was Pinky. He died of a heart attack in 1990, if I’m not mistaken. Pinky was 43

[mrydel]

Wow. Did not realize his death was that long ago.