No more badmouthing for Turner and Hart

[SMUstang]

Please let there be no more bad mouthing for Turner and Hart on this site.

[fan]

Thank you.

[Digetydog]

Please let there be no more bad mouthing for Turner and Hart on this site.

why not? Just because they did a good job on one thing doesn't mean they haven't made mistakes.

For example, I recently learned that Incarnate Word bought an old Army medical school in San Antonio. Why didn't Turner buy it? Does he have plans to buy one or partner with someone on one?

Did Hart get it correct hiring Lanier?

[Screck]

I agree with Digetydog. Turner’s time has come and Hart is ok for now.

[SMUstang]

"SMU AD Rick Hart, Turner and Miller were the point men. Hart handled athletic directors and Turner took school presidents — both mostly by phone or Zoom. Flying in his private jet, Miller focused on in-person meetings with board members and boosters — in many ways, the most influential decision-makers.

Hart described the endeavor as a “campaign.”"

"The climb first began academically. In his 27th year as school president, Gerald Turner oversees a university bursting with academic success. Student applications have tripled under his leadership, and a bevy of on-campus buildings have either been renovated or rebuilt."

[PerunaPunch]

I am HUGELY appreciative for the efforts of the entire administration rallying around this team effort. Finally... But as one who lived through (i.e. was on campus during) the DP, there's no denying that we are 30+ years late to this dance.

Absolutely true that Turner and Hart – under pressure from our BMDs – pulled the program out of the proverbial burning building. But I must ask, why did we let the building catch on fire in the first place?

[SMUstang]

PerunaPunch, I first enrolled at SMU in 1955 and I remember the history well. Following the dp, the embarrassed administration (Pye) did everything they could to destroy the athletic department. Turner followed after Pye's death and proved to be a great fund raiser, who emphasized academics first, then athletics. SMU would not have gotten a PAC or ACC invitation without excellent academics. It took time to develop that reputation.

[mustangxc]

Sorry, but this is thanks to our champion donors. Turner was slow to change. Hart bungled the re-seat in basketball. Our amazing alum mega-donors did 99% of the work and their money and persistence have helped mask most of Hart's mistakes. If anything this is the perfect time for Turner to ride off into the sunset and for SMU to hire a young hungry president eager to move SMU into the top 50 nationally and closer to AAU status. This would also be a great opportunity to get an AD who knows what he is doing, but at this point it appears Hart is simply a figurehead so as long as Miller knows what he is doing and keeps impulding SMU forward I'm ok with him sticking around. If that is the case we better have the best compliance officer in the country to make sure SMU stays out of trouble.

[Water Pony]

The continued criticism of our President and AD is disappointing.

The factors that SMU has struggled with for 35 years are both well-known and understandable. The need for us to have been more active earlier ignores the reality SMU faced academically, athletically, and our ability to fund raise. I suspect Miller, Ford, Armstrong, Dedman, Weber, and all our major benefactors do not share these negative views.

We have improved our academics, facilities, reputation, and finally progress with our athletic teams across the board. All of these developments and investments had to proceed the final, major effort of our Power 5 Task Force to present many offers to join the BigXII, PAC-12, and successfully the ACC.

The final outcome exceeded all expectations considering the hole we had been placed in. Truly amazing. Turner and Hart could only play the hand they were dealt. It would have been better to achieve this result sooner, but it is hard to imagine finalizing something, anything sooner.

When MIller grabbed the wheel, he had more than money to offer. He had what a Power 5 Commissioner said: "You guys are already behaving as a P5."

[Red Dragon Coog]

You guys have the means to join the ACC for free, so as lame as it is, it's the right move because it was LITERALLY the last ride outta G5 hell.


Not sure if this was your president's doing or if the big money donors took control of the operation.

[PerunaPunch]

PerunaPunch, I first enrolled at SMU in 1955 and I remember the history well. Following the dp, the embarrassed administration (Pye) did everything they could to destroy the athletic department. Turner followed after Pye's death and proved to be a great fund raiser, who emphasized academics first, then athletics. SMU would not have gotten a PAC or ACC invitation without excellent academics. It took time to develop that reputation.

I think I have a pretty solid track record of supporting our administration. I personally like Dr. Turner.

I think there is probably an argument that could be made that our academic reputation prior to the DP was stronger than it is now, so the argument about emphasizing academics first doesn't really hold water.

Again, I am HUGELY grateful to Dr. Turner, Rick Hart and our BMDs for getting this done. My criticism is that as a season ticket holder – rarely missing a home game - for more than 30 years, wouldn't it be nice if this was accomplished at first call rather than last call?

My excitement about SMU's future is literally through the roof.

[redpony]

[quote="mustangxc"]Sorry, but this is thanks to our champion donors. Turner was slow to change. Hart bungled the re-seat in basketball. Our amazing alum mega-donors did 99% of the work and their money and persistence have helped mask most of Hart's mistakes. If anything this is the perfect time for Turner to ride off into the sunset and for SMU to hire a young hungry president eager to move SMU into the top 50 nationally and closer to AAU status. This would also be a great opportunity to get an AD who knows what he is doing

MXC- well said and I agree 100%. I suspect the BMDs pushed RGT and rickey to do what they should have done years ago. If not for D. Miller and the others we would still be in that 3rd level conference

[gostangs]

Sorry, but this is thanks to our champion donors. Turner was slow to change. Hart bungled the re-seat in basketball. Our amazing alum mega-donors did 99% of the work and their money and persistence have helped mask most of Hart's mistakes. If anything this is the perfect time for Turner to ride off into the sunset and for SMU to hire a young hungry president eager to move SMU into the top 50 nationally and closer to AAU status. This would also be a great opportunity to get an AD who knows what he is doing, but at this point it appears Hart is simply a figurehead so as long as Miller knows what he is doing and keeps impulding SMU forward I'm ok with him sticking around. If that is the case we better have the best compliance officer in the country to make sure SMU stays out of trouble.

Agree with this - although i give Hart a bit more credit in managing an athletic department that is always 30 million a year behind our competitors. That is not easy - and he has generally done a good job hiring coaches. He is not super good at glad handing so fortunately we have alums who take it on themselves to attack the issues at hand. Turner has done some great stuff but also missed the mark on timing - in 27 years everyone can point to things they have done well and things they missed.

one correction - we will never be AAU without a med school. R1 yes (and soon) but we will never get AAU status.

[SMUstang]

It is much easier to see the speck in your brothers eye than to see the log in your own eye.

[leopold]

Turner has never gotten enough respect for his contributions in sports. He may deserve blame for other areas of the school, but not our athletic department.

It's Turner almost by himself who got an On-Campus stadium built and did so with a MASSIVE amount of financial and political capital.
It's Turner who had the balls to hire Larry Brown, for good or bad.
It's Turner who helped champion June Jones, definitely for good.
Turner has absolutely been at the forefront of evolving conference realignement, and did so at SM-freakin'-U.
It's Turner who has helped change the perception of us as force in collegiate sports, from a fan, coaching, and alumni standpoint.

If our history should teach any fan of collegiate athletics ANYTHING it's that moneymen are nothing without solid leadership and for all of his faults he has absolutely led in this area.
I would have openly snorted at the shot to going to the ACC. It's Turner who put us in this position.