Memory Lane - 43 years ago today

[MrMustang1965]

I was surprised to see only 37,000 for the game. I would have thought it would have been much bigger.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe some of those folks stuck around after watching the annual Red River Shootout earlier that day between U.T. and OU. So much hype about Heisman Trophy candidate Roger Staubach brought people in to the Navy v SMU game who might not normally attend.

[50's PONY]

SMU played Navy on the Friday night before TU vs. OU.

[Sam I Am]

I had just finished my professional studies at SMU in May 1963 and took my dad to see THE game. What a thrill to entertain a man who was a big pony fan.

[MrMustang1965]

SMU played Navy on the Friday night before TU vs. OU.

Thanks. So, I guess there were 'Horns and Sooners who arrived early and saw the Navy v SMU game. I just remember my father commenting on seeing 'more than the usual number' of people in the stands at the Cotton Bowl to see the Middies and the Mustangs.

[Rayburn]

My dad was at this game and raved about it to me for years.

He was lucky to get to go because he was a high school football coach at the time and would normally be involved in his own game but it was an off week so he drove the family to Dallas for the State Fair and the Navy game.

Dad recalled that there was some real rough stuff between the two teams, a few fights and some talking back and forth.

The next day #2 Texas beat #1 OU and went on to play the same Navy team for the national championship in the Cotton Bowl. The slogan for Navy that year was "Undefeated in 49 States."

If any of you can dig out an old copy of Sports Illustrated from the week after, Dan Jenkins wrote one of the funniest stories I have ever read about two couples who attended the SMU, Texas and Baylor-Arkansas games that weekend.

I would LOVE to have a video copy of that game.