Can someone please explain to me

[i10pony]

how a good football or basketball team results in increased applications for a university. Is this a myth or is there really a correalation between good athletic teams and increased interest in a university? Was SMU more selective in the early and mid 80's when it had nationally ranked football and basketball teams?

[Hoop Fan]

I can only speak for myself, but outside of Ivy League I would never apply to a school that did not play big time sports and at least field a competitive team.

[Diehard Pony]

During our days of national prominence in the 80's SMU's applications where at an unprecidented high, so it clearly had an effect. Newspaper articles chronicled this at the time.

Also, Mustang Club membership was roughly double what it is today, as were total contributions.

[Mustang75]

By 1984, the Mustang Club had a larger amount of non-alum than alum, mainly for seating consideration at Texas stadium. It's been questioned whether or not Dallas will support the Mustangs. Trust me...if we're winning they will. I lost my 30 yard-line, row 119 seats at the Cotton bowl for the upper-deck 15 yard-line at Texas stadium. Believe me, Our day is coming soon and when it does, $100.00/YEAR Mustang club dues won't even get you a parking spot. Those days are coming, just hang in there guys & dolls...

[KnuckleStang]

I don't share Hoop Fan's view. But I will say that when I applied in '85, as a central Virginia boy, I knew SMU because of Dickerson and James, and only because of them. I didn't choose SMU for football, but when my guidance counselor encouraged me to apply there, I knew what SMU was, as did all my friends, because of the cocky football teams. My football coach was very excited that I was going there, even though I wasn't even going to play football. He just loved SMU. But I think if you ask a Virginia teenager about SMU today, you stand about a 50/50 chance of getting a blank look.

My hunch is it does help your application pool to have good, prominent football/basketball teams. It's national publicity for the school, plain and simple, and that can only mean more applications. Which is a good thing.

[SoCal_Pony]

Someone more knowledgeable such as ReedFrawg could provide better insight, but TCU’s overall alumni contribution (not merely athletics), student applications and student/alumni satisfaction has increased over the past few years due to their success in football.

How far have we fallen in perception? While attempting to purchase OU/Wash St. Rose Bowl tickets this year from a father/son (son was a current OU student, dad an alumni), I told them I had graduated from SMU. Son said, “Umm...the SMU Stallions?” He was being sincere and his dad had to correct him.

[WildHorse]

I can't explain it, but the success of the football team has had a widely-documented effect on enrollment and applications at numerous universities. Something about Spring Break bragging rights, I gather.