Former Letterman says Peace

[bigdaddy08091]

COpony

I am glad to hear you have some hope.
There is hope.
SMU has alot to offer.
And with the right coach we can be successful.

It really is not going to take that much for somebody to be a "hero".
If say a Todd Graham comes in here, or some other good coach and
wins 7, 8 games and takes us to a bowl....that coach will always be
remembered as "the guy that brought back SMU football from the dead".
He will practically be a "saint"!

Yes the empty stadium is very depressing to all of us.
But in some ways you are preaching to the choir.
Most of us attend all the games....you dont.
Yes you played.....but then left......we stayed.
We are the die-hards.
Obviously we live and breathe SMU football.
We want many of the same things you do.

With the right coach we will win 7-8 games
and that will start the ball in motion and
many of these problems will go away.

Don't give up hope.....
Orsini is going to get this turned around!

All the stadiums in CUSA are empty. Todd Graham aint coming here. Please, all former player and alumni stay silent about SMU football. That is the start of the so called culture change. Along with Turner stepping down and taking all of his boy/girls with him. Otherwise we are in this losing thing for a while. It is a sickness and you all are infected. Bring in PP to change the culture and structure the correct way.

What has the former players or alumni done for SMU football in the last 18 years?

[EastStang]

I guess COPonyfan wants us to just convert Ford to a soccer stadium, drop to Division 1-AA because that's where the Administration has been steering us for 20 years. The fact is that the Administration is beginning to get it, but still isn't close. The faculty doesn't get it. As one commentator said of the SMU firing, Bennett is a nice guy, he had a 100% graduation rate, sadly, coaches with a 100% graduation rate tend to get fired. Yes, we are trying to lure a name coach to SMU who gets the vision of where we want to be. That's a tough sell for Orsini, but a $10 Million fund for hiring such a coach and staff should at least open a few more doors than a $500,000 a year salary. And if we start to win, fans will start to come. Why would anyone pay good money to watch a 1-11 team unless you were a student, an alum, or a family member of a player? Yes, Ford is empty after mid-season because we've been out of contention by mid-season for 20 years. Let's hope we get a great coach, start winning and rebuild the fan base. That's the vision. Go back to your sheep farm, buh bye. Out.

[Italian Mustang]

How about just two years ago? I dont think any further explanation is needed when I say "24-10" Thinking about that game keeps me going, and is the reason I am an SMU fan. It gives me chills thinking about that night.

Amen, brother. I pop in that "Midnight Madness" DVD anytime I need a boost. Talking trash to TCU fans, jingling the keys, sreaming my whiskey-soaked vocal chords to shreds, rushing the field, and hugging complete strangers all night! And then that Black & Mild victory cigar never tasted so good. Such good memories. If that is just one game over the past 6 years that has fueled our passion for SMU football, imagine how incredible it will be when we are winning![/quote]

[locostang]

I enjoyed 2006 season immensly even though we were only 6-6. The games were just fun to watch even when we lost.

[COponyfan]

By rear view mirror I meant leaving the state, doing new things, seeing new places, and I always thought I'd be back in Dallas someday but the more I see new things the smaller Dallas becomes in the mirror.

Ever since Phil was fired I've been reading this board to get a handle on the coaching thing and it just brought me back to why it was so easy to leave. The country club mentality, the lack of diversity, the getting drunk on the Boulevard and getting to the game at halftime crowd. That's SMU and everyone knows it.

I wish you all good luck and sorry to offend anyone, this obviously is not a good place to have a civil discussion.

[perunapower]

All the stadiums in CUSA are empty.

That's just a lie.

UCF's stadium was 97.17% full.
ECU's stadium was 96.60% full.
USM's stadium was 80.97% full.
Marshall's stadium was 78.96% full.
UTEP's stadium was 71.01% full.
Tulsa's stadium was 69.04% full.
Houston's stadium was 65.48% full.

We were 53.66% somehow.

Memphis averaged almost 30,000 people, but has to fill the Liberty Bowl.
Tulane averaged over 26,000 people, but has to fill the Superdome.
UAB has to fill Legion Field for a good percentage.
Rice, well, they're just sad.

Edit: Forgot to include the link.

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2007/Internet/attendance/IA_CAPACITY.pdf

[TheBestAvailable]

What i do know is that you are a LOSER and SMU doesn't need you.

BYE! Go and join some bandwaggon! The rest of us TRUE fans will still be here to see this thing turned around. It will be done.

Way to giv'em hell after joining ponyfans on December 11, 2007!!! You go boy!

I guess you agree with the LOSER JT! I have been on this site for over 2 years for your information and my new name is TheBestAvailable! Don't worry about my old screenname because I know that's the next question.

As a longtime PONYFAN member we should not be denegrating new ponyfans. I see it all the time.

We complain about not having the support of DFW as a whole and everytime someone new even joins the fan site Stallion as well as several others take the opportunity to bash the new fan. The goal is to get SMU back on top and in the process attract more fans. You never know who's behind that new screenname you're putting down because he just joined. Could be a potential recruit's dad. Show the new guys/gals the same respect you show the guys who were here 7+ years ago.

[peruna11]

Ever since Phil was fired I've been reading this board to get a handle on the coaching thing and it just brought me back to why it was so easy to leave. The country club mentality, the lack of diversity, the getting drunk on the Boulevard and getting to the game at halftime crowd. That's SMU and everyone knows it.

I wish you all good luck and sorry to offend anyone, this obviously is not a good place to have a civil discussion.

Thats not SMU.... thats SPORTS!!! if you suck, the stands are empty. period. From high school all the way to the pros. One day, we will be the 80 year old men in the stands with headphones on listening to the game. We will be the ones in the stands regardless of our record or the weather. SMU is ahead of the curve in that we have a great foundation when it comes to the culture and atmosphere thanks to things like the boulevard and the pony up campaign.

You are out of your mind if you think drinking at a tailgate is detrimental to ticket sales. As long as we are going 1-11, you cant honestly expect everyone to go in and watch us lose when there are a dozen more exciting games on TV. That's the reality.

The superfans will always be there, rain or shine. But, I dont think anyone on this board holds it against others for being fair-weather or bandwagon fans. Its as simple as economics, and its human nature.

[EastStang]

I'll let JT speak for himself on this. My view is that when people who walked away from the program (taking this guy at his word that he is a former SMU football player) and have not been through the wars of the last 20 years between the faculty and the athletics department and the shrinking fan base, and then says, that the faculty gets it, is going to get return fire from those of us who have been through all of this. We understand the situation clearly, and that's why everyone is going nuts on this board.

[peruna11]

once we start winning, filling the stands handles itself. You have to win FIRST.

[TheBestAvailable]

By rear view mirror I meant leaving the state, doing new things, seeing new places, and I always thought I'd be back in Dallas someday but the more I see new things the smaller Dallas becomes in the mirror.

Ever since Phil was fired I've been reading this board to get a handle on the coaching thing and it just brought me back to why it was so easy to leave. The country club mentality, the lack of diversity, the getting drunk on the Boulevard and getting to the game at halftime crowd. That's SMU and everyone knows it.

I wish you all good luck and sorry to offend anyone, this obviously is not a good place to have a civil discussion.

If the Team is winning on a regular basis there will be more people leaving the Boulevard when the game begins and coming into the stadium, students included. Most people (casual fans) don't want to spend 3 hours of their lives rooting for a team when they know their team will just lose the lead with less than 3 minutes to play in practically every home game. Sad but true.

I don't know how many Maverick games you went to in the 90's but I went to almost every home game for several years straight during the losing years. I can tell you the arena wasn't full and the people who didn't go to the games didn't discuss the mavericks unless it was a part of their joke.

Winning changes things.

[bigdaddy08091]

All the stadiums in CUSA are empty.

That's just a lie.

UCF's stadium was 97.17% full.
ECU's stadium was 96.60% full.
USM's stadium was 80.97% full.
Marshall's stadium was 78.96% full.
UTEP's stadium was 71.01% full.
Tulsa's stadium was 69.04% full.
Houston's stadium was 65.48% full.

We were 53.66% somehow.

Memphis averaged almost 30,000 people, but has to fill the Liberty Bowl.
Tulane averaged over 26,000 people, but has to fill the Superdome.
UAB has to fill Legion Field for a good percentage.
Rice, well, they're just sad.

Edit: Forgot to include the link.

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2007/Internet/attendance/IA_CAPACITY.pdf

Damn, some more stats. Stop with the stats. There is more to do in DFW on Saturday than just watch footbal. 53.66 is damn good for as bad as we are.

[Texas Red]

Look on the positive side, we have more seats available than those other schools. At a lower price, no doubt.

[mrydel]

Please, all former player and alumni stay silent about SMU football.

Apparently bigdaddy 457476362 wants only to converse with MM1965.

[Alaric]

Please, all former player and alumni stay silent about SMU football.

Apparently bigdaddy 457476362 wants only to converse with MM1965.

nice!