Naming a \"D\" Part II

[Bo 17]

I am a pony for life and i agree about Pony Stampede not sounding that ominous. I love the Red Swarm....Swarming D, like a bunch of crazed dogs (thanks LT) or Killer B's. Hell, we will all get a chance to voice this as soon as our "D" starts stomping [deleted] this year. We are the ones who will name this "D", so let's all be thinking of names and then when the time comes lets all agree on something and put it out there.

"D" wins ball games...Yes it is a fact! If they can't score they can't beat you.

If we name the "D", I hope it will instill some pride in our boys and give them something to play up to. Let's start talking about this thing and then get it rolling and when the "D" starts kicking [deleted] let's blitz the **** out of it in the media.

When our boys have an identity they will live up to it! Play hard, ass-kicking, ball-swarming "D".

When I was at SMU coach Gregg told us that if the defense scored a touchdown he had better see everyone empty the bench and get to the endzone. He said he wanted to see yellow flags flying...he wanted us to celebrate our asses off. That's how important your "D" is..."D" can change a game in an instant.

Go Big "D"...Go Red SWarm or whatever we all decide to name our viscious "D". Let's get after it and follow this thing through.

Bo

[SMUfan5]

Actually, the "Swarm Defense" is the name of Texas Tech's defense. That would look stupid on our part to copy another schools nickname for their defense. If we are going to do that, we should call out defense the "wreckin' crew" like A&M.

[91Stang]

Thanks for the insight on Coach Gregg, Bo. I remember when Baylor High ran up the score on us (what was that, 1989? '90?) by throwing a fake punt for a touchdown in the last minutes of a game that already was well out of reach. After the game, it look like cops were holding Coach Gregg back from going after Baylor High coach Grant Teaff. (Can someone explain to me why he's held in such high regard? What a classless buffoon.) I know Coach Gregg has a few years under his belt, but I bet he still could crack a few skulls if he needed to.

I've hated Baylor High and everything about Teaff ever since that day.

[AusTxPony]

Maybe it is something as simple as "The Big D". Wonder if some of the current defensive players what to give their ideas? Another thought...the "Spider Men" wrap 'em up.

[Bo 17]

Didn't know the Tech name. We will have to come up with something original for sure.

As to 91Stang...I was in that game and i was the one supposed to return that punt. That sorry-ass Teaff, I went over to the sidelines and called him a dirty son-of-a-bitch the next time I was over on that side of the field.

All in all, it was a well executed fake on their part, but totally unnecessary. Anyway, all that kind of crap that happeneed to us that year just made us better competitiors. One thinmg that the 89-90 teams had was heart. Outmatched and out sized we never quit.

Remember ol' Kenny Rea hitting that Giant Stan Thomas in the nuts and watching him drop like a freakin Redwood. That was a great moment in SMU football history. That big son of a [deleted] was holding Kenny all day and pulling him to the ground every play. Kenny just got tired and rocked that big giant dude....I bet Stan Thomas will never forget that one. The great thing about that is that Coach Gregg told Kenny Rea he did a great job and that he wished he could have done it himself.

Coach Gregg was such a stud. Tough as nails. You could always see it in him that he wanted to be out there on that field with us. Even at his age then, I bet he could have cracked some skulls. Sometimes he would get so mad at us he would scare the **** out of us. GREAT FREAKIN' COACH!

The Best Ever!

[PonyPride]

First of all, re: "Spider Men" .... no. WAY too mainstream.

And Bo, love these tales about Coach Gregg. Funny you should mention that game against UT when Kenny Rea earned the nickname "Sugar" Rea. I was covering that game and went to interview both guys after the game. I'd met Kenny a few times before, and frankly (thanks to a rapidly-expanding beer gut that I was sporting at the time), I was almost as big as he was. He was very upfront about the fact that he knew his shot to Stan Thomas' Little Stan was illegal, but like you said, he was getting held all day. A glance back at the program from that day likely would show that Thomas outweighed him by maybe 50 pounds or so, so holding -- which admittedly goes on in every game -- was totally uncalled for by Thomas, who was on his way to being a first-round draft choice of the Bears.

It was when I went into the UT locker room after the game that I got somewhat scared for my health. Beer gut or no, these were the biggest college players I'd ever seen. Stan Thomas blocked out the sun. And by the time I got to him -- a couple of hours after he'd taken the uppercut to the jewels -- he still looked like he had steam coming out of his ears and that he might eat his helmet just to relieve a little stress. I've interviewed a million athletes and coaches, sometimes after lopsided or heart-breakingly close losses, and that was the only time in my life I ever feared an athlete might seek revenge on me for whatever transgression had befallen him during the heat of battle. Big Stan had a strategically-placed ice pack, and was still so irate he could hardly get answers out. (By the way, thanks to the other reporters there who wimped out of asking questions, leaving me to anger the Big Guy even more. Writers who piggy-back other writers' questions are weak, at best. But I digress...) Considering the shot he'd taken during the game, Thomas was relatively nice about it. He called it a cheap shot (wouldn't we all say the same thing in his situation?) and promised he'd remember it. But I don't think the situation ever came up again.

Incidentally, that game was one of few when professionalism got shot to hell. When Kenny dropped Big Stan with the greatest "hit" ever delivered on the turf of Ownby Stadium, that was the only time in my life I stood up in a press box and cheered. Became a Sugar Rea fan for life.

[This message has been edited by PonyPride (edited 05-08-2002).]

[MustangMan]

Question for Bo 17 and 91Stang:

Is that game where Baylor High threw the fake punt for a TD the same game where they didn't attempt a single pass on offense all game long? That was so boring to watch. Maybe J.J. Joe (Baylor High QB) couldn't actually throw the ball. Either way, I always root against Baylor High. I love reading the Miami Herald every week and seeing them lose by 70 every week in the Big 12.

[Bo 17]

I believe so MustanMan...The Baylor program is such a non entity to me. I never here about them in the news and they suck it up in the Big 12. The Baylor Football Program is like their town (Waco), small, insignificant...a place where nothing ever really happens!

[PX]

Actually thats not correct. The game were they didnt throw a pass came 2 years later. They also didnt punt too often in that game, they went for it on 4th down 7 or 8 times.