Dickerson wants to get involved again w/SMU

[ponyboy]

before all you Dickerson "lovers" wet your pants-

Disagree. This would signal a fundamental shift in the M.O. of the SMU organization. These ex players have been ignored and left on the sidelines for far too long. Having an Eric Dickerson back in the fold would reap some good, albeit intangible, benefits. Glad to hear the meeting took place.

[No Cal Pony]

I agree with most that this sort of behavior has taken too long to get organized. SMU needs to act now, and act quick. ED coming back into the fold is a great start. Yes, maybe kids didn't see him play, but he still is in the record books, and highlighted on occasion when addressing great running backs.

The fact that he was a great player will help no matter kids like to see that others have gone on to NFL of great business careers. Money talks, one way or another. I'd like to see more players such as Jerry Ball, Michael Carter, Lance, Wes Hopkins. Let's get Bobby Leach more involved. I've seen what alumni involvement has done at other places, SMU needs it also.

Go Ponies!

[Sam I Am]

Of course SMU has lost its former glory, as if ED didn't know why. We can't pay the players any more like we did in the time of the Pony Express. Of course the school made it [deleted] itslef with its difficult admissions process; some sad lessons have been learned about this too. Maybe the school distanced itself from the players of the 80's for appearances sake. But the scandals were nearly 20 years ago and maybe it is safe to bring them back now. I'm for it.

[Mike Damone]

I say give them all the discounted or free merchandise and tickets that they want. First, its not like there's enough of them to really bankrupt the program. They deserve it.

Second, its great free advertising. If a discount is all that's keeping some of these old players from wearing SMU stuff and going to games, give it to them. You don't think it would be a good thing for a recruit to see an ED wearing an SMU hat? Or for someone to point out to some recruits, "See that group of big dudes up in the stands? They used to play here, a couple of them went to the pros."

And this should be for all former players that may not be "legends" on a huge level, but might be legends in their hometowns. "Son, that man up there wearing the SMU cap led us to state in 1970...."

Anything to to get these guys to come to games and wear our stuff. Maybe we should even pay them to do it.

[rich_alum]

I would like to see "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan hit ED in the head with a 2 X 4. I think that is something both recuits and alumni could appreciate.

Hacksaw would be a better recruiting tool than Dickerson, and Hacksaw would gripe about a lousy discount.

[rich_alum]

I think the reality of this situation is that Dickerson felt obliged to have lunch w/ Copeland after he opened his mouth. I seriously doubt he has any intentions of getting involved with this program. He has been absent this whole time so why would he care to get involved now?

I wouldn't get too excited on this one......its a nice thought, but Dickerson strikes me as someone way too selfish to give back any time to SMU. We want to his help, and I'm sure he is asking what are you going to do for me? Discounts.....comical.

[jtstang]

I think Dickersons bigger role if he wanted one could come from fund raising from alums.

Absolutely--a good start would be returning all that money he got when he was here. Instead he asks for a discount to buy a t-shirt. Classic.

[Hoop Fan]

I didnt know about the tshirt discount, if thats true forget it, his heart isnt in the right place. Something RA and I agree on? Amazing. Still, he can do more for us than we can do for him. Its the same now as it was 25 years ago. If we didnt pay him OU or A&M would have. Wait, they did pay him didnt they? Even if its a vote of confidence and some alumni appearances, we could use ED on board.

[Bergermeister]

You'd like to think that former players would, from time-to-time, attend athletic events such as games, barbecues, banquets and maybe lend their names to fundraising efforts for the department. Some people just get on with their lives and the SMU experience just isn't a part of what's important. Doak Walker never had much at all to do with Mustang Football after he left and rarely came back to Dallas once he remarried and holed-up in Colorado. Kyle Rote the same. How often does Don Meredith stop by the coaches office/locker room? A lot of exes do participate and it's good to see them around, even if it is only once or twice a year. I can't think of any former player who ever launched such a seething attack against their school as did ED. If he is not going to be consistent in his support then he just needs to go on. Having to worry about what he thinks or how he is going to react is ridiculous. He's had his time of SMU catering to him. Now is the time to help. I think Jim Copeland did the right thing and everyone except ED has shown a lot of class in dealing with the "situation".

[EastStang]

So John Elway has stopped making telephone calls for Stanford?

[Stallion]

I'm pretty damn sure that it wouldn't take 15 years for the OU, Miami, USC fraternity to make seathing comments about their alma mater if they had witnessed the crap many of you seem to accept around here. This seems to be the only university where the Fans take the AD's side after 15 years of the worst perfornmance in the football of any school in Division 1A-hell I could be wrong but I'm on a roll-please identify any program with more losing seasons, less bowls or less championships. Get this straight we SUCK-we have SUCKED for a long time-anything that contributes to the SUCKAGE should be identified and destroyed- anybody that accepts SUCKAGE-SUCKS too. I'm against anyone who accepts SUCKAGE and in favor of anyone who is PISSED OFF at where we are right now.

[MrMustang1965]

Wow. Did someone get out on the wrong side of bed this morning?

[jtstang]

I'm pretty damn sure that it wouldn't take 15 years for the OU, Miami, USC fraternity to make seathing comments about their alma mater if they had witnessed the crap many of you seem to accept around here. This seems to be the only university where the Fans take the AD's side after 15 years of the worst perfornmance in the football of any school in Division 1A-hell I could be wrong but I'm on a roll-please identify any program with more losing seasons, less bowls or less championships. Get this straight we SUCK-we have SUCKED for a long time-anything that contributes to the SUCKAGE should be identified and destroyed- anybody that accepts SUCKAGE-SUCKS too. I'm against anyone who accepts SUCKAGE and in favor of anyone who is PISSED OFF at where we are right now.

Oh please, what does it matter--as you succinctly put it in your "Dickerson lovers" post above:

"It has some symbolic value but when it comes down to it -it will have very little to do with turning the program around."

We all know you are the biggest Dickerson-lover around here, but apparently he hasn't cared about the fact that SMU SUCKS, which I guess according to your definition means he SUCKS too. And he should pay that money back.

[MrMustang1965]

If we didnt pay him OU or A&M would have. Wait, they did pay him didnt they?

There's a reason that Trans-Am was painted maroon when he arrived on the S.M.U. campus. And it's not because it was his favorite color!

[Dooby]

Stallion:

STFU.

Some of us are pi$$ed. Some of us don't accept it. We are still here because we want things to get better. I b1tch and moan. I send comments to Copeland, too, via e-mail. If it were up to me, we'd be able to recruit any kid that TCU recruits. First, we are moving in that direction, although too slowly for my taste. Second, I am not really in a position to do anything about it. Way I see it, my only alternative is to turn my back on the program altogether.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I have never seen you say Copeland should be fired. And you have previously said that we can't call for a coach to be fired because it is never his fault that the team loses (although, apparently, that doesn't apply to Rossley). So I guess all we can do is get angry and sit at our desks in the dark and drink.

[deleted], dude. You are just as much a part of the problem as any of us. You are here. You pay money for football tickets, too. The only difference is you insult people for their optimism. I guess that makes you special.