SMU Football Staduim

[Uknight]

UCF fan here. I look forward to playing you guys in a few years. I plan on traveling to Dallas when we play you there. I have a quick question regarding your recently built staduim. We are in process of trying to build our football stadium on campus which is overdue. However, we do have a small minority that are objecting strongly to it being built. We are in a metro seting like SMU and I was wondering what kind of opposition if any you faced when you built your stadium. Any insight would be appreciated. For example: Did delays occur due to people challenging the project or filling lawsuits? I due believe our stadium will get done but it might take a little longer than expected. Thanks...

Go Knights!!!!
Go Mustangs!!!

[BUS]

SMU does have restrictions from the small town that is resides in. The building codes are restrictive as is the signage laws.

I must say that SMU worked things out before construction and there were no delays after the ground was broken.

I would call 214-smu-2000 ( directory assistance ) at SMU and ask for help there, if you want detailed information.

[Uknight]

Good luck in 2005!

[DiamondM75]

Although I am not privi to all the matters regarding the building of Ford Staduim, I expect there were the usual design and construction delays that occur with any major construction project. Since SMU is in a small town that is surrounded by a big city, we had an advantage and a disadvantage to build on campus. The advantages are that we had to deal with a small township for building approvals, without the politics and breurocacy of a large municipality. The disadvantage was the building height restrictions. That is why the field level was dug down approximately 20 feet. Without the excavation, we could not build a large enough stadium.

I don't think there were any alumni or supporters of SMU that made any noise because we so desparately needed an on campus stadium. We were left to playing our home games at The Cotton Bowl, seating 72,000 people and a 20 minute drive from campus, or Texas Stadium, seating 58,000 and a 30 minute drive from campus, or playing at Ownby Stadium on campus, seating about 17,000. All three stadiums were ageing and hurting recruiting. It was also very difficult for students to attend the games at the off campus stadiums, and our attendance looked lost in these largers stadiums. The old, old on campus Ownby Stadium was just too small and uncomfortable.

I don't know exactly what your current needs are and exactly where you play your games, since we are new to CUSA and are learning about all the other schools. But if you are not playing on campus, you need to build on campus. It really creates a nice game day atmosphere to attend games at the school instead of being in some remote location that has a surreal atmosphere that is not really college football.

Good luck in your project, and I look forward to playing all the new schools in CUSA.

[Stallion]

Texas Stadium never hurt recruiting - in fact it immeasureably helped recruiting. The decision to return to Ownby- a junior high football facility, was the single biggest mistake upon SMU's return from the DP although I'm sure it warmed the cockles of the heart of every Mustang Clubbers. That's the point football decisions were not made by football people for the good of the programs. Its what happens when a bunch of egg-heads run a football program. Ownby cemented the reputation of SMU as a third class program that was happy playing in a third class facility. You are what you aspire to be.

[Dooby]

Thanks, Stallion. Have a great day.

Uknight: One of the aspects of our stadium that made it palpatable for the cities of Highland Park and University Park is the fact that our stadium is partially submerged. The lower level and the field are below street level so that the only thing visable from the street is the upper level and suites. In othere words, we don't have a ten story monstrosity in the middle of a residential area. It really helps the stadium blend into the architecture. If UCF were to do somethign similar, I can't believe anyone would object.

[Hoop Fan]

as much as building height, I think parking was a big issue.

[DiamondM75]

Texas Stadium never hurt recruiting - in fact it immeasureably helped recruiting. The decision to return to Ownby- a junior high football facility, was the single biggest mistake upon SMU's return from the DP although I'm sure it warmed the [deleted] of the heart of every Mustang Clubbers. That's the point football decisions were not made by football people for the good of the programs. Its what happens when a bunch of egg-heads run a football program. Ownby cemented the reputation of SMU as a third class program that was happy playing in a third class facility. You are what you aspire to be.

Texas Stadium did not help recruiting as much as large payroll helped recruiting. Where were you in the 80's?

[Stallion]

I was working in the SMU athletic department-where were you? There never would have been so much as a bowl game without playing in Texas Stadium in the 1980s. In fact, there wouldn't have even been a winning season if we had played at Ownby. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say(which I'm sure with cause a lot of nostalgic homecoming alumni to wince) that Texas Staduim in the 1980s was far more beneficial to SMU than Ford Stadium is to SMU post 2000. Again, the life blood of a program is recruiting-and facilities are at the top of the list in attracting recruits. In the 1980s SMU had the Home Of The Dallas Cowboys to sell recruits and they loved it.

[jtstang]

I was working in the SMU athletic department-where were you? There never would have been so much as a bowl game without playing in Texas Stadium in the 1980s. In fact, there wouldn't have even been a winning season if we had played at Ownby. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say(which I'm sure with cause a lot of nostalgic homecoming alumni to wince) that Texas Staduim in the 1980s was far more beneficial to SMU than Ford Stadium is to SMU post 2000. Again, the life blood of a program is recruiting-and facilities are at the top of the list in attracting recruits. In the 1980s SMU had the Home Of The Dallas Cowboys to sell recruits and they loved it.

Yeah, but he makes a good point about the payroll. That helped us in recruiting a helluva lot more than the stadium we played in. Where you licking envelopes full of cash in the '80s athletic department?

[Dooby]

This thread is all the proof you need to know that Stallion is willing to argue anything at any time.

This was DiamondM's extremely controversial statement:

I don't think there were any alumni or supporters of SMU that made any noise because we so desparately needed an on campus stadium. We were left to playing our home games at The Cotton Bowl, seating 72,000 people and a 20 minute drive from campus, or Texas Stadium, seating 58,000 and a 30 minute drive from campus, or playing at Ownby Stadium on campus, seating about 17,000. All three stadiums were ageing and hurting recruiting. It was also very difficult for students to attend the games at the off campus stadiums, and our attendance looked lost in these largers stadiums. The old, old on campus Ownby Stadium was just too small and uncomfortable.

Can you believe people are allowed to walk the streets throwing out hot sports opinions like this?

1. We so desp[e]rately needed an on campus stadium. Oh my God!

2. The Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium are big and far away and students didn't show up and the attendance looked lost in the Cotton Bowl. I can't believe my ears!

3. Ownby Stadium was small and old and uncomfortable. You can't be serious!

4. All three stadiums were aging and hurting recruiting. Jeepers!

I mean, really. I don't doubt that when we had 30k in Texas Stadium, paying players and were winning games, that playing in the home of the Cowboys helped recruiting. I don't think anybody would dispute that.

But I don't think putting those early post-DP teams in Texas Stadium would have been a good idea. I doubt playing in a 75% empty cavernous Cotton Bowl helped recruiting and I don't think it helps Rice today. I think Ford Stadium helps us in recruiting today more than the Cotton Bowl did in the 90's.

But now we know, according to Stallion, the single biggest mistake upon SMU's return from the DP was leaving Texas Stadium.

[MustangStealth]

Another thing to keep in mind is that SMU is private, while UCF is public. Therefor, SMU's stadium was funded completely by private donations. If UCF wants to build a stadium, there is most likely going to be taxpayer money involved and then you have taxpayer opinions to worry about.

[giacfsp]

Texas Stadium never hurt recruiting - in fact it immeasureably helped recruiting.

based on what? Your interviews with 1980s recruits?

.... although I'm sure it warmed the [deleted] of the heart of every Mustang Clubbers.

After all we read about your theories on how to improve the athletic department, you're not even giving to the Mustang Club, to allow the school to implement improvements?

[couch 'em]

The stadiums make no difference. On one hand we have Texas Stadium, players get wooed by a giant pro stadium and the feeling of big time. However, very, very empty. On the other hand we have Ford, nice stadium on campus, only mostly empty, but looks very small time. Great a a midlevel recruit, but we'll never land the big fish with it. But we have bigger problems than stadium choice keeping us from landing any big time recruits.

[No Quarter]

Stallion,

Noting that you said above you were employed by the SMU athletic department in the 1980's, I have some questions.

Next time I come across my football press guides saved from that era, or my copy of Payroll to Meet, can I find your name in either? Maybe also a photo? And I have seen various opinions on this board about the veracity of and insites offered in Payroll, but don't recall a comment from you. What are your feelings? I also read on one of the SMU sports boards that a lot of records and memorabelia such as game films disapppered from the athletic offices at the end of football I. Any ideas about that, if true?

Perhaps most of all, you must be in a more or less unique position to have some knowledge of the thinking of the SMU faculty senate towards sports in general and football in particular from that time forward. Aside from the embarrasment felt were there more or less legitimate issues that disurbed the teaching faculty? Is there anything you will share, or perhaps articles in an old Texas Monthly or D Magazine that you would cite for those seeking the history of that period? In asking this, I'm thinking as much of thinking your mother would have been exposed to as what you experienced.

Thanks