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Get a media guide and look at the historical numbers. Only home games with large crowds from the 70's forward were Texas, Arkansas or A&M with very few exceptions. The out of conference games when I was there normally drew about 13-15,000. And that was in the Cotton Bowl.

Terry Webster wrote:

smumustang1980 wrote:Of course we could sell-out a 45,000 seat stadium! Where were you guys in the late seventies and eighties? In 1978 we had 47,000 at a TCU game when TCU was a dormat. We then regularly sold 60,000 + at the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium.

Win the big game, beat Tech, make them believers. Continue improving. Dallas will return to a winner.

According to the Pony Express Book, in 1982 we had only crowd at Texas Stadium over 50000. Arkansas drew 65000, A and M about 50,000 and the rest were in the low 30000s.

Absolute nonsense. I don't know where those figures came from. I was in attendance at every home game from 1973-1983. I missed 1984 because I was a graduate student at UVA in Charlottesville. And every home game from 1985-1986. I can tell you that Texas Stadium was packed because Brad Thomas and Mustang Mania were in full swing. The low 30,000 is nonsense.

You are wrong because Bob Hitch became AD and stopped Mustang Mania giveaways in 1982 or whatever his first year was. In fact, in 1984 when SMU played Arkansas for share of Co-SWC championship in last game of the year there were only 28,000 or so in attendance. But when Mustang Mania was in effect I remember approximate crowds of-(from memory).

60,000 Rice 1977
48,000 TCU
56,000 Baylor
46,000 NTSU

We would give 30,000 tickets to Ford and other companies and they give away tickets from test driving a car for example. Ha! at least Dallas cared enough to show up and butts in the seats helped the momentum in the football program

Stallion wrote:You are wrong because Bob Hitch became AD and stopped Mustang Mania giveaways in 1982 or whatever his first year was. In fact, in 1984 when SMU played Arkansas for share of Co-SWC championship in last game of the year there were only 28,000 or so in attendance

No, I am right. I was at the Arkansas game and you are dead wrong. Where on earth did you come up with those figures? Especially for SMU v. Arkansas. Give me the citations. Here is an excerpt from SMU's great moments...


The program got off to a very good start as the Mustangs played TCU in the Jerry Lewis/7-Eleven Bowl, a charity football game for muscular dystrophy. The game drew 41,112 fans to the Cotton Bowl, the largest crowd to see and SMU-TCU game in 20 years. From there SMU traveled to Florida, Penn State, and Ohio State, gaining national attention for the exciting football they brought to the field. When SMU finally returned home to face Houston, they played in front of 64,871 fans in the Cotton Bowl. Mustang Mania was at its best.

The Mustangs had the largest increase in attendance of any school in the country in 1978. In 1977, SMU's home attendance average was 25,644. Considering they were playing in the 72,000 seat Cotton Bowl, a person could notice the need for improvement. By the end of 1978, SMU's home attendance had risen to 51,960. Season ticket sales also rose from 2,200 in 1977 to 5,300 in 1978. These fans never went home disappointed because Mike Ford and Emanuel Tolbert always seemed to put on an aerial display every week. The season was built upon excitement and SMU delivered.

Mustang Mania was everything SMU hoped it would be. The following season, SMU's home attendance rose yet again, this time hitting 55,758 per game. The excitement generated by Mustang Mania also helped springboard the Mustangs to new heights in college football as the era of the Pony Express soon followed. For the excitement that it brought to SMU and Dallas, Mustang Mania takes its rightful place as one of the 90 Greatest Moments in SMU Football History.

I worked in SMU Athletic Department and sometimes was actually involved in Ticket promotions-worked a little with Brad Thomas but mostly in SIDs office

Stallion wrote:I worked in SMU Athletic Department and sometimes was actually involved in Ticket promotions-worked a little with Brad Thomas but mostly in SIDs office

You are wrong about the Arkansas game. Where did you get that absurd number? No game at SMU in the early to mid eighties was less than 40,000 -50,000. I will lay any sum on that. Give me the figures from an SMU archive if you have them.

scroll to page 73 of the attachment-has attendance for all SMU games in history. I stll got it-attendance for SMU/Arkansas game was 28,712

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/smu ... ecords.pdf

Stallion wrote:You are wrong because Bob Hitch became AD and stopped Mustang Mania giveaways in 1982 or whatever his first year was. In fact, in 1984 when SMU played Arkansas for share of Co-SWC championship in last game of the year there were only 28,000 or so in attendance. But when Mustang Mania was in effect I remember approximate crowds of-(from memory).

60,000 Rice 1977
48,000 TCU
56,000 Baylor
46,000 NTSU

We would give 30,000 tickets to Ford and other companies and they give away tickets from test driving a car for example. Ha! at least Dallas cared enough to show up and butts in the seats helped the momentum in the football program

I don't know where you were but your figures on the Arkansas game are wrong. This is nothing personal.

I missed by 712 fans. Crowd was 28,712

Whoever compiled these numbers was off... Look at the Baylor figures for 2012. It has 86,000 plus! Or am I seeing things?

OK now you are bordering on drunk or crazy-I was right in the middle of Mustang Mania on a daily basis-and I worked with the office that collected that information. Its accurate

Russ Potts quit in 1980. Bob Hitch came in 1981 and look what happened 4 of 7 games in our undefeated year drew in the 20,000s. The reason was Bob Hitch killed Mustang Mania and didn't want to dilute revenues for a top quality product

SMU hasn't had regular crowds of 48,000-60,000 since the 1950s.

Stallion wrote:I missed by 712 fans. Crowd was 28,712

And, that figure I will challenge even if SMU has it in an archive. Some kid has compiled these numbers and has made mistakes in transposing numbers from one sheet of data unto another. I was at that game and it was packed at Texas Stadium. I am not losing my mind. Arkansas would always be packed. But you have awakened my interest in the figures. What's the deal with last year's Baylor figures? Am I seeing this correctly?

The 1982 game was packed with 65,101. SMU was No. 2 and Arkansas was No. 6 or so. I said 1984 when SMU played for a share of SWC Championship with Houston

Well, let's focus on the future. Leave me with my memories... Enough said about this.

What do you think SMU should be doing differently today given your experience with Mustang Mania?