Rice vs. SMU 51 years ago...

Owlfred · Post by **Owlfred** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 5:32 pm

Ricefootball.net is featuring a cartoon and program, this week, from the 1954 Rice-SMU game held in Rice Stadium. SMU won it, 20-6, in front of 60,000-plus. There's a graphic from the program that shows that Rice and SMU both were in the top 15, nationally, in attendance, the previous year.

How times have changed.....

http://www.ricefootball.net

giacfsp · Post by **giacfsp** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 5:35 pm

Indeed -- let's all thank our friends who orchestrate that B(C)S .... among others.

Charleston Pony · Post by **Charleston Pony** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 6:14 pm

for SMU and Rice, times changed LONG before the BCS was born. When did our attendance woes begin? Seriously, any historians out there? I know we drew some pretty pitiful crowds to the Cotton Bowl in my days at SMU (1970-1974). The decline, except for a few good runs, may date back to the Dallas Cowboys arriving in town

No Quarter · Post by **No Quarter** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 8:19 pm

Charleston,

I think that high tide was in '49 or '50, the epic loss to ND and what I've

read was a great struggle with UT.

I began SMU in '55 and the decline had started before that.

PK · Post by PK » Fri Nov 04, 2005 8:20 pm

In the mid 60's, we played at the Cotton Bowl and I remember that we had pretty good crowds...I know the student section was always full. I think you are right though, as the Cowboys became Dallas' team, our attendance dropped off. Prior to that, I think SMU was Dallas' team much as UT is Austin's team today.