Letter to Rick Hart
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:02 pm
Don't post much but, read and follow here a lot. Felt motivated to post this email I sent to Rick Hart and his response.
Some of the info in my email was taken from posts on this board, so thank you for the info to the entire community!
Subject: June Jones and Football Team
Director Hart,
I am a SMU Mustang, class of 2005. I am writing you today to tell you how dissatisfied I am with the recruiting efforts and overall performance of the coaching staff.
When coach Jones was hired it was some of the most exciting news I have ever received. For a few years after that I was a huge June supporter and showed up at events in NY to personally thank him for his help, however it seems our team and coaches have settled into a rut and seem resigned to our perpetual mediocrity.
Most upsetting about this is the Head Coach's lack of hands on recruiting effort. He rarely if ever conducts in home visits and seems to be vacationing or doing charity work when most other big time college football coaches are on the recruiting trail.
Since June has been here these are the results:
0 conference titles
0 weeks ranked
1-10 record vs ranked teams
6-30 record vs winning teams
2-17 record vs A&M, Baylor, TCU, Tech and Houston
Pretty sub par.
Does coach Jones believe we are destined to forever languish in mediocrity? That's what it sounds like when he implied this week regarding recruiting that they we're not even trying to compete against the P5 schools, but did throw in "we do play TCU" as if to say we should try to compete against them for some kids.
This wasn't always the case. He once said:
"We are 1 1/2 recruiting classes from competing for a BCS Bowl"
That is the kind of verve and positive vision I want an SMU Mustang Head Football coach to have. What happened to that guy?
As an alumni that lives in NY I even bought a pair of season tickets to support the team, but that was the season before the Arizona State debacle where coach Jones single handedly cost us all our best recruits.
I don't mind the team losing, I would buy tickets to support the team if it was 1-11 but the coaching staff was clearly putting forth 100% effort, and had a clear vision, strategy and plan to return us to National Prominence. Most of all I need the Coaches to believe it is possible for SMU, like TCU, and University of Miami to be forces to reckon with on a National Stage. Not some middle of the road school destined to wallow in a mediocre existence.
I don't know if the answer is re-energizing Coach Jones by letting him know the level we are competing at is unacceptable or if we just need a new Coach. That's your job to figure out. The point of this letter is to express my disappointment and beg for some sort of action. SMU Fans will except nothing less than greatness. As you can see with Coach Brown and the Men's Basketball team, we will show up and cheer our butts off for a winner and Coach who puts everything into recruiting and winning.
For all of our sake, I wish you luck and hope to hear how these issues are being addressed at the Administrative level within the Athletic Department.
Thank you.
D. Justin Massimo
Go Ponies
Response:
"Mr. Massimo:
Thank you for your e-mail. We are working hard to position all of our programs for championship success. No one is satisfied or complacent. Building a football program requires consistent effort and investment over time. The recent success of the men’s basketball program will only help to advance the football and our entire athletics department.
We appreciate your support. Go Mustangs!
All the best,
Rick"
Some of the info in my email was taken from posts on this board, so thank you for the info to the entire community!
Subject: June Jones and Football Team
Director Hart,
I am a SMU Mustang, class of 2005. I am writing you today to tell you how dissatisfied I am with the recruiting efforts and overall performance of the coaching staff.
When coach Jones was hired it was some of the most exciting news I have ever received. For a few years after that I was a huge June supporter and showed up at events in NY to personally thank him for his help, however it seems our team and coaches have settled into a rut and seem resigned to our perpetual mediocrity.
Most upsetting about this is the Head Coach's lack of hands on recruiting effort. He rarely if ever conducts in home visits and seems to be vacationing or doing charity work when most other big time college football coaches are on the recruiting trail.
Since June has been here these are the results:
0 conference titles
0 weeks ranked
1-10 record vs ranked teams
6-30 record vs winning teams
2-17 record vs A&M, Baylor, TCU, Tech and Houston
Pretty sub par.
Does coach Jones believe we are destined to forever languish in mediocrity? That's what it sounds like when he implied this week regarding recruiting that they we're not even trying to compete against the P5 schools, but did throw in "we do play TCU" as if to say we should try to compete against them for some kids.
This wasn't always the case. He once said:
"We are 1 1/2 recruiting classes from competing for a BCS Bowl"
That is the kind of verve and positive vision I want an SMU Mustang Head Football coach to have. What happened to that guy?
As an alumni that lives in NY I even bought a pair of season tickets to support the team, but that was the season before the Arizona State debacle where coach Jones single handedly cost us all our best recruits.
I don't mind the team losing, I would buy tickets to support the team if it was 1-11 but the coaching staff was clearly putting forth 100% effort, and had a clear vision, strategy and plan to return us to National Prominence. Most of all I need the Coaches to believe it is possible for SMU, like TCU, and University of Miami to be forces to reckon with on a National Stage. Not some middle of the road school destined to wallow in a mediocre existence.
I don't know if the answer is re-energizing Coach Jones by letting him know the level we are competing at is unacceptable or if we just need a new Coach. That's your job to figure out. The point of this letter is to express my disappointment and beg for some sort of action. SMU Fans will except nothing less than greatness. As you can see with Coach Brown and the Men's Basketball team, we will show up and cheer our butts off for a winner and Coach who puts everything into recruiting and winning.
For all of our sake, I wish you luck and hope to hear how these issues are being addressed at the Administrative level within the Athletic Department.
Thank you.
D. Justin Massimo
Go Ponies
Response:
"Mr. Massimo:
Thank you for your e-mail. We are working hard to position all of our programs for championship success. No one is satisfied or complacent. Building a football program requires consistent effort and investment over time. The recent success of the men’s basketball program will only help to advance the football and our entire athletics department.
We appreciate your support. Go Mustangs!
All the best,
Rick"
