SMU Mustangs
Encyclopedia
The SMU Mustangs is the name of the athletic teams representing Southern Methodist University
. The Mustangs participate in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football
) as a member of Conference USA
. In 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA
, and left the Western Athletic Conference
. From 1918 to 1996, the Mustangs were a member of the Southwest Conference, until it formally disbanded. The Mustangs faced off against the UCF Knights in the 2010 C-USA championship, losing to them, 17-7.
In 1935, SMU had a magnificent season: a 12-1-0 record, scoring 288 points while only giving up 39. The Mustangs completely dominated their opponents. They shut out eight of their 12 regular season opponents, including conference rivals Texas, Rice
, Baylor
, and Texas A&M
. They were one of the most talented teams in school history. The 1935 Mustangs were crowned national champions by Frank Dickinson
, a nationally respected economics professor at the University of Illinois
. Although Minnesota
was proclaimed the 1935 national champion by the AP and UPI polls, SMU usually claims the 1935 national title without qualification, even though they lost the Rose Bowl, because the Dickinson System
was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a selector of national champions.
Southwest Conference Championships:
Bowl Appearances and Results
SMU was eligible for this penalty because it had already been placed on probation less than five years prior to these violations - specifically, in 1985, for earlier recruiting violations. Since many players were poor, boosters would pay for rent or other bills for the parents of the athletes, and several key boosters and administration officials felt it would be unethical to cut off payments. When the sanctions were handed down, SMU had only three players - all seniors about to graduate - receiving payments.
Not long afterward, SMU announced that its football team would stay shuttered for the 1988 season as well after school officials received indications that they wouldn't have enough experienced players to field a viable team. As it turned out, new coach Forrest Gregg
was left with an undersized and underweight lineup. The Mustangs have only now begun to recover from the effects of the scandal; they have had only three winning seasons since the "Death Penalty," and two bowl appearances. At the end of the 2009 regular season SMU was bowl eligible for the third time since the "Death Penalty" (6-5 in 1997, 6-6 in 2006). SMU made its first bowl appearance since the "Death Penalty" in winning the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
Southwest Conference Championships:
• SMU was founded
1915
• In June, Ray Morrison
became the school’s
football
, baseball
, basketball
and track coach, as well as a math instructor. Morrison came to be known as the father of the forward pass” because of his use of the pass on first and second downs instead of as a last resort.
• First year of varsity football – team was nicknamed “The Parson
s” because primarily of theological students
• SMU won its first football game, 13-2, over Hendrix College
.
1917
• The first football
teams at SMU were unofficially known as the "Parsons" because of the large number of theology students on the team, but after SMU won a state championship in women's basketball, it was determined that the university's teams needed an official mascot
. Bulls
, Rams
, Comanches and Rattlers
were among the names submitted by members of the student body. The list was narrowed to three finalists, and at a pep assembly on October 17, 1917, the name "Mustangs
" was selected over Bison
s and Greyhounds. The Mustang is representative of the fleet-footed animal which is native to Texas.
• The Mustang Band
was first organized by Harold Hart Todd.
1918
• SMU joined the Southwest Conference, joining Baylor
, Rice
, Texas, Texas A&M
, Arkansas
and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State
)
• SMU begins competing in track and field under the direction of J. Burton Rix. The Mustangs placed fourth in its very first SWC Meet
• Ray Morrison
returned as coach in 1922 and guided SMU to the first of 10 consecutive winning seasons. Sportswriters billed the Mustangs as the “Aerial Circus,” in reference to Morrison’s passing offense. At a time when most teams threw the ball five or six times per game, SMU passed between 30 and 40 times per contest. The Mustangs compiled a 6-3-1 record in 1922.
• End Gene Bedford
and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, becoming the first Mustang players to achieve that honor. Bedford became the first player from SMU to play professionally when he played for the Rochester Jeffersons
in 1925.
1923
• Football enjoyed a perfect 9-0 mark and the school’s first conference title.
1924
• The Mustangs made their first bowl appearance in 1924, playing against West Virginia Wesleyan in the Dixie Classic on New Year's Day
. The game, played at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas
, was the predecessor to the Cotton Bowl Classic. West Virginia Wesleyan spoiled SMU’s 18-game unbeaten streak with a 9-7 victory.
1926
• Ownby Stadium
built. It was named after SMU alumnus and strong supporter of athletics Jordan C. Ownby. SMU defeated North Texas State Teachers College, 42-0, on September 24, 1926, in the first game at Ownby. Quarterback Gerald Mann, known as “The Little Red Arrow” because of his strong, accurate passing, was a member of the first Mustang team to play in Ownby Stadium and, as part of his scholarship chores, helped plant the grass on the stadium playing field.
• First Homecoming football game (SMU 14, TCU 13)
1928
• Guard Choc Sanders became SMU’s first All-American in 1928. Voted All-American by the New York Sun
, New York Journal and Boston Record, Sanders was the Southwest Conference's first All-America selection. Tackle Marion Hammon became the Mustangs' second All-American one year later.
• One of the Mustang Band
's oldest traditions began in 1928 when, under the direction of Cy Barcus, the band was the first college band to perform swing music at sporting events.
• On November 4, 1932, a live horse made its first appearance at a Mustang football game. Peruna
I was a four-year-old, 150-pound shetland pony
that was donated by T.E. Jones, the owner of Arlington
Downs racetrack. The name Peruna
originated in the fall of 1915 when SMU student George Sexton substituted the words, "She'll be loaded with Peruna when she comes ..." to the tune of "Coming 'Round the Mountain
." In the early part of the century, Peruna was the name of the most famous elixir in Texas
and had a reputation as a cure-all. Although the words to the song were changed some years later, Peruna remained as the name of SMU's mascot
.
1933
• In 1933, the Mustang Band
earned its first national exposure as it followed the football team to San Francisco for the SMU-St. Mary's game and, while there, played on a coast-to-coast NBC
radio show. During the 1930s, the band performed jazz stage shows in several big city theaters scheduled around weekend football games. That same year, the band began producing Pigskin Review, a musical-comedy variety show during the week of Homecoming, a tradition that still continues.
• Joe Chappel becomes SMU’s first individual conference swimming champion with a win in the 400-meter freestyle at the SWC Championship. SMU did not become competing at the Conference Championships as a team until 1946-47 – the Mustangs finished third.
1935
• SMU won its first national championship in 1935 after posting a 12-win season under the guidance of first-year head coach Matty Bell
. Known as a player’s coach, Bell brought discipline to his team, and he spent time listening and talking to his players.
• Fullback Harry Shuford and tackle Truman “Big Dog” Spain were two prominent players on the national championship team. A tri-captain, Shuford was the Mustangs’ best running back during the 1935 season, but injury forced him to miss the season’s most critical contest. The Mustangs, ranked number one in the country, played second-ranked TCU and its star quarterback Sammy Baugh
for the unofficial national championship and the right to play in the Rose Bowl
against Stanford
on Jan. 1, 1936.
• The 1935 SMU-TCU football game is generally considered the greatest game in SMU history. Bobby Wilson scored two touchdowns to give SMU a 14-0 lead before Baugh rallied the Horned Frogs
to a 14-14 tie. Early in the fourth quarter, Bob Finley connected on a long pass to Wilson after the Mustangs faced a fourth down at the TCU 39. Wilson caught the ball at the five and rolled into the endzone as the Mustangs held on to win, 20-14, and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.
• SMU earns its first Southwest Conference men’s basketball championship after a 14-3 season under head coach J.W. St. Clair.
1936
• While the loss 7-0 loss to Stanford
in the Rose Bowl January 1, constituted the only blemish on SMU’s 12-1 season, the school was able to pay off its 10-year debt on Ownby Stadium with the check the university received from competing in the prestigious bowl game.
• Harry Shuford, a standout fullback on the 1935 team, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1936 and, despite the team’s efforts to sign him to a contract, opted to attend law school at SMU. Shuford overcame the prevailing thought that a football player could not succeed in law school and finished first in his class in 1939.
1937
• SMU earns its second Southwest Conference men’s basketball championship after a 13-8 season under head coach J.W. St. Clair.
• Lester Jordan was named sports information director at SMU. Jordan would go on to become one of the pioneers of the profession. He helped orchestrate the founding of the Academic All-American program, which still exists today.
1945
• World War II
resulted in the loss of head coach Matty Bell
for three years (1942–45) when he left the Hilltop to join the Navy
reserves. Bell returned to SMU in 1945 and took on an additional role as the university’s athletic director, the school’s first AD.
• Freshman Doak Walker
was a high school teammate of Bobby Layne
at Highland Park High School
in Dallas. The two were matched against each other in Walker’s first collegiate game in 1945 when Layne was the quarterback at the University of Texas. Although Texas won the game, 12-7, Walker scored the Mustangs’ only touchdown and kicked the extra point. Walker and Layne were reunited as teammates when both played for the NFL’s Detroit Lions
in the early 1950s.
1947
• After six consecutive losing seasons, 1947 brought new hope and the emergence of a legend in Doak Walker. The only three-time All-America in SMU history, Walker led the Mustangs to consecutive Southwest Conference championships in 1947 and 1948. Over the course of his career at SMU, Walker rushed for 1,954 yards, passed for 1,638 yards, scored 288 points, punted for a 39.4 average and kicked field goals and extra points. He is also the Mustangs’ all-time leader in punt return yards with 750. Walker earned the 1947 Maxwell Award
honoring the nation’s best football player.
• E.O. (Doc) Hayes is named men’s basketball coach. He would win 299 games at SMU, the most by any Mustang coach in any sport at the school. Hayes eventually led the Mustangs to eight of their league championships.
1948
• Doak Walker’s exploits earned him the Heisman Trophy
in 1948 and led to his number 37 being the only jersey ever to be retired at SMU.
• After playing most of their home games since 1926 at Ownby Stadium
on the SMU campus, the Mustangs moved to the Cotton Bowl
in 1948, where they would remain for 31 years. The last game at Ownby was played on October 2, 1948, when SMU defeated Texas Tech
, 41-6. Because of Walker’s immense popularity, the Cotton Bowl came to be known as “The House that Doak Built.”
• The Mustangs were matched against Penn State in the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic, tying the Nittany Lions, 13-13. Doak Walker threw a 53-yard touchdown pass and scored on a two-yard run, but Penn State’s Elwood Petchel matched Walker by tossing scoring passes of 38 and six yards.
1949
• The 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic paired SMU with Oregon
and its star quarterback, Norm Van Brocklin
. The Mustangs won 21-13.
• Doak Walker becomes the only three-time football All-American in SMU history.
• After playing alongside Doak Walker
the previous two seasons, Kyle Rote
was given his chance to be the featured back in 1950. Rote, who led the Southwest Conference with 777 yards rushing in 1949, was named an All-American following the 1950 season.
1951
• Quarterback Fred Benners led the Mustangs to perhaps their greatest win of the decade when he completed 22 of 42 passes for 336 yards to beat Notre Dame
, 27-20, in Notre Dame, Indiana
on October 13, 1951. Benners connected on TD passes of 57, 37, 31 and four yards to four different receivers as the Mustangs beat the Fighting Irish in what was one of the highlights in a 3-6-1 season.
1952
• A two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, Forrest Gregg
was a two-way player at both offensive and defensive tackle from 1952-55. At first, he was not offered a full scholarship by SMU upon graduation from Sulphur Springs High School, and was leaning toward attending Texas A&M
. However, chief recruiter Herman “Sleepy” Morgan, recognizing Gregg’s infinite potential, ultimately lured him to the Hilltop with an offer of a full scholarship. Gregg would eventually become an NFL Hall of Famer.
• Football player David Powell became SMU’s first Academic All-American winner.
1954
• In only its seventh season of existence, the SMU men’s golf team wins the 1954 NCAA Championship. It marked SMU’s second national title in a team sport (football 1935). The team set a new collegiate record with a team score of 572. SMU golfer Floyd Addington was the tournament medalist. The NCAA champions were Floyd Addington, Stewart Carrell, Tom Towry and Bryan Honts.
• Despite the fact that Raymond Berry
caught just 11 passes for 144 yards during his junior season and had never started a game in his career, his teammates elected him as a co-captain in 1954 when he was an All-Southwest Conference performer and Academic All-America. He was a 20th-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts
in 1955 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1973.
• SMU begins an incredible 44-game home winning streak in men’s basketball with a 92-48 victory over Texas A&M
.
1955
• SMU advances to its first men’s basketball NCAA Tournament appearance, the Mideast Regional in Manhattan, Kansas
. SMU earns its third SWC title in men’s basketball.
1956
• Led by center Jim Krebs
, SMU advances to the 1956 Final Four
in Evanston, IL. SMU, the 1956 Southwest Conference champions for the second consecutive season, would finish 26-4 overall in 1955-56.
• Moody Coliseum
is built. SMU defeats McMurry
, 113-36, to open the building on December 3, 1956. When the building was opened in 1956, it was simply known as the SMU Coliseum. In 1965, the arena was renamed Moody Coliseum in honor of William L. Moody, Jr.
• Ronnie Smith becomes first men’s swimmer to receive All-American honors. He repeated the feat in 1957 and 1958.
• Men’s swimming scores first points at the NCAA Championships.
1957
• Center Jim Krebs is named the first men’s basketball All-American in school history after leading SMU to a 22-4 record and its third consecutive SWC title.
• Don Stewart became SMU’s first NCAA track champion when he tied for first place in the high jump. SMU finished 17th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships that year. He won the high jump outright in 1958. He received the first of three straight All-American honors in the high jump – the program’s first All-American.
• Men’s swimming wins first of 23 straight SWC Championships.
1958
• Don Meredith
was a two-time All American in 1958 and 1959 and his .610 career completion percentage is the greatest of any passer in Mustang history. One of his greatest attributes was his running ability, which increased the pressure on opposing defenses.
• Dr. Irving Dreibrodt became director in 1958 and brought many innovations to the Mustang Band
. In the early 1960s, the band's wardrobe expanded to 20 different uniforms, earning it the nickname of "The Best Dressed Band in the Land."
• SMU wins its fourth consecutive SWC men’s basketball championship after a 15-10.
• Texas A&M
ends SMU’s 44-game home men’s basketball winning streak with a 43-42 win at Moody Coliseum.
• Track & Field places second to earn its highest finish at the SWC Outdoor meet – a feat it duplicated in 1959.
• Men’s tennis wins first ever Conference title – the first of 10 SWC Championships, winning five titles in a six-year span between 1982-87.
1962
• SMU introduced Hayden Fry
as the Mustangs’ eighth head football coach.
1963
• The 1963 season provided the SMU football program with one of its most memorable games when the Mustangs hosted fourth-ranked Navy and its heralded quarterback, Roger Staubach
, on October 11, 1963, at the Cotton Bowl
. On its way to a 4-7 season, SMU was given little chance to beat the Midshipmen. Little-known sophomore John Roderick rushed for 146 yards on 11 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 45 and two yards for the Mustangs. The SMU defense, led by Bob Oyler, Martin Cude, Bill Harlan, Harold Magers and Doug January, sent Staubach to the bench twice with a dislocated left shoulder. Trailing 28-26 with 2:52 remaining in the game, SMU had one last chance to pull of the upset. Quarterback Danny Thomas threw to Billy Gannon, who ran to the Navy 46. On the next play, Roderick took a pitchout 23 yards to the 23. After a pass interference penalty against Navy put the ball on the one-yard line, Gannon plowed over right tackle for the winning touchdown with 2:05 left. The SMU defense held off Staubach’s valiant effort to rally his team for one last score, as the Mustangs pulled off the 32-28 upset.
• Despite a 4-6 regular season record, SMU parlayed the victory over Navy earlier that season into a Sun Bowl
berth against Oregon
. Oregon defeated SMU, 21-14.
1966
• Hayden Fry lifted SMU back to national prominence in 1966, when SMU was ranked ninth in the nation and won its first conference championship in 18 years.
• During the 1966 season, sophomore wide receiver Jerry Levias
led the Mustangs in scoring with 54 points. Levias became the first African-American player in the Southwest Conference to receive an athletic scholarship after choosing SMU largely because of its accounting program. As a senior in 1968, Levias caught 80 passes for a school-record 1131 yards when he was selected both an All-American and Academic All-American.
• SMU lost to Georgia
on December 31 in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
• John LaGrone, who earned conference honors from 1964–66, was the first Mustang player to be selected as both an All-American and Academic All-American when he was honored following the 1966 season.
1967
• Ken Martin becomes the first men’s swimming NCAA Champion by winning the 100 Breast (58.54) and 200 Breast (2:07.99) at the 1967 NCAA Championships.
1968
• Ron Mills and Ken Merten both represent the United States at the Summer Olympic Games
. They are the first two SMU student-athletes to represent the school in the Olympics. Mills earned a bronze medal for the United States.
• Combined with quarterback Chuck Hixson, Levias helped lead the Mustangs to a 28-27 win over Oklahoma
in the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
, giving SMU its first bowl victory since the 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic. SMU and Oklahoma combined to score 35 points in the fourth quarter, giving the 53,543 fans full value. SMU stopped Oklahoma short of a potential game-winning two-point conversion with 1:16 left to play.
Gary Hammond earned all SWC titles in 1969,1970 and 1971. the only player to ever achieve this at three different positions.
• SMU’s Gene Phillips earns his third consecutive consensus Southwest Conference Player of the Year Award in men’s basketball. Phillips would end his career as SMU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,931 points despite playing just three seasons.
1972
• SMU swimmer Jerry Heidenreich earns four medals (two golds, one silver, one bronze) at the 1972 Olympic Games
, becoming the first Mustang to win a medal in the Olympics. Diver Janet Ely also became the first SMU female to represent the school in the Olympics and became first female swimmer to win a National Championship by winning the U.S. Diving 10-meter event.
• Lamar Hunt
, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs
, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. A former SMU football player, Hunt …… The AFC Championship Trophy is named after Lamar Hunt.
• George Hardie earns first of four-straight All-American honors – the first for men’s tennis.
1973
• Baltimore Colts
great Raymond Berry
becomes the second SMU player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Tim Vann becomes the first SMU men’s tennis All-American. Vann would repeat the honor in 1974.
1974
• SMU competes at the SWC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the first time, placing fifth.
1975
• The SMU men’s soccer team competes for the first time under head coach Jimmy Benedek. SMU defeated TCU
, 8-1, in its first game. The Mustangs would post a 14-4-2 record in their first season.
1976
• Ron Meyer
was hired as SMU’s 10th head coach in January 1976 and was given the responsibility of establishing a championship reign on the Hilltop.
• SMU men’s basketball player Ira Terrell, a Dallas native, is named SWC Player of the Year by The Dallas Times-Herald after he averages 22.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.
• Cindy Benzon becomes SMU’s first women’s tennis All-American.
• The SMU women’s basketball program competed in its first season. Coach Suzanne Troutman led the team to a 10-9 record. The Mustangs advanced to the TAIAW Playoffs that season.
• Karen Resinger becomes women’s swimming first All-American.
1977
• Forrest Gregg
, a player who Vince Lombardi
once called “the greatest player I ever coached,” is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gregg would later return to his alma mater as head coach and athletic director.
1978
• Greg Ryan
, who would later become the Mustangs women’s soccer coach, becomes the first SMU men’s soccer All-American. Ryan helped lead the Mustangs to their first national ranking (19th) that season.
• Janet Ely wins world diving championships.
1979
• The SMU women’s golf team wins the 1979 AIAW national title. The squad was led by two-time All-American Kyle O’Brien, who later returned as the head coach at SMU.
• Home attendance jumped from 26,000 to 52,000 in 1978 and “Mustang Mania” ushered a new era in SMU football the following season, when the Mustangs began playing all of their home games at Texas Stadium
. Accompanying the move to a new stadium in 1979 was a freshman class which would lift SMU football to new heights. Freshmen Eric Dickerson
and Craig James combined to rush for 1,239 yards in 1979, and the “Pony Express” was born.
• SMU men’s soccer team makes it first NCAA Tournament appearance.
• SMU senior men’s golfer Payne Stewart
shares the 1979 Southwest Conference individual title. Known for his trademark knickers, Stewart would go on to become one of the most successful professional golfers of his era.
• Men’s tennis wins first of two national team indoor championships, the second coming in 1983.
• The Mustangs parlayed their talent into an 8-4 record and the school’s first national ranking (20th) since 1968.
• The 1980 Holiday Bowl
featured two teams with distinctly different offensive philosophies. SMU relied on the running of Eric Dickerson
and Craig James, while BYU boasted an explosive aerial attack led by QB Jim McMahon
. Both teams combined for more than 900 yards in total offense in a game which came down to the final play. After trailing 45-25, BYU mounted one of the most amazing comebacks in college football history. As time expired, McMahon found Clay Brown in the end zone for a 41-yard TD pass, sending the Mustangs home with a heartbreaking 46-45 defeat.
• Ted McLaughlin was named track and field coach at SMU. McLaughlin would lead the Mustangs to three national team championships (1983 indoor and outdoor, 1986 outdoor), the most by any coach in school history.
• Michael Carter wins first individual indoor national championship for men’s track and field with a shot put of 76-5½.
• Men’s swimming has streak of 23-straight SWC Championships end with second place finish. The Mustangs would go onto finish second at each meet until 1994 when they finished third. The team finished second at the meet its final two years in the SWC.
1981
• A 10-1 record in 1981 vaulted the Ponies to their first conference title in 16 years as a new quarterback took over the reins of the Pony Express. Lance McIlhenny was the perfect leader for SMU’s option attack, using his running ability and leadership capabilities to guide the Mustangs to a 34-5-1 record after taking over as the starting quarterback in the seventh game of his freshman season in 1980.
1982
• After Ron Meyer
was named head coach of the New England Patriots
prior to the 1982 season, Southern Mississippi
coach Bobby Collins was named the Mustangs’ new head coach. Dickerson, James and McIlhenny led SMU to an 11-0-1 record and number-two ranking in 1982, including a 7-3 victory over Pittsburgh and its star quarterback, Dan Marino
, in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic. SMU was the only undefeated football team in the nation that season, but Penn State, with one loss, was named the national champion after defeating Georgia
in the Sugar Bowl
.
• Despite coming from different backgrounds, Eric Dickerson and Craig James shared similar success before arriving at SMU. Both led their high schools to undefeated 15-0 seasons and state championships as prep seniors in 1978. Once at SMU, they became the heart of one of the most prolific backfields in college football history – “The Pony Express.”
• One of the most memorable plays in SMU football history took place on November 13, 1982, when Bobby Leach took a cross-field lateral on a kickoff with 17 seconds left and raced untouched for a 91-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 34-27 win over Texas Tech
. The play helped preserve the Ponies’ undefeated season and forever branded Leach with the nickname of “Miracle Man.” Leach currently serves on SMU’s Board of Trustees.
• Rhonda Rompola, a transfer from Old Dominion
, becomes SMU’s first women’s basketball All-American. Rompola would later return to SMU as an assistant coach and the most successful head women’s basketball coach in school history.
1983
• The SMU men’s track and field team won the 1983 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team championships. Four SMU individuals claimed national titles in 1983 – Michael Carter, Keith Connor, Sven Nylander and Robert Weir. Carter captured an incredible seven of eight possible NCAA shot put titles during his SMU career, which also saw him excel in football. Carter played nine seasons professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
. He also earned a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games
in Los Angeles. Conner’s 57-7¾ in the triple jump is the current NCAA outdoor record. Weir 35-pound weight throw of 76-5½ still stands as the NCAA Indoor Championship record.
• SMU lost to Alabama
, 28-7, in the 1983 Sun Bowl
in El Paso.
• Steve Lundquist
wins 100 Breast at NCAA Championships for fourth-straight year – the first men’s swimmer to do so at SMU.
• Men’s tennis finishes second at the NCAA Championships – its highest finish. Dennis Ralston
named NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
1984
• SMU capped a 9-2 regular season with a 27-20 victory over Notre Dame in the 1984 Aloha Bowl
in Honolulu. It was the first meeting between the two schools in 26 years.
• Seven SMU athletes earn medals in the 1984 Olympic Games
in Los Angeles. SMU men’s basketball player Jon Koncak
helps the United States team win a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. Koncak played for the U.S. under legendary coach Bobby Knight
. Steve Lundquist
earned two gold medals for the United States in swimming (100 breaststroke/400 medley relay) at the 1984 Games. Other SMU medalists at the 1984 Olympics were Michael Carter (silver – track and field), Ricardo Prado
(silver – swimming), Amy White (silver – swimming) and Keith Connor (bronze – track and field).
• Schellas Hyndman was named men’s soccer coach at SMU. Hyndman, known worldwide as a 10th-degree black belt in the martial arts, is also an excellent soccer coach. He would go on to record his 200th win at SMU in 1997 and his 300th win overall the same year. In 1999, Hyndman appeared on the national television show You Asked For It, demonstrating his martial arts expertise.
1985
• Jon Koncak, who would later go on to a productive NBA career, is named second team men’s basketball All-American. He was just the second Mustang to earn All-American honors.
• Women’s swimming goes undefeated in dual meets for the first time.
• ATP Tour Professional Richey Reneberg
named NCAA Rookie of the Year.
1986
• NCAA imposes the so-called “Death Penalty” on the SMU football program, shutting down the program for the 1987 season. Although SMU could have competed in 1988, University officials cancelled that campaign.
• SMU legend Doak Walker
is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Walker starred for the Detroit Lions
from 1950-55.
• SMU men’s track and field team won the 1986 NCAA Outdoor team title, marking the third national championship in the program’s history.
• SMU players Reggie Dupard
and Rod Jones are each selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. It marks the only time in school history that two Mustangs are drafted in the opening round.
• The SMU women’s soccer team begins competition under coach Alan Kirkup. Kirkup led SMU to an impressive 15-3-2 record in its inaugural season.
• Women’s track and field starts at SMU.
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named U.S. Diving National Team Coach (1987–91). He would also make SWC history by being named Men and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year – the first a coach has been named coach of the year in a men and women’s sport in the same year. He would repeat the honor again in 1988 and 1989.
• Men’s tennis Richey Reneberg
named Collegiate Tennis Player of the Year he would be named ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year as a professional.
1988
• SMU is given permission to play a seven game road schedule, with no home games, but chooses not to participate in 1988 due to the fact that they could not form a competitive team http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1988.html. Forrest Gregg
returned to accept what he called “the ultimate challenge” when he was named as the Ponies’ head coach on January 14, 1988 http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1989.html, after having coached the Green Bay Packers
since 1984.
• SMU’s Kevin Robinzine
(U.S.) earns a gold medal in the 1,600 meter relay. Robinzine is one of eight SMU representatives in the 1988 Olympic Games
.
1989
• Women’s tennis player Jennifer Santrock was the Volvo
/ITCA National Player of the Year (she was also named the Southwest Conference’s Female Athlete of the Decade). Santrock earned her third and final All-American award in 1989.
• Former SMU golfer Payne Stewart
earned more than one million dollars on the PGA Tour
(the second most that year) and won the 1989 PGA Championship.
• The Mustangs first season back on the football field, SMU fields a team composed of 74 freshman, 16 of whom were starters http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1989.html. Quarterback Mike Romo who, on February 10, 1988, became the Mustangs’ first signee since 1985. Romo engineered one of the most exciting wins in Mustang history when he led SMU from a 17-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Connecticut
, 31-30, in just the second game of the 1989 season. He completed a four-yard pass to Michael Bowen on the game’s final play to give the Ponies their first win since 1986 http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/08-96/08-11-96/c07sp081.htm.
• Jason Wolf set an NCAA freshman record when he caught 61 passes in 1989. He also led the Ponies in scoring (50 points), and his 61 receptions are the fourth-highest total in SMU history.
• After playing their home games in Ownby Stadium
from 1926–1948, the Mustangs returned their home games to the on-campus facility in 1989. SMU hosted Rice
in the season opener on September 2, marking the return of Mustang football to Ownby exactly 40 years and 11 months after SMU’s last game there.
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Men’s Coach of the Year.
• On April 11, 1990, Forrest Gregg
assumed the role of athletic director, while announcing that he would relinquish his coaching duties following the 1990 season.
• Lisa Cole becomes SMU's first women's soccer All-American. She leads the Mustangs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance that season.
• Women's track & field scores first team points at NCAA Championships in third year of program with a tie for 37th place. JoAnn Hacker becomes first female track & field athlete to be named All-American (shot put 1990, '92, '93)
1991
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Women's Coach of the Year, he also won the award again in 1995.
• Women's swimming coach Steve Collins named NCAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year – again in 1996.
1992
• A significant accomplishment occurred in 1992 when Jason Wolf ended his career with 235 receptions, making him the Southwest Conference's career leader in that category.
• Scott Donie
(silver medal – diving) and Lars Frölander
(silver – swimming) each earn medals at the 1992 Olympic Games
in Barcelona, Spain. Donie and Frolander are just two of 19 SMU representatives in the Olympics that year.
• The women's diving team wins the 1992 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship.
• The women's golf team wins its second Southwest Conference championship and places 15th at the 1992 NCAA Championships.
• Women's swimming and diving sets school record by sending 10 athletes to the Olympic Games
in Seoul, Korea.
1993
• SMU earns the last of its 13 Southwest Conference men's basketball titles. Senior guard Mike Wilson is named the SWC Player of the Year by the Associated Press
. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Brigham Young in the opening round in Chicago.
• The women's basketball team recorded its first 20-win season (20-10) and established itself as a legitimate national contender. SMU, making its first postseason tournament appearance, advanced to the third round of the 1993 National Women's Invitation Tournament
in Amarillo, Texas
.
• Alan Prampin becomes the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted by Major League Soccer
(Kansas City Wizards
).
• Men's Swimming Coach Eddie Sinnott coaches the United States' squad at the World University Games.
• Men's tennis Richey Reneberg
was the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world. He earned three double titles and one singles title while earning more than $600,000 on the professional tennis tour. He would play on to US Davis Cup teams in 1994 and 1997.
1994
• The winds of change swept across the Hilltop following the 1994 season as SMU prepared to begin its 77th and final season of play in the Southwest Conference after announcing that it would accept an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference
beginning in 1996.
• The women's diving team wins the 1994 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship.
• The SMU women's basketball team makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance in coach Rhonda Rompola's third season. The Mustangs had a breakthrough win at national power Texas, snapping the Lady Longhorns' 29-game winning streak over SMU.
1995
• The SMU women's soccer team advances to the Final Four
for the first time in program history. SMU ended the season ranked third in the nation.
• The women's diving team wins both the 1995 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships.
• Coinciding with the final SWC season was the return of SMU football to the Cotton Bowl
. After playing most of their home games the previous six seasons at Ownby Stadium
, SMU made “The House That Doak Built” its home stadium in 1995.
• Always on the cutting edge of college athletics, SMU partners with Broadcast.com
to broadcast the first college football game (SMU vs. Arkansas
) worldwide over the Internet.
• SMU's men's and women's cross country teams earn their highest finishes, 21st and 17th, respectively, at the 1995 NCAA Championships.
• The SMU women's basketball team advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, defeating Southern
Miss in overtime, 96-95.
• Lisa Seifert hired to head new volleyball program. She came from Texas Tech
where she was an assistant coach.
• Women's track and field places in top 10 at NCAA Outdoor Championships for first time. Katie Swords earns first individual NCAA title by winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:28.46.
1996
• If 1992's 19 SMU Olympians weren't impressive enough, an incredible 23 current or former Mustang student-athletes competed in the 1996 Olympic Games
in Atlanta. Three SMU swimmers – Ryan Berube
(gold medal for U.S. in 800 freestyle relay), Lars Frölander
(silver for Sweden in 800 freestyle relay) and Marianne Kriel
(bronze for South Africa in 100 backstroke) – earned medals at the Summer Games. Amazingly, SMU had more Olympians than 113 of the 197 delegations (57 percent) on hand for the Olympics.
• SMU women's swimming and diving team places second at the 1996 NCAA Championships.
• On Dec. 20, 1996, Mike Cavan
was named the 14th head coach of the Mustangs. Cavan arrived from East Tennessee State
, where he finished runner-up in voting for the 1996 Division I-AA National Coach of the Year Award.
• SMU competes for the first year as a member of the Western Athletic Conference
• In February, four-year letter winner Jennie Amos becomes first SMU recruit to sign a National Letter of Intent for volleyball.
• On Aug. 30,1996, volleyball competes in first ever match, a 3-0 loss to Nevada
.
• Volleyball wins first match – 3-1 over Wichita State
on Aug. 31.
• Katie Swords becomes the first individual in the history of the SWC Track & Field meet – male or female – to score 40 points when she won the 10,000 meters on Thursday, the 3,000 on Friday, and the 1,500 and 5,000 on Saturday. Following the 5,000 meters win, Swords ran back to the team hotel a mile and a half from R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field
in Lubbock, Texas
.
• SMU became the first school ever to have three discus throwers top the 200-foot mark in the same season—Alex Tammert 212-7, Jason Tunks
209-6 and Ian Winchester
200-1.
• Men's soccer star Alan Prampin became SMU's first Major League Soccer
professional player. He played for the Kansas City Wizards
in 1996.
1997
• The women's diving team wins both the 1997 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships
• It did not take long for head coach Mike Cavan's influence to be felt—he led SMU to a 6-5 overall record (5-3 WAC) in 1997, marking the first winning season for the Mustangs since 1986. After a 1-4 start, SMU rebounded to win five consecutive games, marking its longest winning streak in 12 years. Cavan was named the WAC Coach of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
for his efforts in 1997.
• In the history of SMU athletics, June 13, 1997, may stand out as the most significant day since the program's inception in 1915. That day is when University officials announced that significant funds had been raised to begin construction on the brand new Gerald J. Ford Stadium
and the Paul B. Loyd, Jr. All-Sports Center. The state-of-the-art facility would not have been possible without the generous initial contributions of Gerald J. Ford
, Lamar
and Norma Hunt, Ray L.
and Nancy Ann Hunt, and Sherrill and Jo Ann Pettus, all of whom are SMU alumni.
• Quarterback Ramon Flanigan became SMU's all-time leader in total offense (7,437 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (57) with a solid senior season in 1997. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility prior to 1997 by the NCAA.
• In 1997, the Mustang Band
made a recording with The Light Crust Doughboys
(a group already enshrined in the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame) entitled The High Road on the Hilltop. That project made it into the second round of Grammy voting in several categories.
• On January 25, 1997, the SMU and TCU
women's basketball teams established the NCAA records for most points scored by both teams (252) in a four-overtime 127-125 Mustang win. After scoring just one point in the first half, SMU guard Shawna Ford ended up with 42 points in the Mustangs' dramatic victory in Fort Worth. SMU's 127-point performance set a school record for most points scored in a game. It was just the seventh time in NCAA history that a women's basketball game went to four overtimes.
• Men's soccer coach Schellas Hyndman recorded his 200th win at SMU against Tulsa
in 1997 and his 300th career coaching win overall against TCU.
• Daniel Hernandez was named the NSCAA Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Year, becoming the first Mustang to be honored as a national player of the year. Herandez's career ended in the NCAA Quarterfinals vs. St. Louis in one of the most memorable soccer games in NCAA history. SMU and St. Louis played to a 0-0 tie in inclement weather in Dallas. The field conditions at Westcott Field became so poor that the game was moved to the Astroturf at Ownby Stadium. There was a 60-minute delay with 2:22 remaining in the first overtime. Following two scoreless overtime periods, St. Louis defeated SMU, 5-3, in a shootout to advance to the Final Four.
• Volleyball earns first bid to WAC post-season tournament by winning five-of-six matches over quad foes TCU, Rice and Tulsa.
• Senior defensive specialist Charity Savedra becomes first volleyball player to receive post season honors by being named second team All-WAC defensive specialist.
• Women's swimming team wins first conference championship in its history.
• Tom Presthus became the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted. He was taken by D.C. United in the second round.
1998
• SMU golfer Hank Kuehne
becomes the first Mustang to win the U.S. Amateur.
• The women's diving team wins the 1998 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship.
• Football player, Doak Walker, die at the age of 71 on September 27, 1998.
• In 1998, SMU broke ground on its new state-of-the-art facilities, including Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Ford Stadium will be the permanent on-campus home of the Mustang football squad beginning in the year 2000.
• The SMU men's soccer team was ranked number one by Soccer America in the nation after upsetting defending national champion Indiana in Dallas. It marked the first time in program history that SMU men's soccer was the top-ranked team in the nation.
• Windy Dean becomes first woman in history to win three consecutive NCAA javelin titles. She was only the second female to win the javelin three times at the NCAA Meet.
• SMU became the first school to place its men and women's track and field teams in the top 10 at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
• Lars Frölander named NCAA Swimmer of the Year.
1999
• The women's diving team wins the 1999 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship.
• SMU sophomore Jeryl Sasser becomes just the second sophomore in Western Athletic Conference history to earn the league's men's basketball Player of the Year Award. One of the nation's finest all-around players, Sasser was the first SMU player in history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
• The SMU women's basketball team wins its first conference title after winning the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship in Las Vegas. The Mustangs advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons under coach Rhonda Rompola. Karlin Kennedy was named 1999 WAC Tournament MVP and Claudia Brassard and Nici Johnson were each named to the All-Tournament team as SMU stunned fourth-ranked Colorado State, 65-49, in the championship game.
• SMU great Eric Dickerson was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1999. He became the fifth Mustang to earn Pro Football Hall of Fame status.
• Women's rowing becomes SMU's newest sport. Head coach Kerry O'Keefe was hired to run the program, which will feature more than 60 student-athletes on its roster.
• Former SMU golfer Payne Stewart wins his second U.S. Open Championship (the first was in 1991).
• Former SMU soccer player Tom Presthus became the first Mustang to be named to the MLS All-Star Team. Presthus is a standout goalie for D.C. United.
• Women's swimmer Martina Moravcova, one of the most decorated swimmers in NCAA history, receives 1998-99 Honda Award for women's swimming and diving. Moravcova ended her four-year career at SMU a 25-time All-American and 14-time NCAA Champion, including 10 individual titles. Her 10 individual titles were the most in the modern era – a time when swimmers were not restricted to only three events at the NCAA's each year. Moravcova also ends her career ranked first in the world (short course) in the 200 free (1:55.12) and 200 IM (2:08.55). She won 26 conference title out of a possible 28 as a collegian (21 WAC, eight SWC). She became the first individual in WAC history to win both the 100 free and 200 IM three years in a row.
• Women's swimming becomes first team to sweep all 21 events at WAC Championships.
• The SMU football Team finally made their first bowl appearance in 25 years in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
2010
• The SMU football team went to its second straight bowl game. The Mustangs played and lost, 16-14, to Army in the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl
2011
• The SMU Basketball Team was put on 2 years' probation for violations regarding text messaging recruits
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. The Mustangs participate in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
) as a member of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
. In 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, and left the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
. From 1918 to 1996, the Mustangs were a member of the Southwest Conference, until it formally disbanded. The Mustangs faced off against the UCF Knights in the 2010 C-USA championship, losing to them, 17-7.
Football
National Titles- 19351935 in sports-American football:* Detroit Lions defeat 26–7 New York Giants for the NFL championship* SMU Mustangs national college football champions* First Heisman Trophy presented to Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago...
- 19811981 in sports1981 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, USA** Women's overall season champion: Marie-Theres Nadig, Switzerland-American football:...
- 19821982 in sports1982 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States** Women's overall season champion: Erika Hess, Switzerland-American football:...
In 1935, SMU had a magnificent season: a 12-1-0 record, scoring 288 points while only giving up 39. The Mustangs completely dominated their opponents. They shut out eight of their 12 regular season opponents, including conference rivals Texas, Rice
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, Baylor
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, and Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. They were one of the most talented teams in school history. The 1935 Mustangs were crowned national champions by Frank Dickinson
Dickinson System
The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
, a nationally respected economics professor at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Although Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports team for the University of Minnesota. The university fields both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's-specific sports include baseball, football, and...
was proclaimed the 1935 national champion by the AP and UPI polls, SMU usually claims the 1935 national title without qualification, even though they lost the Rose Bowl, because the Dickinson System
Dickinson System
The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a selector of national champions.
Southwest Conference Championships:
- 1923
- 1926
- 1931
- 1935
- 1947
- 1948
- 1966
- 1981
- 1982
- 1984*
- denotes shared title
Bowl Appearances and Results
| Season | Bowl Game | Opponent | W/L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Dixie Classic | West Virginia Wesleyan | L | 7 | 9 |
| 1935 | Rose Bowl | Stanford Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... |
L | 0 | 7 |
| 1947 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Penn State Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service... |
T | 13 | 13 |
| 1948 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Oregon University of Oregon -Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :... |
W | 21 | 13 |
| 1963 | Sun Bowl Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl... |
Oregon | L | 14 | 21 |
| 1966 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Georgia University of Georgia The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States... |
L | 9 | 24 |
| 1968 | Bluebonnet Bowl Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was... |
Oklahoma University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its... |
W | 28 | 27 |
| 1980 | Holiday Bowl Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that has been played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, since 1978. Beginning with the 2010 playing the bowl will officially be known as the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl after... |
BYU Brigham Young University Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students... |
L | 45 | 46 |
| 1982 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of... |
W | 7 | 3 |
| 1983 | Sun Bowl | Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States.... |
L | 7 | 28 |
| 1984 | Aloha Bowl Aloha Bowl The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its... |
Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States... |
W | 27 | 20 |
| 2009 | Hawaii Bowl Hawaii Bowl The Hawaii Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2002. Typically played on either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, the game matches teams from either... |
Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
W | 45 | 10 |
| 2010 | Armed Forces Bowl Armed Forces Bowl The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is an annual postseason college football bowl game that was inaugurated in 2003 as the Fort Worth Bowl under corporate sponsorship of PlainsCapital Bank. In 2005, the game was without corporate sponsorship... |
Army 2010 Army Black Knights football team The 2010 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 2010 college football season. The Black Knights, led by second-year head coach Rich Ellerson, competed as an Independent and played their home games at the Michie Stadium.By winning 6 regular season... |
L | 14 | 16 |
- SMU's closest rival in athletics is Texas Christian UniversityTexas Christian UniversityTexas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
(TCU) in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. In football, SMU and TCU compete annually (with the exception of 2006) for the Iron SkilletBattle for the Iron SkilletThe Battle for the Iron Skillet is the name of the college football rivalry between the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. The campuses are located 40 miles apart in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex...
. In 2005, an unranked SMU beat then 24th ranked TCU for SMU's first win against a ranked team in 19 years (since October 1986). TCU had won the previous seven football games played against SMU.
- SMU also competes annually with Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in football for the Battle for the Mayor's CupBattle for the Mayor's CupThe Battle for the Mayor's Cup is an annual college football game played between Rice University and Southern Methodist University. The game was first played in 1916....
. Unofficially, SMU competes with the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
in the Safeway BowlSafeway BowlThe Safeway Bowl is the rivalry between the SMU Mustangs and the North Texas Mean Green, two universities in North Texas.The schools have played 33 times dating back to 1922 in a series that is best known for the challenge former UNT head coach Matt Simon issued in 1994, after a two-year break in...
.
- The Doak Walker AwardDoak Walker AwardThe Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
, an annual collegiate award given to the "most outstanding college running back", is named after SMU Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
Winner Doak WalkerDoak WalkerEwell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
.
- The SMU football program has also produced many professional football standouts, such as Don MeredithDon MeredithJoseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
, Doak WalkerDoak WalkerEwell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
, Kyle RoteKyle RoteWilliam Kyle Rote, Sr. was an American football player and sports announcer.-Early life:Rote attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was an all-state basketball and football player....
, Eric DickersonEric DickersonEric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
, Jerry BallJerry BallJerry Ball is a former professional American football defensive lineman in the NFL who played primarily as a nose tackle. During his career he went to three Pro Bowls. In the NFL for 13 seasons, Ball recorded 32.5 sacks during his career, most of them coming as a nose tackle with the Detroit Lions...
, Craig James and more recently Justin RogersJustin RogersJustin Rogers is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
.
- On November 11, 2006, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Willis broke the single season touchdown pass record held by Chuck Hixson (21). Willis threw for three touchdowns in a 37-27 loss to the University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, setting the new single season record at 23. At the end of the season, Willis set the new record at 26. He also broke the SMU single season touchdown record accounting for 29 touchdowns. He was named to the Freshman All American team at quarterback.
- On Monday, January 7, 2008, June JonesJune JonesJune Sheldon Jones, III is the American football head coach for Southern Methodist University.-Playing career:Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon , Hawaii , and Portland State . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot...
was named the head football coach at SMU. He brings a record of 76-41, all at the University of Hawai'i, where he won more games than any other coach in school history. He signed a five-year contract worth ten million dollars.
The "death penalty"
On February 25, 1987, SMU became the first and, currently, only school to have its football program given the NCAA's "death penalty". The program was terminated for the 1987 season because the university was making approximately $61,000 in booster payments from 1985 to 1986. It later emerged that a "slush fund" had been used to pay players as early as the mid-1970s, and athletic officials had known about it as early as 1981.SMU was eligible for this penalty because it had already been placed on probation less than five years prior to these violations - specifically, in 1985, for earlier recruiting violations. Since many players were poor, boosters would pay for rent or other bills for the parents of the athletes, and several key boosters and administration officials felt it would be unethical to cut off payments. When the sanctions were handed down, SMU had only three players - all seniors about to graduate - receiving payments.
Not long afterward, SMU announced that its football team would stay shuttered for the 1988 season as well after school officials received indications that they wouldn't have enough experienced players to field a viable team. As it turned out, new coach Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
was left with an undersized and underweight lineup. The Mustangs have only now begun to recover from the effects of the scandal; they have had only three winning seasons since the "Death Penalty," and two bowl appearances. At the end of the 2009 regular season SMU was bowl eligible for the third time since the "Death Penalty" (6-5 in 1997, 6-6 in 2006). SMU made its first bowl appearance since the "Death Penalty" in winning the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
Basketball
Final Four Appearances:- 1956
Southwest Conference Championships:
- 1935*
- 1937
- 1940*
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958*
- 1962*
- 1965*
- 1966
- 1967
- 1972*
- 1988
- 1993
- denotes shared title
- On April 23, 2006, Southern Methodist hired men's basketball coach Matt Doherty. In 2001, while coaching at the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Doherty was named "Coach of the Year" by the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
Soccer
- During the 2006 season, the SMU men's soccer program was ranked No. 1 in the nation for four consecutive weeks. The team sat atop the four national polls with a record of 13-0-2 in the AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
/NSCA poll, SoccerTimes.com poll, Soccer America MagazineSoccer America MagazineSoccer America Magazine is a national American magazine devoted to soccer founded in the early 1970s and is still being published. Its primary focus is soccer in the United States, but it also covers the international game extensively. It was begun by publisher Clay Berling during a period of...
poll, and the CollegeSoccerNews.com poll. Concurrently, the SMU women's soccer program cracked the top 25, at No. 22 in the Adidas/NSCA poll and No. 19 in the SoccerTimes.com poll.
- On November 6, 2006, the SMU men's soccer team finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation. Additionally, SMU won the C-USA title game, beating KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
2-0 in Tulsa. This C-USA championship win is the sixth conference title for SMU since 1997.
- The SMU men's soccer team finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 16-2-2. The Mustangs finished the season strong with a trip to the Elite Eight where they lost to University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in a penalty kick shootout.
Other varsity
- In 2006, Golf DigestGolf DigestGolf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
ranked the SMU men's golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
program No. 16 in the nation. - On May 1, 2007, SMU senior Colt KnostColt KnostColt Knost is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Knost was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Pilot Point, Texas. He was the Class 3A State Champion his senior year of 2003. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2007. While at SMU,...
was named the Conference USAConference USAConference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
golfer of the year. He earned golfer of the week awards five times during his senior year, and can be recognized for not only making the cut at the PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's EDS Byron Nelson ChampionshipEDS Byron Nelson ChampionshipThe HP Byron Nelson Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. The tournament is held in late April / early May at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, USA...
, but also shooting a record setting 64 for an amateur golfer.
1910s
1911• SMU was founded
1915
• In June, Ray Morrison
Ray Morrison
J. Ray Morrison was an American football and baseball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball in the United States...
became the school’s
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track coach, as well as a math instructor. Morrison came to be known as the father of the forward pass” because of his use of the pass on first and second downs instead of as a last resort.
• First year of varsity football – team was nicknamed “The Parson
Parson
In the pre-Reformation church, a parson was the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization...
s” because primarily of theological students
• SMU won its first football game, 13-2, over Hendrix College
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college located in Conway, Arkansas. The student body averages around 1,400 and currently represents forty-three states and fourteen foreign countries. In US News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Hendrix is ranked annually in the top tier of...
.
1917
• The first football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams at SMU were unofficially known as the "Parsons" because of the large number of theology students on the team, but after SMU won a state championship in women's basketball, it was determined that the university's teams needed an official mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
. Bulls
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, Rams
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, Comanches and Rattlers
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
were among the names submitted by members of the student body. The list was narrowed to three finalists, and at a pep assembly on October 17, 1917, the name "Mustangs
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
" was selected over Bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
s and Greyhounds. The Mustang is representative of the fleet-footed animal which is native to Texas.
• The Mustang Band
Southern Methodist University Mustang Band
The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band, known as the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University...
was first organized by Harold Hart Todd.
1918
• SMU joined the Southwest Conference, joining Baylor
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference...
, Rice
Rice Owls
The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
, Texas, Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
, Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
)
• SMU begins competing in track and field under the direction of J. Burton Rix. The Mustangs placed fourth in its very first SWC Meet
1920s
1922• Ray Morrison
Ray Morrison
J. Ray Morrison was an American football and baseball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball in the United States...
returned as coach in 1922 and guided SMU to the first of 10 consecutive winning seasons. Sportswriters billed the Mustangs as the “Aerial Circus,” in reference to Morrison’s passing offense. At a time when most teams threw the ball five or six times per game, SMU passed between 30 and 40 times per contest. The Mustangs compiled a 6-3-1 record in 1922.
• End Gene Bedford
Gene Bedford
William Eugene Bedford William Eugene Bedford William Eugene Bedford (Born December 2, 1896 in Dallas, Texas, Died October 6, 1977 in San Antonio, Texas is a former second baseman for the Cleveland Indians and Defensive End for the Rochester Jeffersons.-Sources:...
and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, becoming the first Mustang players to achieve that honor. Bedford became the first player from SMU to play professionally when he played for the Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
in 1925.
1923
• Football enjoyed a perfect 9-0 mark and the school’s first conference title.
1924
• The Mustangs made their first bowl appearance in 1924, playing against West Virginia Wesleyan in the Dixie Classic on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. The game, played at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, was the predecessor to the Cotton Bowl Classic. West Virginia Wesleyan spoiled SMU’s 18-game unbeaten streak with a 9-7 victory.
1926
• Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the Southern Methodist University Mustang football team.Named for Jordon Ownby, the stadium was built at the south end of the campus...
built. It was named after SMU alumnus and strong supporter of athletics Jordan C. Ownby. SMU defeated North Texas State Teachers College, 42-0, on September 24, 1926, in the first game at Ownby. Quarterback Gerald Mann, known as “The Little Red Arrow” because of his strong, accurate passing, was a member of the first Mustang team to play in Ownby Stadium and, as part of his scholarship chores, helped plant the grass on the stadium playing field.
• First Homecoming football game (SMU 14, TCU 13)
1928
• Guard Choc Sanders became SMU’s first All-American in 1928. Voted All-American by the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, New York Journal and Boston Record, Sanders was the Southwest Conference's first All-America selection. Tackle Marion Hammon became the Mustangs' second All-American one year later.
• One of the Mustang Band
Southern Methodist University Mustang Band
The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band, known as the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University...
's oldest traditions began in 1928 when, under the direction of Cy Barcus, the band was the first college band to perform swing music at sporting events.
1930s
1932• On November 4, 1932, a live horse made its first appearance at a Mustang football game. Peruna
Peruna
Peruna is the official mascot of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The name "Peruna" is given to each successive live mascot. A black shetland pony, Peruna has been present at every SMU home football game for over 70 years....
I was a four-year-old, 150-pound shetland pony
Shetland pony
The Shetland pony is a breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches to an official maximum height of 42 inches at the withers. Shetland ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered quite intelligent...
that was donated by T.E. Jones, the owner of Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
Downs racetrack. The name Peruna
Peruna
Peruna is the official mascot of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The name "Peruna" is given to each successive live mascot. A black shetland pony, Peruna has been present at every SMU home football game for over 70 years....
originated in the fall of 1915 when SMU student George Sexton substituted the words, "She'll be loaded with Peruna when she comes ..." to the tune of "Coming 'Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" is an American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes"....
." In the early part of the century, Peruna was the name of the most famous elixir in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and had a reputation as a cure-all. Although the words to the song were changed some years later, Peruna remained as the name of SMU's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
.
1933
• In 1933, the Mustang Band
Southern Methodist University Mustang Band
The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band, known as the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University...
earned its first national exposure as it followed the football team to San Francisco for the SMU-St. Mary's game and, while there, played on a coast-to-coast NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio show. During the 1930s, the band performed jazz stage shows in several big city theaters scheduled around weekend football games. That same year, the band began producing Pigskin Review, a musical-comedy variety show during the week of Homecoming, a tradition that still continues.
• Joe Chappel becomes SMU’s first individual conference swimming champion with a win in the 400-meter freestyle at the SWC Championship. SMU did not become competing at the Conference Championships as a team until 1946-47 – the Mustangs finished third.
1935
• SMU won its first national championship in 1935 after posting a 12-win season under the guidance of first-year head coach Matty Bell
Matty Bell
Madison A. "Matty" Bell was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator in the United States...
. Known as a player’s coach, Bell brought discipline to his team, and he spent time listening and talking to his players.
• Fullback Harry Shuford and tackle Truman “Big Dog” Spain were two prominent players on the national championship team. A tri-captain, Shuford was the Mustangs’ best running back during the 1935 season, but injury forced him to miss the season’s most critical contest. The Mustangs, ranked number one in the country, played second-ranked TCU and its star quarterback Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
for the unofficial national championship and the right to play in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
against Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
on Jan. 1, 1936.
• The 1935 SMU-TCU football game is generally considered the greatest game in SMU history. Bobby Wilson scored two touchdowns to give SMU a 14-0 lead before Baugh rallied the Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
to a 14-14 tie. Early in the fourth quarter, Bob Finley connected on a long pass to Wilson after the Mustangs faced a fourth down at the TCU 39. Wilson caught the ball at the five and rolled into the endzone as the Mustangs held on to win, 20-14, and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.
• SMU earns its first Southwest Conference men’s basketball championship after a 14-3 season under head coach J.W. St. Clair.
1936
• While the loss 7-0 loss to Stanford
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
in the Rose Bowl January 1, constituted the only blemish on SMU’s 12-1 season, the school was able to pay off its 10-year debt on Ownby Stadium with the check the university received from competing in the prestigious bowl game.
• Harry Shuford, a standout fullback on the 1935 team, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1936 and, despite the team’s efforts to sign him to a contract, opted to attend law school at SMU. Shuford overcame the prevailing thought that a football player could not succeed in law school and finished first in his class in 1939.
1937
• SMU earns its second Southwest Conference men’s basketball championship after a 13-8 season under head coach J.W. St. Clair.
1940s
1942• Lester Jordan was named sports information director at SMU. Jordan would go on to become one of the pioneers of the profession. He helped orchestrate the founding of the Academic All-American program, which still exists today.
1945
• World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
resulted in the loss of head coach Matty Bell
Matty Bell
Madison A. "Matty" Bell was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator in the United States...
for three years (1942–45) when he left the Hilltop to join the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
reserves. Bell returned to SMU in 1945 and took on an additional role as the university’s athletic director, the school’s first AD.
• Freshman Doak Walker
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
was a high school teammate of Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962...
at Highland Park High School
Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)
Highland Park High School is located in University Park, Texas.Highland Park is a part of the Highland Park Independent School District. It serves all of the city of University Park, most of the town of Highland Park, and portions of Dallas.-History:...
in Dallas. The two were matched against each other in Walker’s first collegiate game in 1945 when Layne was the quarterback at the University of Texas. Although Texas won the game, 12-7, Walker scored the Mustangs’ only touchdown and kicked the extra point. Walker and Layne were reunited as teammates when both played for the NFL’s Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the early 1950s.
1947
• After six consecutive losing seasons, 1947 brought new hope and the emergence of a legend in Doak Walker. The only three-time All-America in SMU history, Walker led the Mustangs to consecutive Southwest Conference championships in 1947 and 1948. Over the course of his career at SMU, Walker rushed for 1,954 yards, passed for 1,638 yards, scored 288 points, punted for a 39.4 average and kicked field goals and extra points. He is also the Mustangs’ all-time leader in punt return yards with 750. Walker earned the 1947 Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
honoring the nation’s best football player.
• E.O. (Doc) Hayes is named men’s basketball coach. He would win 299 games at SMU, the most by any Mustang coach in any sport at the school. Hayes eventually led the Mustangs to eight of their league championships.
1948
• Doak Walker’s exploits earned him the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in 1948 and led to his number 37 being the only jersey ever to be retired at SMU.
• After playing most of their home games since 1926 at Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the Southern Methodist University Mustang football team.Named for Jordon Ownby, the stadium was built at the south end of the campus...
on the SMU campus, the Mustangs moved to the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
in 1948, where they would remain for 31 years. The last game at Ownby was played on October 2, 1948, when SMU defeated Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
, 41-6. Because of Walker’s immense popularity, the Cotton Bowl came to be known as “The House that Doak Built.”
• The Mustangs were matched against Penn State in the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic, tying the Nittany Lions, 13-13. Doak Walker threw a 53-yard touchdown pass and scored on a two-yard run, but Penn State’s Elwood Petchel matched Walker by tossing scoring passes of 38 and six yards.
1949
• The 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic paired SMU with Oregon
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
and its star quarterback, Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack "Norm" Van Brocklin , nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football player and coach. He was also a first rate punter in college and in the NFL...
. The Mustangs won 21-13.
• Doak Walker becomes the only three-time football All-American in SMU history.
1950s
1950• After playing alongside Doak Walker
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
the previous two seasons, Kyle Rote
Kyle Rote
William Kyle Rote, Sr. was an American football player and sports announcer.-Early life:Rote attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was an all-state basketball and football player....
was given his chance to be the featured back in 1950. Rote, who led the Southwest Conference with 777 yards rushing in 1949, was named an All-American following the 1950 season.
1951
• Quarterback Fred Benners led the Mustangs to perhaps their greatest win of the decade when he completed 22 of 42 passes for 336 yards to beat Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
, 27-20, in Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
on October 13, 1951. Benners connected on TD passes of 57, 37, 31 and four yards to four different receivers as the Mustangs beat the Fighting Irish in what was one of the highlights in a 3-6-1 season.
1952
• A two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
was a two-way player at both offensive and defensive tackle from 1952-55. At first, he was not offered a full scholarship by SMU upon graduation from Sulphur Springs High School, and was leaning toward attending Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. However, chief recruiter Herman “Sleepy” Morgan, recognizing Gregg’s infinite potential, ultimately lured him to the Hilltop with an offer of a full scholarship. Gregg would eventually become an NFL Hall of Famer.
• Football player David Powell became SMU’s first Academic All-American winner.
1954
• In only its seventh season of existence, the SMU men’s golf team wins the 1954 NCAA Championship. It marked SMU’s second national title in a team sport (football 1935). The team set a new collegiate record with a team score of 572. SMU golfer Floyd Addington was the tournament medalist. The NCAA champions were Floyd Addington, Stewart Carrell, Tom Towry and Bryan Honts.
• Despite the fact that Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
caught just 11 passes for 144 yards during his junior season and had never started a game in his career, his teammates elected him as a co-captain in 1954 when he was an All-Southwest Conference performer and Academic All-America. He was a 20th-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in 1955 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 1973.
• SMU begins an incredible 44-game home winning streak in men’s basketball with a 92-48 victory over Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
.
1955
• SMU advances to its first men’s basketball NCAA Tournament appearance, the Mideast Regional in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. SMU earns its third SWC title in men’s basketball.
1956
• Led by center Jim Krebs
Jim Krebs
James Krebs was an American basketball player. A 6'8" power forward/center, he starred for the SMU Mustangs during the mid-1950s and later played with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He died in a freak tree falling accident at the age of 29.-Early life and college:Krebs was born in...
, SMU advances to the 1956 Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
in Evanston, IL. SMU, the 1956 Southwest Conference champions for the second consecutive season, would finish 26-4 overall in 1955-56.
• Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum is an 8,998-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas. The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball team. It was also home to the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before they moved...
is built. SMU defeats McMurry
McMurry University
McMurry University, founded in 1923, is a private co-educational university in Abilene, Texas. It is a liberal arts school offering forty-one majors in the fields of fine arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, education, business, and religion, and nine pre-professional programs, including...
, 113-36, to open the building on December 3, 1956. When the building was opened in 1956, it was simply known as the SMU Coliseum. In 1965, the arena was renamed Moody Coliseum in honor of William L. Moody, Jr.
William Lewis Moody, Jr.
William Lewis Moody Jr. was an American financier and entrepreneur from Galveston, Texas, who founded a private bank, an insurance company, and one of the largest charitable foundations in the United States. Moody was active in the day-to-day operations of his companies until two days before his...
• Ronnie Smith becomes first men’s swimmer to receive All-American honors. He repeated the feat in 1957 and 1958.
• Men’s swimming scores first points at the NCAA Championships.
1957
• Center Jim Krebs is named the first men’s basketball All-American in school history after leading SMU to a 22-4 record and its third consecutive SWC title.
• Don Stewart became SMU’s first NCAA track champion when he tied for first place in the high jump. SMU finished 17th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships that year. He won the high jump outright in 1958. He received the first of three straight All-American honors in the high jump – the program’s first All-American.
• Men’s swimming wins first of 23 straight SWC Championships.
1958
• Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
was a two-time All American in 1958 and 1959 and his .610 career completion percentage is the greatest of any passer in Mustang history. One of his greatest attributes was his running ability, which increased the pressure on opposing defenses.
• Dr. Irving Dreibrodt became director in 1958 and brought many innovations to the Mustang Band
Southern Methodist University Mustang Band
The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band, known as the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University...
. In the early 1960s, the band's wardrobe expanded to 20 different uniforms, earning it the nickname of "The Best Dressed Band in the Land."
• SMU wins its fourth consecutive SWC men’s basketball championship after a 15-10.
• Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
ends SMU’s 44-game home men’s basketball winning streak with a 43-42 win at Moody Coliseum.
• Track & Field places second to earn its highest finish at the SWC Outdoor meet – a feat it duplicated in 1959.
1960s
1960• Men’s tennis wins first ever Conference title – the first of 10 SWC Championships, winning five titles in a six-year span between 1982-87.
1962
• SMU introduced Hayden Fry
Hayden Fry
John Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...
as the Mustangs’ eighth head football coach.
1963
• The 1963 season provided the SMU football program with one of its most memorable games when the Mustangs hosted fourth-ranked Navy and its heralded quarterback, Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
, on October 11, 1963, at the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
. On its way to a 4-7 season, SMU was given little chance to beat the Midshipmen. Little-known sophomore John Roderick rushed for 146 yards on 11 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 45 and two yards for the Mustangs. The SMU defense, led by Bob Oyler, Martin Cude, Bill Harlan, Harold Magers and Doug January, sent Staubach to the bench twice with a dislocated left shoulder. Trailing 28-26 with 2:52 remaining in the game, SMU had one last chance to pull of the upset. Quarterback Danny Thomas threw to Billy Gannon, who ran to the Navy 46. On the next play, Roderick took a pitchout 23 yards to the 23. After a pass interference penalty against Navy put the ball on the one-yard line, Gannon plowed over right tackle for the winning touchdown with 2:05 left. The SMU defense held off Staubach’s valiant effort to rally his team for one last score, as the Mustangs pulled off the 32-28 upset.
• Despite a 4-6 regular season record, SMU parlayed the victory over Navy earlier that season into a Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
berth against Oregon
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
. Oregon defeated SMU, 21-14.
1966
• Hayden Fry lifted SMU back to national prominence in 1966, when SMU was ranked ninth in the nation and won its first conference championship in 18 years.
• During the 1966 season, sophomore wide receiver Jerry Levias
Jerry LeVias
Jerry LeVias was the first African-American scholarship athlete and second African-American football player in the Southwest Conference.-Early years:Born in Beaumont, Texas, LeVias played quarterback for Hebert High School...
led the Mustangs in scoring with 54 points. Levias became the first African-American player in the Southwest Conference to receive an athletic scholarship after choosing SMU largely because of its accounting program. As a senior in 1968, Levias caught 80 passes for a school-record 1131 yards when he was selected both an All-American and Academic All-American.
• SMU lost to Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
on December 31 in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
• John LaGrone, who earned conference honors from 1964–66, was the first Mustang player to be selected as both an All-American and Academic All-American when he was honored following the 1966 season.
1967
• Ken Martin becomes the first men’s swimming NCAA Champion by winning the 100 Breast (58.54) and 200 Breast (2:07.99) at the 1967 NCAA Championships.
1968
• Ron Mills and Ken Merten both represent the United States at the Summer Olympic Games
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
. They are the first two SMU student-athletes to represent the school in the Olympics. Mills earned a bronze medal for the United States.
• Combined with quarterback Chuck Hixson, Levias helped lead the Mustangs to a 28-27 win over Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
in the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
Bluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
, giving SMU its first bowl victory since the 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic. SMU and Oklahoma combined to score 35 points in the fourth quarter, giving the 53,543 fans full value. SMU stopped Oklahoma short of a potential game-winning two-point conversion with 1:16 left to play.
Gary Hammond earned all SWC titles in 1969,1970 and 1971. the only player to ever achieve this at three different positions.
1970s
1971• SMU’s Gene Phillips earns his third consecutive consensus Southwest Conference Player of the Year Award in men’s basketball. Phillips would end his career as SMU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,931 points despite playing just three seasons.
1972
• SMU swimmer Jerry Heidenreich earns four medals (two golds, one silver, one bronze) at the 1972 Olympic Games
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
, becoming the first Mustang to win a medal in the Olympics. Diver Janet Ely also became the first SMU female to represent the school in the Olympics and became first female swimmer to win a National Championship by winning the U.S. Diving 10-meter event.
• Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. A former SMU football player, Hunt …… The AFC Championship Trophy is named after Lamar Hunt.
• George Hardie earns first of four-straight All-American honors – the first for men’s tennis.
1973
• Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
great Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
becomes the second SMU player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Tim Vann becomes the first SMU men’s tennis All-American. Vann would repeat the honor in 1974.
1974
• SMU competes at the SWC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the first time, placing fifth.
1975
• The SMU men’s soccer team competes for the first time under head coach Jimmy Benedek. SMU defeated TCU
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
, 8-1, in its first game. The Mustangs would post a 14-4-2 record in their first season.
1976
• Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...
was hired as SMU’s 10th head coach in January 1976 and was given the responsibility of establishing a championship reign on the Hilltop.
• SMU men’s basketball player Ira Terrell, a Dallas native, is named SWC Player of the Year by The Dallas Times-Herald after he averages 22.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.
• Cindy Benzon becomes SMU’s first women’s tennis All-American.
• The SMU women’s basketball program competed in its first season. Coach Suzanne Troutman led the team to a 10-9 record. The Mustangs advanced to the TAIAW Playoffs that season.
• Karen Resinger becomes women’s swimming first All-American.
1977
• Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
, a player who Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
once called “the greatest player I ever coached,” is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gregg would later return to his alma mater as head coach and athletic director.
1978
• Greg Ryan
Greg Ryan (soccer)
Greg Ryan is a retired German-American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He was the head coach of the United States women's national soccer team from 2005 to 2007...
, who would later become the Mustangs women’s soccer coach, becomes the first SMU men’s soccer All-American. Ryan helped lead the Mustangs to their first national ranking (19th) that season.
• Janet Ely wins world diving championships.
1979
• The SMU women’s golf team wins the 1979 AIAW national title. The squad was led by two-time All-American Kyle O’Brien, who later returned as the head coach at SMU.
• Home attendance jumped from 26,000 to 52,000 in 1978 and “Mustang Mania” ushered a new era in SMU football the following season, when the Mustangs began playing all of their home games at Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
. Accompanying the move to a new stadium in 1979 was a freshman class which would lift SMU football to new heights. Freshmen Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
and Craig James combined to rush for 1,239 yards in 1979, and the “Pony Express” was born.
• SMU men’s soccer team makes it first NCAA Tournament appearance.
• SMU senior men’s golfer Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart
William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42....
shares the 1979 Southwest Conference individual title. Known for his trademark knickers, Stewart would go on to become one of the most successful professional golfers of his era.
• Men’s tennis wins first of two national team indoor championships, the second coming in 1983.
1980s
1980• The Mustangs parlayed their talent into an 8-4 record and the school’s first national ranking (20th) since 1968.
• The 1980 Holiday Bowl
Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that has been played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, since 1978. Beginning with the 2010 playing the bowl will officially be known as the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl after...
featured two teams with distinctly different offensive philosophies. SMU relied on the running of Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
and Craig James, while BYU boasted an explosive aerial attack led by QB Jim McMahon
Jim McMahon
James Robert "Jim" McMahon, Jr. is a former American football player. He played college football at Brigham Young University, where he was a two-time All-American and later in the professional ranks with the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona...
. Both teams combined for more than 900 yards in total offense in a game which came down to the final play. After trailing 45-25, BYU mounted one of the most amazing comebacks in college football history. As time expired, McMahon found Clay Brown in the end zone for a 41-yard TD pass, sending the Mustangs home with a heartbreaking 46-45 defeat.
• Ted McLaughlin was named track and field coach at SMU. McLaughlin would lead the Mustangs to three national team championships (1983 indoor and outdoor, 1986 outdoor), the most by any coach in school history.
• Michael Carter wins first individual indoor national championship for men’s track and field with a shot put of 76-5½.
• Men’s swimming has streak of 23-straight SWC Championships end with second place finish. The Mustangs would go onto finish second at each meet until 1994 when they finished third. The team finished second at the meet its final two years in the SWC.
1981
• A 10-1 record in 1981 vaulted the Ponies to their first conference title in 16 years as a new quarterback took over the reins of the Pony Express. Lance McIlhenny was the perfect leader for SMU’s option attack, using his running ability and leadership capabilities to guide the Mustangs to a 34-5-1 record after taking over as the starting quarterback in the seventh game of his freshman season in 1980.
1982
• After Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...
was named head coach of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
prior to the 1982 season, Southern Mississippi
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
coach Bobby Collins was named the Mustangs’ new head coach. Dickerson, James and McIlhenny led SMU to an 11-0-1 record and number-two ranking in 1982, including a 7-3 victory over Pittsburgh and its star quarterback, Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic. SMU was the only undefeated football team in the nation that season, but Penn State, with one loss, was named the national champion after defeating Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
in the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
.
• Despite coming from different backgrounds, Eric Dickerson and Craig James shared similar success before arriving at SMU. Both led their high schools to undefeated 15-0 seasons and state championships as prep seniors in 1978. Once at SMU, they became the heart of one of the most prolific backfields in college football history – “The Pony Express.”
• One of the most memorable plays in SMU football history took place on November 13, 1982, when Bobby Leach took a cross-field lateral on a kickoff with 17 seconds left and raced untouched for a 91-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 34-27 win over Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
. The play helped preserve the Ponies’ undefeated season and forever branded Leach with the nickname of “Miracle Man.” Leach currently serves on SMU’s Board of Trustees.
• Rhonda Rompola, a transfer from Old Dominion
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
, becomes SMU’s first women’s basketball All-American. Rompola would later return to SMU as an assistant coach and the most successful head women’s basketball coach in school history.
1983
• The SMU men’s track and field team won the 1983 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team championships. Four SMU individuals claimed national titles in 1983 – Michael Carter, Keith Connor, Sven Nylander and Robert Weir. Carter captured an incredible seven of eight possible NCAA shot put titles during his SMU career, which also saw him excel in football. Carter played nine seasons professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. He also earned a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles. Conner’s 57-7¾ in the triple jump is the current NCAA outdoor record. Weir 35-pound weight throw of 76-5½ still stands as the NCAA Indoor Championship record.
• SMU lost to Alabama
University of Alabama athletics
The University of Alabama features 19 varsity sports teams. Both the male and female athletic teams are called the Crimson Tide. They participate in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Southeastern Conference Western Division. In 2002, Sports Illustrated named Alabama the #26 best collegiate...
, 28-7, in the 1983 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
in El Paso.
• Steve Lundquist
Steve Lundquist
Stephen Lundquist is a former swimmer from the United States, who was a member of the Olympic Team when the USA boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics...
wins 100 Breast at NCAA Championships for fourth-straight year – the first men’s swimmer to do so at SMU.
• Men’s tennis finishes second at the NCAA Championships – its highest finish. Dennis Ralston
Dennis Ralston
Richard Dennis Ralston is an American former professional tennis player. He attended the University of Southern California and won NCAA championships under their legendary coach, George Toley. He was coached in his earlier years by the legendary tennis player, Pancho Gonzales...
named NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
1984
• SMU capped a 9-2 regular season with a 27-20 victory over Notre Dame in the 1984 Aloha Bowl
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its...
in Honolulu. It was the first meeting between the two schools in 26 years.
• Seven SMU athletes earn medals in the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles. SMU men’s basketball player Jon Koncak
Jon Koncak
Jon Francis Koncak is a former American professional basketball player. A 7'0" center from Southern Methodist University, Koncak was selected with the 5th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Koncak spent ten seasons with the Hawks , mainly in a reserve role, then concluded his...
helps the United States team win a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. Koncak played for the U.S. under legendary coach Bobby Knight
Bobby Knight
-Indiana:When Indiana University was seeking a new coach in 1971, they turned to Knight. Knight was given the nickname "The General" by former University of Detroit and Detroit Pistons coach-turned-broadcaster Dick Vitale....
. Steve Lundquist
Steve Lundquist
Stephen Lundquist is a former swimmer from the United States, who was a member of the Olympic Team when the USA boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics...
earned two gold medals for the United States in swimming (100 breaststroke/400 medley relay) at the 1984 Games. Other SMU medalists at the 1984 Olympics were Michael Carter (silver – track and field), Ricardo Prado
Ricardo Prado
Ricardo Prado is an Olympic and former World Record holding medley swimmer from Brazil. He swam for Brazil at the 1984 Olympics....
(silver – swimming), Amy White (silver – swimming) and Keith Connor (bronze – track and field).
• Schellas Hyndman was named men’s soccer coach at SMU. Hyndman, known worldwide as a 10th-degree black belt in the martial arts, is also an excellent soccer coach. He would go on to record his 200th win at SMU in 1997 and his 300th win overall the same year. In 1999, Hyndman appeared on the national television show You Asked For It, demonstrating his martial arts expertise.
1985
• Jon Koncak, who would later go on to a productive NBA career, is named second team men’s basketball All-American. He was just the second Mustang to earn All-American honors.
• Women’s swimming goes undefeated in dual meets for the first time.
• ATP Tour Professional Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg was an American professional male tennis player.He attended Southern Methodist University, where he was a three-time All-American and reached the 1986 National Collegiate Athletics Association finals....
named NCAA Rookie of the Year.
1986
• NCAA imposes the so-called “Death Penalty” on the SMU football program, shutting down the program for the 1987 season. Although SMU could have competed in 1988, University officials cancelled that campaign.
• SMU legend Doak Walker
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. Walker starred for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
from 1950-55.
• SMU men’s track and field team won the 1986 NCAA Outdoor team title, marking the third national championship in the program’s history.
• SMU players Reggie Dupard
Reggie Dupard
Jon Reginald Dupard is a former American football running back. He played five seasons in the National Football League. Dupard was selected 26th overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He played for the Patriots until he was traded to the Washington Redskins midway through the...
and Rod Jones are each selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. It marks the only time in school history that two Mustangs are drafted in the opening round.
• The SMU women’s soccer team begins competition under coach Alan Kirkup. Kirkup led SMU to an impressive 15-3-2 record in its inaugural season.
• Women’s track and field starts at SMU.
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named U.S. Diving National Team Coach (1987–91). He would also make SWC history by being named Men and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year – the first a coach has been named coach of the year in a men and women’s sport in the same year. He would repeat the honor again in 1988 and 1989.
• Men’s tennis Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg was an American professional male tennis player.He attended Southern Methodist University, where he was a three-time All-American and reached the 1986 National Collegiate Athletics Association finals....
named Collegiate Tennis Player of the Year he would be named ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year as a professional.
1988
• SMU is given permission to play a seven game road schedule, with no home games, but chooses not to participate in 1988 due to the fact that they could not form a competitive team http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1988.html. Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
returned to accept what he called “the ultimate challenge” when he was named as the Ponies’ head coach on January 14, 1988 http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1989.html, after having coached the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
since 1984.
• SMU’s Kevin Robinzine
Kevin Robinzine
Kevin Bernard Robinzine was a 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 4×400 meter relay for the United States, where he ran the third leg. The team equalled the world and Olympic record from 1968 in Mexico with 2:56.16.-References:...
(U.S.) earns a gold medal in the 1,600 meter relay. Robinzine is one of eight SMU representatives in the 1988 Olympic Games
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
1989
• Women’s tennis player Jennifer Santrock was the Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
/ITCA National Player of the Year (she was also named the Southwest Conference’s Female Athlete of the Decade). Santrock earned her third and final All-American award in 1989.
• Former SMU golfer Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart
William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42....
earned more than one million dollars on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
(the second most that year) and won the 1989 PGA Championship.
• The Mustangs first season back on the football field, SMU fields a team composed of 74 freshman, 16 of whom were starters http://people.smu.edu/adedo/1989.html. Quarterback Mike Romo who, on February 10, 1988, became the Mustangs’ first signee since 1985. Romo engineered one of the most exciting wins in Mustang history when he led SMU from a 17-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
, 31-30, in just the second game of the 1989 season. He completed a four-yard pass to Michael Bowen on the game’s final play to give the Ponies their first win since 1986 http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/08-96/08-11-96/c07sp081.htm.
• Jason Wolf set an NCAA freshman record when he caught 61 passes in 1989. He also led the Ponies in scoring (50 points), and his 61 receptions are the fourth-highest total in SMU history.
• After playing their home games in Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the Southern Methodist University Mustang football team.Named for Jordon Ownby, the stadium was built at the south end of the campus...
from 1926–1948, the Mustangs returned their home games to the on-campus facility in 1989. SMU hosted Rice
Rice Owls
The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
in the season opener on September 2, marking the return of Mustang football to Ownby exactly 40 years and 11 months after SMU’s last game there.
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Men’s Coach of the Year.
1990s
1990• On April 11, 1990, Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
assumed the role of athletic director, while announcing that he would relinquish his coaching duties following the 1990 season.
• Lisa Cole becomes SMU's first women's soccer All-American. She leads the Mustangs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance that season.
• Women's track & field scores first team points at NCAA Championships in third year of program with a tie for 37th place. JoAnn Hacker becomes first female track & field athlete to be named All-American (shot put 1990, '92, '93)
1991
• Diving coach Jim Stillson named NCAA Women's Coach of the Year, he also won the award again in 1995.
• Women's swimming coach Steve Collins named NCAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year – again in 1996.
1992
• A significant accomplishment occurred in 1992 when Jason Wolf ended his career with 235 receptions, making him the Southwest Conference's career leader in that category.
• Scott Donie
Scott Donie
Scott Richard Donie is an American diver. He captured the silver medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics on the 10 m platform, and then placed 4th in the 3 m springboard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta....
(silver medal – diving) and Lars Frölander
Lars Frölander
Lars Arne Frölander is a Swedish swimmer. He grew up in Ornäs in Borlänge Municipality. He competed in 5 consecutive Olympic Games . The highlight of his career was when he won the gold in the 100 metre butterfly event at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000...
(silver – swimming) each earn medals at the 1992 Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, Spain. Donie and Frolander are just two of 19 SMU representatives in the Olympics that year.
• The women's diving team wins the 1992 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship.
• The women's golf team wins its second Southwest Conference championship and places 15th at the 1992 NCAA Championships.
• Women's swimming and diving sets school record by sending 10 athletes to the Olympic Games
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul, Korea.
1993
• SMU earns the last of its 13 Southwest Conference men's basketball titles. Senior guard Mike Wilson is named the SWC Player of the Year by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Brigham Young in the opening round in Chicago.
• The women's basketball team recorded its first 20-win season (20-10) and established itself as a legitimate national contender. SMU, making its first postseason tournament appearance, advanced to the third round of the 1993 National Women's Invitation Tournament
Women's National Invitation Tournament
The Women's National Invitation Tournament , formerly the National Women's Invitation Tournament, is a college basketball tournament with a preseason and postseason version played every year...
in Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
• Alan Prampin becomes the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted by Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
).
• Men's Swimming Coach Eddie Sinnott coaches the United States' squad at the World University Games.
• Men's tennis Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg
Richey Reneberg was an American professional male tennis player.He attended Southern Methodist University, where he was a three-time All-American and reached the 1986 National Collegiate Athletics Association finals....
was the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world. He earned three double titles and one singles title while earning more than $600,000 on the professional tennis tour. He would play on to US Davis Cup teams in 1994 and 1997.
1994
• The winds of change swept across the Hilltop following the 1994 season as SMU prepared to begin its 77th and final season of play in the Southwest Conference after announcing that it would accept an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
beginning in 1996.
• The women's diving team wins the 1994 U.S. Diving Outdoor National Championship.
• The SMU women's basketball team makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance in coach Rhonda Rompola's third season. The Mustangs had a breakthrough win at national power Texas, snapping the Lady Longhorns' 29-game winning streak over SMU.
1995
• The SMU women's soccer team advances to the Final Four
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
for the first time in program history. SMU ended the season ranked third in the nation.
• The women's diving team wins both the 1995 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships.
• Coinciding with the final SWC season was the return of SMU football to the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
. After playing most of their home games the previous six seasons at Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the Southern Methodist University Mustang football team.Named for Jordon Ownby, the stadium was built at the south end of the campus...
, SMU made “The House That Doak Built” its home stadium in 1995.
• Always on the cutting edge of college athletics, SMU partners with Broadcast.com
Broadcast.com
Broadcast.com was a web radio company founded as "AudioNet" in September 1995 by Chris Jaeb. Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban later led the organization to hugely capitalize on the Dot-com bubble and be sold to Yahoo.com.-History:...
to broadcast the first college football game (SMU vs. Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
) worldwide over the Internet.
• SMU's men's and women's cross country teams earn their highest finishes, 21st and 17th, respectively, at the 1995 NCAA Championships.
• The SMU women's basketball team advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, defeating Southern
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
Miss in overtime, 96-95.
• Lisa Seifert hired to head new volleyball program. She came from Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
where she was an assistant coach.
• Women's track and field places in top 10 at NCAA Outdoor Championships for first time. Katie Swords earns first individual NCAA title by winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:28.46.
1996
• If 1992's 19 SMU Olympians weren't impressive enough, an incredible 23 current or former Mustang student-athletes competed in the 1996 Olympic Games
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. Three SMU swimmers – Ryan Berube
Ryan Berube
Ryan Berube is a former freestyle swimmer from the United States, who won the gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's relay team in the 4x200 m freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia....
(gold medal for U.S. in 800 freestyle relay), Lars Frölander
Lars Frölander
Lars Arne Frölander is a Swedish swimmer. He grew up in Ornäs in Borlänge Municipality. He competed in 5 consecutive Olympic Games . The highlight of his career was when he won the gold in the 100 metre butterfly event at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000...
(silver for Sweden in 800 freestyle relay) and Marianne Kriel
Marianne Kriel
Marianne Kriel is a former backstroke and freestyle swimmer from South Africa, who won the bronze medal in the 100 m backstroke at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
(bronze for South Africa in 100 backstroke) – earned medals at the Summer Games. Amazingly, SMU had more Olympians than 113 of the 197 delegations (57 percent) on hand for the Olympics.
• SMU women's swimming and diving team places second at the 1996 NCAA Championships.
• On Dec. 20, 1996, Mike Cavan
Mike Cavan
-External links:...
was named the 14th head coach of the Mustangs. Cavan arrived from East Tennessee State
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
, where he finished runner-up in voting for the 1996 Division I-AA National Coach of the Year Award.
• SMU competes for the first year as a member of the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
• In February, four-year letter winner Jennie Amos becomes first SMU recruit to sign a National Letter of Intent for volleyball.
• On Aug. 30,1996, volleyball competes in first ever match, a 3-0 loss to Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
.
• Volleyball wins first match – 3-1 over Wichita State
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
on Aug. 31.
• Katie Swords becomes the first individual in the history of the SWC Track & Field meet – male or female – to score 40 points when she won the 10,000 meters on Thursday, the 3,000 on Friday, and the 1,500 and 5,000 on Saturday. Following the 5,000 meters win, Swords ran back to the team hotel a mile and a half from R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field
R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field
Linda and Terry Fuller Track is a multi-use stadium in Lubbock, Texas on the campus of Texas Tech University where it serves as home to Red Raider track and field. Formerly, it was also the home of the women's soccer team before they moved to the John Walker Soccer Complex. The stadium seats...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
.
• SMU became the first school ever to have three discus throwers top the 200-foot mark in the same season—Alex Tammert 212-7, Jason Tunks
Jason Tunks
Jason Tunks is a retired international level discus thrower representing Canada.World Ranking: 35thQuick Notes:* Jason is married to Netherlands shot putter Lieja Tunks...
209-6 and Ian Winchester
Ian Winchester
Ian Winchester is a discus thrower from New Zealand.He finished tenth at the 1992 World Junior Championships, eighth at the 1998 World Cup and fifth at the 1998 Commonwealth Games He also competed at two World Championships as well as the 2000 Summer Olympics without reaching the final round.His...
200-1.
• Men's soccer star Alan Prampin became SMU's first Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
professional player. He played for the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
in 1996.
1997
• The women's diving team wins both the 1997 U.S. Diving Indoor and Outdoor National Championships
• It did not take long for head coach Mike Cavan's influence to be felt—he led SMU to a 6-5 overall record (5-3 WAC) in 1997, marking the first winning season for the Mustangs since 1986. After a 1-4 start, SMU rebounded to win five consecutive games, marking its longest winning streak in 12 years. Cavan was named the WAC Coach of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...
for his efforts in 1997.
• In the history of SMU athletics, June 13, 1997, may stand out as the most significant day since the program's inception in 1915. That day is when University officials announced that significant funds had been raised to begin construction on the brand new Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Gerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in University Park, Texas, one of the two "Park Cities" that form an enclave within the city limits of Dallas. The stadium is used primarily for football, and it is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and is frequently used for local high school...
and the Paul B. Loyd, Jr. All-Sports Center. The state-of-the-art facility would not have been possible without the generous initial contributions of Gerald J. Ford
Gerald J. Ford
Gerald J. Ford is a successful Texas banker known for buying and selling thrift banks. Ford bought his first bank in 1975 for $1.2 million and later sold it for a profit of $80 million....
, Lamar
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
and Norma Hunt, Ray L.
Ray Lee Hunt
Ray Lee Hunt inherited most of father H.L. Hunt's Hunt Oil Co. along with his three sisters. In 1982, Forbes magazine estimated Ray Hunt's family's total net worth to be $200 million. Ray made a huge oil find in Yemen in 1984. It took two years for Hunt, partnering with other companies, to lay a...
and Nancy Ann Hunt, and Sherrill and Jo Ann Pettus, all of whom are SMU alumni.
• Quarterback Ramon Flanigan became SMU's all-time leader in total offense (7,437 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (57) with a solid senior season in 1997. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility prior to 1997 by the NCAA.
• In 1997, the Mustang Band
Southern Methodist University Mustang Band
The Southern Methodist University Mustang Band, known as the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University...
made a recording with The Light Crust Doughboys
Light Crust Doughboys
The Light Crust Doughboys is a quintessential American Western swing band from Texas organized in 1931 by the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company in Saginaw, Texas. The band achieved its peak popularity in the few years leading up to World War II...
(a group already enshrined in the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame) entitled The High Road on the Hilltop. That project made it into the second round of Grammy voting in several categories.
• On January 25, 1997, the SMU and TCU
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
women's basketball teams established the NCAA records for most points scored by both teams (252) in a four-overtime 127-125 Mustang win. After scoring just one point in the first half, SMU guard Shawna Ford ended up with 42 points in the Mustangs' dramatic victory in Fort Worth. SMU's 127-point performance set a school record for most points scored in a game. It was just the seventh time in NCAA history that a women's basketball game went to four overtimes.
• Men's soccer coach Schellas Hyndman recorded his 200th win at SMU against Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
in 1997 and his 300th career coaching win overall against TCU.
• Daniel Hernandez was named the NSCAA Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Year, becoming the first Mustang to be honored as a national player of the year. Herandez's career ended in the NCAA Quarterfinals vs. St. Louis in one of the most memorable soccer games in NCAA history. SMU and St. Louis played to a 0-0 tie in inclement weather in Dallas. The field conditions at Westcott Field became so poor that the game was moved to the Astroturf at Ownby Stadium. There was a 60-minute delay with 2:22 remaining in the first overtime. Following two scoreless overtime periods, St. Louis defeated SMU, 5-3, in a shootout to advance to the Final Four.
• Volleyball earns first bid to WAC post-season tournament by winning five-of-six matches over quad foes TCU, Rice and Tulsa.
• Senior defensive specialist Charity Savedra becomes first volleyball player to receive post season honors by being named second team All-WAC defensive specialist.
• Women's swimming team wins first conference championship in its history.
• Tom Presthus became the first SMU men's soccer player to be drafted. He was taken by D.C. United in the second round.
1998
• SMU golfer Hank Kuehne
Hank Kuehne
Henry August "Hank" Kuehne II is an American former U.S. Amateur champion and professional golfer who enjoyed some success on the PGA Tour....
becomes the first Mustang to win the U.S. Amateur.
• The women's diving team wins the 1998 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship.
• Football player, Doak Walker, die at the age of 71 on September 27, 1998.
• In 1998, SMU broke ground on its new state-of-the-art facilities, including Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Ford Stadium will be the permanent on-campus home of the Mustang football squad beginning in the year 2000.
• The SMU men's soccer team was ranked number one by Soccer America in the nation after upsetting defending national champion Indiana in Dallas. It marked the first time in program history that SMU men's soccer was the top-ranked team in the nation.
• Windy Dean becomes first woman in history to win three consecutive NCAA javelin titles. She was only the second female to win the javelin three times at the NCAA Meet.
• SMU became the first school to place its men and women's track and field teams in the top 10 at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
• Lars Frölander named NCAA Swimmer of the Year.
1999
• The women's diving team wins the 1999 U.S. Diving Indoor National Championship.
• SMU sophomore Jeryl Sasser becomes just the second sophomore in Western Athletic Conference history to earn the league's men's basketball Player of the Year Award. One of the nation's finest all-around players, Sasser was the first SMU player in history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
• The SMU women's basketball team wins its first conference title after winning the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship in Las Vegas. The Mustangs advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons under coach Rhonda Rompola. Karlin Kennedy was named 1999 WAC Tournament MVP and Claudia Brassard and Nici Johnson were each named to the All-Tournament team as SMU stunned fourth-ranked Colorado State, 65-49, in the championship game.
• SMU great Eric Dickerson was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1999. He became the fifth Mustang to earn Pro Football Hall of Fame status.
• Women's rowing becomes SMU's newest sport. Head coach Kerry O'Keefe was hired to run the program, which will feature more than 60 student-athletes on its roster.
• Former SMU golfer Payne Stewart wins his second U.S. Open Championship (the first was in 1991).
• Former SMU soccer player Tom Presthus became the first Mustang to be named to the MLS All-Star Team. Presthus is a standout goalie for D.C. United.
• Women's swimmer Martina Moravcova, one of the most decorated swimmers in NCAA history, receives 1998-99 Honda Award for women's swimming and diving. Moravcova ended her four-year career at SMU a 25-time All-American and 14-time NCAA Champion, including 10 individual titles. Her 10 individual titles were the most in the modern era – a time when swimmers were not restricted to only three events at the NCAA's each year. Moravcova also ends her career ranked first in the world (short course) in the 200 free (1:55.12) and 200 IM (2:08.55). She won 26 conference title out of a possible 28 as a collegian (21 WAC, eight SWC). She became the first individual in WAC history to win both the 100 free and 200 IM three years in a row.
• Women's swimming becomes first team to sweep all 21 events at WAC Championships.
2000s
2009• The SMU football Team finally made their first bowl appearance in 25 years in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
2010
• The SMU football team went to its second straight bowl game. The Mustangs played and lost, 16-14, to Army in the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl
2010 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2010 Armed Forces Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and the first of two editions to be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in the Dallas enclave of University Park, Texas. From the bowl's inception as the Fort Worth Bowl...
2011
• The SMU Basketball Team was put on 2 years' probation for violations regarding text messaging recruits
Athletic directors
- Steve Orsini - June 2006–present
- Brian O'Boyle - Feb.-March 2006
- Jim Copeland - Jan. 1995-Feb. 2006
- Bill Lively - July 1994-Dec. 1994
- Forrest GreggForrest GreggAlvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
- April 1990-June 1994 - Doug Single - Oct. 1987-April 1990
- Dudley Parker - Dec. 1986-Oct. 1987
- Bob Hitch - 1981-Dec. 1986
- Russ Potts - 1978-1981
- N.R. "Dick" Davis 1974-1978
- Dave Smith - 1972-1974
- Hayden FryHayden FryJohn Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...
- 1964-1972 - Matty BellMatty BellMadison A. "Matty" Bell was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator in the United States...
- 1947-1964
Athletic venues
- Football: Gerald J. Ford StadiumGerald J. Ford StadiumGerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in University Park, Texas, one of the two "Park Cities" that form an enclave within the city limits of Dallas. The stadium is used primarily for football, and it is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and is frequently used for local high school...
(32,000) - Basketball / Volleyball: Moody ColiseumMoody ColiseumMoody Coliseum is an 8,998-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas. The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball team. It was also home to the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before they moved...
(8,998) - Soccer: Westcott FieldWestcott FieldWestcott Field is a stadium in University Park, Texas on the campus of Southern Methodist University.The 4,000-seat stadium is home to SMU men's and women's soccer...
(4,000)