Unfortunately problems and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs football program cannot separate from one another. After being a doormat in the Southwest Conference in the 1970’s, SMU quickly rose to prominence in the early 1980’s. SMU’s rise to prominence came with a hefty price as they were hit with the dreaded “Death Penalty” by the NCAA for consistently paying student athletes in spite of numerous warnings from the NCAA to stop. Thus SMU would lose its football program for 1987 and 1988 which was the beginning of the end for the SWC as the conference lost valuable television money due to the Mustangs not being allowed to field a team. Once SMU’s football program started back up in 1989, the Mustangs would not have a winning season until 1997. And when the Southwest Conference folded in 1996, SMU would join the now defunct Western Athletic Conference. The marriage between SMU and the WAC would last until 2004 when the Mustangs would join Conference USA. SMU is now in their second season in the American Athletic Conference, but they are still unable to escape problems on the gridiron.
In 2008 after nine years as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii, June Jones was lured to Dallas to coach SMU. During his time at Hawaii, Jones had taken the football program to new heights which culminated in a bid to the Sugar Bowl in his final season there.
June Jones
In Jones’ first season at SMU, the Mustangs were 1-11. But by the next season SMU would go 8-5 and win their first bowl game since 1984. Jones would go on to become the first and only head football coach at SMU to lead the Mustangs to four consecutive bowl games. Last year in their first year in the AAC, SMU would go 5-7. This season SMU got off to a terrible start as they lost their first two games of the year to Baylor and North Texas respectively by a combined score of 88-6. Jones had seen enough and once you factor in that he wasn’t getting the proper help that he needed from SMU, he stepped down. Former SMU running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson chimed in recently as he felt that the school didn’t give Jones enough resources to be successful.
Things have changed drastically for the SMU football program since Dickerson was a part of the “Pony Express” in the early 1980’s. The NCAA sanctions that were levied on SMU in 1986 mean that still to this day the Mustangs must run a squeaky clean program due to the fear of any further penalties being handed down. In the days of the Southwest Conference, SMU primarily only had to compete with the schools inside of the State of Texas in order to get the top recruits within the Lone Star State. But now with power conferences such as the Pac-12, Big 12, and Southeastern Conferences that have lucrative television deals that produce big dollars for their institutions, schools outside of Texas continuously swoop in and raid talent away that would normally play for a school such as SMU. Southern Methodist has unfortunately been caught in the wash and they simply have been unable to get the top players from talent rich Texas.
In order for the Mustangs to become relevant they will need to really embrace their former players along with bringing in a head football coach the understands the region. During the 1980’s, SMU sent talent to the National Football League in the form of Dickerson, Craig James, and Michael Carter just to name a few on a consistent basis. And in order for the Mustangs to once again be good in football. these gentleman need to consistently be around the SMU football program once again. Mack Brown and Houston Nutt could both be itching to get back in coaching while current Texas State head football coach Dennis Franchione would also be a great fit for SMU.
Brown spent the past 16 years as the head football coach at the University of Texas and he was not pleased with how his time ended in Austin. Brown knows the State of Texas like the back of his hand. And Brown’s name alone would get the support of alumni while also luring talent to Dallas. Nutt is very familiar with region as well. Nutt began his college football playing career at the University of Arkansas in 1976 when the school was a part of the SWC. Nutt transferred in 1977 and he finished up at Oklahoma State. From 1998-2007, Nutt would be the head football coach at Arkansas where he would compile a record 75-48 including two appearances in the SEC Championship Game. From 2008-2011, Nutt was the head football coach at Ole Miss and like Brown he understands recruiting in the region that SMU calls home. Franchione is a bit controversial, but he understands recruiting in the State of Texas along with winning there. Two stops along the way during Franchione’s time as a head football coach were at TCU and Texas A&M respectively. But Franchione unfortunately knows how to burn bridges.
Whoever the next head football coach at SMU will be must be able to recruit the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex before anything else can be done for the Mustangs. And like previously stated there must be a strong commitment from the SMU community towards the new head football coach. Things are also set up for the Mustangs to have success in the AAC if they are able to get some talent from within Texas. The people at SMU do not realize it yet, but they are sitting on an oil field of football talent in Dallas.
Source: Sports-reference.com
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