From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- SMU's athletics teams are known as the Mustangs and participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-A for football) as a member of Conference USA (C-USA). In 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA, and left the Western Athletic Conference. From 1918-1996, the Mustangs were a member of the Southwest Conference, until it formally disbanded.
- On June 1, 2006, Steve Orsini became SMU's Director of Athletics. Arriving at SMU, Orsini stated that, "Our goal in every sport is to be in the top 25 in the nation - and for the ones that already are, I want them to be in the top 10."[5]
[edit] Football
- SMU's closest rival in athletics is Texas Christian University (TCU) in Forth Worth, Texas. In football, SMU and TCU compete annually (with the exception of 2006) for the Iron Skillet. In 2005, a nationally 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 University in football for the Mayors Cup. The home team has won the event since 1986.
- 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 Houston, 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.
-
-
-
|
-
-
- 1948
- 1966
- 1981
- 1982
- 1984*
|
* denotes shared title
[edit] The Death Penalty
-
- The SMU football program was a national powerhouse, with five alumni elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Raymond Berry, Eric Dickerson, Forrest Gregg, Lamar Hunt (as a contributor), and Doak Walker. In 1987, SMU became the only school in collegiate athletic history to receive the "Death Penalty", or having its program terminated, for making approximately $61,000 in booster payments, and in multiple violations.[4] In "A Payroll to Meet" by David Whitford, it is revealed that the "Death Penalty" was a result of the university administration's refusal to stop paying players already receiving payment. 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 "death penalty" was handed down, SMU had only three players - all seniors about to graduate - receiving payments.
[edit] Basketball
- On April 23, 2006, Southern Methodist hired men's basketball coach Matt Doherty. In 2001, while coaching at the University of North Carolina, Doherty was named "Coach of the Year" by the Associated Press.
-
-
-
- 1935*
- 1937
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958*
- 1962*
|
- 1965*
- 1966
- 1967
- 1972*
- 1988
- 1993
|
* denotes shared title
[edit] 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 Adidas/NSCA poll, SoccerTimes.com poll, Soccer America Magazine 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 Kentucky 2-0 in Tulsa. This C-USA championship win is the sixth conference title for SMU since 1997.
[edit] Other Varisty
- In 2006, Golf Digest ranked the SMU men's golf program No. 16 in the nation.
[edit] Club Sports
[edit] Athletic Directors
- Steve Orsini - June 2006-Present
- John Koerner - Feb.-March 2006
- Jim Copeland - Jan. 1995-Feb. 2006
- Bill Lively - July 1994-Dec. 1994
- Forrest Gregg - 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 Fry - 1964-1972
- Matty Bell - 1947-1964
[edit] Athletic Venues
[edit] External Links
SMU Historical Football Scores
