SMU Mustangs Football: A Legacy of Triumph, Controversy, and Notable Alumni
Southern Methodist University (SMU), located in Dallas, Texas, has a rich and storied football tradition. While the program has faced periods of great success and significant controversy, it has consistently produced remarkable athletes and alumni who have made significant contributions to both the sport and society. This article explores the history of SMU football, highlights some of its most notable alumni, and examines the program's journey to its current position in college athletics.
The Early Years and Rise to Prominence
Founded in 1911, Southern Methodist University began playing football in 1915. In June 1915, Ray Morrison took on multiple roles at SMU as the coach for football, baseball, basketball, and track, while also serving as a math instructor. The football team was initially a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) and played at Armstrong Field. SMU's first game was a 43-0 loss against future rival Texas Christian University (TCU) on October 9, 1915. SMU won their first game on October 14, 1915, with a 13-2 victory over Hendrix College. SMU finished its inaugural season with a 2-5 record. On October 17, 1917, the school mascot, the "Mustangs", was selected.
In 1918, the Mustangs joined the Southwest Conference alongside Baylor University, Rice University, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, the University of Arkansas, and Oklahoma A&M University. The Mustangs’ first season in the conference ended with a 4-2 record.
The team became known as the "Aerial Circus" by sportswriters due to the team's use of passing on first and second downs, instead of as a last resort play. In the 1922 season, the Mustangs compiled a 6-3-1 record. End Gene Bedford and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, becoming the first SMU football players to receive that honor. In the 1923 season, the SMU Mustangs achieved a perfect 9-0 record, winning its first conference football title in school history.
By 1926, the team began playing its home games at Ownby Stadium. In its first game at Ownby Stadium, the Mustangs defeated North Texas State Teachers College 42-0, led by quarterback Gerald Mann. The team continued to have winning seasons until the 1932 season. The Mustangs won their second conference title in 1926, compiling an 8-0-1 record, and a third conference title in 1931, compiling a 9-0-1 record. In 1928, guard Choc Sanders became SMU's first All-American, as well as the first All-American from the Southwest Conference.
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The Mustangs claim national championships in 1935 and 1981, though neither was awarded by the AP or Coaches Poll.
Doak Walker: A Mustang Legend
Doak Walker was one of the most decorated athletes of all time. He was a three-time All-America halfback for Southern Methodist. He won the Maxwell Award in 1947, won the Heisman in 1948, and was named Player of the Year by Collier's Magazine in 1949. In 35 games he put up these figures: 288 points scored, 2,076 yards rushing, 1,786 yards passing (on 128 of 222 attempts), 454 yards receptions, 750 yards on 50 punt returns, 764 yards on kickoff returns. He averaged 39.6 yards on punts. Walker was 5-11 in height and weighed 170. Sports writers gave him nicknames, "Dynamite Doak" and "Dauntless Doak". In a game against Texas Christian in 1947, he made runs of 80, 61 and 56 yards. Southern Methodist had a 23-5-4 record in his last 3 years and won two Southwest Conference championships. He played 6 years with the Detriot Lions 1950-1955, was All-Pro 4 times, and led the National Football League in scoring twice. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. His memory is honored by the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's best running back. It started in 1990 and is given by GTE-Southern Methodist Athletic Foundation.
The "Death Penalty" and Rebuilding Era
In 1987, SMU became the first and only football program in collegiate athletic history to receive the "death penalty" for repeated serious violations of NCAA rules. The NCAA forced SMU to cancel its football program for the 1987 season because the university had been paying some of the players-approximately $61,000 was paid from 1985 until 1986. SMU was eligible for the "death penalty" because it had already violated recruiting rules, and had been placed on probation in 1985. Since many potential student-athletes came from lower socio-economic backgrounds, boosters had been inducing them to sign with SMU by offering them payments and expense coverage. Several key boosters and SMU officials deemed it unethical to discontinue payments once initiated, as some boosters had contractually agreed to fund certain athletes for their entire tenure at SMU. There was also the potential of disgruntled football players "blowing the whistle" on SMU should the payments be discontinued. When the sanctions were handed down, SMU had three players - all seniors close to graduation - receiving payments.
Not long afterward, SMU announced that football was canceled for the 1988 season as well after school officials received indications that there would be too few experienced players at the school to field a viable team, as most of the team had left the university and transferred to other institutions. The Mustangs struggled for 20 years to recover from the effects of the penalty and the scandal.
Recent Resurgence and ACC Invitation
After decades of rebuilding, SMU experienced a resurgence in the 2010s and 2020s under coaches like Sonny Dykes and Rhett Lashlee. In 2023, SMU made headlines by accepting an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), becoming the first school in history to move from the AAC to a Power Five conference.
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In 2021, as realignment threatened to reshape college sports, the Big 12 passed over SMU in favor of fellow AAC team Houston as it expanded to fill slots left by Texas and Oklahoma. Mustangs backers responded by contributing more than $1 million to an early NIL effort, the start of a three-year building project that has turned SMU, once a college football pariah, into a paradigm of the modern playbook.
The biggest item on the school’s shopping list was a new conference. Beginning in 2022, a “Power Conference Task Force” made up of marquee SMU leaders and supporters traveled the country selling ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 decision-makers on the benefits of adding the Mustangs. TV revenue is vital to most athletic departments; those funds make up a third or more of most SEC budgets. But SMU felt confident its wealthy alumni base could foot the bill. One gathering of a dozen backers brought together a net worth of more than $15 billion. In the room that day was Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt as well as his uncle Ray Lee, who is worth an estimated $10 billion himself, according to a Yahoo report. Other notable SMU donors include grocery chain chairman Brad Brookshire, golf businessman Robert Dedman Jr., Invesco chairman emeritus Marty Flanagan, financial services investor Gerald J. Ford, top regional auto dealer Carl Sewell, Texas Instruments chairman Rich Templeton, Virginia Governor (and former private equity executive) Glenn Youngkin, and Texas banker Richard Ware, among others. The athletic department raised $100 million in the five days after its move to the ACC was announced in September 2023.
Even before moving to the ACC, SMU boasted a donor class befitting big-league status. A 2016 accounting found the school was tied for eighth among Power Four schools in alumni on the Forbes 400 list. Its $2 billion endowment puts the place some refer to as “Southern Millionaires University” squarely in the middle among ACC peers. In 1987, SMU’s football program was shut down for making prohibited player payments. But in a “NIL means ‘Now It’s Legal’” world, school supporters were ready to pony up again. With a Power Four spot lined up and coming off an 11-3 AAC championship season, the Mustangs needed a team worthy of their new playing field. They recruited 18 Power Four transfers this year, with a focus in the trenches. New bodies came in from Ohio State, Georgia and Texas. Three came from Miami, where Rhett Lashlee had been the offensive coordinator before taking over as SMU head coach in 2022. And two joined via Oklahoma, not including new general manager J.R. In November, SMU announced a contract extension with Lashlee, a couple years after the program launched a Vision 2025 Football Support Fund. “We’re all-in,” SMU AD Rick Hart said before the start of the season.
In 2024, the Mustangs would finish the regular season 11-1 (8-0 Conference), earning them a spot in the ACC Championship Game, where they lost 34-31 to Clemson. They would then play in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff for the first time ever in 2024, where they lost in the first round to Penn State, 38-10.
Notable Alumni Beyond Doak Walker
While Doak Walker remains a central figure in SMU football history, many other alumni have achieved success in football and various other fields. Here are some notable examples:
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- Forrest Gregg: A two-time All-Southwest Conference player at SMU, Gregg went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL as an offensive lineman. He later returned to SMU as head coach during the program's rebuilding phase.
- Don Meredith: An All-American quarterback for the Mustangs in the late 1950s, Meredith became a star for the Dallas Cowboys and later a popular broadcaster on Monday Night Football.
- Craig James and Eric Dickerson: The "Pony Express" running back duo formed a formidable partnership at SMU in the early 1980s, leading the Mustangs to national prominence. Both went on to successful NFL careers.
- Jerry LeVias: Became the first Black player signed to a football scholarship in the Southwest Conference, and played his first game for SMU in 1966.
Beyond the gridiron, SMU boasts a diverse and accomplished alumni network, including:
- Business: Clark Hunt (owner of the Kansas City Chiefs), Brad Brookshire (chairman of Brookshire Grocery Company), Robert Dedman Jr., Marty Flanagan, Gerald J. Ford, Carl Sewell, Rich Templeton, Richard Ware.
- Politics and Public Service: Glenn Youngkin (Virginia Governor), Harriet Miers (former Counsel to President George W. Bush)
- Arts and Entertainment: Kathy Bates (Academy Award-winning actor), William Joyce and James V. Hart (Academy Award-winning writers)
SMU has 126,695 alumni worldwide, with 57,049 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
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