Shipped my remaining tickets back to the AD

[MeanGreen61]

Not me MustangFanSMU. Other boards also have frustrated, depressed fans.

http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/confusa/invi...ST&f=22&t=30531

Shipped the remaining game tickets back addressed to the Athletic Director Jim Copeland.

I'm not a bandwagoner, and am not going to go jump on and watch Texas or USC this year -- but I am finished supporting SMU football with my time and $. I love my alma mater, and it's a wonderful place to attend 4 years of school ... but showing up and supporting this team is just enabling an incapable and apathetic Athletic Director.

Mr. Copeland, Please resign immediately ... while I know we at SMU like to have things nice and luxurious, enjoying my own freaking section at a football game is not one of those things. You've joked about SMU's inability to sell out, and have failed to generate any interest in the program. No radio commercials, no TV commercials -- nothing, zilch. You're enthusiasm for our school and program is very evident in our crappy attendance. I bet you didn't realize no one knew we were playing ECU ... and some people even thought we lost to a D-1AA school (That's not y'alls fault ECU people, SMU fans aren't exactly CFB researchers). Yes, winning cures all -- but you've failed at hiring a coach that can do that. A 2-5 start in a Coaches 4th year is unacceptable. You also went with the "local cheap guy" in hoops rather than hiring an Assistant that would've brought in notoriety and respectability. You have no backbone and refuse to stand up to our out-of-touch BOT and Faculty Senate who mistakenly believe we're on the same academic level as Harvard or even Duke. Our successful "country club" sports are even slouching. Please ... just get out. I love SMU, and am damn proud to have gone there, but it's embarassing to claim you're a fan September through November. That embarassment rests upon your shoulders. The University of Tulsa was able to turn around their program with a new coach... and guess what? They don't have the history that we do. And they're not in a recruiting hot-bed like us. What about UTEP? I know we can always hire a new coach, but if you're the one getting to pick -- I'd rather not have a new one.

Mr. Bennett, I like you a lot. I really wished you had turned this around. I don't doubt you're one of the best Defensive Coordinators. But clearly, the SMU job was over your head. It's not your fault that SMU doesn't have the gall to go and pay $$$ to get a kind of proven coach that is the only type that will ever be able to turn this thing around. Or that they failed to do things in a fair amount of time to allow you to get the recruits we need. Don't get down on yourself, just leave while you can still salvage some credibility and get a DC job somewhere. In fact, I think your alma mater could use you right now. You're one of the most enthusiastic people I've seen, and you really need to go somewhere where people can enjoy that.

President Turner, Please ... make a decision. Either clean house in the Athletic Department (except the Marketing folks, god knows they've tried... and with some real people at the helm, let's see what they can do) and make this COMMITMENT or drop us down to Division-3 football. This is embarassing, and this "Commitment" that was made to Athletics seems as genuine as a Jennifer Lopez marriage. You have done amazing things for SMU, but athletically -- our school is in shambles. Please get it through that faculty senate's thick skulls that we are nor never will be a Harvard. Also, they might find it odd and funny that a successful program in Hoops and Football would INCREASE the university's visibility -- bringing in more applicants, and therefore making the acceptance rate lower. Funny -- schools like Notre Dame, UVA, Duke, Wake, USC, and Miami don't complain about dropping in rankings with their revenue generating sports doing well (Hoops for some, Pigskin for others).

Some SMUers will call me a bad fan, but I think it's worse to support something and someone that just repeats the same problems year after year after year. This is a program that used to compete for National Titles and used to beat teams like Arkansas, Texas, A&M, and even Notre Dame -- now we can't even beat ECU at home ... or draw more than 12,000 unless we rent fans from other nearby schools.

The Death Penalty didn't kill us, our reaction to it did ... and unless we reverse what we did to correct our problems. Year after year, more and more fans are going to drop by the wayside like me. It's time to decide ... or else the NCAA is going to decide for us b/c we average 900 fans per game.

Sorry for the rant y'all.

[MeanGreen61]

CUSA thread on lousy attendance at Houston, Rice, SMU games.

http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/confusa/invi...ST&f=22&t=30507

[SouthernMustang]

Someone nominate that guy for SMU AD...

It really is ridiculous. I won't be making it back for any more games ... do plan on going back for Homecoming and enjoying the Boulevard. But not stepping a foot into the stadium and supporting anything that is led by Mr. Jim Copeland. Time to either clean house and make a real commitment, or drop to D-3 and spare us alums the embarassment that is also known as football season.

Congrats on the win for y'all. It's always good to get a victory on the road, no matter who it is against. Look at Baylor, they barely beat us on the road and are now 4-2 and had a close game against Nebraska.

[NM Green]

Southern Mustang,

You are a class Mustang Fan. Keep the faith because its fun at the end of the tunnel.

Damn, we are 2-1 in OUR SBC! I am happy!

Lock up La Tech!

GMG

[Got5onIt]

Someone nominate that guy for SMU AD...

It really is ridiculous. I won't be making it back for any more games ... do plan on going back for Homecoming and enjoying the Boulevard. But not stepping a foot into the stadium and supporting anything that is led by Mr. Jim Copeland. Time to either clean house and make a real commitment, or drop to D-3 and spare us alums the embarassment that is also known as football season.

Congrats on the win for y'all. It's always good to get a victory on the road, no matter who it is against. Look at Baylor, they barely beat us on the road and are now 4-2 and had a close game against Nebraska.

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I wonder which fans will be carrying the noose next fall when SMU vs NT takes place?!

AD's and head coaches from I-35 to I-75 better go into hiding after that game!

Edited October 16, 2005 by Got5onIt

[SouthernMustang]

I wonder which fans will be carrying the noose next fall when SMU vs NT takes place?!     

AD's and head coaches from I-35 to I-75 better go into hiding after that game!

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Haha -- No joke ... well hopefully a new one will be in place for SMU. Otherwise, there won't be any SMU fans there to even carry a noose...

[drex]

SMU alumni, thanks for the classy posts and I feel your pain. The thing that you might note is that most college athletic departments are run by vandals and interlopers. The vast majority of them are not from the university they work for and are just a phone call away from jumping to another job. Seems to me like maybe SMU might want to look very close to home for new athletic leadership. Can you say alumni of SMU? Those are the people who can get you on down the pike...people who eat and sleep blue and red. SMU alumni at the key positions would make the work ethhic much better. They would hate to fail for their own careers, plus they would hate to let their alma mater down. Just a thought.

[UNTSIG]

I think that this post just proves that about 90% of college fans are idiots. His post makes no sense. He says that the athletic director sucks because they have "no radio commercials, no t.v. commercials--nothing zelch" and then says that the marketing department should not be fired because god knows they have tried. You sure he is not a Mean Green fan? I have seen this kind of logic thrown around on here a lot.

[SouthernMustang]

SMU alumni, thanks for the classy posts and I feel your pain.  The thing that you might note is that most college athletic departments are run by vandals and interlopers.  The vast majority of them are not from the university they work for and are just a phone call away from jumping to another job.  Seems to me like maybe SMU might want to look very close to home for new athletic leadership.  Can you say alumni of SMU?  Those are the people who can get you on down the pike...people who eat and sleep blue and red.  SMU alumni at the key positions would make the work ethhic much better.  They would hate to fail for their own careers, plus they would hate to let their alma mater down.  Just a thought.

←

I know College Athletics are not a "clean" business -- I'm from SEC country haha. However, having watched SMU this year, I know we have the athletes to compete with other teams. We hung 28-23 with a good Baylor team, 16-13 in OT to Marshall, and 24-17 with ECU. We could easily be 5-2 right now if we had a good coach, with Tulsa, Rice, UH, and UTEP left on the slate. If we were 5-2, we'd also have around 17,000-20,000 for the non-rent-a-fan games.

I think SMU is going to have to pay up huge amounts of $ this time around to back to achieving success. As much as I hate him as a commentator, we need a Craig James in charge. Someone people have heard of ... and then hire an Assistant AD to run all the scheduling and all of that coordination stuff. But we need a high-profile, face guy that will let people know ... Hey, SMU is spending the $ to get things done right.

Then go after a head coach and pay him $1 million+ per year. I'm talking Neuheisel, Slocum, or Bowden if he get axed from Clemson this year (although that win over NCState probably saved him). Someone that will draw an extra 5,000 fans alone just by him being on the sidelines.

I think that this post just proves that about 90% of college fans are idiots. His post makes no sense. He says that the athletic director sucks because they have "no radio commercials, no t.v. commercials--nothing zelch" and then says that the marketing department should not be fired because god knows they have tried. You sure he is not a Mean Green fan? I have seen this kind of logic thrown around on here a lot.

I'd have to disagree. I know people in the Marketing Department, and I know that Copeland has told them what they can and cannot do. He doesn't allow them much leeway at all, esp. in football. And they have done some awesome things in basketball where our attendance average went up to around 3,500 or 4,000 last year. That's what I think he was getting at ... the Marketing People have tried to come up with gimmicks to get people to the games, and have been creative (albeit unsuccessful), but Copeland's hand over them has prevented them from being effective.

Ultimately- I don't think it matters what kind of marketing you do in Dallas. If you are not the trendy, hot spot where people want to see and be seen at ... people are not going to come. And the only way to get those people into Ford is to win and win consistently.

[SilverEagle]

SMU alumni, thanks for the classy posts and I feel your pain.  The thing that you might note is that most college athletic departments are run by vandals and interlopers.  The vast majority of them are not from the university they work for and are just a phone call away from jumping to another job.  Seems to me like maybe SMU might want to look very close to home for new athletic leadership.  Can you say alumni of SMU?  Those are the people who can get you on down the pike...people who eat and sleep blue and red.  SMU alumni at the key positions would make the work ethhic much better.  They would hate to fail for their own careers, plus they would hate to let their alma mater down.  Just a thought.

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Just curious. How many North Texas alumni are on staff with RV? How many are in REAL decision making positions.

I seem to recall that on two historical occasions, North Texas almuni were very much involved in decision making and/or ideas.

#1. The creation of the flying worm (I prefer stylized Eagle). Love it or hate it, the "stylized Eagle" was the most distictive image/logo in the history of this school. North Texas immediately became recognizable as a result of this image. And they were recognized for their WINNING! I still want that image back!

#2. The first ever sell-out at Fouts field. North Texas was a 1-AA program, but they sold out Fouts for the first time in school history. Odus Mithcell never did that, Rod Rust never did that, and Hayden Fry never did that. The person in charge of promotions during that era was a North Texas graduate.

Edited October 17, 2005 by SilverEagle

[mhow2]

Just curious. How many North Texas alumni are on staff with RV? How many are in REAL decision making positions.

I just know of one NT alum on the staff.

[GreenBat]

#2. The first ever sell-out at Fouts field. North Texas was a 1-AA program, but they sold out Fouts for the first time in school history. Odus Mithcell never did that, Rod Rust never did that, and Hayden Fry never did that.  The person in charge of promotions during that era was a North Texas graduate.   

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Corky was the AD during the SMU win at Fouts Field, the only sell out in Fouts History.

And I believe Corky was a Baylor grad.

[SilverEagle]

Corky was the AD during the SMU win at Fouts Field, the only sell out in Fouts History.

And I believe Corky was a Baylor grad.

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The first sell-out was against SFA in 88. The person in charge of promotions was a North Texas grad.

BTW, Corky was a graduate of Texas State San Marcos.... AKA SWTSU.

Hayden Fry was a Baylor graduate......as were a couple of other coaches BEFORE Odus Mitchell......who was a West Texas State (now West Texas A&M) graduate.

[SilverEagle]

The first sell-out was against SFA in 88. The person in charge of promotions was a North Texas grad.

BTW, Corky was a graduate of Texas State San Marcos.... AKA SWTSU.

Hayden Fry was a Baylor graduate......as were a couple of other coaches BEFORE Odus Mitchell......who was a West Texas State (now West Texas A&M) graduate.

←

OK, I got curious and looked it up.

The first five coaches at North Texas (J.W. Pender, J.W. St. Clair, Theron Fouts, John Reid, Jack Sisco and Lloyd Russell were Baylor graduates. After Odus Mitchell, Rod Rust was an Iowa St. grad, Hayden Fry (Baylor), Jerry Moore (Baylor), Bob Tyler (Ol'Miss), Corky Nelson (SWTSU), Dennis Parker (SE Oklahoma St.), Matt Simon (E. New Mexico) and finally DD from Kansas St.

So, out of 15 coaches at North Texas, seven have been Baylor graduates.

[drex]

With the upcoming retirement of Bruce Bell, there will be one North Texas grad in the athletic department. While I do not advocate too much 'in breeding', it would be productive to have some people in the department who are NT Exes and who really live and die with the fortunes of the department. I suspicion that NT's 2 (soon to be 1) grad in the department is lowest in the U.S. You really need a person or two who remember the history of the school and can relate to the donors and fans.

[SilverEagle]

While I do not advocate too much 'in breeding', it would be productive to have some people in the department who are NT Exes and who really live and die with the fortunes of the department.  I suspicion that NT's 2 (soon to be 1) grad in the department is lowest in the U.S.  You really need a person or two who remember the history of the school and can relate to the donors and fans.

←

Anymore, how many people coming out of the Marketing dept at North Texas, or even the Athletic dept (as interns) really know that much about North Texas history....sports or otherwise.

Edited October 18, 2005 by SilverEagle