DRC Fry a common bond between SMU, NT

OldTimer · September 9, 2006

Football: Coach Fry a common bond between SMU, North Texas

12:45 AM CDT on Saturday, September 9, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

One is a public school in a bedroom community, the other a private institution in one of the largest cities in the country.

In some ways, Hayden Fry seems like the only common bond North Texas and SMU share other than their location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Fry led SMU to a Southwest Conference title in 1966 before landing at UNT, where he guided the Mean Green to a win over Tennessee in 1975 and a 10-1 season in 1977.

Asking the College Hall of Fame member to pick a favorite between UNT and SMU is like telling a father to pick between his children, which is why a man that is considered a legend at both schools won’t be present tonight when the teams play their first game against each other since 1992 at Fouts Field.

“North Texas invited me down, but I am not going to go,” Fry said. “I don’t want to be on one side or the other. I enjoyed coaching at both schools and keep up with my former players. If I had my way, they would tie.”

That outcome seems about as likely as one coach becoming a legend at two schools with seemingly so little in common.

Fry coached at SMU from 1962-72 before he was fired following a 7-4 season.

UNT was more than happy to hire the former Mustangs coach to try and turn around its program that had gone 7-26 the previous three seasons combined.

“I got fired from SMU and had quite a few offers,” Fry said. “We turned the program around and won a Southwest Conference championship. The people at SMU wanted to call all the shots, the people with money, so they got rid of me.”

Fry made all the decisions at UNT as the athletic director and football coach and seemed to make all the right moves.

Fry led the Mean Green to a Missouri Valley Conference championship in his first season in 1973 and posted a 19-3 record his last two seasons at UNT in 1977-78.

“I really enjoyed it at North Texas, but we went 10-1 and 9-2 and didn’t get to go to a bowl game,” Fry said.

Fry was in the midst of trying to get UNT an invitation to the Southwest Conference at the end of his tenure, but decided to end his building project with the Mean Green and take over at Iowa.

While Fry is most often identified with the team he led to three Big 10 titles, he maintains close ties to both UNT and SMU.

“If I was down there,” Fry said, “I would be on one side for one half and the other side for the other half.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

UNT-SMU connections

Hayden Fry is one of a few current or former North Texas coaches and officials who have also worked at SMU.

Darrell Dickey, head coach

Dickey came to UNT from SMU, where he helped lead the Mustangs to a 6-5 record in 1997, their only winning season since the receiving the death penalty from the NCAA in 1987.

Dickey’s performance helped him land his job at UNT, which he led to four straight Sun Belt Conference titles from 2001-04.

Dickey would like to see the UNT-SMU series to become an annual event.

“Growing up in a football family, I know that rivalries are developed when teams get together and play a lot and develop familiarity,” Dickey said. “I think that three teams in the Metroplex should he playing. … It would be good for us to play every year, no matter who wins.”

Chip Garber, wide receivers coach

Garber spent 2 1/2 years at SMU working in athletic administration before spending two years as an assistant coach with the Mustangs in the late 1970s.

He joined the Mean Green’s staff this season as wide receivers coach.

“It’s always neat when you face a former team,” Garber said. “The thing that gets you the most is when they play the fight song. It brings back good memories.”