My Christmas Wish List

With Christmas and New Years just around the corner, I thought it was time to put together my “wish list” for 2007 and beyond (I also reserve the right to add to the list!). They may or may not get done in the next calendar year, but since we’re building for the future, it can’t hurt to ask, can it? So, without further delay, here goes…

1. A football bowl berth in 2007.
I think waiting 23 years is long enough.

2. A new basketball practice facility.
Check. Should be done in October!

3. A pair of NCAA Basketball Tournament berths.
I know it may be asking a lot this soon, but the men and women are both off to great starts. With a little luck, I think we can do it.

4. Continued success for our men’s soccer program.
Check. I want to take this opportunity to thank Coach Hyndman for his continued commitment to our program. He was recently approached with a tremendous professional opportunity but elected to stay on the Hilltop. We’re thrilled to have him as our men’s soccer coach and I’m sure we’ll continue to compete for National Championships.

5. A new tennis stadium, a new natatorium and a golf practice facility.
O.K., some of these may take more than a year, but we do have some very exciting plans for facility upgrades on the horizon.

6. Renovation of Moody Coliseum.
Check. We’ll be dedicating our new video scoreboard on January 10 and we’ll continue our improvements over the summer. You’ll love it.

7. More “blue chip” recruits coming to the Hilltop.
I continue to be impressed with the quality student-athletes our coaches attract to the Hilltop (Look at Coach Doherty’s top-25 class) and know that we will continue to increase the talent base in the Mustang “stables.”

8. New athletic offices in the Loyd Center.
Check. Our athletic administrative offices (AD, Mustang Club, Media Relations & Marketing) will move to the Loyd All-Sports Center in early 2007. The offices are going to look spectacular. It’ll be representative of a top-25 program.

And finally…

9. Your support of SMU Athletics.
Our department, our teams and our student-athletes depend on you, our fans, to help us reach our goals. You can provide us with our home-court advantage and increased resources. You can help us grow our fan base. Bring a friend to a game in 2007. SMU tickets are a great stocking stuffer, you know (Get your last-minute gift here). Students – come out and cheer on your fellow classmates. You are a huge part of the college gameday experience. To all - join the Mustang Club or increase your donation. Every little bit helps (For more information, click here).

On a sad note, I’m sure that everyone knows by now of the passing of Lamar Hunt. Lamar earned his degree and played football here at SMU and was longtime supporter of the school. I could write and write about all that he did, all those he impacted and the things he influenced, but, simply put, he was a great person and a true friend of Mustang athletics. He will be missed.

As we wrap up the year, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been a great year for the Orsini family and for me, personally, as we’ve been so warmly welcomed into the Mustang family. I look forward to leading SMU Athletics to its full top-25 potential next year and beyond and hope to see all of you at Moody very soon.