Mustang Musings

Goals

2008-03-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

by Rhonda Rompola

Everybody needs goals. We as a team are no different. During conference play, our short term goal was to finish in the top four so we’d get a bye in the first round of the tournament (We were in 5th place at the time.) The team stayed focused, had a good run of wins, moved up in the standings and accomplished our first goal by finishing second. You’re familiar with the phrase “blessing in disguise,” and that’s what we experienced with our final two conference games, which were losses at UTEP and Tulane. It woke us all up!

The tournament bracket was arranged with a possibility for us to play Tulsa, Tulane and UTEP, and frankly, I was happy about that. It gave us a chance to avenge all our conference losses. We definitely made a statement in the Tulsa game. We beat them using a trapping defense and pressure – the girls were not to be denied. Brittani Allen showed her offensive talent by hitting three threes against Tulsa at just the right time to get us going. Tulane got knocked out by Marshall so that scenario went away. Marshall had us down by 15 at one point in the game, but the girls showed a lot of poise. We switched to a zone defense, which slowed down Marshall’s athleticism. JB Samuels was the offensive punch in that game.

Against UTEP, I saw a fire in the girls’ eyes, and a confidence more than I’d ever seen before. UTEP came at us with an 18-0 run in the second half, but the team bounced back with a 17-0 run of its own. Sharee Shepherd was the difference in the second half of this game. We relied on our seniors more than ever in this tournament, and they came through for us like the champions they are. When it was all over, Sharee was named to the All-Conference team and Janielle Dodds was named Tournament MVP. In truth, they were ALL MVP’s. It’s been awhile since this office has experienced such euphoria, and we like it!

You’re all invited to the Women’s Selection Show Watch Party on Monday, March 17, being held at Ten Sports Grill at 1302 Main Street in downtown Dallas, starting at 6 p.m.

Excitement Brings Rules?

2008-02-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

by Jeff Konya, Assoc. A.D./Compliance & Student Services

First, I would like to start this blog by thanking the participants of the “Guess the Number of Interpretations” contest. The number of 2007 official interpretations was 202 and this figure was documented in several official SMU reports. The contest winner was Steve Stovall with a guess of 165. Said Steve, “I would consider this as the single greatest accomplishment in my life.” O.K. - so I exaggerated Steve’s quote by a large margin, but everyone who participated in the contest got some SMU swag. I was in the giving mood including t shirts, hats, posters, etc.

Second, Coach Jones coming to SMU has sure caused a lot of excitement, and I can personally tell you that working with this new staff has been tremendous. And there is great excitement in SMU football - which has spilled into some SMU boosters wanting to get involved in recruiting or accidentally finding themselves in unique situations. Please click here to view a quick reference piece of all of the questions that have been asked of this office recently. Please keep the questions coming.

Third, with all the construction in the Loyd All Sports building recently, there have been several tests of the emergency broadcast system, that I am quickly losing it. I am sure you can relate. Perhaps, when you are watching your favorite TV show and the sound goes out for that high pitched siren and montage of it being only a test? The alarm goes off here every 10 minutes, so my question is does this qualify for hazard pay?

Anyone think ESPN will be running figure skating between 5 and 9 p.m. on Sunday night?

Last iPod Download- Well, I am still waiting for my replacement; perhaps with this new found hazard pay . . .

300!

2008-01-17T08:53:00.001-08:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Basketball Coach

Many thanks to everyone who attended our games vs. UCF and Southern Mississippi this weekend. Reaching our 300th win was very emotional for all of us. I want to send out special thanks to all our past players, for they are a big part of our total wins. I’m very thankful and appreciative of the opportunities SMU has provided. It’s quite a thrill to me, especially because it has all happened right here at SMU – my alma mater. Most of our staff has been with me for the better part of this journey, but I want to point out that Margaret Kovac and Coach Lisa Dark have been with me for the entire trip! Margaret reminded me that my first win was also my very first game as Head Coach which was at UTA.

Our crowd really got into the games. It really made me chuckle to look across the court and see Brenda Bruggeman Cox and Vicki Walterscheid Eldridge with all those blonde children on the front row. What a trip!

I was very proud of how well the team played Sunday in front of a national TV audience. They played hard, and gave it their all. It was important that we play well and prove ourselves at home. We had just returned from a very tough 5 games on the road, and our confidence needed a boost. Now we head out on the road again to play ECU and Marshall. Just wish we could bottle up our play from last weekend.

See you at Moody for our next home game against Tulsa on Sat., January 26th, at 2 p.m.

Traveling In The New Year… And A Contest?

2007-12-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D./Compliance & Student Services

Happy Holidays! This is a busy time for most and, for me personally, 2008 will start off with a bang. I am traveling a lot and will share the details with all of you so you don’t have to track these flights on-line.

First, I am accompanying the men’s basketball team to Colorado in early January. It will be first away trip with the team as their sport supervisor so I am looking forward to spending more time with the coaches, staff, and athletes - and witnessing the road win firsthand.

Second, I am off to the Gaylord property in Nashville, Tenn., for the NCAA Convention, Jan. 9-13. There I will attend an educational symposium on college athletics in general, but will also be on hand to cast SMU’s official vote on two rules being looked at again by the membership (one is the current text message ban in the recruiting process).

Third, I am going on a “family” retreat to Playa del Carmen at the end of the month for a weekend. O.K. - this one was a personal choice, but, who can pass up an all-inclusive?

Now turning to another matter - I am actually flattered that a company wanted to use compliance rules as a basketball “in-game” promotion. Even though some of my job responsibilities are in this fantastic field, I do realize the rules are sometimes stale. I hear you, the message board masses, and your theme to change the trivia game (as I write this, in my head I have the picture of the ‘posse’ in a Verizon TV commercial). Our sponsor of the trivia game has authorized me to change SOME of the questions, so the Ice Cold Compliance Quiz will become the Ice Cold Quiz where some questions will center on the history of SMU athletics and some important compliance themes. Look for the new and improved contest at an upcoming basketball timeout.

Finally, I have just put the finishing touches on the 2007 Annual Compliance Report which I will share with President Turner very soon.

And now the contest - Please guess the number of questions this office received last calendar year that resulted in an “Official Interpretation?” An official interpretation is one that required a written response from the SMU compliance staff and cited an NCAA rule. These were questions asked by administrators, coaches, athletes, university folks, and, yes, Mustang fans everywhere. Email the guesses to jkonya@smu.edu and the winner will receive an “Ice Cold Sports Prize Pack” with some needed gear for the Holidays.

Latest iPod Download- NONE (iPod has water damage)

Busy Times

2007-12-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

By Steve Orsini, Director of Athletics

I apologize for the recent lapse in blogging, but hopefully everyone can understand that the coaching search is my highest priority right now. I did want to offer a few words, though, about the process.

I know some of you may be frustrated with the lack of news and information out there, but a coaching search is unlike anything else we do. It has always been my experience that these searches are best conducted quietly. Again, I know that may frustrate the message boards, bloggers and even the DMN, but right now I can only focus on getting the best available coach to the Hilltop.

Our timeline is influenced by the high quality of candidates we are pursuing, but as I said last time, I entered this process with a plan. I remain pleased with how it’s being executed and its effectiveness. We’re on the right track.

Thanks again to everyone for their interest. We appreciate your support. Know that we will win at SMU. GO MUSTANGS!

Bench Production

2007-12-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's basketball Coach

A huge “THANK YOU” to all our great fans who traveled to Denton for the game against North Texas last Saturday. We had a lot of fans who made a lot of noise and, believe me, it helps! I’m just happy we were able to come through for you. It’s so nice to have a good, HAPPY post game talk. (Some that we’ve had after UNT games should not be repeated…)

This team is learning to finish a game. We’ve still got a ways to go, though. I want us to get a lead and keep building on it instead of making it so exciting at the end. One thing that helped was Brittany Gilliam’s play coming off the bench. Bench production is a key component to our being successful, and BG stepped up and did the job. Hopefully, this will get the entire bench going for the rest of the season. So far, we’ve been progressing and improving with each game.

Now we need you all to come out for the Coppin State game on Thursday night (12/6) and then come back to watch us play UT-Arlington on Saturday. Both games are at 7 p.m. and are the last games before the break for finals. Our next home game is more than a month away - Friday, Jan. 11th, so come get your women’s basketball “fix” before finals and Christmas Break.

One last note of interest - I’m very proud to point out that Delisha Wills was named Conference USA Player of the Week for last week. Dee follows teammate Janielle Dodds, who got the same award the week before. THAT’S TWO IN A ROW – how about that? Just to let you know how unique this is – NO SMU player received this honor all of last year.

See you Thursday!

Still Thankful

2007-11-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's Basketball Coach

Thanksgiving certainly was a time of thanks! We were especially thankful for winning our Hoops for the Cure Tournament. We beat Western Michigan in the first game and Kansas in the final. Janielle Dodds scored 29 points against Kansas and was named Tournament MVP. I want you to know – Janielle was absolutely sensational in that game! Nellie got rolled on and squashed by a TCU player late in that game, and it made her mad. Most of you know – she plays better when she’s mad. We just hope she stays mad for the rest of the season!

Once again, we were led in grand style by our seniors. I can’t say enough about Sharee Shepherd, particularly on defense, and Katy Cobb – she may not score big numbers, but she plays a valuable role by picking up the tempo and setting the rhythm for the team.

Even though we lost by five to A & M in the season opener, I think that game showed our girls they can play with top teams. Beating TCU helped, and then beating Kansas really instilled a sense of confidence. KU is a quality team from a great conference, and FYI – they had the #1 RPI ranking coming into our tournament! Beating them helped our RPI tremendously.

As I’ve said before – I’m really excited about this team. They are progressing and playing better each game, and I expect this trend to continue. Our next game is at home on Wednesday, November 28th, against Stephen F. Austin. Come out and see what I’m talking about.

Sweet Victory!

2007-11-21T09:47:00.000-08:00

by Rhonda Rompola

Senior leadership – it’s a beautiful thing. Last night against TCU our seniors really stepped up, meeting and exceeding expectations in the second half to pull off a much-wanted victory. I’ve been telling you how excited I am about this team, and last night gave you a taste of why that is so. The first half was nothing to talk about, so I won’t! But what a difference in the second half. Janielle Dodds rose to the occasion and played up to her capabilities. And Sharee – well, I’m thinking that was probably the best game of her career. These seniors played their hearts out and ignited the rest of the team to follow suit and the result was oh so sweet. Here’s hoping this is the start of another 19-game winning streak against the Frogs.

This is a big week for us. In addition to last night’s game, we host our Hoops for the Cure Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday. This year’s participants are Kansas, Drake, and Western Michigan. Our first game will be against Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday. Of course, we hope to stay on the winning track and win our own tournament. Games are at 5 and 7 p.m. on Saturday.

I expect this team to improve each game. We are a dangerous team when we play to our potential. (How about frosh La La Hill calmly sinking five of six free throws with the game on the line??)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our beautiful seniors – and the rest of us as well.

A Quick Update

2007-11-15T09:43:00.001-08:00

by Steve Orsini, Director of Athletics

Just wanted to drop in with a short update on the search - While I can’t go into great detail, I just want to leave you with a couple of notes from the process so far.

We are working to get the best available coach in America and I’m not willing to limit my pool of prospects. As I said at the press conference two weeks ago, we’re looking at a number of different options. We’re going after the best and sometimes that takes time. There is a sense of urgency to this hire, but we’re going to get it right and won’t paint ourselves into a corner by establishing a hard timeline. I entered this process with a plan and am pleased with how it’s being executed and its effectiveness. I am perfectly comfortable with where we are in the process and am confident that we’re on the right track.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

We Will Win At SMU

2007-10-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

by Steve Orsini, Director of Athletics

I mean it. We will win at SMU. I never would have come to the Hilltop if I didn’t truly believe that. I know we have all the pieces to put together a top-25 football program.

We are part of a wonderful University. We are in a great location in the heart of Dallas. We have state-of-the-art facilities. We have passionate fans. We have tremendous student-athletes. I am immediately setting out to find the person who can put all those pieces together to make us a winner.

During the search process, I first and foremost want to ask you to continue to support our team and our student-athletes. They work too hard for any of you to turn your back on them. This is your program. Continue to come out and cheer them on to victory, knowing that we remain fully committed to building a winning football program at SMU. We will reach our goals of going to bowls, winning conference championships and returning to the top 25.

There is a commitment to winning on the Hilltop and I truly believe that with the right leader, we are ready to take that next step. Stay tuned for updates and keep on cheering for your Mustangs.

High School Counselors, Prospects, MustangManiacs Users, Rivals.com Followers, Ponyfans posters, Global Warming Apologists: Listen Up

2007-10-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D./Student Services

It’s a long title – I know – but there has been much confusion over the recent NCAA changes relating to initial eligibility standards. I have developed a presentation (included for you here free… and yes, I am that nice of a guy) that details all of these changes. As I said in a previous posting, part of my numerous job responsibilities (this was the justification of my job part of this blog) include providing education materials to interested parties. If you have read this far, you qualify as “interested.” Therefore, you must go though the entire presentation, and you may not pass Go. Or collect $200.

Download Here

On a side note, when are they going to adjust Monopoly to real time dollars?

On a side, side note, I have Direct TV for my personal programming needs, especially because it offers a lot of HD channels. Anyone else wondering when CSTV will broadcast in HD, or create a CSTV HD channel? And yes, this is how I spend my time and money.

Latest iPod Download - The Killers

Practice Times & Hoops Hours

2007-10-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's Basketball Coach

With so many facility conflicts we have had a lot of early morning practices. It really does test your mental toughness.

It’s hard to hide my excitement about this year’s team. We won’t have to rely so heavily on freshmen, so they can learn at their own pace. Last year we had NO seniors, and this year we have five senior leaders. It’s great to have Katie Gross back in practice. Our “newbies” (Haley, La and Red) are wide-eyed because we are moving a little faster than normal.

This past Friday and Saturday we scrimmaged against our male practice players. They are fast, strong and very good basketball players, and are the best competition we can face. It certainly showed everything we need to work on, so the next couple of days it is back to basics and fundamentals. he team has to earn back the 5-on-5 play.

FYI: We’re having an intra-squad scrimmage at 10 AM on Sat., October 27th. It’s earlier than usual because of facility usage, but we’d love to have you come out for it.

One last thing – we had a great turnout at our first Hoop Happy Hour and I think everyone really had a good time. So here we go again – the November “Hoop Hour(s)” will be Wed., Nov. 7th, same time (5:30 – 7:30), same place (Trinity Hall, Mockingbird Station). See you there!

Hoop Hour(s)

2007-10-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Women's Basketball Head Coach

First and foremost, I want to remind everyone to please attend our first Hoop Hour tomorrow, Oct. 3rd, 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Trinity Hall in Mockingbird Station. (O.K., so it's two hours, but "Hoop Hours" sounded funny.) We plan to have several of these throughout the season, and in fact the next one is already scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th, same time, same place. The purpose is simply a get-together for coaches and fans in a casual setting where we can all get better acquainted. No speeches, we promise! Just meet, greet, mingle and maybe talk a little basketball. We’re looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

The fall recruiting/contact period is almost over. I enjoy recruiting and talking to high school players, but I struggle with being away from our team. We only have two more individual practice sessions left before “real” practice starts October 12th (5 to 7 p.m., in case you’re interested). I am ready to be home and get into the “season” routine. I am already becoming very attached to this team, and am working with our seniors to help them be good leaders. (The lack of any seniors on last year’s squad left a void in this area.)

Get ready for the 2007 – 2008 version of the SMU Women’s Basketball team – it looks like it could be a great ride!

Close to One Year Anniversary of SMU Employment

2007-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D. for Compliance & Student Services

Television shows do it all the time. For example, they wait till the100th episode and have a “Best of” episode with clips from previous shows. Cheers did it. Seinfeld did it. Simpsons have done it (in episode 138 if I remember correctly). Friends, you name it. The great thing for the actors is they get paid for that particular show and they really don’t do any work for it. So for my Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” blog, I am simply going to list some of your compliance questions that I have received since being at SMU and also provide the well-written, exceptionally articulate answers that my office responded with. Enjoy the Compliance “Best of” One Year Blog!!!

Question: May a Mr. Internet Savvy Booster visit a prospective student-athlete’s Myspace/Facebook account and leave messages encouraging them to come to SMU?

Answer: No. This would be an impermissible written communication by a booster as stated by NCAA Bylaw 13.01.4. Boosters contacting prospective student-athletes for the purpose of recruiting them to come to SMU could result in the prospects being declared ineligible to compete for SMU.

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Question: May a prospective student-athlete use a scouting service or talent agent to distribute personal information (e.g. academic and athletic records, physical statistics) to colleges?

Answer: Yes, provided that any fee paid is for the compiling and distribution of the information. The eligibility of a prospective student-athlete would be in jeopardy if any fee is paid based on their being placed in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid.

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Question: How does the new writing section of the SAT affect NCAA Clearinghouse standards and initial eligibility?

Answer: Currently, the NCAA Clearinghouse does not take into consideration the written portion of the SAT. Therefore, the qualifying score for a SAT is still found by adding the critical reading and math scores together.

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Question: May a student-athlete accept a free lunch at a booster function (not a booster per se) they have been invited to attend?

Answer: Yes. NCAA Bylaw 16.10.1.6 states that a student-athlete may accept transportation and meal expenses in conjunction with participation (e.g. speaking) in a luncheon meeting of a booster club or civic organization, provided the meeting occurs within a 30-mile radius of the institution's main campus and no tangible award is provided to the student-athlete.

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Question: May a coach put special SMU decorations up in a prospective student-athlete's hotel room when they come on an official visit?

Answer: No. NCAA Bylaws 13.6.6.9 and 13.7.3 state that an institution may not arrange miscellaneous, personalized recruiting aids (e.g., personalized jerseys, personalized audio/video scoreboard presentations) and may not permit a prospective student-athlete to engage in any game-day simulations (e.g., running onto the field with the team during pre-game introductions) during an official or unofficial visit. Personalized recruiting aids include any decorative items and special additions to any location the prospective student-athlete will visit (e.g., hotel room, locker room, coach's office, conference room, arena) regardless of whether or not the items include the prospective student-athlete's name or picture.

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Question: May a SMU coach receive an honorarium to speak at a booster club meeting?

Answer: Yes. NCAA Bylaw 11.3.2.1 allows a staff member to earn income in addition to their institutional salary by performing services for outside groups. However, NCAA Bylaw 11.2.2 requires all athletics department staff members (excluding clerical personnel) to receive prior written approval from the President and Director of Athletics for all athletically related income and benefits from sources outside the University. The staff member’s request for approval must be in writing and shall include the amount and source of the income or benefit. Also, Bylaw 11.3.2.2 prohibits an outside source (ex. booster) from paying or regularly supplementing an athletics department staff member's annual salary and from arranging to supplement that salary for an unspecified achievement.

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Question: Can a jersey with a student-athlete's name on the back be raffled off for charity?

Answer: No. A fundraising activity (e.g., auction, raffle) involving items that include the name, picture, or likeness of a student-athlete, should be treated in the same manner as a sale. In dealing with sales, the NCAA states in Bylaw 12.5.1.1 (h) that any commercial items with names, likenesses or pictures of multiple student-athletes (other than highlight films or media guides per Bylaw 12.5.1.8) may be sold only at the member institution at which the student-athlete is enrolled, institutionally controlled (owned and operated) outlets or outlets controlled by a charitable or educational organization (e.g., location of the charitable or educational organization, site of charitable event during the event). Items that include an individual student-athlete's name, picture or likeness (e.g., name on jersey, name or likeness on a bobble-head doll), other than informational items (e.g., media guide, schedule cards, institutional publications), may not be sold. For clarification purposes, a jersey not personalized (i.e., just a number as an example) may be purchased by an individual, and that individual is free to do whatever he/she desires with the jersey from that point forward.

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Question: May a student-athlete be employed during the academic year?

Answer: Yes. NCAA Bylaw 12.4 allows for a student-athlete to be compensated by any employer for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in the locality for similar services. However, the compensation cannot include any remuneration for value or utility that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, fame or personal following that the student-athlete has obtained because of their athletics ability.

Back In The Saddle

2007-09-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's Basketball Coach

We are in our third week of individual practice, working twice a week. 7:45 A.M. comes really early for all of us, but our girls are working hard and looking good. We’re so happy to have Katie Gross back, and we’ve added our first junior college transfer in many years - Brittani (“Red”) Allen. Brittani attended Northeastern Oklahoma A & M and has 2 years of eligibility remaining. She is a 5’6” shooting guard, and you’ll recognize her immediately from her nickname. Additionally, we welcome our highly touted freshmen, who were both MVPs of the State Tournament for their respective classes, LaShandra (La La) Hill from 4A State Champ Dunbar High School and Haley Day from 5A State Champ Rockwall High School. We are looking forward to a great year!!

This is also a perfect opportunity to let everyone know our good fortune. We have a new Director of Operations, Allison Singleton. Al is a perfect fit for our office – it seems like she’s been here for years and we think you will love her too. She was the Student Manager for Women’s Basketball at the University of Arkansas for 3 years and a walk-on her senior year. She then served as GA for Arkansas WBB while she completed a Masters degree is Sports Management following an undergraduate Business degree in Accounting. Whew! This little redhead is a real dynamo, and brings a wealth of skill and experience to the job. She is teaching all of us things about our computers that we never knew while lighting up the office with her smile and wit. Come by and meet her whenever you’re in the area. Kudos to Allison for doing such a great job.

The Commercials

2007-08-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

You've seen the t-shirts, you've seen the billboards and if you were at the Kickoff Luncheon you've seen these, too, but oh well, here goes...

Mustangs In The News

2007-08-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

by Brad Sutton, Asst. A.D./Public Relations

I hope everyone has seen the great coverage we've been getting lately. I wish I could take all the credit, but SMU is just a great story to "sell" right now. Media outlets know the time is now for SMU Athletics!

We've been everywhere on the tube, but unfortunately I don't have the equipment to capture them for the web. That said, here are some of the links in case you've missed them.

USA Today

Dallas Morning News Column

C-USA Fans

The SportsPage

We're working on a few pieces with the DMN and local TV stations that should run soon and have "irons in the fire" so-to-speak with outlets like the AP, NFL Films, CSTV, the Kansas City Star and so on. Keep your eyes open - you'll see 'em soon.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

Coach Bennett On Channel 5

2007-08-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

SMU has been on the tube quite a bit lately. Here's a clip from Coach Bennett's appearance on Channel 5's Sports Extra.

Christmas Comes Early

2007-08-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Assoc. A.D. for Compliance & Student Services

After a long night of playing NCAA College Football 2008 (the Mustangs are 5-0 going into a tough game at Southern Miss), I walked into my office today and surprisingly, someone left me a early Holiday gift. But instead of a $50 gift card or tickets to the Saturday night “Jack” concert, it was shiny new 2007-08 NCAA Division I Manual. I felt like I had just picked door #3 on “Let’s Make a Deal” and the manual represented the prize of a broken down donkey.

The 2007-08 manual is only 440 pages this year compared to the 460 pages of the 2006-07 variety. I’m still trying to figure out if they took anything out or just made the print smaller, seeing that over 60 rules were changed, new to the book, or substantially altered. After spending a few minutes looking at Shrek’s best friend, I gave up, and wandered over to my computer, and specifically, to PonyFans.com. With the boom of fan-based websites and message boards, it has become a common practice for compliance departments to check these types of sites for content, amusement, and general compliance monitoring. While reading through the recruiting forum on the latest verbal commitments, I came across a couple of interesting topics.

The first discussion centered on the NCAA conversational legislation regarding text messaging. As of August 1, coaches can no longer text message or instant message prospective student-athletes. Now, electronically transmitted correspondence is limited to e-mail and faxes. (I don’t know many coaches that use a fax machine as a recruiting tool, but sometimes the NCAA is not very practical in rules application). Speaking in practical terms, I can’t wait for the first coach to ask a compliance staff whether the new Apple Iphone interactive “email” component will be permissible. According to the NCAA, the rationale for why the texting rules changed are because of the distraction it caused prospects (especially during the school day and during their competitions) and the significant costs involved with receiving texts under some cell phone plans.

The second topic centered on a compliance question regarding a sports talk radio show conducting an interview with a prospect and encouraging the prospect to go to a particular university. As a general rule of compliance, no representative of athletic interest should contact a prospect for the purpose of recruitment. Therefore, this issue would turn on whether the talk show host fit within the NCAA definition of a “representative of athletics interest.” To be tagged as a representative, the individual would have had to:

· Participate in an organization promoting athletics at that institution (or had so in the past);
· Contribute (money, time, volunteer, etc) to the Athletics Department or any of its booster clubs;
· Assist or have been requested by athletics staff to help in the recruitment of a prospective student-athlete;
· Assist in providing benefits to an enrolled student-athlete at the school and/or their families or;

· Been involved in otherwise promoting the athletics program.

I surmise that a radio talk show host would have, at least once, given a positive personal opinion regarding that school’s athletics program on air, and therefore, would have at minimum satisfied the last point listed. And as many of you on PonyFans noticed, that particular set of facts would have resulted in a NCAA violation. It should be noted that the prospect is allowed to call or interview with media outlets at his or her discretion and not at the direction of the institution (for example, a press signing at a high school, information on recruiting websites, or newspaper articles) and university athletics coaches and staff cannot publicly comment on the athletic ability of potential recruits until the prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent and/or institutional offer of financial aid.

I also want to thank Broadus Whiteside, the Director of Compliance at SMU, for helping me with this blog, especially with the execution of the screen pass on NCAA 2008. Mustangs 7, Golden Eagles 0, end of 1st quarter.

Last Ipod Download – “Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner

It’s Time To Pony Up!

2007-07-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

By Monica Contreras, Director of Marketing & Promotions

As many have seen, we have been slowly rolling out the fall campaign during the month of July. We have done a very soft launch with posters, schedule cards and the football kick-off luncheon invite. Don’t worry - this isn’t all you will see of this campaign!

Why a Pony and a drawn arrow? No SMU lettering? The marketing department has worked very closely with the Richards Group to come up with a unique campaign that taps into the excitement of the upcoming season. We wanted something that is proactive, something that will create a buzz and get everyone on board from the players to the faculty and students, the alumni and community. That’s what we believe we’ve found in “Pony Up!” It says we are headed in the right direction – it says we’ve stepped up our game – it says we are committed to making 2007-2008 a great season!

The best is yet to come with this campaign. We will incorporate “Pony Up” into all of our TV, radio, internet and outdoor campaigns. You will come to see it on t-shirts, ball caps, stickers, signage and anywhere that we can post it. You will see street teams building the excitement across Dallas handing out merchandise to new, existing and future fans! Come mid-August you will notice a big blast throughout the Dallas area and I'll bet it keeps you talking and spreading the word - whatever your opinion may be.

Interested in wearing some Pony Up gear? We will have it available soon on MustangLockerroom.com. Wear it and keep the buzz going!

Go Mustangs!

It’s déjà vu all over again…

2007-07-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

by Richard Sweet, Associate A.D./Marketing & Public Relations

Eight months ago I was writing a blog entry for “Nuts about Southwest” announcing my plans to leave a life-long passion (Southwest) for another life-long passion (SMU Athletics). I sit here today trying to write the same post, but this time reversing the passions.

I’m headed back to Southwest. As they call it, I’m “boomeranging.” From a career standpoint, they made me an offer I couldn’t turn down. Southwest is truly the best company in the world to work for and the airline business is in my blood. Call me a masochist, I left when oil was $60 a barrel and I’m returning at $74. And who knows – it may be even higher when I start back August 6th! (My last day at SMU will be August 3rd.)

This move is equally as emotional as the day I left Southwest. I have made great friends in the Athletic Department, friends that have done remarkable things in the past year to get this program headed in the right direction - the top 25 direction. Working with Steve Orsini has been great. He is relentless and will not stop until we reach and exceed our goals. He has put together an incredible staff and I plan to help them as much as I can in a marketing advisory capacity (now they get me for free). I also get to be a Mustang fan - something that is difficult when the games become the job.

Being able to work at SMU has helped fill a void… a need to help this program from a brand standpoint. One of my regrets is not being able to actually be here when the upcoming ad campaign is running in full stride. I tried, but my friends at Southwest wanted me back sooner. I couldn’t afford to pass up this invitation to go back. The good news is that the campaign is in very capable hands (we shot two television spots last week). Monica Contreras gets it… she has a great marketing mind. Brad Sutton gets it… you all have seen some pretty good feature articles and reports done recently and that didn’t happen by accident. Both Monica’s and Brad’s staffs have done a great job formulating their plans and now are ready to execute those plans.

The table has been set, the foundation has been laid and I’m glad Steve gave me the opportunity to lead it. I believe the convergence of winning and branding will put SMU in the position we, as fans, have hungered for for years.

Now it’s time for me to go “pony up” and renew my season tickets. I think I’ll buy an extra one - it’s going to be a good year. Beat Tech!!!!!!!!

Social Networking Websites? Hazing? This Is NCAA Compliance?

2007-07-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D. for Compliance & Student Services

This blog entry attempts to successfully mix the rush scenes in Animal House with the “dorky dance internet camera scene” from one of the American Pie movies.

I have the good fortune of formally leading a social networking discussion at next week’s annual NAACC meetings in Austin, Texas, in and among my peers in this profession. I am by no means a technical expert in Facebook or Myspace specifics, but I have given a similar talk on several college campuses as to how to formulate an effective institutional policy on social networking given all of its pros and cons. In August, I will be talking about the issue of hazing with all SMU coaches and staff in preparation of the upcoming academic year. That discussion will focus on the psychological underpinnings for why elements of hazing can be appealing to the group dynamic while at the same time having possible damaging effects to its individual participants. It is interesting that in today’s world, websites like www.badjocks.com can gain momentum focusing on what images and words athletes/coaches/staff freely post on their respective social networking websites and at times, they showcase obvious hazing incidents. In this way, the two topics are interconnected. So how does this connect to compliance and student services?

Simply put, there are NCAA rules that could come into play. For example, these sites can show impropriety during the recruiting process of a prospect. There was a recent case where boosters/fans posted or encouraged prospects to attend their respective institution and not to attend another rival school. Such active recruitment is restricted to institutional coaches who have passed an annual recruiting exam, and the institution whose boosters/fans engaged in this sort of activity were forced to self report the violation. Of course with hazing, not only could NCAA rules come into play but institutional, state and federal rules could as well, especially when these activities are combined with alcohol and underage drinking.

I am going to start working on my new movie script “Animal Pie,” no make that “American House.”

Last Download – “Hey You” by Pink Floyd

Update That ‘Vardrobe…

2007-06-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

by Richard Sweet, Associate A.D. for Marketing & Public Relations

I hope everyone is getting ready for a fall season of football and “Boulevarding” (if this isn’t a word yet – and spellcheck tells me it’s not – then I’m inventing it now. After all, we don’t tailgate at SMU, we “Boulevard.”). As we get ready for the season, we’re taking a look at ways to increase our brand visibility and bottom line.

To that end, I’ve just finished the third day of The Collegiate Licensing Company’s licensing and merchandising convention. To some of you it might sound boring, but to me it was very enlightening. At Southwest, we licensed and sold branded merchandise - but not to the extent that an athletic department at a major University like SMU does… or should I say can.

It’s amazing what licensed merchandise sales can do for SMU’s brand and bottom line. Retail outlets from Neiman Marcus to Walgreens carry many variations of products sporting university logos and colors. For every licensed item sold, SMU receives a royalty that ultimately helps support the growth of our athletic programs. The more fans wearing an SMU logo in public, the more powerful the brand becomes.

Over the course of the next year, we will increase our efforts to get licensed merchandise in more and more retail outlets around the area and hopefully around the country. Don’t be surprised to see merchandise in colors other than SMU Red and SMU Blue. Being trendy and fashionable is incredibly important (especially for women’s apparel). We’ll continue to stay true to our marks where it makes sense and you will see most of our apparel and non-apparel items presented with traditional marks.

So, how can you help? Well, a few ways… when in a retail outlet that doesn’t carry SMU merchandise, ask the store manager for it. At the end of the day, demand drives the stores to carry SMU items. Also, if you see non-licensed merchandise being sold, let us know. The selling of unlicensed merchandise is unlawful and takes money out of SMU’s pockets. SMU has invested millions in its brand over the years and these individuals are illegally profiting on our investment.

Finally, August 31st is College Colors Day. Companies and corporations across the country are encouraged to allow their employees to wear their college colors to promote higher education and, of course, the kickoff of the college football season. This is a great way to get SMU fans geared up for the Texas Tech game a few days early. So update that SMU ‘Vardrobe and do so by visiting http://www.mustanglockerroom.com/.

You Say "Goodbye" & I Say "Hello"

2007-05-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

by Vicki Hill, Director of the A-LEC

One of the great things about this job is that you don’t have time to reflect on how much you will miss the students who are graduating (that may hit home the first time I don’t see Justin Rogers lining up on defense - well, unless I’m watching the NFL) because you are too busy getting ready for the new ones.

The last couple of weeks have seen a flurry of activity around end-of-term-grades - Who aced almost everything? Whose consistent hard work was recognized and rewarded? Who did better than expected? And, yes, who didn’t do as well as expected?

The A-LEC was also visited last week by two C-USA reps as the first stop on a conference-wide attempt to develop a summary of best practices for academic support services. Their time on campus went well, as they visited with nearly 30 people, including student-athletes, faculty, coaches, and administrators.

But suddenly it’s the new academic year. Yesterday was the first AARO (Academic Advising, Registration & Orientation) for 2007-2008, and the A-LEC was busy. Seven men’s basketball players, two women’s basketball players, one women’s diver and several football players were on campus registering for their summer and fall classes and learning a little about what is in store for them academically. Today they will all be back to check in with us after they attend their first classes. We’ll review tutoring options, set up their regular meeting times with the academic counselors, and enjoy vicariously the genuine excitement that accompanies the whole process of starting college.

Pretty soon you’ll see all of them on fields and courts and in the pool. And we are all so glad they are here.

Cowboy Questions

2007-05-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

by Steve Orsini, Dircetor of Athletics

While construction continues on new projects here on the Hilltop, one question I’ve gotten recently involves construction in Arlington. As work on the new Cowboys Stadium continues, some people have asked if we plan to play any games in “Jerry’s World,” as some media outlets are calling it. The Dallas Morning News reported in Friday’s edition that Baylor and Notre Dame are in negotiations to play there in 2012 or so, and, with my Notre Dame and Cowboys ties, I’m sure fans are wondering why we aren’t being mentioned as a possible opponent for the Fighting Irish.

Simply put, with a beautiful campus right in the heart of Dallas and a great pre-game tailgating area like the Boulevard, we want as many fans as possible to experience the gameday atmosphere here on the Hilltop. Many of you may have heard Coach Bennett say “If we can get a kid onto our campus, he’ll want to come to SMU.” We feel the same way about fans – If they come experience a gameday at SMU, they’ll want to come back. That’s why we want to play our home games in our state-of-the-art Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and to that end, we continue to work to put together an attractive home schedule featuring our regional and in-state rivals. We open 2007 with Texas Tech and North Texas at home and TCU will be back in Ford in 2008 as part of our non-conference slates. Our stadium and campus are two of our greatest “recruiting tools” and we’re going to use them.

So if you haven’t been out to a game at Ford, check it out. We know you’ll want to come back again and again. See you on September 3! Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

Rocky Mountain High? (Wasn’t John Denver from West Virginia?)

2007-05-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D. for Compliance & Student Services

Around the office, you hear that summer is “down time.” Well, in my world, it is “conference time.” Last week, I attended the NCAA Regional Seminar for Compliance in Denver, Colorado. It’s like a NCAA Rules Trekkie Convention without the weird costumes (Side note - I never got Star Trek. And I don’t get the Harry Potter of today either. Maybe I’m too fixated on reality where a Wizard School seems so freakin’ lame).

But, there we were in Denver, about 1,200 strong with free beverage coupons and three days of attending seminar after seminar. I did catch a Rockies game with about 50 of my closest friends and get this, the Rockies actually won. Coors Field must be the new witness relocation program. Anyway, the most important session to attend is the yearly update on the recently passed new rules (i.e., text messaging ban) and how that will fit within the context of other NCAA parameters. The SMU Compliance Team now has the task of making sure all SMU constituents (i.e., coaches, staff, athletes, boosters, campus folk, etc) are abreast of the changes.

Denver was just the first of many compliance related Conferences for me. June will bring the C-USA regional meetings in “Historic Las Colinas” where I am presenting a “Compliance Best Practices” discussion and the NCAS Annual Meetings in New Orleans where I have just been named a Regional Director. This is a very important distinction because I will be able to bring national issues in sports to the campus of SMU and help foster the on-campus life skills imitative for our student-athletes. In July, I am also presenting at the Annual NAACC Meetings in Austin, Texas (this is a specific association for compliance individuals). And in between, I have to fit in a wedding and honeymoon. No problem. Yeah, something about down time . . .

Finally, when I was in Denver, I got word that SMU received an NCAA award for our compliance educational efforts on the issue of gambling awareness. I love basking in the glow of accolades (I mean who doesn’t?) but I would be incredibly remiss if I did not mention the other members of the compliance staff who greatly contributed to this end. Both Broadus Whiteside and Jackie Babich have done yeomen’s work on this, and several other compliance issues, and all the while they are able to put up with my, how do I say this, “quirky” personality. I am looking forward to working with them as the 2007 academic year gets rolling.

Sad to see Happy Gilmore co-star Bob Barker leave the Price is Right. Was there a better game than Plinko?

Last Download - “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley

Homeless

2007-05-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

By Brad Sutton, Assistant A.D. for Media Relations

I think we’re finally going to make it. The Media Relations Office is relocating to the Loyd Center after years and years in Moody. When I started at SMU back in 2000, rumor had it we might move into Loyd in six months. Maybe they meant six years…

All kidding aside, we’re really excited. The only problem is the move. We spent the end of last week packing everything up (archives and all) and are, for this week, homeless, so to speak. We’re flip-flopping offices with Alumni Relations, so now that we’re out, they’re boxing up & moving in. We just have to wait until they’re out, so we can get in over there. Laptops and high speed internet are amazing. Without them, this week could be lost. And with a media guide deadline approaching, I can’t take that right now! We’re working from home and can do pretty much everything we can in the office.

The new office (and furniture) will be great, but as anyone who’s ever moved knows, the only thing worse than packing is unpacking. Anybody free next week?

Tour de Texas

2007-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

by Craig Shaver, Assoc. A.D./Athletics Development

Spring is definitely in the air on the Hilltop. We just concluded our 2007 Mustang Club Fund Drive (and did extremely well, BTW), spring football finished strong and both men’s and women’s basketball finished their recruiting classes for the 2007–08 year.

One can definitely see a “bounce in our step” around Moody Coliseum as we prepare for our 2007 Spring Coaches Tour. Director of Athletics Steve Orsini and Coaches Bennett, Doherty and Rompola will be loading up on our “Tour Bus” to travel through parts of the state of Texas.

The tour is an exciting way for the athletic department and Mustang Club to reach out and touch our fans and supporters outside the Metroplex. The SMU coaches enjoy connecting to the many faces of the “SMU Nation” and appreciate the opportunity to give “inside the program” views of their respective programs. Each stop of the tour promises loads of unique insights, laughs and good times and we look forward to seeing each of you.

The schedule for the Tour is as follows:

May 7 - Dallas
May 8 - Ft. Worth
May 22 - Austin
May 23 - San Antonio
May 24 - Houston

To RSVP or for more information on the 2007 Coaches Tour, please contact Amanda at 214-768-1319.

It’s Between Arizona and Colorado. You’ve Seen Pictures.

2007-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Assoc. A.D./Compliance

I may be dating myself, and for that I apologize, but “Fletch” circa 1985 is a very underrated comedy. In fact, I would put it up against any of the old guard comedies (i..e, “Animal House”, “Caddyshack”) and the new guard (i.e., “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Anchorman”). Sadly, it was mostly downhill for poor Chevy after that movie save a few more Griswold adventures. So when I found out I was going to Utah in September 2007, I immediately thought of Fletch and some of the “Utah” scenes (i.e., Harry S. Truman, “look defenseless babies,” mattress police, stunt flying up there, “somebody’s bucking for a promotion”, etc).

Why Utah?

Because, "It’s all ball bearings nowadays, maybe you need a refresher course.”

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I have been selected to be a NCAA Peer Reviewer for a Division I institution in Utah this fall. With my fellow peer reviewers (a C-USA school President, a Vice Provost from a Pac 10 school, et cetera), we will be tasked with writing a report based on our findings of how Utah State measures up to some NCAA standards on various issues (i.e., Rules Compliance, Academics, Diversity, Student-Athlete Welfare, Department Organization, etc). For those that don’t know, the Peer Review team and report is part of the official NCAA Certification process, where approximately every 10 years, each NCAA Division I member school must be similarly reviewed. In fact, SMU will begin its third cycle certification within the next two years, so hopefully I can get sufficient knowledge of what issues will be stressed by the NCAA during this wave of reviews. The whole process is very labor intensive, but this time I can be the auditor (Stanwyk’s Doctor) and not the auditee (Fletch singing "Moon River").

Also, the Office of Compliance Services - with the help of the Marketing and Media Relations Staffs - has produced a new compliance educational brochure. Click here for a preview. For starters, this brochure will be sent with all football season tickets, and will be distributed at several SMU athletics contests next year. The goal was to present the rules in a more proactive, and for lack of a better word, “fun” way. The brochure covers the basic rules with a few of the nuances but I may have to get the Vista version when it is upgraded to account for some of the issues being discussed on ponyfans.com and/or potential issues coming on the horizon (i.e., the animal of text messaging).

Till next time. You can charge this entire blog to the Underhills. Tierra Del Fuego.

Last Ipod Download- Fletch (movie)

A Win, Win, Win.

2007-04-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

by Dr. Vicki Hill, Director of the A-LEC

Top 25 in Athletics.

Top 50 (or better!) in U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings.

Top 50 (at least!) in Carnegie classifications for graduate programs.

How can SMU be all things to all people? Aren’t there inevitable contradictions inherent in these goals? Fortunately, those are questions for President Turner, the new Provost, and the Board of Trustees to answer. Not me.

But I am pleased with one of the ways that the A-LEC is contributing to all three initiatives. It all comes down to graduate students. For 2007-2008, the Office of the Provost has approved funding for four new graduate assistantships, and these Ph.D. candidates will work not in their home departments but instead for the A-LEC, providing advanced subject-specific tutoring and study skills instruction to SMU undergraduates, primarily student-athletes.

Everybody wins. Several Dedman College departments have increased their number of funded graduate students. Win. The A-LEC has more tutors. Win. Our student-athletes have access to even better assistance. Win

Win, Win, Win. I like the sound of that.

And props to all of our student athletes who made the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Color Blind

2007-04-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

By Richard Sweet, Assoc. A.D/Marketing & Public Relations

I can't tell you how much time I have spent in the last few months talking about colors. When I got here it didn't take long to see that we had and identity problem when it came to our colors. Everywhere I looked I saw different shades of blue and red on everything from seats to end zones to baselines to uniforms. I even saw a few colors other than red and blue on merchandise. Thank God I didn't see that awful purple anywhere. It is important that a brand be consistent with regard to color. Something had to be done.

Well, it certainly wasn't going to be me making this decision. You see, I'm a little color blind (can't distinguish navy from black). I believe being the slightest bit colorblind disqualifies one from making these important decisions. So, we actually decided to do the logical thing - the simplest thing - ask what the official University colors were. We did and were told SMU Blue (PMS 286) and SMU Red (PMS 186). Yea! Mission accomplished. Well not really... mission just beginning.

Before you knew it, everyone was asking if everything from the walls to halls to floors should be SMU Blue and SMU Red, We were taking it way too far. I had a dream I drove up to campus and all the buildings were SMU Blue and SMU Red. Yikes!!! I had to reel everyone in. I had to let them know that our colors should show up on things like uniforms, print advertising, signage, end zones, and basketball floors. In addition, the colors should be predominate on merchandise but not exclusive (we want to sell fashionable merchandise). Other than that, floors should look like floors, walls like walls, and halls like halls. Ah, mission accomplished. Well not really… mission communicated.

Now everyone is asking if the colors should be changed over immediately. Ideally, yes. Realistically, no. We need to be financially responsible and make the changes as they need to and can be made. At Southwest Airlines we made a color change but we certainly didn't repaint all 470 aircraft at once. SMU will evolve to its true colors as quickly as possible but in a fiscally-responsibly manner. Mission accomplished. Well not really... mission in progress.

Finally, there was confusion as to whether the colors were determined by focus groups. The answer is no. Focus groups commented on the colors but the colors were established by the University. What was determined by focus group was our athletic logo treatments. Do you know how much time I've spent talking about logos? I'll tell you, but not until my next post on the blog.

The Records Section

2007-04-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

By Brad Sutton, Asst. A.D./Media Relations

Well it’s finished and posted. The Spring Wrap-Up (with the long-awaited depth chart) is now up on SMUMustangs.com. You can see it here.

I thought we looked good in the spring, but it’s always tough to tell when you’re only competing against your own team. That said, if you didn’t get a chance to see the Spring Game, you can watch the highlights below.

The thing that spurred my post today, though, was actually the 2007 Media Guide. I’m creating the records pages now, and let me say, what we did last season was really impressive. This will be the fifth football guide I’ve done on my own and I can safely say that I have had to update more records and top ten lists than ever – BY FAR. Just as impressive is the fact that almost all the updates have been due to the performances of underclassmen (yes, Justin and Emmanuel did account for several). So while spring practice and the spring game were great, it’s those records that have me really excited about the future of SMU Football. I can’t wait until Sept. 3!

The Boulevard

2007-03-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

by Steve Orsini, Director of Athletics

It’s been a while, but I’m glad to be back. I hope everyone has enjoyed our new bloggers. I really think they add to the blog.

By now, several of you have probably received our season ticket renewal plan and accompanying parking plan. I can tell by the postings on the message boards that a few of you may disagree with our decisions regarding the Boulevard. While these were tough decisions, they were decisions that had to be made. When I came to SMU, I was given the challenge of developing a program that is top-25 across the board. To do this, we have to increase our revenues. Our fans should know that everything we do is geared towards reaching that top-25 standard. The revenues we generate will be invested in the programs you support and love.

In the past few months, we have made numerous investments in our football program, including the addition of a new Assistant Coach, a Director of High School Relations, an On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator and three new Strength Coaches. We will also be implementing an aggressive marketing campaign to help grow our fan base and get the SMU brand out to the Dallas community and beyond. The process of becoming a top-25 program requires resources – to get there and to maintain it.

This plan took time to develop. To begin the process, we surveyed members of the Mustang Club, the athletic department and the co-chairmen of the original traditions committee. After evaluating the findings, we worked collaboratively to come up with a new tailgating plan that we could all agree on.

Our new parking plan will help solve a few problems we encountered last year. First and foremost, we’re creating new areas for tailgating. Last season, only a little over 100 groups of fans were able to have a reserved parking spot with an adjacent tailgating spot. For many fans and visitors to the SMU campus, tailgating with convenient parking was unavailable. Our new plan offers choices for all budgets when it comes to parking and tailgating on our beautiful campus on game days.

We also began to have problems with individuals tailgating in areas that were previously “sold” to others. Unfortunately, Boulevard rules, as previously written, hindered our ability to regulate these spaces. To solve this, all tailgating spots will be reserved starting in 2007 and these spots will be protected by SMU P.D. and our gameday security.

The plan should also make it easier to find a place to park as our attendance grows – and it will grow. Our parking plan now mirrors game day parking at most major universities and positions us for success as our program continues to improve. In an effort to enhance the fan experience on the Boulevard, we will also be providing convenient, premium portable restrooms and establish a center walkway the length of the Boulevard.

We thank you again for your support of these changes we are making and look forward to seeing you this fall for exciting collegiate football on the Hilltop. Until then, GO MUSTANGS!

Inconsistent Themes

2007-03-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Konya, Associate A.D./Compliance

I understand America’s obsession with all things gambling. I really do. At 2 a.m., I can watch meaningless poker on ESPN2 and, for some unknown reason, start cheering for the Degree “All In” Moment.
But, with my job in SMU Athletics, as well as the given vocations of the other athletics staff members, coaches and student-athletes, NCAA rules strictly prohibit sports gambling or wagering. For example, the NCAA rulebook restricts the ability of such “athletically-tagged” individuals from providing information to those involved in organized gambling (just google Tulane, Northwestern, or Arizona State point shaving), soliciting or accepting a bet on any team for any item (e.g., cash, shirt, dinner) that has a tangible benefit or participating in a gambling activity that involves intercollegiate or professional athletics through a bookmaker, parlay card or any other method employed by legalized gambling (just google Washington Huskies). In fact, just this week, SMU athletics will be fortunate to bring the NCAA Associate Director for Gambling and a current FBI Agent who tracks the betting lines and conducts investigations to the Hilltop for some discussions with our athletes and staff as part of our Champs Life Skills program.

So, we are doing our part for education. But what about the gurus at the Women’s Sports Foundation?

Let me get this straight, this organization wants you to fill out a March Madness bracket and in doing so, you make a donation to their organization. OK, sounds great. Now, what if I told you this organization has partnered with the NCAA on several occasions and will continue to do so. To me, it doesn’t pass my personal smell test. The principles of gambling are so questionable that we, as an organization (i.e., NCAA), will legislate against it but we will allow one of our non-profit sports foundation partners to use the same gambling principles as the backbone of a marketing donation campaign. Yes, help sponsor girls at the youth level where they might one day grow to become a NCAA student-athlete by filling out this March Madness bracket. I can already hear Richard Sweet’s wonderfully melodic tone in my ear. Perhaps next year SMU Athletics will offer a similar March Madness donation campaign where you, the Mustang supporter, can fill out a bracket and “Bet on Ponies.” All I need to do is somehow convince the NCAA that the benevolence of donations can temporarily suspend the intent, content, substance and form of their own gambling legislation. Bet on it!

Last IPOD music download- “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley

Not Bored With The Message Board

2007-03-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

by Richard Sweet, Associate A.D. for Marketing & Public Relations

I like ponyfans.com as a complement to our official site, smumustangs.com. I think it’s a well-run site and I appreciate the feature articles that are appear on the site. I have been so caught up in the work that I’m doing at SMU, I rarely have time to be a fan. Believe it or not, ponyfans.com provides some of the insight and entertainment I’m looking for after a long day at the office.

Working in college athletics is no easy task folks. Hopefully when the toughest of the work is done here, I’ll get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor as we play for championships in front of sold-out stadiums (there are some of the hardest-working people I ever been associated with working in this department to make Mustang fans’ dreams come true).

Oh yes, the message board on ponyfans.com… it has become incredibly interesting, entertaining, frustrating, and heartbreaking to me now that I visit it as an employee of the athletic department. I had been visiting ponyfans.com for years as an interested fan and now I visit it for another reason as well. For years, marketers craved instant feedback from customers who had just experienced their product. The internet and sites like ponyfans.com provides just that. It’s a review by some of our best (and sometimes toughest) critics. Correctly filtered, it provides very useful information… filtered I said. As an insider now, I’m amazed at how on-track some of the know-it-alls are and how far off-track other know-it-alls are. Sometimes the same know-it-all is on- and off-track on the same topic. I laugh out loud as I read it, curse as I read it, I almost shed a tear as I read it… I said “almost” because we all know there is no crying in baseball… oh wait, we don't have baseball… I’ll bet someone posts about baseball… again. I’m amazed by the knowledge, shocked by the cruelty, saddened by the naivety, and ultimately satisfied by a topic’s self-correctibility (I love to make up words; it’s a sign of creativity).

In the end, the ponyfans.com message board provides entertainment, market research, and word-of-mouth marketing. It provides a great place to keep fans engaged, allows them to argue, show off, or make fools of themselves. The best thing ponyfans.com does is gets fans ready for the next game - Beat Tech!

Gotta go… gotta find out the latest on the 8-foot, 10-inch point guard Rivals has quoted as being “mildly” interested in SMU.

What did we do with our time before Al Gore invented the internet?

Spring Ball!

2007-03-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

by Brad Sutton, Asst. A.D./Media Relations

Spring football is here. It’s always a great time of year. When August rolls around it’s always like a million degrees outside, making a less-than-pleasant environment for someone to watch practice and “evaluate” the team. Spring practice, on the other hand, is great weather-wise. I absolutely love getting out there to watch our practices.

On the subject of football, a few people have asked me about the spring prospectus. This year, we’re going to do something a little different – a spring wrap-up. That’s what we did at a couple of other schools where I worked and I like it. It also fits with Coach’s wishes. With so many guys competing at spots, any sort of depth chart would have to list four or five guys at some spots and just wouldn’t truly represent where we stand. As much as I’m sure you love to read my writing, I know what most fans want is that depth chart and we just don’t have one set right now. Keep your eyes peeled, though, we’ll get it done early next month.

For now, you can see an updated roster here.

Calling All Athletic Supporters

2007-02-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

By Jeff Konya, Associate A.D. for Compliance

(not exactly what I meant)

Al Gore’s Internet can be a wonderful and strategic tool (this is the space where you, the reader, could choose to insert a political joke). With it, several companies have sprung up and prospered while others like socks.com wilted and died (which is interesting to me since I lose a sock in the dryer at least one a week).

One of the more successful niche industries on the web is job placement services (i.e., Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com). This concept has made its way to the level of the college student-athlete, and SMU has just aligned with careerathletes.com to be a virtual, 24-7 job placement center for all things SMU Athletics. Once you click here, you will be taken to a world where all current and former SMU athletes can register and post resumes, cover letters, etc.; where employers can list advertisements for permanent jobs, summer jobs, part time, full time, internships, etc. earmarked for SMU student-athletes; and where alumni and other SMU professionals can sign up to be mentors. The site is a SMU restricted community, and all participants have a distinct interest in the welfare of the SMU student-athlete. We, in athletics, are very excited about the potential for this website, and it is already receiving rave reviews from Mustang family members who have already registered and passed the word on. Please be on the lookout for a massive email campaign to help get the word out about this initiative (click here for a preview of the two emails that will be sent out: one for student-athletes and one for would-be employers/mentors). Of course, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at jkonya@smu.edu.

As great of a service that this website will give, it would be a huge disservice if this is all the services that the athletics department provided for our student-athletes in terms of their future job placement. That is why the athletics department has contracted to bring Competitive Resources Group (CRG) to the SMU campus from February 27-March 1, 2007. The purpose of CRG’s visit is to formally educate all SMU student- athletes on issues related to job searches. Specifically, the company will discuss such topics as proper interviewing skills, effective resume writing, networking principles, professional etiquette and information on how to compare companies. CRG is the largest and most established career services company that targets student-athletes, and last year, they visited over 100 campuses.

And now to completely change gears . . .

In Richard Sweet’s last blog of February 14, 2007 (where he was searching for his glasses), he sent a verbal Valentine’s barb my way that references a spelling error I had made in my first blog submission. I am a big boy and can take the criticism (even though I had originally thought the blogs would be proofread by the blog gatekeepers). But, in reading his blog, I came across the following phrase - this group will ultimately will reshape our future – and unless Richard knows some unique rules of the English language, this is a glaring grammatical error. I dare say though that Richard is doing a great job, and personally, I can’t wait for the next marketing campaign slogan and try to figure out what the play on words/songs is. Perhaps, next year’s football team will be described as “Mustang-licious,” or that we should all join the “Mustang Parade” and buy season tickets.

Last Download- “Don’t Look Back In Anger” by Oasis

Chest Bumpin'

2007-02-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

by Rhonda Rompola, Head Women's Basketball Coach

One of the things we stress the most within the women’s basketball team is “family.” This is true in our office and, of course, within our team. Team unity is what makes us go, and it’s what we’re all about. I thought I’d share with you a few of the ingredients of this year’s team bonding experiences.

One of our most fun experiences happened on our trip to Cancun just before Christmas. It was a great trip – we won our first game, then lost to the #1 team in the nation, Duke. No shame there. But it’s what happened on the beach that was most memorable. See – our players got a little cocky and challenged the coaches to a game of beach football. Seems they thought they could easily overpower us “oldsters.” But we had a surprise for them and the coaches won! It was a lot of fun for both sides, and definitely a good experience that brought us all closer together.

After a tough four-game losing streak in January, we decided to get the players’ attention with two-a-day practices for two consecutive days, starting at 6 a.m. Unlike the beach football experience where we coaches felt we showed the team a thing or two, this time the team showed the coaches a thing or two. The girls not only showed up, but they showed up bright eyed and ready to go with a “can do” attitude. These were some of the best practices we’ve had all year.

Before Thursday's game, Sharee Shepherd, our resident team cheerleader and spirit raiser, made me promise that if we beat Rice, I’d “chest bump” her after the game. Well, we did, and I did, and this was my first chest bump ever! The team and the coaches all loved it, even though I must admit I had to pull Deneen aside beforehand and ask her exactly how to do it.

You never know what’s going to happen during the season that’s going to draw you together, but something always does. Team unity: it does a body good.

Student-Athletes, Coaches & Deans, Oh My!

2007-02-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

by Vicki Hill, Director of the LEC

Just finished dotting all of the i's and crossing all of the t's on a new protocol for how student athletes will (and won't) be permitted to drop classes. Very satisfying to come up with something that meets the needs of our student-athletes, our coaches and the Associate Deans in each of the four undergraduate schools. Every semester our student-athletes must satisfy two distinct definitions of satisfactory academic progress - SMU's and the NCAA's - and sometimes what works for one doesn't work for the other. Dropping a class can be short-term quick fix for an immediate problem but lead to far greater problems later. The new protocol builds in a step of more focused academic counseling and standardizes the eligibility review. (Don't you hear Jeff Konya saying thank you somewhere in the background?)

Speaking of Jeff, his office's new strategies for helping student-athletes transition from the university to the workforce look very exciting. I hope all of you will go to the compliance website and check out what's up.

Had good news to report at Wednesday's head coaches' meeting: 198 student athletes with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 and above, and and all-sports cumulative GPA of 2.901. Since spring grades are almost always better than fall grades (those first-year students do have to settle in), I think it’s quite likely that by the end of the summer, our cumulative GPA will be above 3.0 - At least that's the goal.

I’m A Little Busy Right Now…

2007-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

By Craig Shaver

I think I left you last time telling you a little about our annual Mustang Club fund drive. We are now off and running and things are really going well. In our second week of the campaign, we have had an incredible amount of renewals and also a good group of new members. The teams that are working the fund drive are really hitting it hard. Earlier this week, we had our first phone-a-thon and, man, did it go great. We had a group of about 16 callers come up to the stadium club and dial for dollars. In a matter of a couple of hours, we had raised close to $25,000. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Mustangs at work!

We had one caller that called a lady on her cell phone and she was actually in labor at the time! Despite that “distraction,” she still asked the caller to send her the information and she would for sure join after she finished the task at hand. Now that’s a true Mustang Fan. Hey, do we get a two for one on that deal??

We in Athletic Development really want to set some records this year in our annual giving and Mustang Club membership. The Mustang Club is such a vital part of the Athletic Department and we need everyone to help out. That means YOU! We need all the members and financial support we can get.

Last year, we ranked 10th out of 12 in Conference USA in our annual giving. That is so unacceptable for a University such as SMU. We need to be leading the conference not only on the playing field, but in everything we do. This includes our annual giving. Let’s take some pride in our University and blow these other schools out of the water. “Top 25 in all we do” is the slogan we live by in the athletic department. Let’s take this thing to the next level and really stand out in Conference USA. Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

Has Anyone Seen My Glasses?

2007-02-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

by Richard Sweet

Lost my glasses yesterday... I try not to admit it but I’m getting to the point I need to wear my glasses all the time... just got them a couple of years ago... yep, I’m getting old... but not as old as this building I’m working in. Right now, a few of us in the Athletic Department (including Steve Orsini) office in Moody. Moody is a wonderful old building but it is ready for a face lift (has been for years). I have a small office in the ticket area that reminds me of the 1950s... school room windows... some sort of steam heater that heats when it’s hot outside and doesn’t heat when it’s cold outside. Makes for a rather difficult working environment... but hey, I’m okay with that right now because I know that in a few weeks we’ll begin our move to the Loyd Center at Ford Stadium and the change will be night and day.

Our changing work environment is very much symbolic of the changes that are happening all around athletics at SMU. It’s a work in progress and the changes don’t happen immediately. There is a light at the end of this tunnel... I know you think it’s the train... but this time it’s not. There is a feeling of change but this change takes a lot of work. Steve has assembled a group of people that are working late hours to change processes, budgets, goals, the culture... this group will ultimately will reshape our future. It’s an interesting mix of individuals with diverse professional backgrounds working with a few people that have been around for a while and know SMU and its history well. With this group, we will be “top 25” in everything we do.

Continue to watch as new buildings like the Crum Center emerge, a renovation of Moody begins, and all Mustang teams battle for championships. Again, it’s a work in progress but it is happening. The future looks bright.

Now I need to find those glasses so I can see what I just wrote... hope I didn’t misspell anything... would make me look too much like our compliance guy...

Super Bowl ‘Stangs

2007-02-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

by Steve Orsini

Just a quick word of congratulations to Jim Irsay and the Colts on winning the Super Bowl last night. As I mentioned in a recent post, Jim is an SMU grad and was a member of our 1978 football team. He continued his support of SMU after his graduation, creating a scholarship at SMU for Indiana students.

SMU now has two alums that have hoisted the Super Bowl Trophy - Jim Irsay and Lamar Hunt. How many schools can say that?

And speaking of Lamar, it was great to see his wife Norma out at midfield for the coin toss. Norma and Lamar had attended each of the previous 40 Super Bowl games together - including Super Bowl IV where Kansas City topped Minnesota - and I was so happy to see her at the game.

On the heels of “Super Sunday,” we hope to have a “Super Wednesday” this week for National Signing Day. I know Coach Bennett is excited and I am, too. Come out and join us for our Signing Day event starting at 5:15 p.m. on the 7th at the Radisson. Coach Bennett will talk about the class and then we’ll all head over to Moody for the men’s basketball game as we host Houston.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

Hayden Fox: A Precursor?

2007-02-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

By Jeff Konya, Associate AD for Compliance & Student Services

Last week, I had some insomnia spells, which led me to channel surf at 5 a.m. On USA, they were showing a 1994 episode of the show “Coach” with Craig T. Nelson (see cast picture). In this particular episode, Coach Hayden’s team was coming off a championship winning campaign and the new season was just starting. During the summer he hired a personal PR consultant to get his name, Hayden Fox, to become as popular as Taco Bell, and he took lessons in “spinning” (where he could answer any questions from the media in a positive manner through the art of deflection). The plot centered on how Hayden unsuccessfully tried to balance his personal fame with the needs of his struggling collegiate team. In the end, the question that was left unanswered was whether the public perceived Minnesota State football simply as the “Team Coached by Hayden” and nothing more. In effect, he had become more important than the institution, or the student-athletes that represented that very institution. And just last month, a NCAA institution hired a football coach for $5 million per year.

Of course, in watching the TV show, I also spotted a would-be NCAA violation involving extra benefits (i.e., Dauber (played by an actor, Bill Fagerbakke, that attended SMU, BTW) giving an athlete money so he could take his girlfriend out). But, I want each of you to have this unique “violation spotting” ability, so the Office of Compliance Services has digitally “re-mastered” the SMU compliance website. I invite you to take a look at the enhancements here. The objective was to make a user-friendly website not only for the Mustang fans, but also for SMU coaches, staff, athletes, employers, and boosters. In this regard, you can see the same compliance forms, rules, issues, etc. that invade college athletics on a daily basis.

Like the website, please also note that the Office of Compliance Services Staff has been modified recently. Broadus Whiteside has been promoted to the SMU Director of Compliance. He was a former football student-athlete at Newberry College and received a Master’s Degree from Troy University. He has been working at SMU for several years as the Assistant Director. Also, Jackie Babich has been hired as the new Assistant Director of Compliance. A former diver at St. Bonaventure University and graduate student at Marshall University, Jackie brings a wealth of athletics and compliance experience to the office. I am excited to work with such a dynamic staff.
In the words of the immortal Hayden Fox, “This is all I can give you at the moment, and it better have been enough.”

Last Music Download – “Karma Police” by Radiohead.

Cell Phones & Signing Day

2007-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

by Phil Bennett

With Signing Day coming up, I get a lot of questions about what this time of year is like for a coach. I’ll admit that this is a stressful time, but the majority of the work has been done already. When it comes to recruiting, the visit is the key.

When we get a kid on campus, we try and show him everything – the academic stuff, the athletic stuff, the social stuff. It’s all important. This is your big chance to connect with a kid. When they leave, you’re always worried that you missed something and then you’re putting out fires because other schools may point out different things. You have to constantly check in with kids to see how’re they’re doing. This is how, by the way, I completely blew out a cell phone last week. Honest to God, I talked on it so much, it overheated and broke. I had to get a new one!

Once you get a kid to commit, you really need him to tell other coaches that the “race is over.” The problem is, coaches don’t always listen. They’ll come back to a kid, try to get him to rethink his decision – “Well, you know, they’ve got this kid at your position and he’s only a sophomore… You’ll never play there…” and so on and so on. When it comes down to it, a commitment is just words, so that’s why you have to recruit them as hard at the end as you do at the beginning. As a coach, you can never relax – and that’s why Feb. 7 can’t come soon enough!

Miami Nice

2007-01-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

by Steve Orsini

Greetings from the Miami Airport. It’s 70 degrees and sunny now, but I’m actually headed back to Dallas. Why Miami? No, I wasn’t here on vacation and I’m leaving before the Super Bowl. So if you guessed I was in town for Conference USA AD Meetings, you win the prize. We have these meetings a few times a year to talk about all the different issues that are impacting our schools and our league as a whole.

Perhaps the biggest issue we addressed this week is enhancing the success and image of C-USA football. Having seen C-USA games for the past couple of seasons, I can confidently say that we play an exciting brand of football in this league. Every week provides a tough battle on the field and a thrilling game for our fans to watch. Statistically, we were the most competitive league in country last season (the average margin of victory in C-USA games was the lowest of any league). Now we want to develop our league’s brand and identity as one of the best and most competitive in the nation. To do this we are evaluating any number of things including scheduling, TV exposure and increased attendance and ticket sales. Part of being a top-25 program is playing in a top conference, so I’m on board with whatever we think can help C-USA.

We covered other topics, too, like sportsmanship, officiating and financial trends in intercollegiate athletics. There was a discussion of academic performance, as well, but with our classroom successes (great APRs, the AFCA Academic Award, et cetera), I snuck out to enjoy the nice weather…

Just kidding. In all seriousness, these meetings are invaluable as we prepare for the future and I'm glad to be working with such a forward-thinking group of ADs and conference officials.

Also, how do you guys like the new bloggers I’ve added to the site? I think they have some great insights to share and I’m glad to have them on board. Let me know what you think.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

Fund Times

2007-01-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

by Craig Shaver, Associate A.D./Development

Ok, I’ve been here all of two months and the straw that I am breathing through is beginning to clog. Man this is a great job! I love what I am doing and wouldn’t want it any other way.

I am now about to embark on my first Morgan Campaign Fund Drive. This Fund Drive is put on by the Mustang Club and the proceeds go to benefit the Athletic Department as a whole. Basically, it is used to supplement the Athletic budget. When I started this job, I looked at where we stood in annual money raised within Conference USA. I was very surprised to see that we’re 10th out of 12 Universities within the conference. WOW, I really thought we would have been higher than 10th. We have a big task in front of us, but I really feel that we can crack the top five this year.

We have great people that have volunteered to help us in this year’s Fund Drive and also a great staff that work in the Mustang Club. Let me tell you a little about the Mustang Club team.

First we have Bob Sharp. Bob has been key in putting this whole thing together. He has recruited team captains, created incentives and put all the teams together for the Fund Drive. What you have to realize is that not everyone wants to work a fund drive. Bob has made numerous calls and sent e-mails to current members trying to get them to volunteer this year. Hard work for sure and he has done a great job.

Hayley Shalley is another valued member of the Mustang Club team. Hayley has worked tirelessly on all the logistics of running this whole thing. She has called restaurants, helped plan events and put together calendars to help keep us organized. Couldn’t do this without her. Very hard worker and a tremendous asset to the team.

Last and for sure not least, is Linda Miller. Linda is the one that keeps everything from coming apart at the seams. She handles all the money that comes in and keeps us in good financial shape. Linda is so knowledgeable on our Mustang Club donors that without her, we would no doubt be in trouble.

I am truly privileged to work with such great people that care so much for SMU. With a team like this, we will reach our goals. That’s a quick run down on my team and a little about the Morgan Campaign Fund Drive. I will try and expand on the Fund Drive and what goes into it next time.

I’m out for now. Go and do stuff!

Rumors & Recruiting

2007-01-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

by Phil Bennett

The internet is a crazy thing. I have gotten a couple of calls in recent days about some rumors circulating on the web. Let me set the record straight – they’re not true. I am the head coach at SMU and I plan on staying here, building a winning program. I don’t know how this thing got started, but I wanted to end it today.

Right now, Coach Roark and I are out on the road putting the final touches on a class I’m really excited about. I sometimes joke about how dependent my success as a coach is on the actions of 19- and 20-year olds on the field. Recruiting is even tougher – trying to convince 17- and 18-year olds that SMU is where they want to spend the next four or five years. As the parent of teenagers, I can tell you kids aren’t sure where they want to eat lunch in an hour, much less where they want to spend the next half-decade of their lives! Luckily, SMU has tons to offer and it’s easy to “sell” something you believe in – and I believe in SMU. Rest assured, we’re closing strong and I think you guys will be very pleased on Signing Day, February 7. I know I will be!

Stadium Studies

2007-01-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

by Vicki Hill, Director of the LEC

So what’s somebody with a Ph.D. in English and an emphasis on Women’s Studies doing with an office in the Football Stadium?

Thursday afternoon and early evening provide an easy answer.

At 4:00, the seniors on the football team came to the A-LEC to eat pizza and make sure that all bureaucratic i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed so that their SMU careers will culminate with a graduation walk through Moody. Who still needs to get stamped into a class? What’s the deadline for filing for May graduation? Did they really eat the pizza with extra olives? Is the Degree Progress Report listing of advanced hours correct? Can we keep Mrs. Pellerin in the stands at away games even though Reynaldo is graduating?

At 6:00, a different group of football players came to the A-LEC, those for whom Coach Bennett has requested more extensive support and monitoring. Our newest staff member expressed pleasure at how much he knew about each of these guys—not the case at some other universities where she has worked. These are the players—not many, far fewer than at most Division I schools—who must focus academically if they are going to be able to contribute on the field next fall. No pizza this time. Just a straightforward discussion of what we expect of them, what they should expect of themselves, and what they can expect from us. I was impressed with the guys’ attitude and commitment.

That’s the essence of this job: encouraging and celebrating the successes and identifying and trouble-shooting the problems.

The rewards are huge.

Like all of you, I get to watch our student athletes on the field, on the court, and in the water. High-fiving their triumphs and groaning over each defeat. It’s the same thing in the classroom and lab, only sometimes a little more harrowing.

The biggest pay-off is having a front row seat on how our student athletes transform themselves during their time on the Hilltop, on who they become. How especially gratifying to see both Vic Viloria and Kris Lowe not only back but working for the Athletic Department!

Most of us only get to cheer for our alma maters (Cal 45, A&M 10!!). But that’s pretty fine too.

From Mustangs To Colts…

2007-01-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

by Steve Orsini

I was glad to see the Indianapolis Colts win the AFC Championship game last night. Nothing against the Patriots, but Colts’ owner Jim Irsay is an SMU grad - and a member of our 1978 football team. He has continued to be a friend to SMU after his graduation, as well, creating a scholarship at SMU for Indiana students. The “Irsay Scholars,” as they’re known, receive four-year, full tuition scholarships with room and board at SMU.

Here's a great photo of Mr. Irsay hoisting the Lamar Hunt Trophy, which is named after another great SMU alum.

Congrats to Jim and the Colts and best of luck in the Super Bowl!

And while we’re talking about Colts and Mustangs, I want to let everyone know that we’re getting ready to kick off our annual Morgan Campaign for the Mustang Club, so be ready for our call. We want to be top-25 in all we do around here and that includes fundraising, too, so we’ll need your help.

I’ll see everyone Wednesday at Moody at the men’s basketball game verses Tulane. Until then, GO MUSTANGS!

Anybody Have A Big Garage?

2007-01-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

by Brad Sutton

Life in media relations is tough to describe. When people find out what I do, they always ask me to describe a typical day. Well, truth is, there is no such thing as a typical day. Today, for example, we’re trying to solve a couple of puzzles, so-to-speak.

For tomorrow’s men’s basketball game, UTEP is bringing TV, English radio and Spanish radio. With a set amount of media seating, we just have to figure out where to put everyone, while taking care of our radio, the Morning News, Daily Campus, PonyFans, pro scouts, et cetera. Luckily, we got that one solved.

The biggest problem (literally) now is the 60-foot production truck that came in a day early. With all the snow headed for west Texas, they wanted to make sure they got out ahead of the storm and now need a place to park the thing here at SMU. If I go out for lunch, I can barely find a place to park my car when I come back. Where the heck am I going to put a 60-foot truck? (No jokes, please)

Oh well. Gotta figure something out. Better make some calls.

Compliance People Don’t Bite

2007-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

by Jeff Konya

Most people when they hear of NCAA compliance usually have the usual first visceral reaction. It is a cross between realizing you have taxes due on April 15, and, your long delayed root canal cannot be avoided anymore. Sure, there are mundane aspects of every job, and part of working within NCAA rules is simply monitoring policies and procedures and completing necessary NCAA forms and reports. In this way, I can sympathize with Mr. H & R Block.

But, this only accounts for part of my duties and responsibilities. First and foremost, I have to protect SMU from unwanted situations or investigations. In this way, good compliance practices are an insurance policy, and I am the insurance broker. Also, I have to help coaches, staff, athletes and SMU followers make their way through the black letter law of the NCAA, and all of that association’s interpretations, as they encounter interesting issues. In this way, I can add “Your Honor” to my title and bang a gavel. And like any educator, I also have to make sure everyone can easily digest the rules and regulations by properly informing each constituency group (i.e., coaches, boosters, student-athletes, athletics committee, etc). Maybe this is why I get along with faculty members so well, or else, I just have one of those personalities that can intermingle with different groups of people. I never said I wasn’t conceded.

I guess the easiest way to conceptualize compliance is a comparison to a baseball team. Compliance is a relief pitcher of sorts. I wear the team uniform but the casual fan may not notice me for a long while. I do not hang out with my other teammates in the dugout during games very much, but when I get called to do a task, it is usually of great importance, is pressure filled and an outcome may hang in the balance.

I look forward to being here at the Hilltop. I left a fellow C-USA school for the opportunity to work here. I am convinced that the future is bright on so many levels for the University, and this includes a Top 25 athletics department in every possible aspect. I look forward to chatting with you in the near future, but I must get back to my Ipod Nano downloads of which Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and Asia’s “Heat Of The Moment” were the last two.

Depressive/Manic

2007-01-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

by Richard Sweet

I’m sitting here reflecting on my emotional experience during last night’s game…

Three hours before the game I’m anxious, “will the students show?”… we’ve unleashed a student campaign giving them ownership (and responsibility) of Moody and the Team… by the start of the game I feel better, the bleachers and section AA are almost full… the effort Matt and his staff made working with the fraternities coupled with the other marketing efforts are paying off… they’re ready to “Bring Moody Back!”

At halftime I’m in a stall throwing up (sorry Matt, coaches, and team)… In the first minute of the second half I have the hope of a fan and the desperation of an Associate Athletic Director…half the freshmen rushees are gone… the job at Southwest Airlines was being missed (even when oil was at $70 a barrel)…

Ah, but then the comeback began… maybe it will end in a single-digit loss… an other comeback began, a different comeback - some of the freshmen that left are coming back into Moody…Moody is bringing them back… thank goodness for cell phones… if you attended the game how were you feeling about now?

WOW, we’re up by one! Amazing! Couldn’t have had Jeff Pick write the game script any better…we’re going to win! Hit it Derrick!… darn… lost by one.

Now am I depressed or happy? Both… it was a good start to what will be a strategically-thought-out process to “Bring Moody Back.” It was 1.8 seconds from being a great start… we need to get from Good to Great… hmmm… sounds like a good title for a business book… see you at the women’s game on Friday.

The Buzz

2007-01-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

By Phil Bennett

The 2006 college football season isn’t even over yet and we’re already looking forward to 2007. Signing Day is coming up in February and Spring Practice is just around the corner. While we didn’t reach all our goals in 2006, winning six games (the most in nine years), playing meaningful November games, competing for the league championship and reaching bowl eligibility have people talking about SMU football. There’s a buzz out there surrounding the program. Whenever I’m out in the community, I’m amazed at the number of people who come up to me expressing how much they want SMU to succeed.

That buzz even extends to recruiting. Our reception level is better than ever with recruits and high school coaches. With a positive direction for our football program and all the rest that the University has to offer, coaches and players are excited about SMU. I know that some fans are concerned when they see the Top-100 lists and don’t see a lot SMU recruits, but we don’t recruit from lists. Most of the guys we recruit are guys who have come through our camps, guys we have seen year-in and year-out and guys we can project for the future. This is the same process that we used to land guys like Justin Rogers, Columbus Givens, Justin Willis and Emmanuel Sanders in the past. We’re confident that the guys we’re recruiting are the guys that can help us win Conference USA Championships.

We have three big recruiting weekends coming up – January 5th, 12th and 19th. We have the opportunity to take 18 to 22 kids for next season - including mid-year additions – and we’re excited about this class. We hope that we can redshirt most of the players we bring in for 2007 like we have with our last two classes. Being able to give guys a season to get acclimated to college and our program has been a huge asset to us over the past two years and we hope to do that again with this class. Our freshmen redshirt class from this past season is going to be an outstanding group of athletes.

In parting, let me say that I’m glad to join the blog and I’ll be back with more insight to the program. Thanks and GO MUSTANGS!

2007-01-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

New Year, New Perspectives

As we kick off what I think will be a very exciting year for SMU Athletics, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read my blog. I enjoy having the opportunity to speak directly to you, our fans, and it also provides an outlet for me to express my thoughts on all the things going on here on the Hilltop. Over the break, I thought about the blog and realized that there are probably several other people in and around the department that you might like to hear from as well. There are a lot of great people working here and each of them has a different perspective and different responsibilities. I’m going to ask a few people to join me on this blog as we make it more of a department-wide outlet in the coming weeks, so check back for some new posters.

On the court, our women's basketball team pulled out a huge 72-61 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday - our first win over Tech since 1989! Congrats to the student-athletes and coaching staff. They’ll start Conference USA play tonight when they take on Tulsa in Moody Coliseum. Tip is set for 7 p.m. Come check it out.

On the men’s side, we’ll host the UT-Pan American Broncs on Thursday, January 4, at 7 p.m., here at Moody, and Coach Doherty will start his new weekly one-hour radio show on January 8. “Inside College Hoops,” as we’ll call it, will be hosted by our play-by-play man, Rich Phillips, and will air on KAAM 770 AM, the home of Mustangs' basketball. It will be held at Ten Sports Grill in downtown Dallas and we’d love for you all to join us down there for the show at 6 p.m.

I hope you all enjoyed our new Daktronics scoreboard that debuted Saturday. Right now, we’re working through some of the final technical kinks and hope to have the video portion turned on very soon. We’re shooting to have an official dedication when the men's team hosts Southern Miss in its Conference USA opener on January 10.

And finally, congratulations to our former conference mate, Boise State, on a thrilling win over Oklahoma last night in the Fiesta Bowl. It just goes to show that non-BCS teams can compete with the BCS programs and reinforces our belief here at SMU that we, too, can become a top-25 program in the near future.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

2006-12-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Building For Success

I know we talked about it last week, but I just can’t say enough about the great seasons our basketball teams are having.

Our men's team is 6-1 and ranked No. 9 in the nation in the RPI. The RPI is a formula that is one of the principal tools used by the NCAA selection committee uses to determine the field for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships. I won’t bore you with how it’s computed, but if you really want to know, click here. We’ll be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. when Prairie View visits Moody.

Our women improved to 6-2 with a 70-53 victory over North Texas on Saturday night. We had four players in double figures and showed a lot of balance on offense. The women will head to Fayetteville for a big game against the 9-1 Arkansas Lady Razorbacks on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. You can listen to the game on 1630 AM or online through SMUMustangs.com.

In addition to their on-court successes, we’ve now “got a shovel in the ground” on our new Crum Basketball Center. We officially broke ground on the Center on Friday and plan to have it finished for our first practice in mid-October 2007. It’s truly a top-25 facility. It’s 43,000 square feet and will include two full-size practice courts, players' locker rooms and lounges, fully-equipped training and strength & conditioning rooms, coaches' offices and film editing rooms. We’ll even use it during home games, as an underground tunnel will link the Center to Moody Coliseum.

And back on the gridiron, I want to congratulate Justin Willis, who was named a third-team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News last week. Justin had previously been named Conference USA's Freshman of the Year by both the media and C-USA coaches and is just another example of the top-notch student-athletes we have coming back in 2007. I’m sure we’ll be adding to the stable with National Signing Day just around the corner.

Finally, you may have seen that I added Kris Lowe and Craig Shaver to our staff recently. Kris will be our Assistant A.D. for Business & Finance, while Craig will serve as Associate A.D. for Athletics Development. Kris was a four-year basketball letterwinner and team captain for our basketball team and returns to SMU after almost three years at Ernst & Young as an accountant (Hmmm… a former student-athlete who worked as an accountant and returns to athletic administration… Seems like I’ve seen that somewhere before…). I thought about posting a photo of Kris from his days as an SMU student-athlete like I did for Richard Sweet, but Kris looks the same as the day he graduated in 2004!

Craig comes to us from Baylor, where he was the Athletic Department's Director of Development. His background in athletics and corporate development and athletics administration will serve us well as we raise the funds necessary to make needed capital improvements to our athletics facilities and support the annual operations of the department. I’m also excited about the partnership with University Development that helped bring Craig aboard. While the University has always supported our efforts, the new structure should produce a "1+1=3" result, as I like to say. Craig and the Mustang Club will be overseen by Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Mark Petersen with a heavy “dotted line” to me.

Until next time, check out SMUMustangs.com for all the latest on our teams and I’ll see you at Moody.

Go Mustangs!

2006-12-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hoops Time On The Hilltop

It’s hoops time on the Hilltop and our men’s and women’s teams are off to great starts. We celebrated Moody’s 50th anniversary on Sunday with a pair of wins and our teams are now a combined 11-3. Not too shabby!

Our men’s team sits at 6-1, with our only loss being a close one on the road to a Florida State team that beat reigning national champion Florida this weekend. The team will take a break for finals for a few days and will be back at Moody on Wednesday, Dec. 13. On the women’s side, we’re 5-2 and will host North Texas on Saturday at 7 p.m. Congratulations are due junior Janielle Dodds as she became just the 15th women's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-career point mark at SMU.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Crum Basketball Center this Friday, Dec. 8, at 11:45 a.m. The ceremony will take place on the east end of Moody Coliseum. This project has been made possible by the visionary support of Sylvie P. and Gary T. Crum and many other generous donors and I’d love for you all to be here if possible. You can find out more about the Center (and how you can help make possible this essential top-25 facility) by clicking here.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

2006-11-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

We Are Committed

Let me start off by saying this – we remain fully committed to building a winning football program at SMU. During my annual end-of-season evaluation of the football program, I identified many areas that improved and Coach Bennett presented a plan that will allow us to continue to improve. I am convinced that Coach Bennett is capable of implementing this plan that will help us reach our goals of going to bowls, winning conference championships and returning to the top 25.

As the Director of Athletics, I know that we did not reach our goals in 2006. Coach Bennett and I both said before the season that we should reach a bowl we both still think we should have reached that goal. But while we didn’t quite get there, I think we did continue to improve.

The future is bright for SMU football. For the third straight year, we improved our win total and our overall talent level continues to increase. We have a great nucleus returning (nine offensive starters and seven on defense), including C-USA Freshman of the Year Justin Willis and four other student-athletes that were named to a C-USA-high six spots on the All-Freshman team.

There is a commitment to winning on the Hilltop and I truly believe that we are ready to take that next step. Stay tuned for updates on our plan and check back soon for info on all our other great sports on the Hilltop.

Saddle up with the Mustangs – there’s about to be a stampede toward success.

2006-11-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's What We Always Do...

I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to update the blog last week. I hope everyone had a nice holiday. The Orsini family certainly has a lot to be thankful for this year – most recently the opportunity to lead SMU Athletics to its full top-25 potential.

Now onto what I’m sure you’re looking for – info on our football program. With such a large amount of speculation out there, I want to correct some misinformation that is circulating. First and foremost, Phil Bennett is still our football coach. As I stated earlier, we evaluate all our programs at the end of each season. This year is no different. Phil and I have been meeting to discuss the football program. When we’re finished, I’ll meet with Schellas Hyndman, John Cossaboon, Dave Wollman and Lisa Seifert to talk about our soccer, cross country and volleyball teams. Right now, people just seem to be reading too much into our meetings.

Our goal is to have top-25 programs in all sports – including football, men’s and women’s soccer, cross country and volleyball. I meet with our coaches to discuss the progress of each sport and talk about what areas we need to address to move forward. We will have winning programs at SMU and we will sustain that winning.

On a different note, our men’s basketball team will play host to the Paul Quinn Tigers tonight at Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. We have won the first two games of this homestand, knocking off Dayton – the same Dayton team that just beat Louisville - and Louisiana-Monroe, and hope to keep the streak alive tonight. Come out and support Coach Doherty (who will be evaluated at the end of the season!) and the Mustangs tonight.

See you at Moody!

2006-11-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

So Close...

Well, Saturday certainly was a heartbreaker. It seemed like we were just one or two plays away from continuing our run for a Conference USA Championship. But while it wasn’t meant to be this year, we can still reach our goal of earning our first bowl berth in 22 years. One could easily lose sight of the bigger picture, so let’s refocus – we still control our own fate when it comes to making a bowl game. It starts this weekend with Tulsa.

On Saturday, we will be honoring 20 seniors who have put in hours and hours and hours of hard work to represent our university. These young men kept fighting when we went 0-12 just a few years ago and are now on the verge of taking us somewhere we haven’t been in two decades. I say they deserve our support and I ask you to come out and show them how much you have appreciated their efforts.

And while we’re talking about bowl games, we need you there for another reason. I’m sure there will be bowl representatives on hand this week (three bowls were represented last week) and we need to show them how much we support our Mustangs. You, too, can play a big role in our successes this season.

We’ll also be holding a food drive for the North Texas Food Bank this weekend. Just bring a canned good donation and get a general admission ticket for $5. If that’s not an inexpensive way to spend a fun Saturday afternoon, I don’t know what is.

On the hardwood, I want to congratulate Coach Matt Doherty and the Mustangs on their 2-1 start to the season. After picking up two wins to open the season, they dropped a hard-fought decision to Florida State last night, but I still think the trip was a big success. While I’m not big on moral victories, to play on the road in a hostile environment against a team getting votes for the top-25 and battle them to what was, in essence, a two-point game shows just how far Coach Doherty has brought this team in just a few months. I think the future is pretty bright. The team will return to Moody for our home opener on Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Dayton.

Make Saturday a double-header – come to the football game and stay for the basketball game. I’ll even make it easy (and cost effective!). Just take your ticket stub from the football game to the ticket window at Moody and you can come to the basketball game for free! How great is that?

On the women’s side, we’ve started 1-0 and will host Sam Houston on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Moody. Coach Rompola has us headed in the right direction. As a matter of fact, to encourage you to check them out, just come on Friday and show a ticket for Saturday’s football game and you can come to the women’s game for free, too.

So, with $5 football tickets that will also get you into men’s and women’s basketball games for free, you can see three exciting college sporting events and entertain a family of four for an entire weekend for $20. I just don’t think you can beat that deal.

In soccer action, our top-ranked (that’s right, No. 1) men's soccer team returns to action tonight when they host UC-Santa Barbara in an NCAA second-round Tournament game at Westcott Field. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. It’s really important that you come out and cheer on Coach Hyndman and the student-athletes as we go for our second-straight College Cup appearance.

And finally, while it may not get the media attention that football and basketball (and even soccer, for that matter), we need to congratulate SMU junior Rachael Forish for taking first place at Saturday's NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional. In a field of 108 participants, she won by nearly 10 seconds. Rachel also won the Conference USA Cross Country title nearly two weeks ago and will now advance to the NCAA Championships, Nov. 30, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Rachel’s accomplishment is a great tribute to the hard work that she and her teammates put in throughout the year. They are tremendous representative of the school and we could not be more proud of their efforts.

Until next time… GO MUSTANGS!

2006-11-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

A Model Of Success

Many of you have probably seen that I have added two new people to my senior staff this week – Richard Sweet and Jeff Konya. Richard will head up our marketing and brand building efforts and Jeff will handle compliance issues as we move towards our goal of being top-25 in all we do.

I will say that being able to hire someone like Richard away from a top company like Southwest Airlines says a lot about the commitment to athletics here at SMU. Adding someone with so much experience from such a successful company will be a huge boost to the redevelopment of the SMU brand.

As a side note, Richard is a great guy. He has tremendous business acumen, a true passion for SMU – having been a student-athlete here - and a pretty good sense of humor. Check out his blog from the Southwest Airline site here. Hopefully, his sense of humor will carry over after I post these then and now photos...

Richard’s hire is also another step in our efforts to improve the business enterprise of the department. We still have a few more positions left to fill, but I think that you will see commitment to a model that will allow us to make the most of our resources, to increase revenue, and to make our program more attractive to our students, alumni and the broader community.

From an internal standpoint, having a top compliance person is imperative. With an NCAA manual that’s 700-plus pages thick, running a compliance office can be a bit tedious, but we are committed to winning with integrity and Jeff is a great guy who I know is up to the task. He is well-respected in the field and is great at his job. He’s so well-liked at Memphis that, when he announced his resignation, John Calipari and Tommy West went to their University president and asked him to find a way to keep Jeff. He will truly be an asset for SMU. And like Richard, Jeff is a former student-athlete, having played football at Princeton. Now if I can just get Princeton to send me an action photo...

On the field, as I stressed on Monday, it’s VERY important that you get out to the game Saturday. The DMN had an article on our bowl and conference championship chances yesterday, noting that if we can win out, we’ll be in the C-USA Championship game.

Let’s get it done – on the field and in the stands. Buy your tickets here.

2006-11-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

Controlling Our Destiny

Nine games into the season, we control our own destiny. We can’t ask for more than that. If we can win our final three games, we will represent the Western Division in the Conference USA Championship game. How exciting is that? I, for one, can’t wait for Saturday and our Homecoming game against C-USA Western-Division-leading Houston.

With two straight BIG home games in Ford Stadium, it’s again time for our plea – COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE MUSTANGS! We have a chance to win a conference championship and reach our first bowl game in 22 years. We need you in the stadium – and bring along your friends. We think we have a great product over here on the Hilltop and we want more and more people to experience gameday at SMU.

Here’s my version of the “Top 10 List”:

The Top 10 Reasons You & Your Friends Should Be At The Game On Saturday
10. SMU controls its own destiny for a C-USA Championship.
9. SMU hasn't lost at home this season.
8. With a win, SMU becomes bowl-eligible.
7. It’s the only Division I game in town.
6. The Boulevard
5. Houston is coming to town and word is they’re bring buses of fans and their band – Let’s show ‘em our SMU Spirit!
4. It’s affordable.
3. It’s family-friendly.
2. It’s right in the center of Dallas.
1. It’s just plain fun.

By all means, get to the game Saturday. For tickets, click here.

On the hardwood, congrats to both the men’s and women’s squads for opening with exhibition wins. Please join us for the Hoops Happy Hour to tip-off the 2006-2007 basketball season on Wednesday, November 8 at 6 p.m. at Maggiano's Little Italy in North Park Mall. Matt Doherty and Rhonda Rompola will be on hand to talk about the upcoming season and, since it will be national signing day, their new recruits as well. Just RSVP to Hayley Shalley at 214-768-2582 or hshalley@smu.edu.

And finally, congratulations are in order for our men’s and women’s soccer teams, as each earned berths into the NCAA Tournament. Our No. 2-ranked men’s team earned an automatic berth by winning the Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship title (our sixth tournament title since 1997), while our women were an at-large selection.

Being one of the tournament’s top seeds, our men received a first-round bye and will host the winner of the UC Santa Barbara-San Diego State match on Wednesday, Nov. 15, here at Westcott Field, while the women will head down to College Station to take on McNeese State on Friday, Nov. 10. Stay tuned for kickoff times.

For a men’s bracket, click here, and for a women’s, click here.

GO MUSTANGS!

2006-11-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

A Big Weekend On The Hilltop

On the Hilltop, where our football team has jumped out to its best start in a decade, remains in contention for the C-USA Championship and moves closer to our first bowl berth in 22 years, the hoops season has begun.

Last night, our women’s basketball team opened play with an 84-59 exhibition victory over the Houston Jaguars. They’ll play their final exhibition game Monday evening at Moody at 7 p.m. before starting the regular season. I have high hopes for our women’s team this season. While we’re still a young team, after playing a lot of freshmen over the past couple of seasons, our team has some experience to build upon. The preseason Coaches’ Poll picked us to finish second in the league and I think we can compete for a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

On the men’s side, I am on the record stating how excited I am about having a former National Coach of the Year on the sidelines. Coach Doherty’s enthusiasm is contagious and I think he will do great things on the Hilltop. He has this year’s team fired up and ready to go and he’s also doing a great job on the recruiting trails. Coach and his team will make their debut on Saturday, Nov. 4, when they play Houston Baptist in a 7 p.m. exhibition at Moody. Come on out and support Mustang hoops!

We also have a big soccer match tonight on campus. Our women’s team has advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA Soccer Championships and will take on Colorado College tonight at 5 p.m. on Westcott Field. Hopefully everyone can sneak out of work a few minutes early on a Friday and get over to SMU for kickoff. Don’t worry – at the game we’ll be giving updates on our No. 2 -ranked men’s squad as they play against UAB (the only team to beat us in the regular season) at 5 p.m. in the C-USA semifinals up in Tulsa.

And while you’re on campus, just across the parking lot from Westcott, our 20th-ranked men's swim team will host No. 24 BYU in a dual meet at 6 p.m. in Perkins Natatorium. So stop by tonight and check out all the action on the pitch and in the pool. Tonight’s events are a good example of the very affordable, family-oriented, nationally-competitive college athletics entertainment that SMU has to offer right here in the center of Dallas.

Invite some friends and I’ll see you there!

2006-11-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

How About Those Mustangs!

What a night! It sure felt great to get a big win on national television. Not only were we on ESPN for seven hours (it was replayed overnight), but we had two plays on ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays Of The Day,” including the No. 1 play – Cedrick Dorsey’s amazing grab on the two-point conversion. Hopefully, ESPN will be back on campus again soon.

Related to the game, I just can’t say enough about the tremendous student support we received last night. I think it is the biggest student turnout we’ve ever had at Ford Stadium. Thanks to the student body for coming out in their festive Halloween costumes – and an extra special thanks to those that stayed for the whole game. I applaud each and every one of you. I also want to thank all our other loyal fans in attendance. The home side of the stadium looked great, too. Now we’ll go to work on the end zones and filling the gaps…

Check out a photo gallery from the game here: http://smumustangs.cstv.com/view.gal?id=2757

Another thank you to Spike Dykes and the ARA crew as they presented us with their first-ever Team Sportsmanship Award. SMU did the right thing last year in coming to the aid of Tulane during Hurricane Katrina. It is nice to be nationally recognized in such a positive way.

While football seems to get the majority of the attention right now, we have two tremendous soccer teams right here on the Hilltop and both are playing in their conference tournaments this week after winning regular season C-USA titles. Both are No. 1 seeds and both teams swept the league’s Offensive & Defensive Players and Coaches of the Year awards. Ranked second nationally, the men are battling up in Tulsa, but we are hosting the Women’s C-USA Soccer Championships at Westcott Field. Please come out and cheer on the Mustangs. We all know what a great home field advantage can do for a team. Our first match is today at noon. Come on by on your lunch break and check it out.

2006-10-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

Entering The “Blogosphere”

Well, I’ve decided to enter the “blogosphere.” With all the things going on at SMU, both in the athletic department and all across campus, I thought my own blog would give me a chance to share my thoughts and opinions with all the Mustang fans on the web. Before I get started, I just want to welcome everyone to my own little corner of the internet and want to encourage you to come out and support the Mustangs.

We have several big events going on on the Hilltop, but I thought I’d start by talking about Tuesday night’s football game against UAB. I cannot stress how big this game is for us – both on and off the field. Of course we want to win as we pursue our goals of a conference championship and a bowl berth, but perhaps even more importantly, this is an opportunity to showcase SMU to the nation. As you all know, ESPN2 will be televising the game (in HD, even!) and it’s imperative that we make Ford Stadium look good on national TV. For that, we need your help. Since this is Halloween night, I know many of our children will want to go trick-or-treating – no worries, they can do that in the stadium! We’ve set up the "Ultimate Trick-Or-Treating Experience" starting at 5:30 p.m. Departments from all across campus will be setup around the concourse of the stadium with their own trick-or-treat and haunted house stations. Additionally, all children are invited to participate in an on-field parade. We’ll also have our Kids' Corral with bounce houses, coloring stations, and more. So, help pack the house by arriving early.

Speaking of arriving early, many fans have voiced concerns over Boulevard activities on Tuesday. Not to worry, The Boulevard will be open, even on Halloween. While the Boulevard "officially" opens at 3:30 p.m., you may come earlier. We do ask you to be aware that normal classes will be progress and to be respectful of noise levels as we get ready to take on UAB.

For more information on the UAB game, click here.

People have also contacted us with parking questions. Be aware that credentialed parking zones (Green, Gold, Silver, Red and Orange) will open for parking beginning at 3:30 p.m. You are encouraged to arrive early as parking may be limited. Don’t worry, though, if your lot reaches capacity, our friendly parking staff will direct you to the overflow area located at the old Mrs. Baird's Bakery, just across Mockingbird from Ford Stadium. Even if you don’t have a credential, parking is still a snap. You can try the old UA Cinema theater parking lot, the Expressway Tower, the Radisson/6060 Building or the DART Mockingbird, Park Lane or White Rock Lake Stations. These lots will be available for SMU football game parking beginning at 4 p.m., and the SMU Game Day Shuttle will be running beginning at 4 p.m. and will continue until approximately two hours after the game. The Game Day Shuttle is, as always, free of charge.

For our students, we have been granted a waiver by Conference USA for the UAB game to permit student seating in rows 1-24 in sections 122, 123 and 124 right on the 50-yardline. Students are asked to be good hosts and display appropriate sportsmanlike conduct. We don’t want to abuse this privilege. Students are also encouraged to show their spirit for the national television audience by dressing up for Halloween and making signs. We’ll have prizes for the most “spirited” students.

We’re also going to start a new tradition on Tuesday. Every time SMU makes a first down, Dan Bell, our PA announcer, will say “First down SMU!” We then want the crowd to yell “Mustangs!” and point in the direction we are going to score.

Whew! How’s that for my first entry? I’m going to try and update the blog on a regular basis, so keep checking in. See you all Tuesday!