SMU Must Appeal

Before I get into this, and so we are 100% clear, SMU broke the rules.  There should be a punishment.  Punishment for major violations should be, well, major.  I am not going to argue that.  Anyway….



I first set foot on SMU’s campus in the fall of 1991.  That year, SMU won one football game and went 10-18 in Men’s basketball.  My sophomore year was the high water mark for SMU athletics during my time at SMU: SMU won 5 football games and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after winning the SWC regular season title (not the tournament) and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.



Since that time, SMU has played in 4 different conferences (SWC, WAC, CUSA and AAC).  SMU is on its 4th athletic director and 3rd president.  In basketball, SMU has a 49% winning percentage under 5 different coaches with exactly one NCAA tournament appearance and zero NCAA tournament games won.  In football, SMU has gone 87-173-3 (33% winning percentage) under 5 different coaches with zero conference championships, one winless season, 2 losses to I-AA/FCS schools (including last week); SMU did recently go to 4 middling bowl games (3-1 record!), but that was under a coach that is persona non grata on campus for leaving a football program in shambles due to his complete disinterest in either recruiting or reaching out to the SMU community or Dallas community at large.

I don’t know a single person that played for SMU during the heyday of SMU athletics (whenever that was).  To my knowledge, there is not a single person employed in the SMU athletic department (save maybe a trainer) that was employed by SMU during the heyday of SMU athletics.  There is not a single person in the administration of SMU that was at SMU during the 1980’s, and with the exception of a handful of faculty and maybe a janitor, there is no one employed by SMU today that was employed by SMU during the “Pony Express” days.  There is not a single person on the board of directors at SMU that was part of the SMU leadership in the 1980’s.  The ringleader/money-man during the “Pony Excess” days may have his name on the wall of the Town North YMCA, but he is not allowed on SMU campus.

This may sound absurd in light of recent news, but I believe that SMU today is one of the cleanest programs in the country.  I concede that says more about the current NCAA than it does SMU.  I say this because since the “death penalty” SMU has a history of self-reporting.  Many of these self-reported violations would have never come to light had SMU not reported them.  SMU has fired coaches and assistants for minor violations upon discovery.

It is worth noting that multiple times in SMU’s post-death penalty history, coaches have referenced unfair restrictions above and beyond NCAA minimum requirements that have hamstrung coaches and made winning more difficult.  This is not imaginary.  This was an academic structure created by the late Ken Pye (sometimes referred to at SMU as the “Pye Model”) that placed artificial academic restrictions on SMU coaches and student-athletes, which based on the records referenced above, severely hampered SMU’s ability to compete.  I didn’t agree with the Pye Model and advocated its demise since its creation, but that does not change the fact that it existed.

SMU’s culture today isn’t one of lack of compliance; if anything, it is a culture of over-compliance.  The administrative assistant in the NCAA report? Fired.  The Assistant Coach? Unemployed.  The Golf coach? Fired a year ago.  You can say that SMU hasn’t fired Larry Brown, but there is no evidence he participated in anything, but the NCAA says he should have known.  If that is your standard, the line for firing coaches forms to the left.

I mention all this because, apparently, none of that is important to the NCAA.  SMU suffered the death penalty and there is no infraction that does not deserve the continued beating of a dead horse.  There is nothing that SMU can do to rid itself of this stigma and SMU will always receive a harsher penalty than just about any program in the country.

The NCAA says that SMU’s past history of major violations was an “aggravating factor.”  SMU’s history has also been brought up by a number of commentators.  To allow SMU’s distant past to factor in to SMU’s punishment is unconscionable.  In essence, the NCAA is like a Judge saying, “We caught you shoplifting and because your grandfather (who you never met) was a bankrobber, we are sentencing you to 20 years.”

NCAA enforcement is laughable and slaps on the wrists of the “haves” versus the disproportionate punishment of the “have-nots” is a running joke. The NCAA is using SMU’s past as a convenient crutch to justify an unjustifiable punishment.  North Carolina five-year old violations sit in limbo despite involving a lot of students, a lot of coaches, a lot of administrators and a lot of sports, but nobody expects anything serious to happen and I doubt their past major violations will play a factor.

All I know is, I follow SMU sports.  I do this because I went to school there.  I could walk away and cheer for a different school.  The law school I went to has an undefeated football team.  My parents went to the University of Texas.  But I don’t have an emotional connection to those schools.  My school is SMU.  And the school I cheer for is a very different place than the school that got the death penalty in the 1980’s.  To suggest otherwise is crazy.  No one who visited SMU in the 1980’s and visited today would suggest things haven’t changed.

If you want to know why I want to appeal these sanctions, it is because I had nothing to do with the death penalty and have been paying for it for more than 20 years.  Whatever debt SMU was supposed to pay for its actions in the 1980’s has been paid back in spades.  I don’t need to pay it anymore.  The students don’t need to pay it.  The SMU community today doesn’t need to pay it.

Getting tired of the Mack Brown talk.

Getting tired of the Mack Brown talk. I am not holding my breath for him or anybody. 

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20141029-carlton-smu-on-hold-why-mack-brown-will-wait-to-decide-possible-return-to-sideline.ece

June Jones emerges to expose just what a fraud he is

 

http://www.si.com/college-football/2014/10/28/college-football-playoff-marcus-mariota-inside-read?page=2&devicetype=default

June offers a vague interview with SI and basically admits he quit just to quit. Says he wasn't sleeping well. What college administrator in his or her right mind would hire someone who says they quit the last job because he wasn't sleeping well?

He says he was trying to do too much. But I can't imagine what that was. The guy went to Hawaii last year the week before national signing day. That isn't "working too hard" for a college coach, by definition. 

He says the SMU job " It will be tough for the next guy, too." If "tough" means expected to put in the average number of hours to be a college coach and hire a competent staff, then this job is "tough."

Only at SMU is a coach not required to justify a lack of results and vaguely respond that a job is hard without specifics and get away with it. 

June went to four bowl games, winning three, sent double digit number of kids to the NFL, a majority of which he inherited. His own success proves his statements wrong. His failures are at his feet, not SMU's. 

Your buddy has a girlfriend....

... And they have dated for a long time.  She's good looking and great in almost every way. He complains about her constantly. In fact, lots of people in your circle have complained about her for years. Some of the complaints are nonsense; some have merit.  They finally break up. 

People start suggesting you should date her. But you have been listening to these complaints for years. Do you have reservations? Of course. 

And people wonder why SMU may be reluctant to hire Mack Brown . 

Mack Brown for $4M per Year.

Supposedly SMU would pay Mack Brown $4M pet year for 8 years. Nonsense. 

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24764607/report-smu-willing-to-pay-mack-brown-4-million-a-year

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/columnists/bill-nichols/20141022-sources-smu-floats-lengthy-4myear-offer-to-former-texas-coach-mack-brown-as-commitment-to-upgrading-football-program-continues.ece

In a word: Bullshit. 

This isn't true. 

Put all the pluses and minuses of Mack Brown aside for a moment. SMU is where it is today staring an O'fer season in the face because it overcommitted to a coach with a contract neither party could get out of even though one or both parties wanted out for 3 years. Does anyone really believe SMU would commit 8 years to anybody? 

This report is a waste of valuable bandwidth that could be better spent on more useful things like cat videos or Tinder hookups. 

So what is the SMU job really?

So, now SMU is the "worst major college football team in America."

First, the required reading:

Gosselin: SMU AD tasked with finding coach for 'worst major college football team in America'

Rich Hart "Straight from the Hart"

There is also a ponyfans.com thread detailing a short segment by Norm Hitzges on the Ticket this AM, basically recounting Gosselin column.  Norm seem fixated on the following two quotes:

“The really good ones are going to see this is a great job. It’s better than a lot of jobs at the so-called P-5 [“power five” conference] level. And coaches understand that. So we’re going to have a great deal of interest, and I suspect we’ll get a great coach.”

 ...

 “Look around the landscape. Duke’s successful. Stanford’s successful. Vanderbilt, Northwestern … schools like us. I realize that academically we’re going to have to overcome some things to get those kids to choose SMU. But when you look at our setting in Dallas, the campus, the investments that have been made … now get a dynamic staff in here. That’s what we need.”

 (emphasis mine)

Norm's issue, and it is an easy one to pick at, is saying SMU is a better job than some power 5 jobs.  His other beef is the comparison to certain successful, academic-minded private schools, noting they are all in "Power-5 Conferences."

OK.  Fine.  I am willing to concede Nick Saban is not leaving Alabama for SMU; David Cutliffe isn't leaving Duke; former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin isn't leaving Penn State for SMU either.  That isn't really the point.

The point is SMU is a Division 1-FBS head coaching job, of which there are only 120+ jobs.  Roughly, between 15-20% of such jobs are ever open in any given year.  A significant number of those openings are filled by poaching coaches from the other Division 1-FBS schools.  Really, then, you are looking at 10-15 jobs that can go to assistants, former coaches, etc.

Relative to non-Power 5 schools, it is hard to do better than SMU.  SMU is in a top 10 market.  SMU is in the most fertile recruiting area in the most heavily recruited state in the country (this makes June Jones' lack of recruiting success all the more maddening).  SMU has the resources to be successful (again, this makes June Jones' inability to have a staff with a pedigree all the more maddening).  Some may point to facilities and I will suggest we would be a lot closer to having an indoor practice facility if June Jones had been more flexible in its location (seriously, we moved the stadium lights in a week to accommodate his whims; who really thinks SMU won't give the coach appropriate resources?).

The criticisms of the job are as follows:

1) The team isn't very good.  Well, this is true.  Nearly every job opening is a reclamation project in one form or another.  This isn't really a fair criticism.

2)  No.  SMU has really not been very good at all.  Yes, but June, for all his warts, did establish that you can win at SMU.  Period.  4 consecutive bowl games, winning 3.  Play in a conference championship game. .500 or better in 4 of the last 8 years.  This isn't the dredge of a job that Bennett and Cavan were hired into.

3) Academic restrictions!  Please, for the audience, articulate the current restrictions that make it difficult for SMU to compete.  The floor is yours.  Nobody can properly articulate this because it is no longer the case.

In 2014, SMU is beat on the field by kids that could have received offers to play at SMU and be admitted.  Period.  Further, this is largely true going back to the last years of Phil Bennett.  June Jones won with Bennett's recruits. In 2006, SMU would have gone to a bowl had Phil Bennett not been out-coached the last game of the season against Rice, losing by 4 with the ball in the red-zone at the end of the game.  Of course, the outcome of the Rice game would have been moot had SMU beaten 3-9 NTSU that year.

4) Crappy conference.  Unless you are P-5, you are in a crappy conference.  Of all the crappy conferences, I am confident the AAC is the best crappy conference to be affiliated with in the short term.  Only the AAC remains committed (Pres. Turner reiterated this) to adopting policies in lock step with the Power 5.  This should present an advantage over other non-P5 conferences.

In brief, I will say what I say every time SMU has to go through the hiring process.  To those that wave their hands and cry to the heavens, "Oh whoa is us, who take this horrible job?", the answer is "SMU will hire someone with a resume better than most of us can reasonable expect."

Dan Morrison to call plays.

So June's gone. When I first heard the news, right after I got off my knees thanking the good Lord, I had so many questions. 

One of those questions has been answered. Dan Morrison will call plays. 

So the former Hawaii high school coach is going to call plays. How is that going to work?

I don't mean substantively. I mean mechanically. Dan Morrison hasn't been on the sideline of a game for 10+ years. 

For years, we have witnessed the QB sashaying to the sideline after every play, getting the play call from June and then going back to the huddle, announce the play and get to the line of scrimmage with six seconds left. 

Is Morrison going to move to the sideline?  Or is he going to radio the call to the sideline from the booth?  if so, to who?  A coach? Another QB?  

What is a Dan Morrison called game like?  June never seemed like the guy who wanted a lot of input. 

Honestly, this mess right here is why I had little interest in removing June until the end of the season. 

11 SMU players on active NFL rosters

You may or may not be aware that there are currently 11 SMU football players on active NFL rosters. I have seen a source that says 20, but I think that includes practice squad players. 

Anyway, what does that number mean?  Is that a lot?  I recall a time less than 10 years ago when that number was zero. 

Here is that number compared to SMU's 2013 and 2014 opponents:

A&M	20
Uconn	17
Cincinatti	15
Rutgers	15
UCF	13
Baylor	12
TCU	12
SMU	11
USF	10
Memphis	9
Temple	9
Texas Tech	8
Houston	7
Tulane	6
ECU	5
NTSU	4
Tulsa	4
Montana St	2

That is 8th out of 18 teams. Right in the middle of the pack and within firing distance of all but A&M in my opinion. Nothing compared to USC (41), I grant you. 

Let's not say SMU can't get players into SMU that can compete again, ok?  It hasn't been true for years. It is like your momma said, "You can't do it if you don't try."  Beginning December 2011, June Jones didn't try. 

Not to pile on, but for the record:

All of my predictions for last weekend came true. Northwestern State racked up 200 total yards on Baylor. Northwestern State scored six points. At least SMU's defense put up more of a fight against Baylor than Northwestern State did. Finally, SMU lost and it wasn't even close. 

SMU will beat its own record

The last search for a football coach was 72 days officially. According to every source I looked at, that was a record for longest search in college football history. 

Throwing out a date....let's say November 28th (Clemson plays SC that day), that is 71 days. 

SMU's last game is 12/5. Odds of hiring a coach before season concludes is virtually nil. Even if they announced that night, it is 78 days. 

This will be the longest coaching search in college football history. 

Get comfortable.

Wow. So that actually happened!

June Jones has resigned.

 I just thank the Lord Liberty and Justice weren't here to witness this.

 

  Press Release

"This afternoon, I talked to my staff and players and notified them that I have decided to resign as SMU head football coach effective immediately," said Jones. "It was a very difficult decision for me to make, as you can imagine. I have devoted my life for the last 50 years to playing and coaching this game and it has been a great journey. This job has a lot of demands, as you know, and along with that journey comes a price that is paid. I have some personal issues I have been dealing with and I need to take a step away so I can address them at this time.

"We have some talented and really good kids, who just happen to be young. Tom Mason will take over the head coaching duties. Tom has done a great job with the defense since coming to SMU. This being a bye week will give all the coaches and players a chance to evaluate themselves and make the changes needed for their preparation in getting ready for the next couple games and conference play the rest of the way. I would like to thank all the people here at SMU that have supported the vision we have had here. I feel we have made SMU relevant again in football by going to four bowls in my six years as a Mustang. I am very thankful for the opportunity I was given and wish only the best for the players, coaches and administration at SMU."

First, let's get this out of the way. To the extent June Jones has health or personal issues that he needs to resolve, I wish him only the best and hope he pulls through or works out his issues. While I concede there were many days since December 2011 I wanted to chip away the mortar around a brick at Ford Stadium and throw it at June, I wish the man no ill will. Now, maybe if you had asked me about that around noon today, I might have given you a different answer.

  Fox Southwest Article (written by SMU alum Keith Whitmire)

  KEvin Sherrington (Column better than the headline)

 The Money Quote:

June didn’t all of a sudden become lousy at Xs and Os. He lost a little desire, apparently. Or maybe a lot. Symptoms of this affliction surface first in recruiting. There’s the usual complaint about a disconnect with South Dallas, which goes back to the Death Penalty days. How much of that is June’s fault, I couldn’t say. But he didn’t do much to correct it, either. In fact, he went opposite field.

According to Mark Followill, whose researcher came up with this number while doing play-by-play for the Oklahoma State-Texas-San Antonio game this week, there are 68 Texans on SMU’s roster, lowest total of any of the 12 FBS schools in Texas.

If anyone asks why SMU fans are unhappy with June and why June is not winning, direct them here. Honestly, I can't believe it. If you had bet me June Jones would not coach until the end of the season, I would have lost a lot of money.