SMU alum, 03'... I think we won a total of TWELVE games when I was at SMU under Cavan. I certainly rememebr the 03' season going 0-12 under Bennett. Conversely, as a native South Floridian and lifelong fan of The U (grew up on campus, stepfather played, dad MBA, I tutored student-athletes, other stuff), The U had its hostirc collegiate run under Butch Davis-Larry Coker, winning 34 games in a row, playing in two back-to-back BCS National Championships, and winning one in 2001. I was in Pasadena in 2001 and again in Tempe for the Robbery-In-The-Desert. Yes, life was a lot more fun as a fan of The U when I was a kid in the late 80's and 90's, and during my SMU undegrad, always coming home each weekend during college during The U's historic 34-win streak. Who can forget The Drive to Jeremy in 2000, Washington on Thanksgiving in 2001, and Wide Left II, just to name a few...
As a former walk-on tennis player at SMU, I'll never forget the late night calls, texts, and yes even AOL Instant Messanges I used to get from my Miami friends at The U during that time, EVERY WEEKEND: celebrating win after win, hanging out in Coconut Grove with guys like Willis McGahee, Jeremy Shockey, Jon Vilma, Antrel Rolle, Tood Sievers, Matt Walters, and (RIP) Sean Taylor.
Meanwhile, while every Texas person mcoked anyone with an SMU Pony logo on their clothes as I wondered whether SMU Athletics would mean anything other than my SMU Tennis team, Golf Team, and Men's Soccer routinely finishing top-10... Death Penalty aside, it seemed like SMU was destined to be a "country club" sports school. Apparently, there is life after death, literally...
June Jones started to rebuild my interest in the Program, with an 8-4 record and dominating bowl win over Nevada in Hawaii... I was graduating law school that year in 2009 and can still remember that year like it was yesterday- I finally started to leave just a little more of my Miami Orange and Green gear in the closet for my Alma Mater's Red and Blue. Although June Jones couldn't get us over the proverbial hump and Chad Morris mostly faltered for us as HC before going to Arkansas where he is about to be fired, I was positively surprised that we got Sonny Dykes as our HC. A Texas boy, as poor of a cultural fit at Cal as Charlie Strong was at Texas who ironically helped give us Shane as our QB. A spread offense, a veteran HC, and someone who could do more with less.
And here we are, Halloween, October 31, 2019. My lifelong Miami Hurricanes, a team who at age 38 I have been a fan of for all of my 38 years, season ticket holder, donor, even being at the 1983 National Championship game in the old Orange Bowl at a meger 2 y/o old, wearing Orange and Green my entire life for The U, seemingly every day, are now 4-4 playing an equally average 4-4 Florida State team.
You all should see both the Miami and Florida State Message Boards in Gary Ferman's War Room and Florida State's Tribal Council. Relegated to ABC's 3:30 PM slot so that our Alma Mater #14 8-0 SMU can play #23 7-1 Memphis in ABC's 7:30 PM PRIMETIME slot...
What we have right now at SMU is so special, so fun, and so unique. We must always appreciate it, cherish it, and never forget it. Who knows how long it will last. I long more than anything, including SMU, to see my Miami Hurricanes return to the greatness which defined Miami for 25 years. And on a day in which my dear family friend, great human, and former Miami AD Sam Jankovich passed away, it hurts that much more. We are a shadow of The U's football both power and prestige. 5-Time National Champions. NFL Factory. And still College Football's villan always ready to prove haters wrong. What we, as SMU alum have Saturday Night on ABC's Primetime TV, is a privilege, not a right.
Amazing how life changes. Words cannot describe the emotions which I have had these law few months. A combination of pride, curiosity, and surely some guilt for not wearing my Red and Blue both earlier and more often. I own far more SMU gear now than I could have ever imagned. I suppose later is better than never, ja...? But later is here now, and there no better time than now to be an SMU alum.
I'm headed to Memphis From Fort Lauderdale to Memphis on Friday afternoon with friends, and I hope that I can be as strong, loud, and proud for this SMU-Memphis as I have ever been for any Miami Hurricanes game. It takes a lot to divert my travel plans from Tallahassee to Memphis, but this certainly does the trick.
Sorry for the long winded thread; I've been on Gary Ferman's War Room on Miami's Board since 2007, and through Shannon, Golden, Richt, and Manny, life is well............ as a little rocky for us right now in The War Room. It's regretably been too long since I posted here in the Bouelvard.
Hope to see you all in Memphis for College Gameday.
Pony Up! Go Mustangs! And yes, Go Canes too back home!
As a former walk-on tennis player at SMU, I'll never forget the late night calls, texts, and yes even AOL Instant Messanges I used to get from my Miami friends at The U during that time, EVERY WEEKEND: celebrating win after win, hanging out in Coconut Grove with guys like Willis McGahee, Jeremy Shockey, Jon Vilma, Antrel Rolle, Tood Sievers, Matt Walters, and (RIP) Sean Taylor.
Meanwhile, while every Texas person mcoked anyone with an SMU Pony logo on their clothes as I wondered whether SMU Athletics would mean anything other than my SMU Tennis team, Golf Team, and Men's Soccer routinely finishing top-10... Death Penalty aside, it seemed like SMU was destined to be a "country club" sports school. Apparently, there is life after death, literally...
June Jones started to rebuild my interest in the Program, with an 8-4 record and dominating bowl win over Nevada in Hawaii... I was graduating law school that year in 2009 and can still remember that year like it was yesterday- I finally started to leave just a little more of my Miami Orange and Green gear in the closet for my Alma Mater's Red and Blue. Although June Jones couldn't get us over the proverbial hump and Chad Morris mostly faltered for us as HC before going to Arkansas where he is about to be fired, I was positively surprised that we got Sonny Dykes as our HC. A Texas boy, as poor of a cultural fit at Cal as Charlie Strong was at Texas who ironically helped give us Shane as our QB. A spread offense, a veteran HC, and someone who could do more with less.
And here we are, Halloween, October 31, 2019. My lifelong Miami Hurricanes, a team who at age 38 I have been a fan of for all of my 38 years, season ticket holder, donor, even being at the 1983 National Championship game in the old Orange Bowl at a meger 2 y/o old, wearing Orange and Green my entire life for The U, seemingly every day, are now 4-4 playing an equally average 4-4 Florida State team.
You all should see both the Miami and Florida State Message Boards in Gary Ferman's War Room and Florida State's Tribal Council. Relegated to ABC's 3:30 PM slot so that our Alma Mater #14 8-0 SMU can play #23 7-1 Memphis in ABC's 7:30 PM PRIMETIME slot...
What we have right now at SMU is so special, so fun, and so unique. We must always appreciate it, cherish it, and never forget it. Who knows how long it will last. I long more than anything, including SMU, to see my Miami Hurricanes return to the greatness which defined Miami for 25 years. And on a day in which my dear family friend, great human, and former Miami AD Sam Jankovich passed away, it hurts that much more. We are a shadow of The U's football both power and prestige. 5-Time National Champions. NFL Factory. And still College Football's villan always ready to prove haters wrong. What we, as SMU alum have Saturday Night on ABC's Primetime TV, is a privilege, not a right.
Amazing how life changes. Words cannot describe the emotions which I have had these law few months. A combination of pride, curiosity, and surely some guilt for not wearing my Red and Blue both earlier and more often. I own far more SMU gear now than I could have ever imagned. I suppose later is better than never, ja...? But later is here now, and there no better time than now to be an SMU alum.
I'm headed to Memphis From Fort Lauderdale to Memphis on Friday afternoon with friends, and I hope that I can be as strong, loud, and proud for this SMU-Memphis as I have ever been for any Miami Hurricanes game. It takes a lot to divert my travel plans from Tallahassee to Memphis, but this certainly does the trick.
Sorry for the long winded thread; I've been on Gary Ferman's War Room on Miami's Board since 2007, and through Shannon, Golden, Richt, and Manny, life is well............ as a little rocky for us right now in The War Room. It's regretably been too long since I posted here in the Bouelvard.
Hope to see you all in Memphis for College Gameday.
Pony Up! Go Mustangs! And yes, Go Canes too back home!
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