SMU earns top Conference USA ranking, Mustangs go pro and more of the top sports headlines.
Ramón Nuñez, drafted by Major League Soccer’s Dallas Burn after his 2003 freshman season at SMU, played in all three of Honduras’ group matches in July’s World Cup. Nunez, who started twice and came in once as a substitute, attempted six shots. Honduras did not make it to the knockout round.
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders ’09, a third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, signed a three-year contract with the Steelers in June. Bryan McCann ’10 is a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, men’s basketball guard Derek Williams ’10 was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters in June after a stellar senior season, in which he was Conference USA’s fourth-leading scorer.
SMU will host the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl December 30 at Ford Stadium while the bowl’s traditional home at TCU undergoes renovation. The Armed Forces Bowl, produced by ESPN, features a team from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.
SMU has been named the top Conference USA athletics program once again. For the 11th time in 13 years, the Mustangs were the conference’s top-ranked school in the final Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Division I standings. Each year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics ranks 285 schools that compete at the NCAA’s top level.
The Mustangs earned significant points for strong showings in football, cross country, track and field, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, and men’s golf.
– Nancy Lowell George ’79