Category: Athletics

By Nikki Carenza

It’s no secret there is an epic rivalry between SMU in TCU. Therefore whenever we meet in sports everyone comes out to show support for their team. This year SMU hosted TCU for the annual football game rivalry. I was especially looking forward to this event because my entire family decided to come down and visit me! I was so excited to host my family in Dallas for the weekend and show them how spirited SMU students and alums are. At SMU it’s a tradition before every football game that SMU students, alums, and family gather from the top of Dallas Hall lawn all the way to the end of the boulevard and celebrate before the game.

The boulevard is lined with tents and everyone comes out dressed in SMU colors to show support for the team and get excited for the game! My family decided to get a tent on the Boulevard for the first time ever for this years TCU game so we would all have a place to gather and invite friends to stop by. Anticipation began building all through campus during the week before the game and by Friday everyone could barely contain their excitement! The game was set to start at 11 a.m., which meant everyone was getting geared up for a very early morning boulevard at 8 a.m.

The day finally came and we went out to the boulevard to be greeted with tons of people, music and food. Everyone was having a great time and the TCU fans even joined us on the boulevard! It was so fun meeting up with friends who go to TCU and showing them how SMU does game day. Around 11 my grandpa and I headed over to the stadium and took our seats to watch the mustangs and horned frogs compete. The stadium was packed with SMU and TCU fans, everyone excited to see the two teams compete in their rivalry.

The game flew by and although TCU ended up beating us it was still such a fun game showing my family all the traditional cheers and songs at SMU! The day was a blur of fun with family and friends but my grandpa put it perfectly when he said “Well they certainly know how to do football in Texas!” Boulevarding is just one of my favorite SMU traditions that all collectively make my time at SMU that much more unique and exciting!

By Jacqui Jacoby

Early last semester, my RA called me around 8:00 pm and said, “Do you want to do something spontaneous?” Due to my self-diagnosed condition of Fear of Missing Out, I replied with an excited yes, completely unaware of what would soon become an SMU tradition. She asked me to camp out for basketball tickets with her, just to say we did it. When we got there, there were only two other tents, and hardly anyone cared enough to wait in line all night in the freezing February weather for tickets that they could just pick up in the morning. A small group of us hung out, played guitar, sang songs, told stories, did homework, and had an overall memorable experience. Little did we know that camping out would become an absolute necessity with the increasing and sudden success of our men’s basketball team.

Larry Brown joined SMU last year as our new head coach for basketball, which was a huge deal considering the fact that he is the only man in the world to have led a team to victory in both an NBA and an NCAA championship. He’s known as “the Godfather” in the basketball world because virtually every coach in the NBA or NCAA has worked with Coach Brown, and he somehow knows everyone. This affectionate nickname led to the formation of a student spirit group called The Mob, which I joined last semester. We get tickets in the best section of the newly-renovated Moody Coliseum, section 112, right behind the players and right across from where George and Laura Bush sit. Last semester, our team was good. And then we got better. And then we were so amazing that Moody started to sell out. Throughout this process, camping out for basketball tickets became a sort of tradition among almost all SMU students. The second time I camped out, I was about ten tents back from the ticket booth, and the line wrapped all the way around the building within a few hours. People brought couches, TVs, tables, sound systems, and so much more. I was blown away by the school spirit and unity that the basketball team was bringing to campus. By the next campout, there were news crews and cameras everywhere, and Larry Brown personally handed us donuts and orange juice in the morning. There was a line that stretched all the way around the building, going far beyond the last two campouts combined, with a sign at the front of the line that said “Larrybrownville”.

Although we didn’t make it to the NCAA championship, we made it to the NIT championship, and the journey that we took as a supportive student body was incredible. From camping out to dressing up as a blue squid for games to having a student ticket worth over $1,000.00 (had I sold it – which I didn’t) for the game against Louisville, the 2014 basketball season was something that I will never forget – and I don’t think SMU will either.  I was beyond thankful to have participated in this new aspect of SMU, and I can’t even imagine how crazy basketball season will be next year!

By Jeffery Jacobs

This semester, I was fortunate enough to work as a Public Relations Intern with Southern Methodist University Athletic program. I started working on January 2nd as a volunteer construction worker for the Moody Coliseum. With only two days before the opening of the coliseum, it was imperative to make sure every tile was in the right place, test the lighting and sound, and experiment the various food options in the different concession stands. It was hard work, but it was amazing to make my contribution into the coliseum that will be standing for at least the next half century. If you have been into the coliseum, you will see the blue section numbers circulating the stadium. Before the coliseum was opened, they were power drilled into the wrong locations. My job was to unscrew all of the blue signs and take them all down so they could be placed in the correct spots. Even though I was going backwards on work that had already been done, it was still cool to make my marks in the coliseum.

The first game was amazing because we played and beat the University of Connecticut by 20+ points. It was a big deal for us at the time and it is even more impressive that we beat the NCAA Champions of 2014 twice. Too bad we couldn’t play them instead of Minnesota. This began the whimsical slogan of “Moody Magic.” During the season, my job was to run the statistical data from the media table in the center of the court to the team benches, the radio crew, the television crew, and all of the media sources that attended the games. I met a number of well known people from ESPN, ABC, and TXA 21. In addition, I also met George Bush, Jason Garret, Jason Witten, Tony Romo, Michael Finley, Vince Carter, and a few other successful individuals. This was just a bonus perk but it was really cool to meet people who I see on television every day. With the year coming to a close, I feel so much more prepared for the business world in sports because I learned that the game itself is what people come to see, but all of the cyber kinetics between the different offices in an athletic department is what lasts on a daily business. This is a tough and time consuming business. People who work in sports have to be prepared to work back to back 16 hour days because it is very possible. Sports in the real world is a very fast paced business and you must learn how to keep up before you actually know what you are actually doing in your position. You have to be prepared for sudden changes, discretion, and representing a positive image for not only your department, but for the athletic program as a whole, and the school/team you are working for. This is the most fun I have had in my life.

By Philip Kilgore

Last Sunday, hundreds of SMU faithful showed its undying loyalty to its basketball program by attending its first Selection Sunday event in recent memory.  Unfortunately for the team, we were only the 2^nd team in history to be ranked but not make the tournament. After defeating numerous top 25 teams and coming in 3^rd in one of the toughest basketball conferences, many people were expecting us to make the tournament.  The only excuse from the selection committee was our “weak” out of conference schedule (even though we played teams like number 1 seeded UVA), but everyone knows that politics reined in a very controversial bracket selection.

Afterwards, the SMU faithful wasted no time in congratulating our team and began getting pumped up for a number 1 overall seed in the NIT. Whether it be through twitter or walking around campus, our fans built up the players’ spirits and show them that not only their fans but the rest of the country realizes their hard work.

The season is not over though. The NIT is still underway, and our basketball team is playing with a chip on its shoulder to prove to those who doubted our team. Tonight’s game is featuring a talented LSU basketball team, but I can tell that the SMU team is playing with a purpose now. I can’t wait to be amongst another sellout crowd at Moody Coliseum, especially in an atmosphere where Hall of Fame coach of the Louisville Cardinals said was the worst he has been to in his coaching career.

Although we will miss team leaders Shawn Williams and Nick Russell, the Mustangs will be returning most of its talent including McDonalds All-American Keith Frazier, lights out shooter Nic Moore, dominate force Markus Kennedy, and freshman phenom Sterling Brown. After finally having a year under their belt, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown will use his magic to make our team even better. With the addition of the number two recruit in the nation Emmanuel Mudiay, our team is going to be a force to be reckoned with. With the combination of a dedicated and fierce fan group along with an extremely talented roster with a hall of fame coach in Larry Brown, it is safe to say that the SMU Basketball program is here to stay for a very long time.

By Courtney Quinn

I have been attending SMU Men’s Basketball games since freshman year and I never thought I would find myself camping out for tickets my Senior year. Since gaining Larry Brown as our head coach last season, Brown has completely changed our basketball program; the team has done a full 180. Brown worked hard last year to recruit a great incoming class for the 2013-2014 season and he succeeded. This season the team caught everyone’s attention. SMU basketball games are now the hottest ticket in Dallas! This season we have had Mark Cuban, Tony Romo, Jason Garrett, Laura Bush, and President Bush grace our coliseum, as well as numerous recruits. We are even fighting contenders for March Madness!

Last Monday was the ticket pickup for the big Louisville game on March 5^th, which is another sold out game! I found myself on Sunday afternoon pitching a tent with my friends outside the ticket office in order to score a ticket to the best seat in the house; center court student section. There were over 20 tents lined up! It is really cool how dedicated and enthusiastic the student body has become about our team! Larry Brown and the team even came to the “campsite” that night right after they got off a place from being out of town for an away game. They wanted to show their appreciation that n, but we are the ones that are thankful. Also the next morning when we had to wake up bright and early at 5am, Mr. Brown was there with donuts for us! Larry Brown is without say an excellent coach with any amazing work ethic and we are very lucky to him as a Mustang! Our team is so exciting to watch and I can’t wait for the rest of the season! Pony up!

By Katelyn Hall

It’s a good time to be an SMU student and a Mustang basketball fan. Over the past few weeks, I have watched the Mustangs win every home game at our renovated Moody Coliseum.

It was so fun to cheer on the Mustangs with all the SMU students. I joined the MOB, the student fan group, so we sit at center court and cheer extra loudly. The ambiance at the games is incredible, with the student section packed and all of Moody sold out.

But one of my favorite parts about SMU basketball may surprise you: getting my tickets.  Every few games, SMU students line up extra early to pick up free tickets to the game. The ticket window opens at 7 a.m., so everyone lines up even earlier.

Last time, I woke up at 5 a.m. and headed down to Ford Stadium with my friends to wait in line with our fellow Mustang fans. We brought blankets and homework and chatted about our recent win over ranked team Cincinnati.

Right before the ticket office opened, Larry Brown and several basketball players came out to greet the waiting fans. The Hall of Fame coach even brought us donuts and coffee and shook everyone’s hands.

It’s so fun to see our campus united and proud to be Mustangs.

Pony Up!

By John Morrow

At 7AM this morning I found myself waiting in line outside in near freezing temperatures with hundreds of other students. I wasn’t there to pick up the latest Apple iPhone. No, I was there with numb feet and frozen hands that could barely text for SMU Men’s Basketball tickets. Crazy right? Not if you want to get into the game. Tickets sold out roughly three hours after the box office opened.

This past Saturday, the Mustangs faced their biggest test of the season. The Cincinnati Bearcats, ranked #7 in the nation in the AP Poll, came into Moody Coliseum for a chance to tame our Mustangs and put an end to our undefeated home record. The Mustangs, an unranked team prior to the game, took the court in front of a raucous, sellout crowd.  Moody was rocking for the full 40 minutes from tipoff to the final horn. When that horn sounded, the final score read 76-55 in favor of SMU. That’s a 21-point beat down over the #7 team in the nation. Students swarmed the court, lifting players on their shoulders and crowded around head coach Larry Brown to sing the alma mater.

Following the game, a close friend of mine said he bumped into an SMU alumni on the court who said he’d been waiting 30 years for a basketball team like this. With that win, SMU received enough votes today in the AP Poll to be ranked #23 in the nation. Needless to say, if the sports world hadn’t already heard of the Mustangs from SMU, they have now. Watch out, because the Mustangs are looking to shake things up come Tournament time in March. It might be a coincidence the Final Four games are going to be played in Dallas; but then again, maybe it’s not.

By Kathleen Batman

Men’s Basketball has never been a sport to draw a big crowd at SMU. However, within the last year the basketball games have become the place to be. With the renovation of our basketball arena, Moody Coliseum, and the hiring of Larry Brown as our head coach, basketball has become very popular. The atmosphere at Moody is absolutely incredible. I absolutely love going to games and supporting the team. SMU upset Memphis last weekend and the feeling in the student section was electric. It was amazing to see a ton of students in the crowd cheering loudly for the Mustangs! We have officially moved into the basketball era of SMU and I’m so glad to be a part of it! Pony Up!

By Shannon Conboy

What an absolutely incredible weekend in Fort Worth!

This weekend, I made the trip with some fellow SMU students down to Fort Worth to support our Mustangs! We got on the road early Saturday morning, starting the day off right at Bubba’s for breakfast which is conveniently walking distance from campus. After about an hour drive, we arrived at the house of one of our fellow SMU students to be greeted by an array of red and blue adorned by twenty to thirty of our other friends who had also made the trip.

After we had left the house, some of us heading to the TCU tailgate to catch up with some old high school friends, it was game time. Unfortunately, I’m not able to brag that we won and ‘fried the frogs,’ but I can say that we made a strong presence to support our ‘Stangs amidst the sea of purple! Sure, it was different than boulevarding before a home game, but I almost felt like there was an even greater sense of SMU spirit as we stuck together and were loyal to our team. It was a fun Saturday road trip, an awesome chance to hang out with friends outside of Dallas, and a great memory I’ll keep for years to come!

By Billy Hightower

Hail to the red and the blue, we’re the Mustangs from SMU!

 The clock is ticking – tomorrow morning the duel of DFW, a rivalry spanning almost 100 years between SMU and TCU, will begin. The series between the two DFW teams began in 1915 with a 43-0 win by TCU. Over the course of this series the TCU Horned Frogs have maintained at 45-40-7 lead in the series, but not for long! This rivalry is also known as the battle of the iron skillet. The history behind the iron skillet trophy fields back to 1946, with the rivalries between the two teams steadily getting more and more aggressive each and every year, the student council of SMU greeted TCU with the idea of granting the winning team with a trophy. Considering there was over $1000 worth of damage done to the universities by their rivals in the year before, TCU gladly obliged. After that first game, Derrell Tipps, TCU’s student body president was presented the skillet by Bobby Harris, SMU’s student body president. Inscribed the skillet was the phrase, “Presented in token of southwestern friendship to the winner of annual TCU-SMU football game. Student tradition sponsored jointly by student governments of the universities.” The question still remains…why an iron skillet? Many claim that SMU alum were frying frog legs at a tailgate before the game and TCU alum wagered them into the frog legs and the skillet to the winning alumni.

By John Morrow

It’s that time of year again! Football season is back in full swing, and we all know what that means. The Boulevard is back. We’re only two weeks into the year, and we’ve already knocked out two Boulevards in true SMU style. Despite the hot summer heat, we’ve been out in droves the past two weekends sporting our SMU spirit hours before kickoff.

This past weekend’s game was anything but boring. After trailing much of the game, the Mustang’s capitalized on a late 4^th quarter drive to take a one point lead over Montana St. with a whopping 12 seconds left. A game of small disappointments quickly evolved into a joyous celebration as the Mustangs start the season with a 1-1 record after losing a hard fought season opener to Texas Tech. Sitting in the front row as the final seconds ticked down reminded me of the TCU game my freshman year when we upset the Horned Frogs of Fort Worth in overtime for SMU’s first Iron Skillet win in years.

The season looks promising for this young, but talented group of mustangs! Pony Up!

By Liz Dubret and Phillip Kilgore

Hey y’all the Mustang Basketball team has their season opener this Sunday at 6pm! This game will be the introduction of Larry Brown and his amazing coaching staff! From the faculty, to the staff, to the students, everyone is chompin’ at the bit to finally see the Mustangs in action! There will be tons of programming hosted by the on campus organizations to help everyone get fired up prior to the game. SMU is debuting some new freshmen talent with Blaise Mbargorba, Brian Bernardi, Jordan Dickerson, Uche Ofoegbu, and Garrett Wilson. We look forward to entering into the Big East with this new freshmen class and can’t wait for our Hall of Fame Coach to get us to the Championship!

EDITOR UPDATE:  The Mustangs defeated Loyola Marymount 73-58 on Sunday, starting their season strong.  If you get a chance, we would love for you to come out and support the team!  Go Mustangs!