I remember when that happened. SMU was always a force in College football until that happenned. They always had a tailback who was so fast they looked like their feet never touched the ground.
Reduced (or none, I can't recall) scholarships, no post season play, and I think no national TV spots, just killed that program.
I remember when that happened. SMU was always a force in College football until that happenned. They always had a tailback who was so fast they looked like their feet never touched the ground.
Reduced (or none, I can't recall) scholarships, no post season play, and I think no national TV spots, just killed that program.
I was at SMU in 1987 and worked as a student tutor in the athletic department. SMU was paying players and was already on probation. The administration made the decision to continue payments even after NCAA infractions came down. The NCAA created the Death Penalty for these situations as punishment for repeat offenders.
The penalty included NO football games for one year and only away games the next year. SMU opted not to play in 1988 after not playing in 1987. There were other restrictions and a few alumni were banned from participating. It was devastating at the time and the NCAA has shown a reluctance to use it even in circumstances that obviously warranted its use.
The reality is that it was the price of big time football back then. Money, cars and jobs were flying around Texas like candy. And it wasn't just down south. I had several players confide that there was a bidding war for their services and SMUs deep pockets and success won more times than not. SMU paid the ultimate price for many teams sins.
It is naive to think that money, jobs, cars, houses don't still get distributed, especially at the more successful programs - there is just far too much money at stake. But now the payroll and distribution methods are far more creative. I'm not suggesting anything in the USC case, I have no direct knowledge of that particular situation. But down here in Texas, there is way too much smoke around some of the higher profile athletes.
BTW - the death penalty in of itself was harsh, but not the primary reason for SMUs long march back to relevance. The breakup of the SWC and subsequent conference carousel was a millstone. But the biggest hurdle we had to overcome was ourselves. The adminstration put in place draconian rules that prevented coaches from recruiting anyone until they were fully qualified. SMUs standards were well above any other school in Texas. In the last couple of years those and other ridiculous restrictions have been removed and we are on a level playing field with our peers. The results under June Jones speak for themselves - a winning season and 45-10 Aloha Bowl win over Nevada in his second year.