The Other Chip

You'll probably read more of this in the week ahead, but Sunday February 25th is the 20th anniversary of SMU's football program getting the Death Penalty.

I graduated SMU in 1986, nine months before the NCAA forced us to cancel the 1987 football season.  (SMU canceled the 1988 season, and resumed football in 1989.)

Any questions that there was significant corruption in the program were laid to rest a few weeks later when Governor Bill Clements (newly inaugurated in his second term) held a historic news conference that said he was involved in the scandal in the four years between his first and second terms as governor.

In many ways, I owe the early successes in my career to the fact SMU had great football teams in the early 80s.  For most of my four years at SMU, I worked in the Athletic Department's Sports Information Department.  I helped arrange media coverage for the football and track teams, both of which were national powers.  Because we were so good, we had all kinds of media attention -- national TV appearances, national magazines, bowl representatives.  There were always bigtime people paying us a visit.  I got to work with those people, and it helped me get ahead after graduation. 

It's a shame that the events of February 1987 came to pass, but in retrospect, it's the best thing that could have happened to the school.  SMU is now totally committed to running a clean program.  Academic standards for athletes are very tough.  We haven't won much in the past 20 years, but I know Coach Bennett has the program on the right track. 

And I'll always be thankful that SMU gave me an opportunity to succeed.