Honored Jerseys

DON MEREDITH 17

SMU honored the legendary Don Meredith by honoring his jersey at halftime of the SMU-Houston football game in 2008. Meredith, who wore number 17 during his playing years at SMU (1957-59), was a two-time All-America selection on the Hilltop, setting a Southwest Conference record with a 69.6 completion percentage in 1957. The Chicago Bears then selected Meredith in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft, but traded him to a young Dallas Cowboys franchise for future draft picks.

Throughout his nine-year career with the Cowboys, “Dandy” Don was one of the Cowboys’ most recognizable stars, leading his team to three straight division championships and trips to consecutive NFL Championship games following the 1966 and 1967 seasons.

During the 1966 season, Meredith was named the NFL Player of the Year, throwing a career-high 24 touchdown passes that season. He was also named to the Pro Bowl that year, his first of two career Pro Bowl selections. In 1976, Meredith was inducted into the Cowboys’ “Ring Of Honor.”

Meredith is a member of the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame (1980), Southwest Conference Hall of Fame (2013) and College Football Hall of Fame (1982).

Following his playing days, Meredith had a successful TV career as an analyst on ABC’s “Monday Night Football.” He was known for singing “Turn out the lights, the party’s over” when the game appeared to be decided.

Meredith was selected as the 2007 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

Meredith also had an acting career, appearing in multiple movies and television shows, including a starring role on “Police Story,” as well as a series of commercials in the 1980s.

HONORED JERSEYS

ERIC DICKERSON 19

As one of the greatest running backs in college football history, Eric Dickerson had his No. 19 SMU jersey retired Nov. 24, 2000. Dickerson earned All-America honors as a senior in 1982 when he rushed for 1,617 yards and 17 touchdowns on 232 carries (7.0 yards per carry), helping the Mustangs to an 11-0-1 record and a No. 2 finish in the final Associated Press national rankings. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year behind Herschel Walker and John Elway as SMU captured the Southwest Conference championship and defeated Pitt, 7-3, in the Cotton Bowl. A two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year, the Sealy, Texas, native set numerous school rushing records, including career yards (4,450), season yards (1,617 in 1982), career touchdowns (47), season touchdowns (19 in 1981) and 100-yard games (28).

In 2009, Dickerson was inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2013. The College Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of their 2020 class.

Dickerson was the second overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

OOAK WALKER 37

Doak Walker epitomized leadership, sportsmanship, and academic and athletic achievement during his storied career at SMU in the late 1940s. Gracing the covers of numerous national magazines, “The Doaker” was a national phenomenon. The versatile Walker, who also punted, returned punts and kickoffs, and kicked extra points, earned All-America honors in 1947, 1948 and 1949. After starting as a freshman in 1945, he missed the 1946 season due to his service in the Army; however, by his junior season, his exploits on the field had become legendary, and in 1948, Walker became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy. In addition to winning the Heisman, Walker was a consensus All-America three times and also won the Swede Nelson National Sportsmanship Award while at SMU. He was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2013 and the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.

Walker was the third overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft by the New York Yanks.

FORREST GREGG 73

An SMU leader as a student and an alumnus, Forrest Gregg saw his No. 73 jersey retired Oct. 7, 2000. Gregg was a two-way player on the Mustang football team from 1952-55.

Gregg was a dominant force on both sides of the line as a collegian and earned All-SWC honors as a junior and senior in 1954 and 1955. He also served as SMU co-captain in his final year. After his career on the Hilltop concluded, Gregg moved on to a 15-year career in the National Football League. He played for the Green Bay Packers for 14 years and closed his NFL career in 1971 with the Dallas Cowboys. While with the Packers, Gregg won a pair of Super Bowl Rings in 1967 and 1968. He long held a Green Bay record by playing in 187 consecutive games, was chosen All-Pro eight straight years from 1960-67, played in nine Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. Gregg was part of the Super Bowl VI Champion Dallas Cowboys. When football returned to the Hilltop in 1989, it was natural that Gregg would play a part. He served as head coach in 1989 and 1990, and served as SMU’s athletic director (1990-94). He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in the fall of 2000. The award represents the highest honor the university and its Alumni Association can bestow upon an alumnus of the institution.

LAMAR HUNT 80

A great friend of SMU and one of its most distinguished alumni, Lamar Hunt had his No. 80 football jersey retired Sept. 23, 2000. Hunt was a member of the Mustang football team from 1952-55 and wore No. 80 as a wide receiver his senior season.

After graduating from SMU with a degree in geology, Hunt had a distinguished career as a sports entrepreneur. He remains perhaps best known for helping turn professional football into America’s No. 1 sporting pastime and was credited with accidentally naming the NFL’s championship game the “Super Bowl.” He was an original organizer of the American Football League (AFL), for which the Texas Sportswriters Association named him “Southwesterner of the Year.”

In 1960, Hunt founded the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs, and was a principal negotiator in the AFL/NFL merger that paved the way for much of the game’s modern growth. For all his efforts, Hunt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. As a tribute to his contributions to professional football, the AFC Championship Trophy carries his name, and in 1993, the NFL gave Hunt its Lifetime Achievement Award.

RAYMOND BERRY 87

One of the greatest wide receivers in National Football League history, Raymond Berry had his No. 87 SMU jersey retired Oct. 28, 2000. Berry was a two-way player who earned two letters for the Mustangs in 1953 and 1954. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native earned All-Southwest Conference honors and was an Academic All-American during his senior year. He was a 20th-round NFL Draft choice of the Baltimore Colts in 1955 and became one of the greatest draft selections in league history. Berry led the NFL in receptions in 1958, ‘59 and ‘60. He helped the Colts win the 1958 league championship by catching 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown in the title game. When he retired from the game after the 1967 season, Berry was the NFL’s all-time leader with 631 catches for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.