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THE HISTORY OF SMU FOOTBALL 1910s
On the morning of Sept. 14, 1915, coach Ray Morrison held his first practice, thus marking the birth of the SMU football program. Morrison came to the school in June of 1915 when he became the coach of the University’s football, basketball, baseball and track teams, as well as an instructor of mathematics. A former All-Southern quarterback at Vanderbilt, Morrison immediately installed the passing game at SMU. A local sportswriter nicknamed the team “the Parsons” because the squad was composed primarily of theology students. SMU was a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which ruled that neither graduate nor transfer students were eligible to play. Therefore, the first SMU team consisted entirely of freshmen. The Mustangs played their first game Oct. 10, 1915, dropping a 43-0 decision to TCU in Fort Worth. SMU bounced back in its next game, its first at home, to defeat Hendrix College, 13-2. Morrison came to be known as “the father of the forward pass” because of his use of the passing game on first and second downs instead of as a last resort. • During the 1915 season, the Mustangs posted a record of 2-5 and scored just three touchdowns while giving up 131 points. SMU recorded the first shutout in school history with a 7-0 victory over Dallas University that year. • SMU finished the 1916 season 0-8-2 and suffered its worst loss ever, a 146-3 drubbing by Rice. The Mustangs were outscored, 455-27, by their opponents while managing ties against Austin College (0-0) and Southwestern (9-9). Ray Morrison left SMU following the 1916 season to work with the Army YMCA at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., as Director of Sports and Recreation. He returned to SMU in 1920 to organize a Department of Physical Education. • J. Burton Rix became the second head football coach in 1917 and guided SMU to its first winning season (3-2-3). • In 1918, SMU became a member of the Southwest Conference, joining Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State). Record for the decade: 14-21-6
Ray Morrison was SMU's first football coach and also coached the basketball, baseball & track teams on the Hilltop
Ownby Stadium was built in 1926
1920s
The 1920s brought the first two Southwest Conference football championships and a new stadium to the Hilltop. After Rix led the Ponies to a combined 4-11-3 record in the decade’s first two years, Ray Morrison returned as coach in 1922 and guided SMU to the first of 10 consecutive winning seasons. Sportswriters billed the Mustangs the “Aerial Circus,” in reference to Morrison’s passing offense. At a time when most teams threw the ball five or six times per game, SMU passed between 30 and 40 times per contest. The Mustangs recorded a perfect 9-0 mark and won the school’s first conference title one year later in 1923. In 1926, Ownby Stadium was built, named after SMU alumnus and strong supporter of athletics Jordan C. Ownby. SMU defeated North Texas State Teachers College, 42-0, Sept. 24, 1926, in the first game at Ownby. Quarterback Gerald Mann, known as “The Little Red Arrow” because of his strong, accurate passing, was a member of the first Mustang team to play in Ownby Stadium and, as part of his scholarship chores, helped plant the grass on the stadium playing field. SMU steamrolled over its first three opponents that year, shutting out North Texas State, Trinity and Centenary by a combined score of 127-0. Missouri was the only roadblock for the Mustangs in their 8-0-1 season, managing a 7-7 tie. • In 1922, end Gene Bedford and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, becoming the first Mustang players to achieve that honor. Bedford became the first player from SMU to play professionally when he played for the Rochester Jeffersons in 1925. • The Mustangs made their first bowl appearance in 1924, playing against West Virginia Wesleyan in the Dixie Classic on New Year’s Day. The game, played at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas, was the predecessor to the Cotton Bowl. WVW spoiled SMU’s 18-game unbeaten streak with a 9-7 victory. • In the spring of 1926, Morrison decided that it would be important to find a left-handed quarterback for the upcoming Southwest Conference season. Gerald Mann, who was the Mustangs’ right-handed quarterback, told Morrison that he would have his left-handed quarterback before the season began. Not eager to lose his duty as signal-caller, Mann reported to fall practice ready to throw left-handed.
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• Guard Choc Sanders became SMU’s first All-America player in 1928. Sanders was also the Southwest Conference's first All-America selection. Tackle Marion Hammon became the Mustangs' second All-American one year later. Record for the decade: 56-22-16
1930s
The Mustang football program continued its rapid ascent to national prominence during the 1930s. SMU won its first national championship in 1935 after posting a 12-win season under the guidance of first-year head coach Matty Bell. Known as a player’s coach, Bell brought discipline to his team, and he spent time listening and talking to his players. Fullback Harry Shuford and tackle Truman “Big Dog” Spain were two prominent players on the national championship team. A tri-captain, Shuford was the Mustangs’ best running back during the 1935 season, but injury forced him to miss the season’s most critical contest.
Matty Bell led SMU to the 1935 National Title and later coached Doak Walker to the Heisman Trophy