2014 in This Issue

2014 Lettermen’s Association Hosts Annual the traditional In this issue Fall Reunion Hub of SMU Spirit. With  Life on the Hilltop The 2014 Lettermen’s Reunion was a success! The the band hall reunion took place on September 19th, in the South dedication  In Memoriam End Zone at Ford Stadium. The Lettermen’s Associa- and a block party to get  1920s Football Jersey Ac- tion honored Mr. Ray Hunt with the 2014 Honorary Letter Award. Dr. R. Gerald Turner, Athletic Director the SMU quired for Heritage Hall Dis- Rick Hart, and other SMU notables joined the Letter- community play men in honoring Mr. Hunt. The 2014 Honored Teams excited for the home opener against Texas A&M, there  Nominate fellow Mustangs include 1983-1985 Men’s Basketball and 1999-2014 was lots of activity on the Hilltop. However, the celebra- Women’s tions did not end that night! The Lettermen recognized for Hall of Fame and SAM Rowing. Mr. Hunt and the honored teams on the field during Award! Later in Saturday’s game.  Coach George McMillion the evening, as a Congratulations to our honorees! We look forward to inducted into SWC HOF part of the seeing you all back on campus again soon.  Ponies in the Press Mustang Band’s  Upcoming Events celebration of their new Fall Sports Schedules band hall, Lettermen’s Cross Country President Mitch Football Glieber presented Men’s Basketball an unofficial honor- Men’s Soccer ary letter to Women’s Basketball the band,

Women’s Soccer Come Cheer on SMU Football this Sea- are $15 per person. Children 8 and under are son! free. Volleyball This year, join us on the Boulevard for pre- For information about tickets to home or game food and fun at the Good Sport Patio, away games, please contact the SMU ticket Visit smumustangs.com for in- presented by the Mustang Club and SMU office at 214-768-GAME or visit our website. Athletics. The Good Sport Patio is located at formation on all 17 Intercolle- the northeast corner of Bishop and Binkley. The remaining 2014 SMU Football schedule giate Sports! Donors at the Mustang level and above re- follows: ceive free admission for themselves and their Oct. 4: at ECU (Greenville, NC) immediate family as a benefit of their dona- Oct. 18: vs. Cincinnati Welcome to our new Lettermen’s Board tion. All others may register in advance for Oct. 25: vs. Memphis (Family Weekend) members! $10 here. All walk-ups are $15. Children 8 Nov. 8: at Tulsa (Tulsa, OK) and under are free. Nov. 15: vs. USF (Homecoming) Jeff Courtwright — Football 1981-1982 Nov. 22: at UCF (Orlando, FL) Mark Crites — Football 1982-1983 The Mustang Club will also be on the road Nov. 28: vs. Houston Reggie Dupard — Football 1982-1985 this season cheering on the Mustangs along Dec. 6: at UCONN (Storrs, CT) Tomasz Kwiatkowski — Basketball 2009- with the Office of Alumni Relations. Registra- 2011 Wendell Washington — Football 1995- tion for all away games is open and may be We’ll see you at a Mustang football game 1997 accessed here. Away game tailgate events this season! Pony Up!

President’s Corner

Mustangs, what a great year it’s been on the Hilltop! We’re hoping the heat and humidity of Be sure to check out the photos from the reunion on the Lettermen’s facebook page and the summer will soon be behind us as we charge ahead into the fall sports season. It’s our newly redesigned website at smu.edu/lettermens. We hope you will consider attend- already been exciting watching our young men and women take the field and the court for ing a game or a Lettermen’s event this year and reconnect with old teammates and the Mustangs. Men’s Soccer has already celebrated a significant win over Duke on friends! You also still have time to activate your membership for 2014 and enjoy all of the Westcott Field ahead of opening conference play. Meanwhile, the volleyball team has benefits that come with staying connected to SMU and the Lettermen’s Association! You recorded a program-best 11 straight wins and is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches top can sign up online or give us a call at (214) 768-4000 for more information. 25 poll. The defending AAC Champion cross country team is off to a strong start with a first and a second place finish in their first two tournaments of the year, and we’re looking Here on campus the band hall isn’t the only thing getting a facelift. The new Tennis Com- forward to conference play in football next month as well, led by head coach Tom Mason. plex is nearing completion, with an opening date scheduled for later this fall, and an official opening celebration in early 2015. Perkins Natatorium, long time home of SMU swimming It’s been an exciting season for the student-athletes, but it’s also been a busy time for all and diving (and previously, the home of SMU Basketball!) has finally come down, with a our Letterwinners as well. Last weekend we hosted the annual Fall Reunion on the eve of new facility expected to break ground soon on the East side of US-75. It’s sure to be a our home football opener and welcomed more than 300 alumni and family back to the special facility for our swimmers and divers when completed. Hilltop. It was great to see so many of you back on campus as we honored the 1983-1985 men’s basketball teams and Fifteen Years of SMU Rowing! We inducted Ray Hunt, class If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope to get a chance to greet you on the Boulevard, in of ‘65, as the newest Honorary Letter Award winner, and later on Friday evening, I had the Ford Stadium or Moody Coliseum, or at another of our other athletic contests. Visit the pleasure of presenting The Mustang Band, the Hub of SMU Spirit, with an unofficial honor- new smumustangs.com for complete details on all sports schedules. As always—Pony Up! ary letter on the occasion of their new band hall dedication. The new facility will be a special place for SMU spirit for many years to come, and it was a joy to share the band’s excitement with the rest of the campus community.

It’s that time again! Be sure to activate your 2014 Lettermen’s Membership  Exclusive access to Lettermen's apparel. to continue receiving great benefits from the Lettermen’s Association.  Spring Mixer. Why activate?  Stay up to date with SMU Athletics news, events and special ticket offers.  Reconnect with old friends and make new ones.  FREE parking at home football games (awarded on a per game basis to the first 100 replies to the parking invitation email).  Contact the Lettermen's office for "anything SMU". We are here for you!  Discounts at area hotels, SMU Bookstore and more.  Cast your vote for - Silver Anniversary Mustang Award Recipient and the Honorary Letter Award Recipient.  Annual Reunion BBQ and Football Game.

 Priority Points - Five (5) points per year of paid dues plus an additional 25 each fifth Call or e-mail our office to activate your membership today! consecutive year.

Life on the Hilltop: Student-Athlete Welcome Back Event Ponies-2-Stangs Program for first year student-athletes. The first By Hanna Axene (‘15, Rowing) meeting of the year was held on September 14th. Athletic Direc- SAAC Vice President of Special Events tor Rick Hart spoke to our freshmen on what it means to be a Mustang, and on making the transition from high school to colle- With the kick-off of the 2014-2015 academic year at SMU, the giate athletics successfully. Freshman Football player Inoke Ngalo SMU student-athletes quickly dove into their training and competi- commented that “Listening to our Athletic Director congratulate us tive seasons. As student-athletes, we have the opportunity to on our achievement of becoming D1 athletes was cool. The meet- compete both on the field and in the classroom, but that doesn’t ing helped me realize the amount of resources we have in addi- mean that we can’t have fun along the way. The Student-Athlete tion to our coaches and our academic counselors.” Welcome Back Event at Dave and Buster’s in August was an opportunity for us to meet and get SMU student-athletes will also get to listen to Felicia Hall Allen to know other student-athletes, speak, toward the play games, and use the tickets end of September that we earned playing games about personal for a great cause. Every ticket branding and net- that the student-athletes working. The stu- earned—a total of 1,103,597— dent-athletes at was collected and counted, and SMU are striving to will be used to donate prizes to make a lasting local children’s hospitals and impact on Dallas, youth organizations. Gabo An- in their sport and in donie, a member of the Men’s the community. Swimming team and Vice Presi- dent of Community Service for SAAC stated, “We get to give back to the community by just having fun”.

The SMU Life Skills Department offers a multitude of resources to help Student-Athletes succeed; one of which is the

InIn MemoriamMemoriam John Roderick (8/21/44—2013) – A Track and Football letterman, Roderick played a crucial role as a wide receiver in the Mustangs’ historic win over a Roger Staubach-led Navy team in 1963. On the track, Roderick also set a Southwest Conference Freshman record in the 100 yard dash with a 9.3. Verde Dickey – (8/13/32—1/15/14) Dickey, a baseball letterman and a 1953 graduate of SMU, was an All-Southwest Conference catcher for the Mustangs and played alongside SMU Hall of Fame Pitcher Tommy Bowers. Adelbert Bartek – (4/28/33—11/28/13) – Bartek, a track & field letterwinner, competed as a member of a very good Mustang mile relay team in the early 1950’s with his twin brother, Albert. Gary Ferguson -- (9/20/36—1/2/14) – Ferguson, class of 1960, was a four-year letterwinner who went on to play professionally for the Cardinals. Tommy Armstrong -- (7/2/33—7/9/14) – Armstrong was a track and football letterman in the early 1950’s at SMU. John Roderick, Class of ‘63, 1944‐ Leo Fikes – (1928—6/25/14) - Fikes, a football letterwinner, played alongside 2013 Verde Dickey, All‐SWC Catcher, 1932‐2014 Doak Walker on a SWC championship team in the 1940’s. Dr. Walter (Smithy) Keller – (9/1/35—7/22/14) - “Smithy” played football for SMU from 1954-1956 and served as co-captain of the 1956 team. Walter W. Roberds, Jr. – (6/20/25—8/27/14) - Roberds played football for the Mustangs from 1946-1950, as a right guard for the two-time SWC Champions. Joel Krog — (3/9/35- 9/20/14) – Captain of the 1956 Final Four team, passed away on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at the age of 79. Krog helped the Mustangs to the 1955 and 1956 Southwest Conference Championships. He had game highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds in the 84-63 regional final win against Oklahoma City. "Joel loved the game of basketball," said Bob Prewitt, who was the SMU assistant coach from 1949-1967 and head coach from 1967-75. "He was a great competitor and a great team- mate. He will be missed."

1920’s Football jersey to be displayed in Heritage Hall Calling all Letterwinners!

Gerry York, Lettermen’s board member and SMU historian, recently NOW is the time to submit your nominations for the SMU obtained a special piece of SMU history from an alumni family. This Athletics Hall of Fame and Silver Anniversary Mustang jersey, originally worn by Henry J. (Choc) Sanders, was donated to SMU by Sanders’ son. Sanders played for SMU in 1928 and 1929, Award! Nominations can be made by any SMU Letterwinner and was SMU’s very first 1st team All-America selection. The nick- who has activated his/her membership for the year. name of “Choc” was given to Sanders from teammates who thought he looked like a Choctaw Indian. Though he had no Choctaw herit- The criteria for nomination for Hall of Fame members in- age, Sanders liked the nickname so much he decided to keep it. cludes: This jersey has been exquisitely preserved, so the next time you’re 1. Competed/coached at SMU for at least 2 years near Ford Stadium stop by Heritage Hall to see this great piece of 2. (Athletes) Awarded a varsity letter at SMU Mustang history. 3. Completed their collegiate eligibility at SMU and made satisfactory progress toward graduation 4. At least 5 years have elapsed since they last competed or coached for SMU 5. Gained national distinction through superlative perfor- mance in athletics, either at SMU or subsequent to com- peting for SMU 6. Established a personal reputation for character and citi- zenship which reflects favorably upon the university.

The Silver Anniversary Mustang Award is given annually to a former letter winner who has not been an undergraduate student at SMU for a minimum of 25 years. Nominees should be individuals that have brought honor to SMU, made contri- butions that have lasting and positive effects on his or her fellow citizens and has been a model citizen in his or her community.

Nominations may be submitted to [email protected] or through our website, smu.edu/lettermens.

SMU’s Coach George McMillion named to SWC Hall of Coach Mac is a 1955 graduate of SMU. During his time as a stu- Fame dent on the Hilltop, he captained the men’s swimming team and lettered in 1952-1954. In 1998, he was honored by the Letter- The Southwest Conference Hall of men’s Association with the coveted Silver Anniversary Mustang Fame, a branch of the Texas Sports Award, given in recognition of service and commitment to the Hall of Fame located in Waco, TX, community with a positive and lasting impact. Coach Mac and has announced its 2014 class of his family remain enthusiastic supporters of SMU Athletics and inductees. Among the newest induc- are frequent visitors to the Hilltop today. tees is legendary SMU swimming coach George McMillion. The other eight inductees include: Nolan Richardson (Arkansas), Walter Abercrombie (Baylor), “Coach Mac” began his coaching Otis Birdsong (Houston), Harold career at SMU in 1957. In 1971, he Solomon (Rice), Jill Sterkel took over the head coaching role (Texas), Mark Johnson (Texas and remained over the Mustangs A&M), James Cash (TCU) and until 1988. In 2012, McMillion was Andre Tillman (Texas Tech). inducted into both the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame and the Tex- as Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame. An induction ceremony and luncheon will be held at the Om- During his tenure at SMU, Coach Mac lead the men’s swimming ni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth team to eight consecutive conference championships and was on Monday, October 20th, at named conference Coach of the Year four times. He coached 78 11:30 AM. Visit www.tshof.org/ All-Americans, 15 NCAA Champions, and four Olympic medal- events to reserve event tickets ists. He also coached the US National Team in 1978, 1982, and and to learn more about this 1983. event.

NEW Lettermen’s Apparel On What better way to celebrate 100 Years of Sale Now! SMU Athletics than with the complete history of SMU Athletics? Purchase In Sports Mesh Caps Honor of the Mustangs: The Centennial  100% Polyester Sports Mesh History of SMU Athletics today! Availa-  6 panel, Medium Profile ble through SMU’s DeGolyer Library,  Structured Crown & Pre-Curved this limited edition publication includes a Visor comprehensive history of SMU Athletics,  Adjustable Self-Material strap authored by official SMU centennial with Velcro® Closure and PVC $20 historian Darwin Payne. Purchases may Pull-Tag be made online or by contacting the SMU

Lettermen’s Association at [email protected] or (214) 768- Call the Lettermen’s Association to order for fall delivery! 4000. Don’t miss out on this incredible history of the SMU Mustangs!

Celebrate the achievements Men’s Golf Ben Baxter— US Amateur participant of SMU student-athletes this Bryson Dechambeau—PING All-Region, Second Team All-American, quarter! Palmer Cup team participant, World Amateur Team Championships participant, US Public Links Quarterfinalist, US Amateur Round of 16 Austin Smotherman—US Amateur Qualifying Tournament Winner, Football Tangle Ridge Golf Course in July, US Amateur Participant Darius Joseph— Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List; Bilet- nikoff Award Watch List Men’s Soccer Taylor Lasecki— Rimington Trophy Watch List Idrissa Camara--- September 15-19 AAC Weekly Honor Roll Stephon Sanders—Butkus Award Watch List; semifinalist, 2014 Wil- Colten Habecker—AAC Honor Roll liam V. Campbell Trophy Ben Joseph— September 22-26 AAC Rookie of the Week Andrew Morales—Preseason All-AAC by College Sports Madness Men’s Basketball Michael Nelson—AAC Honor Roll Sterling Brown—Global Sports Academy U.S team team member— Damian Rosales—Preseason All-AAC by College Sports Madness 2014 Men’s Basketball Goodwill Tour Jacob Speed—Preseason All-AAC by College Sports Madness

Ben Moore—Global Sports Academy U.S team team member—2014 Men’s Swimming & Diving Men’s Basketball Goodwill Tour Team—AAC Team Academic Excellence Award Yanick Moreira—Angola National team—2014 FIBA World Cup Bryce Klein—USA Diving National Championships High Point Award

winner (3rd 1m, 2nd 3m synchronized)

Ryan Koops—AAC Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award Caroline Young—1 of 30 National Candidates for Senior CLASS Award; AAC Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 8 Track & Field

Lucija Cvitanovic—17th NCAA Heptathlon; 5th in European Cup Women’s Soccer (representing Croatia) Lauren Guerra—September 22-26 AAC Rookie of the Week Tova Magnusson—12th in NCAA 3000m Steeplechase; Second Team Shelby Redman—20th Career goal All-American Helena Perez—AAC Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award Women’s Swimming/Diving

Team— AAC Team Excellence Award Cross Country Isabella Arcila—College Swimming Coaches Association of America Team—Ranked 22nd in USTFCCCAA preseason poll Scholar All-American Honorable Mention Karoline Skatteboe—Won Bear Twilight Invitational, set school 4K Ursa Bezan—College Swimming Coaches Association of America record (13:38.4) Scholar All-American Honorable Mention Rowing Nathalie Lindborg—College Swimming Coaches Association of Miranda Zsigmond—All-AAC First Team America Scholar All-American Honorable Mention Savannah Moody—College Rowing Coaches Association Second Nina Rangelova—set Bulgarian National Record in 50M free-style; Team All-Region College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All- American Volleyball Team—AVCA Team Academic Award; Set program record of 11 Women’s Tennis straight wins Team—ITA All-Academic Team Janelle Giordano—USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team member, Global Challenge and European Tour Join Us at Upcoming Events this Fall!

October 2014

4th: SMU at ECU, Greenville, NC, Time TBA. Join SMU fans at Carolina Ale House before the game. Let us know you’re coming here.

9th: Tackles and Tex-Mex with Coach Tom Mason at the Miller Event Center at 11:30 a.m. Admission is $25.00—space is limited! Contact mus- [email protected] or 214-768-2582 to register. Valet parking available. 18th: SMU vs. Cincinnati, Time TBA, Ford Stadium. Register for the Good Sport Patio presented by the Mustang Club and SMU Athletics here (donors at the Mustang level and above do not need to register) 13th: The PwC SMU Athletic Forum—Panini America Luncheon Featuring Landon Donovan. $75 for individual tickets here. 22nd : The PwC SMU Athletic Forum—Red Mountain Resources Luncheon featuring Archie Manning. $75 for individual tickets here. 25th: SMU vs. Memphis, Time TBA, Ford Stadium. SMU Family Weekend! Register for the Good Sport Patio presented by the Mustang Club and SMU Athletics here (donors at the Mustang level and above do not need to register). Family weekend activities can be viewed here.

November 2014

8th: SMU at Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, Time TBA. Join the Mustang Club and Office of Alumni Relations before the game! Registration is $15 here.

14th: SMU BB vs. Northern Colorado, 6:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum (Women’s); SMU BB vs. Lamar, at 8:30 pm CT at Moody Coliseum. (Men’s)

15th: SMU vs. USF, Time TBA, Ford Stadium. Homecoming Weekend! Come back to the Hilltop and celebrate the spirit of SMU. Register for the Good Sport Patio presented by the Mustang Club and SMU Athletics here (donors at the Mustang level and above do not need to register)

16th: SMU vs. UTEP, 2:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum (Women’s)

22nd: SMU vs. Eastern Washington, 6:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum. (Men’s) SMU vs. Eastern Washington, 2:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum. (Women’s)

22nd: SMU at UCF, Orlando, FL, Time TBA. Join the Mustang Club and Office of Alumni Relations before the game. Registration is $15 here.

25th: SMU BB vs. Arkansas, 6:30 pm CT, Moody Coliseum (Men’s)

26th: SMU BB vs. Texas Southern, 7:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum (Men’s)

28th: SMU BB vs. Florida A&M, 7:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum. Women’s Basketball hosts the Mustang Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 28-29.

28th: SMU vs. Houston, Time TBA, Ford Stadium. Register for the Good Sport Patio presented by the Mustang Club and SMU Athletics here. (donors at the Mustang level and above do not need to register)

30th: SMU BB vs. Monmouth, 6:00 pm CT, Moody Coliseum (Men’s)