SMU looks west for plan of success
SMU athletic director Steve Orsini didn't have to look far for a set of blueprints on how to build a vibrant, winning program at a small, private university in the heart of a big city.
By the time Orsini arrived at SMU five years ago this month, TCU was already in the process of moving from a consistent top-25 football program to one that would end up in two consecutive BCS games, including a Rose Bowl victory and a No. 2 ranking after the 2010 season. TCU has turned into Fort Worth's team, enabling a university with an annual enrollment of less than 10,000 to draw 50,000 fans to big games in the fall.
"It's a great case study for us," Orsini said. "If they can do it, we can do it. I applaud them. You've got to admire the results they've achieved, and it's not just athletics. They have an all-time high in applications that want to come to that university. I don't think it's an accident that their football program, baseball and overall athletics program is at a high level. I feel there are a lot of similarities."
The first step for SMU to begin its quest to join TCU at an elite level was to generate excitement on the football field. To do that, Orsini felt the school had to hire a coach that could elicit respect from the community and be able to turn a program still feeling the ripple effects of the death penalty in the late 1980s into one that could compete at the highest level.
Orsini turned into a salesman, persuading about two dozen supporters to donate $100,000 a year for five years in what he called the "Circle of Champions" so the school could lure June Jones away from Hawaii. Jones had taken the Warriors to a BCS bowl and was looking for a new challenge. He came to SMU prior to the 2008 season and in three years has taken the program to two bowl games, including a win in 2009 in its first such game since the death penalty.
It has translated into a steady increase in fans in the seats at Gerald J. Ford Stadium just north of downtown Dallas. Football attendance is up 52 percent from 2006, going from 15,428 on average to 23,515 in 2010.
"We do think that Dallas is Mustang Country," said Brad Sutton, associate AD for public relations and marketing. "We do want to be Dallas' team and brand ourselves that way. We see Dallas residents coming out. We know we have more than enough college sports fans in even our immediate area to sell out the stadium every week. That's our goal."
They'll need about 10,000 more fans on average to do that. Winning games certainly helps. So does attracting top opposing teams.
June Jones Smu - News
Orsini turned into a salesman, persuading about two dozen supporters to donate $100000 a year for five years in what he called the "Circle of Champions" so the school could lure June Jones away from Hawaii. Jones had taken the Warriors to a BCS bowl
A cultural change was what SMU expected when they hired former NFL and Hawaii head football coach, June Jones, in 2008. Considered by many, as the potential savior of Mustang football, Jones' first season definitely did not go as planned as SMU posted
SMU (+650) should be Houston's biggest foe in the West Division and many think the Mustangs are the better team. Coach June Jones' squad went 6-2 in the conference regular season last year, but just 7-7 overall. The majority of starters return on both
"Coach (Dan) Morrison and Coach (June) Jones gave me good feedback. Coach Morrison liked the way I threw the football. He wanted to know what high school I'm from. He said they're definitely going to keep in touch. "Coach Jones asked me what type of
HONOLULU - SMU football coach June Jones will lead a delegation to Pago Pago, American Samoa from June 13 to 16 for the Fourth Annual American Samoa Goodwill Mission sponsored by The June Jones Foundation. In addition to Coach Jones, the delegation
June Jones Foundation To Make American Samoa Aid Visit - SMU ...
HONOLULU - SMU football coach June Jones will lead a delegation to Pago Pago, American Samoa from June 13 to 16 for the Fourth Annual American Samoa Goodwill Mission sponsored by The June Jones Foundation.
In addition to Coach Jones, the delegation will include SMU trustees Brad Brookshire and Paul Loyd and Mr. Loyd's wife, Penny Loyd, former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan and several former NFL players of Samoan descent, including San Francisco 49ers great Jesse Sapolu (four-time Super Bowl Champion), Denver Broncos Defensive End Ma'a Tanuvasa (two-time Super Bowl Champion), Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Reno Mahe as well as nine health care professionals, including certified doctors and nurses representing nearly 100 years' experience in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
This year, the Goodwill Mission will donate over $1,000,000 in medical supplies, equipment and medicine to American Samoa health organizations. The Medical team will once again be led by Ellie Taft who currently serves as the Clinical Inpatient Manager for Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care at Stanford University and will soon be taking a position at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. She will be joined by certified doctors and nurses representing nearly 100 years' experience in emergency medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. The medical team will coordinate a Medical Experience Mobile Station, facilitate a Sports Medicine clinic, and will work side by side with local medical professionals at American Samoa healthcare facilities.
In conjunction with Blue Sky Communications, the June Jones Foundation will once again award $10,000.00 in college scholarships to five high school seniors ($2,000 each) who attend a college in the United States. Scholarship recipients are selected by the American Samoa Board of Education. "We are deeply honored to have Coach Jones back in American Samoa. This is a great opportunity for our young people, our families and our government," said Togiola Tulafono, Governor of American Samoa. "We extend a big fa'afetai tele to Coach June Jones , his Foundation and all of the traveling party. We thank him for his significant contributions to American Samoa."
Coach Jones and the NFL players will also participate in several youth education initiatives that are sponsored by Mary Ann Taufa'asau Tulafono, the First Lady of American Samoa.
