SMU fans have their own Witty/Dorsey moment

Submitted by jg2112 on

And as you can read here, they went significantly further than Michigan folks did in protesting the denials of admission to Dorsey and Witty:

After Jackson and co-recruit Jeremy Hall were recently denied admission by SMU's Faculty Athletic Admission Subcommittee, an irate group of fans formed a "We Are Not Going Back" committee. The faction, headed by members of the school's Lettermen's Association, asked for $300 donations to, in part, pay for an anti-Turner ad proposed to run this week in an issue of The Dallas Morning News unless the president apologized in writing to Jackson and Hall and allowed them to enroll at SMU in time for fall classes and football season.

"We are fed up, and no longer willing to accept the administration's position with regards to (specifically) the refusal to admit certain incoming student athletes to SMU," read an e-mail circulated within the group last week. "If these demands are not met, the gloves are coming off. It will be ugly and it will be very public. Enough is enough. We are not going back to the days of Phil Bennett and 1-win seasons."

Read more of the joy here:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/2010-07-15/news/at-smu-winning-on-the-field-is-being-sacked-by-an-unwillingness-to-accept-the-academically-less-gifted/

MGoDC

July 15th, 2010 at 2:04 PM ^

I can't speak for others, but I'm not concerned about SMU or the quality or lack thereof of their recruits. I'm concerned about our admissions process compared to teams we actually have to compete against regularly.

Trepps

July 15th, 2010 at 3:12 PM ^

I don't blame admissions at all for passing on Dorsey. 

Reports are Dorsey had a 1.9 gpa and a 12 act going into his Senior year.  There was no reasonable way for him to get qualified without serious questions being raised.  RR should have known that and not wasted the time, scholly and what little political capital on a kid with such a poor chance of meeting UM's standards.  This one made me seriosuly question RR's judgement for the first time.

MGoObes

July 15th, 2010 at 3:28 PM ^

those numbers are false. you really think florida and USC would've offered dorsey with those numbers? no. RR had permission to accept dorsey's commitment. admissions then got a new head of the department, this new leader decided dorsey would not be admitted. you need not question RR's judgment, at least not about something like this.

Trepps

July 15th, 2010 at 5:18 PM ^

Admissions never gave RR permission to accept the commitment.  My understanding is that admissions does not approve anyone till all their grades and scores are in.  Whatever provisional permission RR got in February was from the AD's office and not admissions.

We may never know what Dorsey's scores and grades were but it is telling that he ended up at Louisville and not Florida, USC or UM.  It is also telling that he spent his senior year at this goofy Lifeskills school and I think admissions was right to be concerned by that. 

The Original Seth

July 15th, 2010 at 2:26 PM ^

In the waning days of the SWC, SMU was a football powerhouse at the level of the great independents: Pitt, Penn State, Notre Dame. They went 41-4 from 1981-1984, with an undefeated season. Mockingbird used to be clogged with the school's incredibly wealthy alumni base and raucous townie fans; it was a sight to behold.

Their dormancy was self-inflicted, and imposed from above. Fans haven't rooted for them since because they haven't had a reason to, and there was a feeling of hopelessness given the smoking crater the school had become. But if they play well, the fans will be back.

Remember, that's Dallas's college football team.

MichiganAggie

July 15th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^

They do have a very, very rich alumni base.  This allows their kids (students at SMU) to drive BMWs and snort the finest cocaine.  It also used to allow them to pay their players an insane amount of money (hence their success before they were hit with the Death Penalty).

artds

July 15th, 2010 at 5:31 PM ^

Maintaining high admissions standards is nice if you can do it; it's definitely something to be proud of.

But personally, I don't see why someone who wants to go to a university to pursue athletics is any different than someone who wants to pursue Drama or some other form of entertainment as a career.

The students in the Drama department aren't required to be science and math whizes to get admitted, and neither should students who choose to pursue a career in athletics.

Professional sports are a relatively recent phenomenon in western history. Things that used to be regarded as merely recreational activities 100 years ago are now multi-million dollar entertainment businesses. If academia wants to continue to play a role, then its going to need to change with the times. Most have made some accomodations, and some like SMU are still stuck in the 19th century.