Jones looks to return Mustangs to past glory
Brianna Ahern, Contributing Writer, bahern@smu.edu
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
June Jones traded in his lei for a cowboy hat and left the sandy beaches and tropical colors of Hawaii to come to Dallas, where the flowers are found at florists and the vibrant colors are in the stands of Ford Stadium.
Jones replaced Phil Bennett as the new head coach of the SMU football team. He has a strategy for winning that has worked for him in the past.
"He is one of the most well-respected offensive coaches in college football," said Emmanuel Sanders, a sophomore wide receiver for the Mustangs.
Jones was coming off the most successful season at the University of Hawaii when SMU hired him. His record was 76-41 in nine seasons in Honolulu. Before hiring Jones in 1999, Hawaii had an 18-game losing streak.
Jones hopes to have the same success with the Mustangs.
"I look forward to making you proud of SMU [football]," he said at a Jan. 7 press conference at SMU. The press conference can be viewed on YouTube.com.
The SMU football team hasn't had a winning season since returning from the death penalty in 1989. Nor has it been invited to a bowl game since 1984. The National Collegiate Athletic Association can issue a death penalty to an academic institution, forcing it to abstain from participating in a particular sport. The death penalty is given to repeat violators of NCAA rules and regulations.
Josh Bryant is a slot receiver on the SMU football team. He admits that he was skeptical of Jones at first.
"How much can one man change a team?" Bryant asked.
After the team's first practice with Jones on March 4, Bryant realized he was wrong. He said that Jones has brought a team of experts to help SMU, including an offensive coach and several special-teams coaches.
Bryant also said that Jones spends a great deal of time mentally preparing the players. This is vital to the morale of the team, he said. Although the team felt badly about last season's 1-11 record, Jones has high hopes for this year.
Jones replaced Phil Bennett as the new head coach of the SMU football team. He has a strategy for winning that has worked for him in the past.
"He is one of the most well-respected offensive coaches in college football," said Emmanuel Sanders, a sophomore wide receiver for the Mustangs.
Jones was coming off the most successful season at the University of Hawaii when SMU hired him. His record was 76-41 in nine seasons in Honolulu. Before hiring Jones in 1999, Hawaii had an 18-game losing streak.
Jones hopes to have the same success with the Mustangs.
"I look forward to making you proud of SMU [football]," he said at a Jan. 7 press conference at SMU. The press conference can be viewed on YouTube.com.
The SMU football team hasn't had a winning season since returning from the death penalty in 1989. Nor has it been invited to a bowl game since 1984. The National Collegiate Athletic Association can issue a death penalty to an academic institution, forcing it to abstain from participating in a particular sport. The death penalty is given to repeat violators of NCAA rules and regulations.
Josh Bryant is a slot receiver on the SMU football team. He admits that he was skeptical of Jones at first.
"How much can one man change a team?" Bryant asked.
After the team's first practice with Jones on March 4, Bryant realized he was wrong. He said that Jones has brought a team of experts to help SMU, including an offensive coach and several special-teams coaches.
Bryant also said that Jones spends a great deal of time mentally preparing the players. This is vital to the morale of the team, he said. Although the team felt badly about last season's 1-11 record, Jones has high hopes for this year.
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Hal Barnes
posted 4/30/08 @ 3:52 PM CST
Sorry, but the first game in all college football in 2008 is South carolina vs. NC State on August 28.
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