When espn announced a year ago they would air their final 30 for 30 on the rise and detonation of smu football in the 80s, who could have predicted how symbolic the timing would be. To this day, that decision remains a mystery wrapped in an enigma. About the author david blewett was a member of the 1987 smu football death penalty team and is a first time author. The mostly sexless sex scandal that shook espn deadspin. The team competes in the ncaa football bowl subdivision fbs as a member of the american athletic conference the american. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books. Dec 28, 2011 if smu is indication, scandal will linger at penn state for decades. Feldman wrote meat market, a terrific book that follows the ole miss coaching staff in 20052006. Matula, to air on the night of the heisman trophy presentation in december as part of the networks 30 for 30. Smu was the poster boy for the late south western conference. The book delves into the history of the university, the early years of ron meyer, and the behindcloseddoors running of the slush fund, among many other topics. Tons of books, dickersons biography is probably your best choice.
In the pony trap book, former smu football player and member of the death penalty team dave blewett, backs into. Espn s acclaimed 30 for 30 series returns tonight with its 52nd entry, hawaiian. According to the 2010 espn documentary film pony excess, many of these. Anyone who watched college football in the 80s, or watched the espn 30 for 30 episode pony excess, is familiar with the scandal at southern methodist university smu mustangs football team was found guilty of repeatedly engaging in payforplay schemes in flagrant violation of ncaa rules. Had vague recollections of him, so it was interesting to see his story. Sue baumann, who was represented by gloria allred, accused berman of making. I would recommend using the smu football recruiting scandal. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, southern methodist university smu was one of the most storied programs of college football. A primer on compliance auditing and forensic investigations in future. Blewett wasnt part of the documentary he never called the director back, wary of the media after his college years, and was not engaged with the. In the pony trap book, former smu football player and member of the death. New book reveals hookers, coke and xmas orgies at espn. Trailer for pony excess, the espn documentary about. With fred akers, dick anderson, ken andrews, harvey armstrong.
Espns 30 for 30 documentary series page dvd talk forum. Espn s film on carter high football fiasco doesnt pay tribute to real watchdog hero in texas, its always football versus academics, and no story says it as strongly as this. Gene wojciechowski shares a firstperson account of one of college footballs seminal events when southern methodist university was handed the. But in espn s 30 for 30 pony excess, former smu assistant steve endicott claimed tamu made the down payment on the car and smu officials helped him pay for it while at smu. Dec 09, 2010 espn s 30 for 30 documentaries have been a real bright spot on the channel, providing filmmakers a chance to delve into topics with the kind of depth thats a rarity in journalism, much less. Sports talk espn s 30 for 30 documentary series originally posted by red dog finished watching the marques dupree one the other night. This book is a great compliment to the 30 for 30 documentary on smu, but it stands on its own as a fantastic work. Maybe it invigorated them a little bit, too, simmons said. Ncaa bans smu from postseason, suspends larry brown. How many teams get to play their championship game in their home stadium.
Southern methodist university football scandal american football. From 19811984, a small private school in dallas owned the best record in college football. Finding redemption after being a part of smus death. In punishing smu, ncaa cites academic fraud the texas tribune. Southern methodist university football scandal american. Finding redemption after being a part of smus death penalty. Decades later, blewett was raising his children he now has seven with his wife when he became aware of the 30 for 30 documentary made in 2010 by espn about the smu cheating scandal. Trailer for pony excess, the espn documentary about smu. Craig james admits taking smu boosters gifts, calls them. The smu mustangs football program is a college football team that represents southern methodist university more commonly smu. Mar 25, 2007 this video is damn funny international rating. Trailer for pony excess, the espn documentary about smu s death. Southern methodist university football scandal wikipedia. Smu was founded in april 17, 1911 by the methodist episcopal church, southnow part of the united methodist churchin partnership with dallas civic leaders.
He gave several interviews as part of the espn 30 for 30. The mustangs of southern methodist university smu were riding high on the backs of the. In the 198586 season, james started at running back all season and rushed for 1,227 yards and was selected for the pro bowl. The posts top 10 ranking of espns 30 for 30 documentaries. This includes three volumes of 30 episodes each, a episode series under the espn films presents title in 20112012, and a series of 30 for 30 shorts shown through the espn. Dec 14, 2017 a pair of prominent espn personalities were accused of inappropriate behavior in a wideranging story published thursday in the boston globe about alleged mistreatment of women at the sports media. According to blewett, and an espn 30 for 30 documentary, it was. Directed by chip rives, the film premiered on october 18, 2016 and featured several former members of the houston basketball team from the phi slama jama era. Smu puts together the best football team in america during the early 1980s with. A year ago, espn s 30 for 30 series aired the u, a fastpaced, fascinating look at the meteoric rise and embarrassing fall of the university of miami in the 80s and 90s. Just like the book and movie of the same name, this series focuses on a.
Espns 30 for 30 documentary series profiled the smu football scandal in. As noted above, espn s 30 for 30 documentary series profiled the smu football scandal in one of its productions. Jan 12, 2012 craig james admits taking smu boosters gifts, calls them insignificant. Smu death penalty, pony excess, david stanley feature in espn 30 for 30 documentary. The pony express examines the smu cheating scandal and the ncaa decision to use the nuclear option for the first and only time in its history.
He also worked on mike leachs new book, swing your sword. Southern methodist university is the pride of dallas. Nov 21, 2009 its game over for two top espn execs whose illicit intraoffice affair needlessly embarrassed the network at the height of the steve phillips scandal. David mcnabb, longtime news sportswriter who helped break. David blewett could have let the most infamous moment in college football ruin the rest of his life, but he didnt. Espns 30 for 30 documentary series profiled the smu football scandal in one. He was the last white player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season until peyton hillis reached that mark in 2010. He was a member of southern methodist universitys team in the mid1980s that went from being nationally ranked to receiving the. Sep 29, 2015 smu has been hit with a oneyear postseason ban and a loss of scholarships over the next three seasons, while brown will be suspended for nine games this upcoming season, according to espn s jeff. This was after espn gave him the goahead months ago to work on it. A story of greed, corruption, and football at smu kindle edition by whitford, david, whitford, david. Sep 29, 2015 in punishing smu, ncaa cites academic fraud, unethical actions. And thus began a relationship that in a matter of months would metastasize into the biggest sex scandal in espn historya fatal attraction freakout, in the words of the new york post, where.
The smu scandal of the 1980s resulted in the harshest penalty in. Pony excess, a product of smu film school alum thaddeus matula, revisits old news clips, presents numerous new facts and features special commentary from all involved, who include nfl hall of. An inconvenient truth for miami was that they played their title games in the orange bowl. Espn has greenlighted pony excess, directed by smu film school graduate thaddeus d. As noted above, espns 30 for 30 documentary series profiled the smu football scandal in one of its productions. Dec 06, 2010 thursday night, mustangs coach june jones briefly joined more than 650 smu football fans and former players who crowded into a dallas theater to watch pony excess, an espn documentary about smu. The following excerpt from my forthcoming book swing your sword details what really was going on behind the scenes with texas tech and shows through the emails below just how orchestrated an.
He was a member of southern methodist universitys team in the mid1980s that went from being nationally ranked to receiving the death penalty, when the ncaa canceled its 1987 season. While it is certainly true, it misses the bigger picture. Espn s film on carter high football fiasco doesnt pay. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I want enough information to write a 5 page research paper. The bulls traveling cocaine circus that had jordan in hysterics. Visit espn to get uptotheminute sports news coverage, scores, highlights and commentary for nfl, mlb, nba, college football, ncaa basketball and more. As a kid i had no greater loves than star wars and smu football you know, besides girls. My interest in the football scandal at smu in the 1980s was sparked after watching and loving the. The phi slama jama era at houston was a focal point for an espn 30 for 30 documentary of the same name. Jan 06, 2011 are there any books out there about the smu football scandal. Sep 01, 20 anyone who watched college football in the 80s, or watched the espn 30 for 30 episode pony excess, is familiar with the scandal at southern methodist university smu mustangs football team was found guilty of repeatedly engaging in pay for play schemes in flagrant violation of ncaa rules. Get the latest smu mustangs news, scores, stats, standings, rumors, and more from espn. Ive read espn 30 for 30 paints the picture of smu representing the dallas lifestyle in the early to mid 80s.
I appreciated a lot of the small details that the espn movie left out. Latimore is referring to the espn 30 for 30 documentary. Smu puts together the best football team in america during the early 1980s with the help of bribes and payoffs, until the ncaa gives the team the death penaltya sanction from which the team has yet to competitively recover. Are there any books out there about the smu football scandal. Espn s 30 for 30 documentary series will take a look at smu football in the 80s when wealth and greed ruled dallas and the events that conspired leading up to the infamous death penalty in 1987. Only one person punished for red sox cheating scandal. Espn has suspended writercontributor bruce feldman indefinitely, according to sportsbybrooks. Watch the espn 30 on 30 show about smu for the basics.
The southern methodist university football scandal was an incident in which the football. Its taken me a while to figure out why i love espn s 30 for 30 series. Former espn college football analyst craig james, jumping into the fray of texas senate race thursday, said he. Johnson was and what the 1988 hgh scandal meant for sports is a history. Mattula, peabody award winning director of espn s 30 for 30 film pony excess about the smu football scandal. Pony excess is the 30th episode of 30 for 30 and thus technically the last episode, though there are reportedly a few more still on the shelf and it makes a solid bookend to the u. Southern methodist university smu is a private research university in university park, texas, with satellite campuses in plano, texas and taos, new mexico. What carter lost, an espn 30 for 30 documentary on the 1988 carter football team, will debut on espn at 8. Southern methodist university was a corporate sponsor of the texas tribune in 20. Espn settles chris berman sexual harassment lawsuit filed by. My interest in the football scandal at smu in the 1980s was sparked after watching and loving the espn 30 for 30 documentary pony excess. Jan 01, 1989 my interest in the football scandal at smu in the 1980s was sparked after watching and loving the espn 30 for 30 documentary pony excess. This includes three volumes of 30 episodes each, a episode series under the espn films presents title in 20112012, and a series of 30 for 30 shorts shown through the website.
Southern methodist university once had the best football team money could buy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a payroll to meet. The legend of eddie aikau, an examination of the life of a pioneering bigwave surfer. Credit espn with again showcasing a 30 for 30 wartsandall documentary. In week 2 against the chicago bears he caught a 90yard touchdown pass from tony eason which was. A guide to sports on the screen in the age of covid19 arkansas. Jun 09, 2014 in this video, professor kc johnson, who literally wrote the book along with stuart taylor about the duke case, explains what happened in 2006 and how the government and colleges are failing to. The most serious violation was the maintenance of a slush fund used for under the table payments to players from the mid1970s through 1986. The legacy of smu s death penalty and six teams nearly hit with one the death penalty is a topic of conversation to this day, though the ncaa hasnt used it in three decades. As meyer recalls for pony excess, a worthy and especially timely entry in espn s 30 for 30 documentary series, his mustangs were built to win. I read this book after watching the espn 30 for 30 on smu. The southern methodist university football scandal was an incident in which the football program at southern methodist university was investigated and punished for massive violations of ncaa rules and regulations. May 22, 2011 new book reveals hookers, coke and xmas orgies at espn. Blewett wrote a book about his experience on that fated team called pony trap.
Id honestly never heard of smu but after watching this documentary i wanted to know more. Smu will never be anything close to what it once was. Emmanuel bandoumel hit an offbalance 3point shot with 30 seconds remaining in overtime, and smu held. Finding redemption after being a part of smus death penalty football. The southern methodist university football scandal was an incident in which the. Smu running back eric dickerson, nebraska quarterback eric crouch and late alcorn state quarterback steve mcnair headline the 17 players and two coaches in the 2020 college football hall of fame. Jun 02, 2017 jadrian wooten rated it really liked it. Espn had a 30 for 30 special on the entire incident, including the medias role in uncovering the scandal, called the pony excess. Mattula, peabody award winning director of espns 30 for 30 film pony excess about the smu football scandal. New book, the pony trap reveals untold story of smu college football scandal 122012 the inside story from a players perspective on what really happened with the smu football death penalty scandal. Apr 30, 2015 craig james was one of the athletes involved in the pay for play scandal at smu leading to the death penalty punishment by the ncaa.
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