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June Jones Hits the Ground Running
Mustang football coach June Jones is bringing his successful run-and-shoot offense to SMU. He has spent his first weeks at SMU hiring nine assistant coaches who share his experience as a rebuilder of college and professional football teams and recruiting 28 new scholarship players.
As coach of the Hawaii Warriors for nine years, Jones led his teams to 76 wins, two WAC championships and six bowl appearances. In 1998 Hawaii suffered its first winless season. The following year, the first under Jones, the Warriors went 9-4, the biggest turnaround in NCAA history.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity," he says. "I have a history of rebuilding teams. We're going to stay the course and get it done here."
Why did you decide to become football coach at SMU?
When you take risks professionally you have opportunities to reap great gain. Schools that are hungry are more apt to listen and are ready to make changes. It's easier to turn these situations around than going to someone who's 7 - 4 and who already thinks they know how to do it.
Steve Orsini (SMU director of athletics) has done so many things to put this program in a position to turn the corner. He has hired interesting and creative people who can get the job done. He's a visionary leader - I sensed that immediately.How are you going to retrain the team to the run-and-shoot offense?
It's going to be a challenge; we have to get everything we believe taught this spring and in 29 practices before the fall season begins. We teach in the classroom and on the field. It's a lot to do, hopefully we can get it taught quickly enough for these kids to believe in what they can do.You won't hear yelling on our practice field. We do things a different way-it has worked before, it will work here too. We definitely get our point across, and players respond.
I've had two positive meetings with the team. I'm sure they are hungry to get this thing turned around. We're anxious to get on the field with them when spring practice begins.How would you describe your new recruits?
It was amazing that in three weeks we were able to get the quality of kids we were able to attract. That says a couple of things for the excitement about what we're going to do as the coaching staff, and it says a lot about their respect for SMU and its academics. We had a lot of kids rethink commitments to other schools.I think a lot of these kids will play as freshmen. As I told all of them, I'm not into redshirting, I'm into winning football games. If they're the best player, they'll play.
What will attract alumni to attend football games?
Ultimately winning has to do that. Certainly SMU alumni will be proud of the way we do things. We're interested in giving student athletes their best opportunity to be successful in life, not just on the football team.
We're going to win a lot of games, but the thing that means more to me is what we're going to do in these young mens' lives.You're known as a coach who likes to give players a second chance. Did anyone give you a second chance?
Since I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a professional athlete. But I played college football for five years on three different teams and never got in a game. I was going to quit, but a guy named Mouse Davis, who was my coach at Portland State, gave me another chance - the rest is history.That's probably why I don't evaluate a player until I get to know him. I don't care what they've done before.
For more information about Mustang football, visit smumustangs.com. For season tickets, call 214-SMU-GAME.For a preview of SMU football, mark your calendars for the annual Red and Blue Scrimmage at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 5, at Ford Stadium.
Please change the uniforms. SMU is, and always has been, a RED, color team throughout its history. Blue is trim color on the jerseys or the helmet.
Actually Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue are the official colors.
Thank You,
Tommy Caughran
Football 1962-63-64
I can't wait for the season to start. Looking forward to SMU being a contender once again. Go Mustangs!!!!
Leave the Blue jerseys alone. Not that many great teams have blue as their main jersey color - only Florida comes to mind. There are plenty of big red machines to go around - Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Alabama to name a few.
Blue was the predominant color during the Dickerson-James-McIlhenny era, and those were some pretty exciting and dominate teams to watch.
Coach Jones we are very excited about what you are about to bring to SMU. These are exciting times for the SMU faithful that are hungry for winning seasons. Can't wait until next Fall. Go Mustangs! See ya on the BLVD!
My daughter is a Junior @ SMU and is really looking forward to a winning football season. Both my wife and I went to USC in Southern California and my daughter was brought up going to the SC games at the LA Coliseum. Besides watching the team win, she got accustomed to having a full house of 90,000 Trojan fans rooting on their team. While winning isn't everything, she does wish that the stadium was filled with SMU fans. She misses that electricity.