Southern Methodist University

=== Athletics===
{{Main|SMU Mustangs}}

Southern Methodist University's athletic teams are known as the Mustangs and participate in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]], with the [[SMU Mustangs football|football team]] competing as a member of [[Football Bowl Subdivision|Division I FBS]].  The football team plays at [[Gerald J. Ford Stadium]] on the SMU campus. The Mustangs compete in the [[American Athletic Conference]] (previously named the [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East Conference]]) for all sports beginning in the 2013–14 season. Prior to that, the Mustangs participated in the now-defunct [[Southwest Conference]] and the [[Western Athletic Conference]].On September 1, 2023, it was announced that SMU will join the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] starting in the 2024 season.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sherrington|first=Kevin|date=September 1, 2023|title=SMU reaches promised land with ACC invite, a Texas detour for Tobacco Road|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/smu-mustangs/2023/09/01/smu-reaches-promised-land-with-acc-invite-a-texas-detour-for-tobacco-road/|url-status=live|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|location=University Park, Texas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920111351/https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/smu-mustangs/2023/09/01/smu-reaches-promised-land-with-acc-invite-a-texas-detour-for-tobacco-road/|archive-date=September 20, 2023|access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Foster|first=Matt|date=September 1, 2023|title=Stanford, Cal and SMU to join Atlantic Coast Conference |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/01/sport/stanford-cal-smu-atlantic-coast-conference-spt-intl/index.html|url-status=live|work=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921022502/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/01/sport/stanford-cal-smu-atlantic-coast-conference-spt-intl/index.html|archive-date=September 21, 2023|access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref> 

[[File:SMU_football_fans.jpg|left|thumb|SMU football fans]]

SMU's closest rival in athletics is [[TCU Horned Frogs|Texas Christian University]] (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. In football, SMU and [[TCU Horned Frogs football|TCU]] compete annually (with the exception of 2006) for the [[Battle for the Iron Skillet|Iron Skillet]]. In 2005, a nationally unranked SMU beat then 24th-ranked TCU for SMU's first win against a ranked team in 19 years (since October 1986).<ref>Associated Press (Dallas), September 10, 2005. [http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=252532567 "TCU's 6-game winning streak vs. SMU ends"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104083059/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=252532567 |date=November 4, 2012 }}. ESPN.com</ref> SMU also competes annually with [[Rice Owls football|Rice University]] in football for the "Mayor's Cup," a traveling trophy that has been created to enhance the Rice-SMU rivalry, which dates back to 1916. SMU has won seven more games (48-41-1) than Rice in their rivalry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=4394&SnID=2|title=Operation Sellout II Aims for Bigger Season Opener|last=Kaplan|first=David|date=August 27, 1998|publisher=Rice News & Media Relations|access-date=July 23, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123040531/http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=4394&SnID=2|archive-date=November 23, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1985, SMU had one of the strongest programs in Division I-A (now FBS). They posted a record of 55–14–1, and finished these seasons ranked No. 21, No. 7, No. 2, No. 19, and No. 8 in the nation. These "winningest" years concluded with the Death Penalty on February 25, 1987, due to repeated violations conducted by boosters. The [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] administered the [[Death penalty (NCAA)|"death penalty"]] for [[Southern Methodist University football scandal|repeated, flagrant recruiting violations]]. Components included cancellation of the entire 1987 season, a two-year ban from bowl appearances, a two-year ban from television appearances, a limit of seven games, all on road, in the 1988 season, a loss of three assistant coaching positions for two years and a loss of 55 new scholarships over four years. Players were allowed to transfer without sitting out one season, per standard requirement. SMU responded to the combination of these conditions by canceling the 1988 season outright.<ref name="deathpenalty" />

The [[Doak Walker Award]] is an annual collegiate award given to the nation's "most outstanding college running back" for his accomplishments on the field, achievement in the classroom and citizenship in the community. It was established in 1989 and is named after SMU [[Heisman Trophy]] winner [[Doak Walker]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smu.edu/doakwalker/|title=Doak Walker Award|year=2012|website=DoakWalkerAward.com|access-date=April 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415190855/http://smu.edu/doakwalker/|archive-date=April 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://smu.edu/doakwalker/doak_legends_award.asp|title=PwC Doak Walker Legends Award|year=2012|website=DoakWalkerAward.com|access-date=April 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525071302/http://smu.edu/doakwalker/doak_legends_award.asp|archive-date=May 25, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[June Jones]] was named the head football coach at SMU in 2008. He brought a record of 76–41, all at the [[Hawaii Warriors football|University of Hawai{{okina}}i]], where he won more games than any other coach in school history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/07/smu-slaps-pitt-in-bbva-compass-bowl/|title=SMU slaps Pitt in BBVA Compass Bowl|date=January 7, 2012|website=Collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com|access-date=November 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627053402/http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/07/smu-slaps-pitt-in-bbva-compass-bowl/|archive-date=June 27, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Jones stepped down in 2014 as Head Coach after a 0–2 start to the 2014 season, in which the team was outscored 88–6. He was succeeded by former [[Clemson Tigers football|Clemson]] assistant [[Chad Morris]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Clemson assistant Chad Morris the new coach at SMU|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/12/01/clemson-assistant-chad-morris-the-new-coach-at-smu/19748813/|access-date=2021-02-11|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709155624/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/12/01/clemson-assistant-chad-morris-the-new-coach-at-smu/19748813/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Chad Morris led SMU to the Frisco Bowl in 2017 in his third season before departing for the University Of Arkansas. Current head coaches of the men's football and basketball programs are [[Rhett Lashlee]] and [[Tim Jankovich]], having started in 2021 and 2016 respectively.

The SMU football program has produced many professional football standouts, such as [[Don Meredith]], [[Doak Walker]], [[Kyle Rote]], [[Eric Dickerson]], [[Jerry Ball]], and [[Craig James (running back)|Craig James]]. As of May 2021, nineteen Mustangs were active in the National Football League, including wide receiver [[Emmanuel Sanders]] ([[Buffalo Bills]]), wide receiver [[Cole Beasley]] ([[Buffalo Bills]]), tackle [[Kelvin Beachum]] ([[Pittsburgh Steelers]]), wide receiver [[Courtland Sutton]] ([[Denver Broncos]]), and wide receiver [[Trey Quinn]] ([[Washington Redskins|Washington Football Team).]]