SPOTLIGHT ON DON MEREDITH:

Referring to himself as “Jeff and Hazel’s Boy” out of rural Mount Vernon, Texas, Joe Don Meredith was a 6’3”, 190 pound two-time High School All American Basketball player who once put in fifty-two points in a major tournament and led his team to two state championships. With a wink and smile, one could say, “He also played football,” leading the squad to a state title his junior season and he won High School All American honors as a senior. Despite a broken collarbone suffered in the seventh game of the season, he led the North All Star team over the South at the annual Texas Coaching School All Star Game, and scored 204 points in his high school career. His athletic talent, charismatic good looks, and Salutatorian academic ranking had most major colleges on his trail. Southern Methodist got him and he was the most popular man on campus. Concerned that he would not easily adjust to “a big city school” like SMU, or to Dallas, he was named freshman team captain and was elected as Class President which gave him a great deal of confidence. Football began well, named as team MVP, founding the SMU chapter of The Fellowship Of Christian Athletes, and teaching Sunday School classes. He was a two time All Conference and All America performer, setting school and conference passing and scoring records with his one season pass completion percentage record standing for decades. His leadership ability was perhaps his greatest attribute and he won his teammates’ loyalty with a dedication to his squad that saw him play with obvious concussions, broken bones, and serious injury. Considered “reckless” for his style of play by some opposing coaches and sportswriters across Texas, this made him a crowd and student section favorite, especially when mated with outstanding athletic talent. Third in the Heisman Trophy balloting his junior season, and putting up excellent statistics as a senior, Meredith was signed to a personal services contract by Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchinson after being named the MVP in the East West All Star Game, guaranteeing an income even if Dallas was not awarded an NFL franchise. Drafted by the AFL Dallas Texans and NFL Bears, and then immediately traded to the new expansion Cowboys, Meredith is considered to be the first, or “Original Dallas Cowboy” since he signed before the city even had an NFL team. Meredith learned his craft and took over the starting reins in ’63, going on to earn Pro Bowl nominations in 1966, ’67, and ’68 and was named the NFL’s Player Of The Year in 1966. Many believed he retired too early, leaving the game after the 1968 season. He became an original member of the Monday Night Football broadcast team in 1970, left them to work at NBC from 1974 through ’76, and then returned to ABC and MNF from 1977 until retiring in 1984. He sang country music tunes and acted in numerous movies and commercials, proving to be popular and successful at every turn. “Dandy Don” lived quietly away from the field and cameras, preferring time with his family. His number 17 was retired by the Cowboys and he was inducted into their Ring Of Honor, pro football awards that went well with his induction to the College Football Hall Of Fame. Long after his retirement and years after his death in 2010, Don Meredith remains one of the most popular SMU athletes and Dallas Cowboys players of all time.

While Meek observed his on-field product and was justifiably proud of Don Meredith and his accomplishments, he went into 1960 having two new professional football teams as intra-city neighbors and competition. Facing off on the road against Missouri in the opener, Meek was forced to wear the white home game helmets and red jerseys and watched his heavily favored squad lose 20-0. Mizzou’s first opening game victory since 1947 raised red flags throughout the SMU community with new concerns about the team’s potential. The business savvy members of the SMU Board Of Trustees were less than thrilled that attendance had steadily declined throughout Meek’s coaching stint and before the re-introduction of pro football to Dallas. Meek and his staff did not help their cause as recruiting was poor and there were few stars to attract fans to the Cotton Bowl though Co-Captains Jerry Mays and Glynn Gregory were highlight reel players. Mays had dominated as an All State lineman at local Dallas Sunset High School. He was named to the All Southwest Conference team before signing with the new Dallas Texans and in the AFL he again was dominant. Mays was a six time All Pro, captain of two Super Bowl teams, and the defensive end on the All Time All AFL team. Gregory was one of the greatest high school athletes in the history of Texas schoolboy ranks, leading Abilene to forty-nine consecutive victories and three State Championships. He was a two-time High School All American and made the All State team in basketball. He was offered a huge contract by the Cleveland Indians but chose SMU football instead and at SMU he lettered three times in both football and basketball. A rib injury slowed him in 1960 and with the Dallas Cowboys, he played six different positions in a four year career. The 0-9-1 record, the worst in school history, was actually more abysmal than the winless slate. The Mustangs managed to score only thirty-one points for the entire season! They were shut out five times, scored seven points in four games, and a field goal in one other. They managed a 0-0 tie against Texas A&M as their only “non-loss” but were horrible against Ohio State where they had thirty-eight total yards of offense while against Navy, they rushed for sixty-six but had zero passing yards. Tackle Ray Schoenke was considered a major “offensive threat” as his blocked quick-kick against Texas resulted in a score and he saved the A&M game with a blocked punt.

Despite having signed a ten year contract when he came to SMU in 1957, Meek found himself under fire and on the carpet after the Ponies winless season. He entered ’61 with a quarterback who had rare credentials. Jerry Rhome, like SMU’s 1960 Co-captain Jerry Mays, played at Sunset High School and the coach was Rhome’s father Byron. He passed for 1633 yards and was one of Meek’s few excellent recruits. Unfortunately, he had little help and the situation was, in the words of one writer, “…akin to being the captain of the Titanic.” Though Rhome led the SWC in passing, the team finished at 2-7-1, showed no All Conference selections, and suffered from a further declining fan base. Rhome transferred to Tulsa where he was a record setter, played in the pro ranks for seven seasons, and spent many years as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Of the few standouts, tackle Guy Reese later played productively on the defensive front for the Cowboys, Colts, and Falcons in a five year pro career. Surprising no one, Meek was fired though he claimed that SMU could not recruit effectively or play the likes of Ohio State and Notre Dame because “SMU made a commitment to be the Harvard Of The South” and academic standards were much higher than other conference universities. He remained in football, serving in a variety of capacities between 1962 and ’67 including Director of Pro Personnel for the Denver Broncos and a scout for the Cowboys. He was offensive coordinator for the U.S. Military Academy in ’66 and ’67 before taking the head coaching job at the University of Utah where he remained until ’73, posting a 33-31 record that included a very good 8-2 in 1969.

If interested in any of these SMU helmets please click on the photos below.