1976 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1976 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Ron Meyer, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 3–8, with a mark of 2-6 in conference play, placing seventh in the SWC.

1976 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	3–8 (2–6 SWC)
Head coach	Ron Meyer (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Wishbone
Defensive coordinator	Steve Sidwell (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Cotton Bowl

1976 Southwest Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Houston +	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Texas Tech +	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 7 Texas A&M	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Baylor	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Texas	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Arkansas	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Rice	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
SMU	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
TCU	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Hired in January, Meyer was previously the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), then in Division II.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 11	TCU	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 34–14	24,328
September 18	at No. 14 Alabama*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 3–56	63,203
September 25	vs. North Texas State*	Texas Stadium Irving, TX (rivalry)	W 38–31	25,539
October 2	at Memphis State*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 13–27	31,424
October 9	at Baylor	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	L 20–27	25,000
October 16	No. 19 Houston*	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	L 6–29	28,204
October 23	at No. 13 Texas	Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	L 12–13	50,000
October 30	Texas A&M	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 0–36	35,213
November 6	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 34–41	18,000
November 13	at No. 5 Texas Tech	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX	L 7–34	34,780
November 20	vs. Arkansas	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA	W 35–31	32,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1976 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OL 71 Mike Jusko Fr WR 21 Emanuel Tolbert Fr SR 81 Gene Ratliff So QB 12 Ricky Wesson Sr RB 40 Arthur Whittington Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 61 Charles Hunt Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Ron Meyer (1st year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

External links

• YouTube – Ron Meyer's initial press conference: January 23, 1976