Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in University Park, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South—now part of the United Methodist Church—in partnership with Dallas civic leaders. However, it is non-sectarian in its teaching and enrolls students of all religious affiliations. It is classified among "R-2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity".
SMU/Mockingbird station is a DART light rail station in Dallas, Texas. The station is located at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway (US 75). The station serves the Red Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line. It is the northernmost station to serve all three lines: the Red and Orange Lines continue north towards Richardson and Plano, while the Blue Line continues northeast towards Garland and Rowlett.
The Cotton Bowl is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, Texas, United States. Opened in 1930 as Fair Park Stadium, it is on the site of the State Fair of Texas, known as Fair Park.
Gerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in Dallas, Texas. The stadium is owned by Southern Methodist University (SMU) and is used primarily for games played by the SMU Mustangs football team.
Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park suburb of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the Southern Methodist University Mustang football team. In late 1998, the stadium was demolished to build Gerald J. Ford Stadium at the site.
Reverchon Park is a public park in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas. It was named for the French botanist Julien Reverchon.
The SMU Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. SMU was founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma A&M. They have been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 2024.
Peruna is the official mascot and fight song of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs, named after Peruna, a popular patent medicine. The name "Peruna" is given to each successive live mascot. The mascot debuted in 1932, and since then a black Shetland pony, Peruna, has been present at every SMU home football game except for one. The costumed mascot is also referred to as "Peruna." Peruna was selected the #10 Best College Mascot by America's Best and Top Ten in 2009.
The SMU Mustangs football team is a college football team representing Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park, Dallas County, Texas. The Mustangs compete in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). SMU joined the ACC in July 2024 after eleven years as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Danielle Ruth Fotopoulos is an American soccer coach and former player. Fotopoulos holds the all-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I records for goals and points, and was a member of the University of Florida team that won the 1998 NCAA women's soccer championship, and also the United States national team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was the head coach of the Eckerd women's soccer team until 2022.
The Southern Methodist University football scandal occurred in 1987 when the SMU Mustangs football program was investigated and penalized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Southern Methodist University (SMU), located in suburban Dallas, Texas, was the second-smallest school in the Southwest Conference (SWC) and one of the smallest in Division I-A, with a total enrollment of just over 9,000 students in 1986. From the 1950s onward, the team had found it difficult to compete against SWC schools that were double its size or more. As the 1980 season began, SMU had had twenty-one losing seasons in the previous thirty, including the last five in a row. As they increased their efforts to keep up with the bigger schools, SMU's coaches and athletic staff began using unethical methods of recruiting and retaining players. Schools in the NCAA were prohibited from paying a player to join or play for their team, and all players were required to remain bona fide students of the school they played for. According to ESPN's 2010 documentary film Pony Excess, much of the cheating took place with the full knowledge of school administrators.
Armstrong Field was a baseball park located in Dallas, Texas, on the campus of Southern Methodist University located where Westcott Field now stands. It first hosted SMU football from 1915 through 1925. It was the home of the SMU baseball team (1919–1980) for many years though at least the final four seasons were played off campus. The Mustangs, Southwest Conference participants, were a team of futility during their time at Armstrong Field, scarcely in competition to win the conference. Armstrong Field did have the advantage of being located next to an outdoor school swimming pool. Legend has it that collegians would sit in the two rows at the top of the stands to see the women at the pool instead of watching the ballgame. Some were hit with foul balls due to their concentration on the women at the pool. The pool helped augment attendance by 40%. Armstrong Field was closed after the 1976 season, but before the last game the players stole home plate and concealed it in the storage area of Ownby Stadium. The plate was signed by the players and ended up in the SMU sports information division. The final four years (1977–1980) of SMU Mustangs baseball were played at Reverchon Park before the baseball program was phased out.
The SMU Mustang Band, known as "the Hub of SMU Spirit" or the "Best Dressed Band in the Land" because of its 32 unique uniforms, is the marching band of Southern Methodist University. The band represents the University at football games, produces the Pigskin Revue during Homecoming, and performs at special university and community-related events. Founded in 1917, the Mustang Band is currently under the direction of Director Charles Aguillon, Assistant Director Paul Crockett, and Drumline Instructor Jon Lee.
The SMU Mustangs men's soccer team represents Southern Methodist University in men's college soccer. The team currently competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Mustangs made their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2024. In 2024 the Mustangs reached their fourteenth Elite Eight before falling to No.13 Seed Marshall 3–2.
The city of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings.
The SMU Mustangs women's soccer program represents Southern Methodist University in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I. The Mustangs compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and play their home games on SMU's campus in Dallas, Texas at Westcott Field.
Ray Willets Washburne is an American businessman, political fundraiser, and government official. He co-founded the M Crowd Restaurant Group, which owns Mi Cocina and other restaurants. He served as President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation from 2017 to 2019 and as a member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board from 2019 to 2020.
Christopher Joseph Petrucelli is an American soccer executive who is the general manager for the Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League (USLS), a position he has held since 2024.
The 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference men's soccer season will be the 71st season of men's varsity soccer in the conference. This will be the first season with fifteen teams competing in the conference, after the additions of California, SMU, and Stanford on July 1, 2024.
The 2024 SMU Mustangs women's soccer team represented Southern Methodist University during the 2024 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Mustangs were led by head coach Nicole Nelson, in her third season. They played their home games at Washburne Stadium in Dallas, Texas. This was the team's 31st season playing organized women's college soccer and their 1st playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
