SMU football death penalty, explained: Revisiting the NCAA recruiting violations that killed 1980s powerhouse | Sporting News

The world of collegiate sports is full of investigations, scandals, and punishments. Programs are always trying to push their limits in order to land the top talents available in the country. 

While there has been plenty of discipline handed out by the NCAA, including lengthy suspensions and hefty fines, there is only one circumstance of the “death penalty” — and it’s as bad as it sounds. 

Southern Methodist University, a school based in Dallas, is the only program ever to receive the death penalty in college football. The Mustangs were hit with the harsh punishment in 1987 as a result of recruiting violations where they were paying players to come to SMU. 

It was a shocking sequence of events in college football and one that decimated the football program for the school. It’s taken years for the Mustangs to build itself back to relevance as a result. 

So, what is the death penalty in college football, and what led to the NCAA handing it out to SMU? Here’s everything to know. 

TSN ARCHIVES: NCAA ‘Death Penalty’ Effects Will Reach Far Beyond SMU Campus (March 3, 1987, issue)

What is the death penalty in college football?

The “death penalty” is a term used to describe the rare circumstances when the NCAA uses its power to ban a school from competing in a specific sport for at least one year. 

In football, there has only ever been one occurrence when a program received the death penalty — Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1987. 

Why did SMU get the death penalty?

SMU received the death penalty from the NCAA as a result of paying recruits to play for the Mustangs football program. 

In 1985, SMU was banned from bowl games for two years and lost 45 scholarships for a span of two years as a result of recruiting violations. At the time, the discipline was considered incredibly harsh, and it was even more shocking when the NCAA added a new rule that dictated a program would be banned for up to two years if a second major violation was found within five years of the initial violation. This rule became known as the “Repeat Violator Rule.”  

While SMU said it would stop paying the players, the boosters involved secretly were “phasing out” the money. Certain players were still receiving the money they were promised until they graduated. David Stanley was one of those student-athletes, and he eventually came forward about the money he and his family received. 

SMU was eventually caught when two envelopes addressed to the Stanley family came into possession of WFAA reporter Dale Hansen. He confronted SMU recruiting coordinator Henry Lee Parker, whose initials were on the documents, with the two envelopes during an interview with WFAA. 

Later, the NCAA handed out its harshest penalty in its history, banning the Mustangs from playing for the entire 1987 season. 

How long was SMU’s death penalty?

SMU’s penalty ultimately lasted over a span of two years. The Mustangs’ entire 1987 season was canceled, as well as all home games in 1988. They were allowed to play in away games during the ’88 campaign, but the school canceled the season anyway. 

The probation that already was in place from the 1985 investigation extended to 1990. The team’s ban on bowl games was also pushed to 1989. 

Here is a look at the total punishments from the death penalty. 

• 1987 season canceled, only conditioning drills permitted 
• All home games in 1988 canceled, scheduled away games allowed
• Existing probation extended to 1990; ban from bowl games and live television extended to 1989
• 55 new scholarship positions over four years eliminated
• Further discipline was promised if previously banned boosters had contact with the program
• Full-time assistant coaches cut down from nine to five
• No off-campus recruiting until August 1988; no paid visits made to campus until start of 1988-89 school year

MORE: Inside the money behind SMU’s re-emergence in the ACC

SMU death penalty timeline

Pony Express and Eric Dickerson

When Ron Meyer first arrived in Dallas in 1976, he came with the mindset that he was landing the top recruits in the state. Meyer set out to convince the best talent in the area to come to SMU, and in 1979, that meant going after running back Eric Dickerson. 

Dickerson was not just one of the biggest recruits in Texas, but in the country. Programs from all over wanted him to join their football team, including USC, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Dickerson initially committed to Texas A&M, but suddenly, he opted to go to SMU instead, drawing the attention of the entire nation. 

With Dickerson and teammate Craig James in the backfield, the SMU rolled out what was dubbed “The Pony Express” — a daunted backfield that ran all over defense. It helped the Mustangs to an undefeated season in 1982, the first with Bobby Collins at head coach after Meyer left for the Patriots. 

SMU recruiting violations

By 1985, the recruiting violations began to go public. The first one involved Sean Stopperich, a recruit from Pittsburgh. The offensive lineman came from a prep school background and was paid $5,000 to commit to SMU. However, his football career did not last long, as a blown knee from high school carried over into his collegiate career, and he left after one year.

Stopperich was a key witness for the NCAA, leading to the first punishment handed to SMU in 1985. 

SMU 1985 bowl ban

The NCAA first disciplined SMU in 1985. The governing body hit the Mustangs’ football program with two-year ban of bowl games, as well as the loss of 45 scholarships over that span. 

In addition, the NCAA created a new, harsher rule for repeat offenders. This came to be known as “the death penalty,” which dictated that a program would be banned for up to two years if a second major violation was found within five years of the initial violation. 

SMU 1987 canceled season

The NCAA continued to gather evidence against SMU as it became known that the boosters had not completely cut off payments to recruits following the penalties. Instead, they were “phasing out” the rest of the cash that was previously guaranteed to the players. 

SMU was eventually caught when two envelopes addressed to the Stanley family came into possession of WFAA reporter Dale Hansen. He confronted SMU recruiting coordinator Henry Lee Parker, whose initials were on the documents, with the two envelopes during an interview with WFAA. 

Later, the NCAA handed out its harshest penalty in its history, banning the Mustangs from playing for the entire 1987 season. It also banned the team from all the home games in the 1988 season, leading to SMU electing to cancel the entire season. 

SMU football returns in 1989

After not playing football in 1987 or 1988, SMU returned to play in 1989 — but the damage was done. After Bobby Collins built up the program, it went right back to underperforming in the Southwest Conference. SMU went 2-9 and 1-10 in the two years that followed, resulting in Forrett Gregg being fired after the 1990 season. 

Who was SMU’s coach for the death penalty?

Bobby Collins was at the helm of SMU when the program was handed the death penalty by the NCAA. 

The antics may have begun when Ron Meyer was in charge, who was at the helm of the program from 1976-81. He was responsible for the Mustangs landing Eric Dickerson, the highly-touted running back from Texas. However, it was Collins who was in charge 

Who is Sean Stopperich?

Sean Stopperich is a former SMU player who was the first recruit revealed to take money from the Mustangs. 

The offensive lineman was a prep school star in Pittsburgh. He was paid $5,000 to commit to SMU and moved his family to Texas. However, his football career did not last long, as a blown knee from high school carried over into his collegiate career. Stopperich hardly played at all his first year and left the school in 1985 after just one season, transferring to Temple. 

He was one of the NCAA’s key witnesses during its investigation into SMU’s recruiting violations.