parks
How SMU broke from its scandal-stained past to become a 'new sheriff' in college football
Summary by The Waco Editorial Desk Lia Assimakopoulos, The Dallas Morning News , as published by Waco Tribune-Herald
· September 6, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Waco Tribune-Herald · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Waco Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Lia Assimakopoulos, The Dallas Morning News, as published by Waco Tribune-Herald Original story Read at the source Source published Sep 6, 2026 Indexed here Sep 6, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points The catalyst for this downward trend was a 1987 NCAA death penalty for illegally paying players. This penalty had a lasting impact, affecting the program for approximately 30 years.
From University Park, Texas: A college football program has undergone significant changes after a period of mediocrity. The catalyst for this downward trend was a 1987 NCAA death penalty for illegally paying players. This penalty had a lasting impact, affecting the program for approximately 30 years.
An oil and gas billionaire, Bill Armstrong, played a role in the program's transformation. Further details about the program's turnaround are available.
The program in question is associated with SMU, and its story is one of overcoming a scandal-stained past to achieve a new status in college football.
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Category: parks Published: September 6, 2026 Source: Waco Tribune-Herald Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? From University Park, Texas: A college football program has undergone significant changes after a period of mediocrity. The catalyst for this downward trend was a 1987 NCAA death penalty for…
When was this published? This article was first published on September 6, 2026 by Waco Tribune-Herald and curated for The Waco readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Lia Assimakopoulos, The Dallas Morning News at Waco Tribune-Herald. To learn more about how The Waco selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more parks coverage from The Waco, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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