Cowboy Assist

Troy Aikman Backs SMU Move To Big 12

Former NFL QB - Troy Aikman

DALLAS – Count NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas resident Troy Aikman among those who’d like to see SMU make the move to the Big 12.

“I think it would be great,” he said on Tuesday prior to his luncheon appearance at SMU’s Athletic Forum at the Hilton Anatole. “I’d love to see it.”

“I’ve somewhat adopted SMU as a team that I really pull for because I live right here in the area. The university is a neighbor of mine. Then, knowing [SMU head coach] June Jones back when he was in the NFL. I’ve been excited to see the job that he’s done and see them improve.”

Also, Aikman’s niece just graduated from SMU.

With Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, SMU officials have made public their desire to fill any available openings the league may have.

Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 last year.

“I’ve got a lot of friends that went to SMU,” Aikman said. “I benefitted at UCLA from a couple of them that had to transfer after [SMU] got the death penalty [in 1987]. You know, that was a tough, tough sanction. And they just now, twenty years later, are starting to come out from under all that.”

“I’d love to see SMU as a really great team again. And I think June Jones can do it. He’s gotten to this point and as you have more success in college, you have more players that want to come and be a part of that program.”

“I’m excited about their future. … Anything I can do to help their program, I’m happy to do it.”

Coaching? “No,” he grinned. “They work too hard.”

Any prediction for Sunday’s SMU- Texas A&M match-up?

“No,” Aikman said. “Two Texas schools. I don’t predict those.”

Notes:

*Troy Aikman played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989-2000, winning three Super Bowls along the way. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. This year, Aikman begins his 11 th season in the Fox Sports broadcast booth. He, Joe Buck and Pam Oliver make up the network’s top NFL broadcast crew.

*The PwC SMU Athletic Forum began in 1989. It hosts four luncheons annually, featuring individuals who have achieved extraordinary success in athletics. The Forum also produces the annual Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet. Proceeds support athletic scholarships and operating initiatives at SMU.