1936 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1936 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1936 college football season.^[1] Led by second-year head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 5–4–1 with a mark of 2–3–1 in conference play, plaching fifth in the SWC. The team played home games at Ownby Stadium in Dallas.

1936 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	5–4–1 (2–3–1 SWC)
Head coach	Matty Bell (2nd season)
Captain	Paschal Scottino, Johnny Sprague
Home stadium	Ownby Stadium
Seasons ← 1935 1937 →

1936 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 18 Arkansas $	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
No. 16 TCU	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	2
Texas A&M	3	–	2	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
Baylor	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
SMU	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Rice	1	–	5	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
Texas	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Entering the season as defending co-national champion, SMU had high expectations once again. They lost their first regular season game in two years when were defeated by Fordham at the Polo Grounds. Nonetheless, SMU was ranked 19th in first ever AP Poll, released two weeks later, on October 19.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	North Texas State Teachers*		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX (rivalry)	W 6–0		[3]
October 3	Texas A&I*		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 60–0
October 10	at Fordham*		Polo Grounds New York, NY	L 0–7	30,000
October 17	Vanderbilt*		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	W 16–0
October 31	at Texas	No. 15	War Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	W 14–7	16,000	[4]
November 7	Texas A&M	No. 12	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	L 6–22
November 14	Arkansas	No. 19	Ownby Stadium University Park, TX	L 0–17
November 21	at Baylor		Municipal Stadium Waco, TX	L 7–13
November 28	No. 18 TCU		Ownby Stadium University Park, TX (rivalry)	T 0–0
December 5	at Rice		Rice Field Houston, TX (rivalry)	W 9–0
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1936 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	Final
AP	19	15	12	19T	—	—	—

References

1. "1936 SMU Mustangs Schedule and Results". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
2. "October 19, 1936". CollegePollArchive.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
3. "Ponies pushed for win, 6–0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 27, 1936. Retrieved November 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "S.M.U. defeats stubborn Texas by 14 to 7 score". Sunday American-Statesman. November 1, 1936. Retrieved April 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.