On Nov. 12, 1986, WFAA’s Sports Director Dale Hansen and WFAA’s investigative team reported on illegal payments to players in the SMU football program.
DALLAS — Watch a special presentation of WFAA’s 1986 investigation into SMU football — which ultimately led to SMU getting the death penalty — on WFAA+ on Thursday night at 6:30.
As Southern Methodist University (SMU) football gets ready to open the College Football Playoff on Saturday, it’s important to remember how far the program has come since the scandal from nearly 40 years ago that changed the landscape of the NCAA.
On Nov. 12, 1986, WFAA’s Sports Director Dale Hansen and WFAA’s investigative team reported on illegal payments to players in the SMU football program, leading to what became known as the “Death Penalty.” This unprecedented NCAA punishment, which put the SMU football program on hiatus, dismantled one of the most competitive football programs in the country.
WFAA aired a three-part investigative series that all centered around David Stanley, a former SMU player who revealed the payments he received and the involvement of top SMU officials.
The investigation showed how university officials, including members of the Board of Governors, were aware of and approved the payments.
In 1987, SMU’s football program was suspended for the entire season, a punishment never before or since imposed at that scale. The NCAA also canceled SMU’s 1988 home schedule. Scholarships were reduced, and recruiting was restricted for years.
And it all came to a head on WFAA in the fall of 1986.
Here is a WFAA+ special presentation that shows all three segments that aired on Nov. 12, 1986: