2018 Edition
Click logo to go to the current page!

 
Click to see the Conference Family Portrait original ad! Cover - Inside - Back
Read my interview with artist Don Collins @ Uni Watch

Welcome to a trip back to the old Southwest Conference!
Most notably I include Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, and Texas Tech.
SWC football ended in 1995 after Arkansas fled to the SEC in 1990.

I started this website a long time ago - and have been running a virtual SWC for 12 years now.
Column on the left includes historical links to all things Southwest Conference - many of the links are pages researched and developed by me.
In the middle column is the running blog commentary for the current year.
The right column is the virtual standings, a uniform wrap-up for the current year, and links to the pages from other years.


Traditions
Sounds of the SWC
Hand Signs

Longhorn Band Traditions Site
The Aggie Ring
Aggie Traditions Timeline
University of Houston Athletic Traditions
SMU Band and Traditions
Halftime scripts from The MOB

Birth of Sic'em Bears
Frog Horns History
The Whole Story behind Pony Ears

How Sammy the Owl got his name
U of H History of the Cougar
Baylor Mascot History
TCU Horned Frog Mascot History
History of the Masked Rider
Creation of Raider Red


Memorabilia
SWC Football Programs
Another 100 Programs Added!


   
Texas - TAMU  Texas - OU  Bowl Games

Humble Schedule Decals
Other Humble SWC Memorabilia
Humble Ads in SWC Football Programs

Bowl Game Souvenirs
SWC Buttons
SWC Pennants

Ad for Humble Decals


SWC Mascot/Logo Project
SWC Logos
SWC Mascot Artwork
Bill McClanahan SMU Art

History of the Longhorn Logo
Arkansas Razorback History
100 Years of Razorback Logo
Running Hog on the Helmet

SWC Football Helmet History


History
My SWC Champions Site
Neat Texas OU Look Back
UT's Tower
SMU Football Greatest Moments
Amazing Archive of Arkansas Photos
1947 Texas Tech Promo video

A Look Back at the SWC
SWC Timeline
February 25th

Earl vs. Bevo




Earl vs. Rice's Michael Downs

The Story Behind the Play - Revisited

Historical SWC Bowl Games
1954 Cotton Bowl
1957 Sugar Bowl
1961 Sugar Bowl
1969 Cotton Bowl
1970 Cotton Bowl
1973 Gator Bowl
1974 Peach Bowl
1989 All American Bowl
1995 Copper Bowl
1977 Texas OU

Orange Bowl History

Books on SWC Football


Unis
SWC Uni Database - TBD
2018 SWC Uni Tracker
2017 SWC Uni Tracker
2016 SWC Uni Tracker
2015 SWC Uni Tracker
2014 SWC Uni Tracker
2013 SWC Uni Tracker


How Texas Tech became the Red Raiders


Broadcasts
All SWC Radio Broadcasters
Humble Football Broadcast History
Kern Tips (dead link)
Kern Tips Bio Info
Kern Tips & Chronicle Sports
Kern Tips Links
Golden Voices of Football
Frank Fallon
Dave Campbell and Frank Fallon inducted into TSHoF
Eddie Barker


1956 A&M-Texas Game Highlights


Articles
Time has run out on the Southwest Conference, but what a time it was

Fronteir Justice (a story about TCU football)

End of an Era: 81-Year Tradition Will Take One Last Breath

10 years later

Silver Taps for the SWC (search page for "Silver Taps")

The Dying Days of the SWC

Life was good in the old Southwest Conference

It Was a Conference with Charachter



Links
Awesome SWC Site - Thompsonian


University Archives
Texas Tech Game Programs


Live Streaming Audio
Texas Longhorns audio



20 Year Look Back
2015 marked 20 years since the last official Southwest Conference games had been played. While the SWC ended in 1996, the last year for football was 1995. Throughout the 2015 football season I looked back at those last official games. Leaving them here this year since 1996 was the official end of the SWC and I still need to load some of the games.

Arkansas @ SMU
9/2/95
SMU won 17-14 in a thriller that went down to the final minute. Arkansas had one more chance and drove the ball down to the one yard line on a six minute drive. With 56 seconds left, Arkansas fumbled the snap trying to get it in the endzone and SMU recovered. That was the only win the ponies got in 1995 and Arkansas went on to win its SEC division title and its first winning season of the 90s. Check the 5:10 mark of this video for game highlights. Here is the original NCAA Official Scoring Summary (an amazing handwritten 13 sheets of paper - old school, baby)! Note: Arkansas had already fled to the SEC (because of basketball - SEC was about basketball back then) - technically I probably should not include this game.

Texas @ SMU
9/30/95
Apparently a yawner per some of the reviews. One of those articles from the UT paper says SMU didn't belong in the game - this the week afer they beat Arkansas and Texas got whipped by Notre Dame. Although Arkansas sucked back then (why the fled to the SEC for basketball). Texas ran up a season high 558 yards (341 on the ground mostly on the back of Shon Mitchell (his first game over 100 yards - 185 to be exact) with a hobbled Ricky Williams only carrying 9 times for 48). Game video with Celebrating SWC intro here. Complete stats here.

Houston @ TCU
10/7/95
TCU beat an undefeated Houston (4-0) 31-21 in Fort Worth. The defense was able to shut out the Coogs in the first half. Andre Davis set a school record with the 14th 100-yd rushing game of his career while Knake established a TCU record of 45, topping the legendary Sammy Baugh's 44. It was the largest crowd to watch a TCU/Houston game at Amon Carter at the time (34,684). Game summary here.

Rice @ Texas
10/7/95
Horns scored on their first three posessions but stalled in the 2nd quarter. Rice racked up 253 yards and were tied 13-13 at the half. The Horns had a strong second half capped off by two 4th quarter touchdowns by the still injured Ricky Williams - making it 24 unanswered points. Texas wins in Austin 37-13. Daily Texan article - game summary in the second article on that page.

A&M @ Texas Tech
10/7/95
Simply one of the biggest games of the year! Tied up 7-7 at the half, the remaining two quarters of the game was a defensive struggle... until the last Aggie possession. This was the infamous Zach Thomas INT game winning touchdown with 30 seconds left! An unranked Tech beat #8 Texas A&M 14-7. Spike Dykes' first win over a top 10 team and first win over a top ranked team in 17 years. The phrase "Wreck 'em Tech" may not have stemmed from this game - but it was surely born here! Game stats here.


Baylor @ Houston
10/14/95
A whipping... 49-7. Baylor gained 591 yards against the Coogs in the Astrodome! It was the first 500 plus yard game for Baylor since SMU in 1984. Baylor held Houston to 178 yards (compared to 401 in the previous game against TCU) and chased Chuck Clements out of the pocket all night. Baylor Lariat article.

SMU @ Texas A&M
10/14/95
SMU led most of the game and was leading 17-13 with 56 seconds left to play. The Aggies, without Leeland McElroy, drove it 70 yards in five plays and scored with only eight seconds left to avoid the upset and secure a 20-17 victory at Kyle Field.

TCU @ Rice
10/14/95
Rice led 14-10 at half time. But TCU rallied - catching up in the 3rd quarter and taking over in the 4th to win 33-28. Game summary here.

Rice @ Texas Tech
10/21/95
Owls fell behind early but launched a furious 18 unanswered points rally sparked by Chad Nelson replacing an injured Josh LaRocca in the waning minutes of 3rd quarter. At 24-18, the Owls defense could not stop Zebbie Letheridge and Byron Hanspard. Rice had a couple more chances: one due to a dropped snap on a Tech punt resulting in the offense set up in Red Raider territory which produced no points and a drive ending in an interception. Rice was able to score again and get a safety but came up short in the 31-26 loss at Jones Stadium. Scoring Summary here and Rice Thresher article.

SMU @ Houston
10/21/95
The week after nearly knocking off Texas A&M, SMU loses 38-15 to Houston who hadn't won a game since last year when they played SMU. But that game was closer than it looked with Houston scoring three touchdowns in three minutes. A 78 yard pick-6 by James Reddish cut he rally short.

Texas A&M @ Baylor
10/21/95
In an effort to "Color the Town" when the Aggies arrive, students encouraged anyone with a collie to dress their dog in Baylor colors! No idea how that worked out... On to the game! Baylor was hopeful, especially since the Aggies barely got by SMU AND had lost to Tech which Baylor had already beat. After a strong start by Baylor in hopes of getting their first win in 10 years against the Ags, the Aggies blocked a punt and quickly scored. Baylor tried to play catch up for the rest of the game and fell 24-9 at Floyd Casey. Baylor Lariat articles: post-game and pre-game. Another article about the history here.

Houston @ Texas A&M
10/28/95
Despite numerous turnovers by the Coogs, they were able to stay in the game until the end of the 3rd quarter. With 4:23 left in the 3rd quarter, Aggie Keith Mitchell chased Clements into his own endzone resulting in a hurried throw and a pick-6 for Andre Williams. TBD - more to come. Aggies won 31-7maintaining the lo ngest home winning streak in the nation. LA Times SWC Roundup for the week.

Rice @ SMU
10/28/95
Rice broke a six game winless streak by beating SMU 34-24. But it was not without drama. Rice allowed SMU to score two touchdowns to get back in the game and then a turnover allowed SMU to take the lead midway through the 4th quarter. With 8:47 to play, Rice scored and the defense was able to hold on to seal their 7th staight victory over SMU. Rice Thresher articles: pre-game and post game.

TCU @ Baylor
10/28/95
Baylor won 27-24 in Waco. TCU CB Godrey White got his hands on two field goals and a PAT. The TCU defense did a good job of holding Baylor after turnovers. But two big misses for TCU prevented them from a comeback win - touchdown pass in endzone was intercepted by Robinson and an outstanding pass/catch/run was called back for illegal motion. Despite some good efforts by TCU, Baylor controlled the game. Baylor Lariat artcile here.Game summary here.

SMU @ TCU
11/4/95
A cold rainy homecoming in Fort Worth did not dissappoint! SMU jumped out to a 10-0 start , but were dominated in the 2nd quarter after that. But SMU pulled back to 17-16 on a one yard touchdown run. SMU attempted a two point conversion for the win late in the 4th quarter - but Rick LaFavers intercepts and returns it 100 yards adding the two points to TCU's score instead for a 19-16 TCU win. TCU will have two consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1959. Instead of a win, SMU clinches the longest consecutive loss streak (for major colleges) at eight - and winless in their last 18 SWC games. TCU Game Summary here. LA Times Southwest Roundup.

Texas Tech @ Texas
11/4/95
A promising Top 25 matchup ended up in a 48-7 rout by No.13 Texas over No.23 Texas Tech in Austin. I was at this game - I remember telling dad and begging the powers that be to "make it stop..." It was supposed to be such a good game with promise and a chance for Tech! Despite struggling against Tech's defensive pressure the previous two years, Texas scored on four of its first seven posessions and led 28-0 at halftime with 304 yards. Three of those scores took less than two minutes. And it only got worse for the Tech fans. 48-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter. We had great seats, first row in the upper deck on the 50 yard line. I was mis-er-a-ble! The 41 point margin was the largest over a Top 25 team in Texas football history. Zebbie Lethridge saw his SWC record string of passes without an interception end at 211 when he was picked off in the 1st quarter. Texas went on to score a touchdown shortly thereafter, pushing Tech behind 14-0. This was also the game that I thought Tony Brackens had killed my kicker on the fake field goal early in the 2nd quarter when we were down 14-0 and trying to make something happen. Tech had more chances in the 2nd quarter to get back in the game but came up empty. Texas ended up scoring 28 points off four Tech turnovers. Daily Texan articles and game summary. Tech game summary.




Texas A&M @ Rice
11/9/95
TBD

Baylor @ SMU
11/11/95
TBD

Texas @ Houston
11/11/95
TBD

TCU @ Texas Tech
11/11/95
TBD

Rice @ Baylor
11/18/95
TBD

TCU @ Texas
11/18/95
TBD

Texas Tech @ SMU
11/18/95
TBD

1995 Links
Texas Tech - 1995 in Review

1995 Texas Football Highlights - The Final Chapter

1995 Arkansas Football Season Review - A Season of Firsts

Football alive, Well in Arkansas - Danny Ford turns things around

Baylor Lariat Newspaper Archives

Rice Thresher Newspaper Archives


SWC Infographics
Historical Win Record


Historical Win Record by Team











































Mini Blog Comments
Full blog can be read here

2018 Bowl Lineup
With the unexpected Tech loss to Baylor, Tech joins Arkansas, Rice, and SMU on the sidelines without their bowling shoes. With OU going to the playoff, Texas gets a Sugar Bowl bid against Georgia on New Year's Day. Aggies are headed to the Gator Bowl New Year's Eve. Baylor takes Texas Tech's usual spot at the Texas Bowl in Houston - silver lining = we don't play the same damn bowl again, I guess. TCU is headed to Phoeinx for the Cheez-It Bowl.... oh, that is mildly embarrassing. And UH starts us off on the 22nd in Fort Worth at the Armed Forces Bowl. Slim pickens this year except for a promising New Year's Day matchup - that one should be fun!

Virtual SWC Finish
Texas put in a solid performance ending at 3-0. The rest is just a muddy mess... Houston losing to SMU, Tech beating TCU but losing to Baylor who was beat by TCU.

Texas OU Rematch
For the first time since 1903, Texas will play OU twice in the same year! Lots of controversy this go around from just plain bad blood, to NO HORNS DOWN ALLOWED, to complete disrespect. Okay, cool. Hook'Em!

Rice Notables
Standby

Week 13 SWC Matchup

[Helmet matchup from 1975]
Winner takes home a bowl game, plain and simple. Tech should win this game - but there have been some questionable calls in the last few weeks. And who is playing QB? Series breakdown is here.

Sailor Bear 2.0
Standby

Week 12 SWC Matchup

[Helmet matchup from 1979-80]
The Revivalry. TCU owns this series over the last decade. But it's a mixed bag with both teams capable of succeeding or failing depending on which way the wind is blowing. Ading this tweet from during the game - MAGICAL!

UH Throwbacks
Standby

Crabtree'd
So I guess the Desmond curse only applies when he picks us, not against us... Great game - but the universe reversed the 2008 ending. At the same spot on the field too. But let's be real - these two games are really NOT comparable!

Week 11 SWC Matchup

[Helmet matchup from 1963-66]
Tech has won 2 of the last 3 - but Texas has won the last FOUR in Lubbock... Unfortunately, we are wearing a lot of red and the red helmet has not been our luckiest.

Week 10 SWC Matchup

[Helmet matchup from 1995]
SMU won two of the last three years. But with a new coach, can they make it two in a row? SMU is throwing down some sweet old school graphics!

Sailor Bear!
Standby

Double Take
And in a surprise move by Texas Tech Equipment, those beautiful 1974 throwbacks in back to back weeks! The white was new for this year. We wore the red jersey last year. I sincerely hope this leads to us going back to a more traditional look.

Oh, wait a minute...
What is this? It appears to be a gold Vicis Baylor helmet back when Baylor started working with Vicis. So maybe there is a chance that Baylor's soul will be saved.

Gold Flush

Big development over the weekend that I seemed to previously miss. When Baylor went to Vicis Pro helmets, they may have not ordered gold ones. A Baylor without a gold helmet is basically... well, all kinds of sacrilidge. I am still looking into this - but it was suggested that Vicis couldn't do their gold (despite being able to handle Notre Dame gold)... If this is true and we really see NO GOLD helmet in 2018, this will be the last grain of the complete sellout that Baylor has become. Baylor has pretty much ALWAYS had a gold helmet since its inception.
Will we see them use the older gold helmet? Based on data from this year so far, it is not looking good. Look at the difference from previous years and this year.

2nd SWC Matchup of Week 7

[Helmet matchup from 1969-71]
Texas has dominated the series - in fact, Baylor has only won five times in the last 25 years. Maybe they should have chosen the classic gold helmet... nah, probably won't make any diference this year. Did I mention, Texas is Back!?!

First of Two SWC Matchups This Week

[Helmet matchup from 1993]
And then a three week break. Sports Illustrated has weighed in on this one. But I saw that Alan Bowman was listed as doubtful. Patterson playing games by not listing a starter "since Kingsbury has not listed a starter". The series is split in the years since the SWC ended. But TCU has won three of the last four. Wouldn't it be great if equipment managers talked to each other and TCU would wear these against our 1974 throwback tonight...

Third SWC Throwbacks This Year



Texas Tech jumps in on this year's throwback flurry. Happy to see more from 1974 even though Under Armour wants to make it sound like there was actually some design effort put into this... Ugh! Same white Flat Double T helmet with merit stars from last year with the red facemask (first in SWC to wear a colored facemask and only year we wore white helmet with red facemask) but paired with the white away jersey instead of the red home we wore last year. Love the retro back-handed Red Raiders in the promo shots! And finally against an SWC opponent! Unfortunately it looks like TCU will trod out their brashy chrome domes. Such a waste - they have such a storied uniform history to pull a fun throwback from.

A Rice Owl First
Rice has played with special decals regularly each year with pink and star spangled Old English Rs. But have always stayed with standard home and away jerseys. It looked like the same was on tap this week... But at game time the players were surprised with the first alternate jersey in the history of the team. Unfortunately, it was executed in a horrific fashion. Could have been so much better with a navy helmet supporting that new owl logo I had hoped to never see on a helmet. Less is more. If you want to wear gray pants, DO THIS OR THIS.

Dicker the Kicker!

What. A. Game. The usual slow start for the Horns. And then we started piling it on and we were all enjoying it too much. OU fans left The Real Cotton Bowl. Then OU finally scored again, Tom Herman got conservative up only two scores and then we were tied. Holy Hell! Texas is officially Back! #OUstillSucks

And OU still sux!
Another year - same old story... Zero U sucks! Except here is something new - an OU offensive play sheet decoy purposely droppped in front of Texas coaches in 1999... Leach did not know if it worked, until now! The plays OU ran were designed to benefit of the assumed Texas defense - and boy did they, to a tune of 17-0 in the first ten minutes. And Tom Herman was part of it! And for the first time since 2012, both teams are ranked. This year Texas enters with confidence and OU is allowing too many points. Hope it is a good one! Oh, and for some strange reason this is news.... duh.

What time is it?


Fifth Straight Week

[Helmet matchup from 1995]
October will be a little dry... SWC Matchup for Week 5 is the annual Southwest Classic launched in 2009 - ironic it is two SEC teams. I don't think anyone sees this as being much of a game. Series completely dominated by the Aggies with Bielema at Arkansas. Had thought Chad Morris would be a force to be reckoned with, but so far that has not been the case. I guess I drank the kool-aid on him... It would be a huge upset if A&M didn't get it's record seven-in-a-row against Arkansas.

UH Throwbacks!

Gorgeous, right? But wait. The skinny interlocking UH debuted in 1962. By 1966 two white stripes had been added and remained until 1986. Facemask went white in 1981. These photos do not look like there are stripes. But yes, stripes are there! My God, these are beauties! Full reveal video here. UH wearing these Nov 10th. Here is a partial view of my UH Helmet History cheat sheet.

Week 4 Matchup

[Helmet matchup from 1992]
Whew... or should I say WOO!? Loving a game a week, although it has been a hectic start to the season. Impressive gameplay and energy by Texas last week against USC. Let's see if they can put two games in a row together. TCU definitely outplayed Ohio State in the first half - but just made too many mistakes in the second. Should be a great game! TCU has dominated the last four years. Does Texas take care of business or have the longest losing streak in the matchup's history?

Is it REALLY a Throwback?

Are the Oct 6 throwbacks to honor the 1998 Big XII championship team really throwbacks when your current uni is based on a much older throwback? Not my favorite look without pants stripes. Includes the white facemask. Nice job on the faux mesh look though. The announcement came with a video with throwback 90s graphics.

UH Bevel Leveled

I should be fired. Seriously... I failed to realize the bevelling is gone this year from UH helmets! You know, I thought they looked cleaner... But I am faulting this to spending a good chunk of time rendering the UH logo in many forms for a 2017 uni graphic and just omitted the bevel because it barely shows up in photos anyway. Good for you, Houston! Texas Tech, you got next!

Cotton Picking Cougars

[Helmet matchup from 1974]
Third week in a row we have an SWC matchup! Pure coincidence I picked the 1974 Texas Tech white beauty of a helmet (I pick those before the season starts). At some point Tech started doing a Celebrate Cotton game wearing white jerseys. However, I thought it was always a home game. Last year Tech wore white against Houston beause they were the away team. Apparently someone forgot to ask Houston if they could wear white before the season started. So the week before the game, Tech asks to wear white and Houston says no. As much as I would like to think Cougar High was making a play, I think it lies more within they have their unis all planned out and did not want to change. Tech has won 7 of the last 8 despite UH's resurgence of recent years. Only three of those games has been since the end of the SWC. I went to last year's game and recalled it not being as close as it ended up being. Hoping for another close one.

Week 2 SWC Matchup and a Skillet

[Helmet matchup from 1966]
The second of our five weeks in a row SWC matchups puts TCU up against SMU on a Friday night at the hilltop in Dallas for the Iron Skillet. It's a pretty even history with TCU dominating in the last 20 years. Not sure the new regime under Dykes will put up enough for TCU this year.

Chrome Domed Sooie Pig

And so it begins - Chad Morris's 18 year olds... A chromed Dome for the Razorbacks. Ugh. #WhereIsBoiseStateNow #WhereIsOregonNow #WhereIsBaylorNow And for that matter... #WhereIsSMUnow

Week 1 Matchup and a Bucket

[Helmet matchup from 1967-70]
(which pre-dates the Bayou Bucket)
Right out the gates in week one with the Bayou Bucket! There has definately been some smack talk for this game - I guess a new coach and being 1-0 has the Owls a tad excited. Rice had a little fun by tweeting using the #ForTheCity hashtag that U of H has used and Cougar fans went a ittle crazy.

Tusk is Back in the Stadium!
Arkansas' live mascot has a new ride allowing Tusk V to be present for Razorback games.

So Long Senor Sack

Texas Tech great Gabe Rivera passed away in July due to a sudden illness. His play time from 79-82 was quite possibly the greatest uniform period with those red pants with stripes down the side, red jerseys with stripes on the sleeves, and the striped helmets with red facemask. That was the MaxPro years that had the paint on the inside of a clear helmet shell. But regardless of how good he looked, he was a beast on the field - one time even chasing down an Arkansas player 50 yards to make the tackle. Great College Football Hall of Fame highlights. Article from his hometown San Antonio and some good video clips from his SAISD Athletcs Hall of Fame induction. But he is also remembered by his teamates for who he was off the field.

Follow me on Twitter
@SWCfootballNow

































COUNTDOWN
To 1st 2018 SWC Game

Ranked by Last Year's SWC Finish

   
   
   

Virtual SWC

2018 SWC Matchups
Rice - SEP 1 - Houston
SMU - SEP 8 - TCU
Tech - SEP 15 - Houston
Texas - SEP 22 - TCU
A&M - SEP 29 - Arkansas
TCU - OCT 13 - Tech
Texas - OCT 13 - Baylor
SMU - NOV 3 - Houston
Tech - NOV 10 - Texas
Baylor - NOV 17 - TCU
Baylor - NOV 24 - Tech

Virtual SWC Records
3 - Texas - 0
1 - Texas A&M - 0
2 - Tech - 2
2 - TCU - 2
1 - SMU - 1
1 - Baylor - 2
1 - Houston - 2
0 - Arkansas - 1
0 - Rice - 1

Overall Records
10 - Texas - 4*
9 - Texas A&M - 4*
8 - Houston - 5*
7 - TCU - 6*
7 - Baylor - 6*
5 - Tech - 7
5 - SMU - 7
2 - Arkansas - 10
2 - Rice - 11
* Denotes a Bowl Game


In the Wash
Arkansas
Seemingly minor changes to the 2014 base "tusk" unis by extending the tusk on the pants up to the waistline and removing the unnecessary smaller tusks on the chest. But things will be changing for the Hogs with the arrival of Chad Morris who is a big fan of using unis to recruit". So get prepared for the non-traditional. But don't freak out too much, because he does still like the traditional look. The white helmet is definately in play since there is a prediction of "snow" on the hill for the first game. As for the red helmet, "Pearl Cardinal" is back! The matte is gone - has it really been almost a decade? Looks simply outstanding with the clean white hog on the side! Updated locker room which is a big improvement and it seems Bilema's black shoes are out. Rest assured you will see the anthracite... but will there be any chrome domes? Article with GREAT closeup photos here.
UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long - already in the second week... chrome domes. See blog entry in middle column. Oh dear Lord.


Baylor
Eerily quiet on the Baylor uni front - but then... it should be. Focus on football instead of swag and you might get a few more wins this year. Same unis as last year with the base 2013 set along with he gray set added in 2015. Check me if I lose count here: so five colors of the pants, jerseys, and helmets - green, gold, white, black, and gray. Plus the chrome dome helmet. The regular gold helmet has a throwback gray facemask. The only big news is going with Vicis helmets.

Houston
Dead silence on the UH side, which is a good thing. Houston keeps their classic look with stripes on jerseys and pants. Of course, we are stuck with the bevel. 2 pants, 2 jerseys, and ummmm... a grotesque number of helmets - but loving the comments on that tweet and people wanting old school block UH. #FocusOnTheFieldNotSwag #BoiseState #OregonDucks #WhereAreTheyNow
UPDATE: Holy hell - UofH levelled the bevel!


Rice
Another loss of the Old English. An Old English R was still on the white jerseys last year, but now replaced with the ugly, copycat wordmark put on the navy jerseys last year. In addition - what the hell is that shade of blue??? Will the other helmets in this photo make it onto the field? 2 pants. 2 jerseys, 2 helmets I hope this another short-lived Owl football trend like so many over the years - I will be patient and try to wait it out. New Adidas template so the dreaded tire tread is gone. But a-ha, what is this new little detail? A little Texas logo with an Old English R on the back collar!
UPDATE: Rice Equipment surprised the players at game time (after tweeting a fake uni lineup - see middle column) with gray jerseys and pants. Only problem is they were the new dark gray look and worn with awful patriotic pointed stripe and chrome modern owl logo on a white helmet...


SMU
Crickets... will be interesting to see which unis of the Chad Morris explosion get field time under Sonny Dykes. So lets count it up - 4 jerseys, 4 pants, 4 helmets (white, blue, black, red chrome). Last year they wore white-white-white 4 times, white-blue-white 2 times, black-black-black 2 times, white-red-white, white-red-red, white-white-black, red-red-red, white-white-red, red-black-black. It will be interesting to see how often the blue and black are worn this year. Visual of the color combos I listed above with week 1 on the left (verticle columns - helmet, jersey, pants).


Texas
Another year of few changes under Del Conte as expected. However... there is something bad. The usual pre-season "oh, what is this" panic was once again unrealized. Good story on the color of burnt orange. The TEXAS wordmark is just a little bigger this year - any dwarfing of that swoosh is good with me! Now for the bad news - black shoes at home. Okay, so I like the throwback of black shoes as evidenced on this site with the following of Bilema's black shoes at Arkansas and of course, the UT throwbacks in 2015. But old school black shoes must be worn with white (... and orange) socks in football. This is the worst look EVER!

Texas A&M
Every year we get to keep those beautiful 70s throwbacks with the stripes along the yoke is a true blessing. No changes at all from the Aggies other than the new Adidias template that dumps the ugly tire tread. How will Jimbo play it? How much alt uni wearing will happen? Is there a special one-off in the works? Only time will tell. Here is a hype video with nothing to hype...
UPDATE: 1998 Throwbacks! Wait, is it a throwback if it is actually newer than the throwback look you are currently rocking? Unfortunately despite efforts to mimic mesh jerseys, they ended up being fauxbacks. Because they wore big honking, ugly retro SEC logos... for a uni paying tribute to their 98 Big XII title. Huh???


TCU
Crickets at TCU... stuck with their hodge-podge look for yet another year.

Texas Tech
More crickets from Texas Tech. Of course there will be a helmet decal for Senor Sack Gabe Rivera.

2018 SWC HoF Inductees
Arkansas - Steve Atwater
Texas A&M - Curtis Dickey
Texas Tech - Joe Barnes

SWC Football Archives
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014 (In Work)
2015 (In Work)
2016
2017

In Loving Memory
This website is in memory of my father, Bill Freeman, who gave me my passion for the SWC.

2018 Matchup Helmets
All the throwback helmet matchups from the the middle column togeher here.

[Helmet matchup from 1967-70]

[Helmet matchup from 1966]

[Helmet matchup from 1974]

[Helmet matchup from 1992]

[Helmet matchup from 1995]

[Helmet matchup from 1993]

[Helmet matchup from 1969-71]

[Helmet matchup from 1995]

[Helmet matchup from 1963-66]

[Helmet matchup from 1979-80]

[Helmet matchup from 1975]


Kudos
08.19.11 - VERY COOL WEBSITE!!! I'm not sure I could put it more succinctly or accurately than that. - Robert D

08.15.11 - Your Southwest Conference web site is absolutely fantastic. - JDD

02.12.11 - Thanks again for putting this website up and keeping the memory alive of the SWC - Walter F.

09.01.10 - You do have a most interesting website - Bob J

11.24.09 - Fantastic website, btw -- I remember the SWC fondly...and sometimes not so fondly ;) -Jason S

11.01.09 - I found your SWC link and forwarded it to 20 friends from the UofArkansas. You have done a wonderful job. Very best regards, Uof A Razorback 66-72 -David E

10.29.09 - I just stumbled across your website... it's great!! -Eric

10.13.08 - Susan, I love your web-site, SWCFootball. -Jay B

09.03.08 - I had to chuckle whena I read that SMU is going back to their "roots" by sporting white helmets. If they truly wished to go back that far, they'd wear all red (leather or plastic). As a native San Antonian, I remember their uniforms from the Doak Walker-Kyle Rote-Pat Knight era: red helmets (no stripes), red jerseys (no stripes), white numerals, and gray pants. No blue at all to be seen. (For what it's worth, in the 1940s I watched many a high school game with Rote and Knight in the backfield for the Jefferson Mustangs.) Much to my father's annoyance, each football season I'd plaster the windows of the family car with those Humble Oil giveaway pennants in SWC team colors. As I recall they were placed on the outside of the windows and made for difficult removal (once the season was over, that chore was mine). Keep up the good work. -Warren Thompson, Lebanon PA

09.03.08 - BTW, Susan, that’s an amazing site on SWC you have. Good work. -Justin in AR (via Uni Watch)

07.04.08 - I love your SWC site. I've put up a season-ending wrap the last two years: the final SWC standings, using Jeff Sagarin's rankings. Hope you'll check it out. Go Owls! -John Cunyus





































































































































































































I WILL BUY YOUR SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE COLLECTIBLES

Mostly Older SWC Gas Station Giveaways
Frosted Pennant Glasses
Humble Oil Metal Pennant Stick Pins
Humble Football Schedule Decals
Humble Football Schedule Gold Colored Coins
Humble String of Felt Pennants
Antique Linen Postcards of Stadiums and Scool Buildings
And Other Unique Items...

 



Susan N. Freeman
susan@southwestconferencefootball.com

LAST UPDATE: 5 JAN 19