SMU Athletic Fund Missing More Than $10,000

More than $10,000 is missing from the athletic department fund at Southern Methodist University, opening the possibility of criminal theft charges at the scandal-plagued school, a state investigator said Friday.

John Vasquez, Texas assistant attorney general who is heading the inquiry into a previous scandal at the school, said his investigators had “stumbled upon” a substantial amount of money missing from the athletic department.

Vasquez would not give a dollar figure but said it was sufficient to warrant an investigation for felony theft, which would put the missing money at more than $10,000.

Vasquez said indications were that the presumed theft involved someone who had been employed by the athletic department staff.

SMU was prohibited from fielding a team in 1987 by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. last February because of an alumni slush fund for players. The Mustangs later decided not to field a team in 1988, as well.

The scandal led to the resignations of SMU’s president, athletic director and football coach and even reached Texas Gov. Bill Clements, who admitted that while he was chairman of SMU’s Board of Governors he allowed continuation of the payments.

The attorney general’s office launched an investigation earlier this year to determine if SMU funds were misused as part of an agreement to pay off the contracts of Athletic Director Bob Hitch and football Coach Bobby Collins.