ADLER

Didn't Oklahoma lose a couple of signees after their basketball coach left? I think the signed recruits were able to enroll at other schools without having to sit for a year. (One was a Dallas kid who wound up at UAB) Were there NCAA violatins at OU that would have made their cases exceptions?

Buford and Cooley, Thank you to both of you for researching and sharing this information. I always value your opinions in matters of North Texas basketball.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! Folks....We have a WINNER!

Isaac Newton referred to it as his Third Law of Physics, which states that every action in this universe brings an equal and opposite reaction We should never try to force the tailgaters to enter the stadium on our schedule. That is our agenda, not theirs. If the stadium starts getting more packed in the next few seasons, the laws of supply and demand will take hold. The students will want to enter early before all the good seats are gone. Let's look at it from their point of view. You're 21 or 22 years old, it's 40 minutes till kickoff, there's a long-ass line qued at the student entrance, you're flirting with Sally Sweetknees, it's 100 degrees outside, and there's a cold beer sitting there calling your name. What are you going to do? You probably will only enter then if you are convinced that you are going to get stuck with seats hat suck if you wait.

The Junior Mean Green Club is an outstanding investment for all the kids, even for the little guys. First of all, it's inexpensive. Membership is around $20 for the whole year and the kids get Junior Mean Green Club shirts. The best part about the club is that it's condusive to your child making friends with the other Mean Green kids. My four year old daughter loves to go to games, and it's mostly because of the anticipated opportunity to play with some of her Mean Green friends. The Kids Zone at football games have several inflatable bounce houses; usually a slide, an obstacle course, and a bounce house for the bigger (4 to 8 year olds) and there is a separate bounce house for toddlers. There is usually face painting, spirit tatoos, and free ice cream. It's a good way for the kids to release a little energy before sitting in a stadium for three hours. The Junior Mean Green Club also enables the kids to participate in activities that make them feel involved. There have been opportunities to meet with the players from football and basketball, my daughter was one of the hundred or so that danced with the Dance Team during halftime of one of the games, and the Spirit Line at halftime is always a huge hit with the kids: getting to high-five the players and then getting to run accross the end zone turf over to the west side ramp where they all cover their ears as Boomer blasts the start of the second half. At basketball games there is always a bounce house available pregame and during halftime. The athletic department employee overseeing the bounce house groups the children by age so the younger ones don't get knocked around by the bigger kids. That employee also moniters the time that each group jumps and insures that all kids have a chance to play. There is also a basketball hoop, but that is always dominated by the older boys that realize that they are getting a little too old for the bounce house. I think it's a very good deal and your child should love it. GMG

I love the idea of having an extended series with Tulsa. I love playing against schools that are within easy driving distance for day trips, and Tulsa is even a nice weekend destination. I was unable to be at the Tulsa game this past year, but the Tulsa fans that came to Fouts in 2005 were very social and joined the tailgating festivities. They impressed me as being very nice people. (Ugh, what a shocking game...favored by 5, lose by 50. Ouch! That one still hurts.) There are drawbacks about extending that series. Tulsa recruits northern Texas very aggressively. They already play in Dallas every other year, but playing us gives them exposure in our market every single season.

Navy loses basketball standout -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stanton, 6-foot-10 forward, to transfer By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer Navy men's basketball coach Billy Lange thought he had a major building block for the future in forward Trey Stanton. Stanton enjoyed a tremendous freshman season, ranking among the team leaders in numerous categories and earning Patriot League All-Rookie honors. Unfortunately for Lange and Navy, Stanton has decided to continue his promising career elsewhere. The 6-foot-10 Texas native called Lange last week to inform the third-year head coach that he intended to transfer. Contacted yesterday at his home in Friendswood, Texas, Stanton said he simply could not follow through on the post-graduate service commitment. "I don't have anything bad to say about the basketball program. I loved the coaching staff, I loved the players. I enjoyed my basketball experience at the Naval Academy," Stanton said. "It's just that I realized during the past year that the military wasn't for me. I couldn't see myself as a Naval officer for five years." Stanton was the most the most highly-touted member of Navy's 2006 recruiting class after averaging 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks as a senior at Friendswood High. He chose the academy over Air Force, Rice, San Diego and Texas A&M. Because he was a 6-foot-3 guard as a high school sophomore, Stanton had outstanding ball skills and perimeter shooting ability for a big man. He possessed an accurate jump shot to 3-point range and could also put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. As a plebe, Stanton started 29 of 30 games and averaged 28.4 minutes. He ranked third on the team in scoring (8.0 points per game) and second in rebounding (3.9 average). He led the Midshipmen with 24 blocked shots, the most by a freshman since David Robinson smacked 37 in 1984. "It's tough to lose a player of Trey's ability, but there's not much a coach can do if a kid does not desire to be at the Naval Academy," Lange said. "We do all we can to support our student-athletes, but the demands and pressures of the academy can be overwhelming to some young men." Stanton burst onto the scene in impressive fashion, scoring 17 points in his first career game against Loyola. He scored in double figures in eight of Navy's initial 10 games before suffering somewhat of a mid-season slump. He bounced back later in the season and drained four 3-pointers in scoring 15 points to go along with four blocks against archrival Army in the Star game. Gonazaga, Texas Tech, Southern Methodist, San Diego and Evansville have all expressed interest in offering a scholarship to Stanton, who said he was well aware of what he was getting into when he enrolled at the Naval Academy. "Coach Lange did a good job of explaining what the academy was all about and the challenges I would face," Stanton said. "I wanted a great education and I was real excited about the engineering program at Navy. I had my concerns about the military side of things, but figured I would give it a year and see if I would grow into it." Stanton is not the only basketball player who has left the academy since the school year ended. Bobby Fenske, a 6-foot-8 forward from Carrollton, Texas, has also announced he will transfer. Fenske appeared in 26 games with 10 starts and averaged 8.5 minutes. The Trinity Christian Academy product averaged just 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds. While Lange was not happy about the departure of another skilled frontcourt player in Fenske, clearly the loss of Stanton stings the most since he was slated to start in 2007-2008. Now the pressure falls to rising sophomore T.J. Topercer to fill the void in the pivot while classmate Scott Brooks must step up and become a contributor on the perimeter. Navy also has a pair of promising recruits who could join the front-court rotation in 6-foot-9, 230-pound Jeremy Wilson and 6-foot-10, 220-pound Mark Veazey. "I am confident we will be able to plug guys in who will get the job done. We lose a very skilled big man, but we are adding two traditional post players. We just may be a little different in terms of makeup," Lange said. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This may be a recruit worthy of that last unused 2007 scholarship.

Remember how Coach Pat preferred to let the "legal system run its course" when several TCU football players beat a kid into a coma outside a Fort Worth night club? Pat didn't want to interfere with their season and refused to suspend anybody form the team. Well, he's at least suspending this kid "for now'. I guess that means sweet little Mike will not be allowed to play while he's currently incarcerated. ESPN story

I hope he gets everything together and comes back to North Texas after next season. He is supposedly an excellent athlete and could be a valuable addition to the team.

New coach has five-year contract By TROY PHILLIPS Star-Telegram Staff Writer New North Texas football coach Todd Dodge signed an escalating five-year contract through the 2011 season that averages $331,448 per season in base salary and guaranteed compensation -- a figure 3 1/2 times his pay at Carroll High School. Dodge's $75,000 per year in guaranteed compensation includes a $30,000 radio stipend, $20,000 in end-of-season deferred money and $25,000 for North Texas maintaining its NCAA certification, Division I-A status and Sun Belt Conference membership. He'll also receive an annual $6,000 car allowance. The contract also has incentives tied to season-ticket sales, conference titles, bowl appearances, bowl wins, season win totals, top 25 rankings, coach of the year awards and team academics. Dodge's ticket bonuses will kick in if North Texas sells at least 5,000 season tickets. UNT sold between 1,500 and 2,000 season tickets last season. The contract's buyout clause requires Dodge to pay UNT one year's base salary, which would range from $185,000 to $224,869. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How long do you think that a BCS program would be delayed by a buyout of $185,000 to $224,869 if they wanted a certain coach?

There is one thing that I can be fairly sure about. Darrell R. Dickey didn't invent the Ford Mustang, but that may change in the next 30 years or so. Look, let's stop beating a dead horse here. North Texas has several football legends that are certainly more deserving than Dickey of having facilities and monuments dedicated to them; Haynes, Greene, Hardeman, Ramsay, Fry, and Cobbs are just a few. Although I believe that Dickeys accomplishments are also worthy of recognition, I believe that it would be better to follow the NFL's example of waiting at least 5 years after that person's departure before dedicating anything. Truthfully, who thinks it wouldn't be awkward at best if Dickey spoke at the dedication of a facility being named in his honor. I dread to think what venom would be laced in that dribble.

Dickey was by no means perfect, but he's still an important part of our history. The facts are that teams coached by Dickey won 4 straight conference championships and he directed the team to 4 straight bowl games. During those seasons the team had a conference winning streak that is unmatched in North Texas history. Coach Dickey is certainly deserving of this honor.

Here's a little information about Thomas Moreland that I found on another Mean Green site. The site also provides videos of the recruits. UNT Football.net Thomas Moreland, Kicker Forney High School 6', 185 lbs. 24 of 28 Field Goals 48 of 51 PAT's 2nd ranked High School punter in nation by Kicking.Com Selected to kick for Texas All-Stars in the 2007 Oil Bowl 2 year Letterman Football 4 year Letterman Soccer

Here's a photo of Central Florida's new stadium. One end is nearly complete. The stadium is designed to give as many fans as possible the best view possible, and of course, the press boxes and the cocktail suites are placed behind the fans where they belong. Central Florida will open the new stadium with a game against the Texas Longhorns and is currently negotiating series with several other premier programs.

It doesn't surprise me one bit. Over on Ponyfans.com they have been discussing how over 75% of their fans view North Texas as their most anticipated game. ponyfans.com Well, it's just further proof of the fact that the North Texas game is SMU's Superbowl.

The Dallas Morning News had done a preseason story about North Texas football and mentioned how they'd beat the Mustangs by a 60-0 score. In the article, North Texas quarterback Scott Davis added to the fire when he said he'd seen SMU practice, and that they looked like "a high school team". He meant it as a reference to the youth on the squad, but the Morning News made it appear as an insult. The Mustangs were fired up and kicked the crap out of North Texas that day. That was one of the two times that SMU has beaten North Texas in football during the last quarter of a century.

It was a pretty cool little car and ran pretty well for a 4 cylinder but the Mustang 1 wouldn't go on to become a production veihicle. The cost of producing the rear engined, tubed framed version was far too expensive for Ford's target market, and the two seats and removable hard top made it impractical. Still stinging from the recent $75 million Edsel bomb, Chaiman Henry Ford was cautious to endorse any untested entry into the market, especially an exotic, and the Mustang I concept never had a chance. By early 1963 Ford had completed the Mustang II concept by adopting several of the Mustang I's designs to fit the chassis of the alredy approved Ford Falcon. The only noticible difference between the Mustang II and the eventual production models of 1964.5 was an additional inch added to the wheelbase to increase the leg room for the rear seat passengers. The Pony Car was born and the rest is history (which shouldn't be monkeyed with, even if the fable somehow involves Hayden Fry).

Would you like some Ketchup with that?

Also pure bullshit. The first Mustang was sent to a dealership in Canada where it was for display purposes only. The car erroneously was sold that first week to a buyer who paid cash for the vehicle. Ford attempted to buy back the car, or trade for another but the buyer wouldn't budge. In the early 2000s Ford was finally able to purchase the original car back for un undisclosed price. It was still in near immaculate condition, and now resides in the Henry Ford museum. first Ford Mustang

And once again the masses cry out "Oh Adler, please enlighten us to the truth". Let's never let a few facts stand in the way of a good fable. The Mustang name was suggested for the Ford concept car by designer John Najjar in 1961. Najjar, who had no college affiliation as he was hired by Ford in 1936 out of high school, was an avid WWII warbird enthusiest and intentionally incorporated similarities between his vehicle and the legendary P-51 Mustang. The Ford sports viehicle marketing group considered several other names (Cougar, Cheetah, Thunderbird II) before ultimately staying with Mustang. The Mustang 1 concept car (with current logo) was already being displayed on college campuses throughout the midwest prior to the SMU-Michigan game in 1963, and marketing strategy and design were already complete for the initial production vehicles which first came off the assembly line on March 9, 1964. The SMU logo during this period was also more of a 'bucking horse" style design. It wasn't until several years later (1968) that SMU changed to Ford's Mustang design. Many high schools across the country had alreay switched to Ford's running mustang logo and Ford never challenged any of them for copyright infringement. (The logo is still quite common for high schools) Ford had decided that it was all good publicity and didn't challenge any schools. Now, if Hayden patronized somebody by saying "that's how the legend goes", or "that's what has been said" doesn't exactly make him a liar. It's a fun story, but nothing more. Here's a site which has a few photos and links to the original Ford Mustangs. Please note that the quarterpanel logos of the 1962 Mustang 1 already incorporate the "running mustang" logo. Ford Mustang

Not much, and we still wouldn't be among the top 3 MWC expansion targets under any circumstances. Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and UTEP would be the logical selections, and if for any reason one of those didn't join, there would be several other current WAC schools that would absolutely sell their soul to join the MWC instead of remaining in the then decimated WAC.

His name is Bryan Lucas and he transferred to North Texas after an outstanding freshman year at Azusa Pacific University in California. (He had also been a star baseball player in high school) The 6-6 Lucas had a strong arm, but as Grandgreen stated, wasn't the option type quarterback that Dickey preferred. Lucas soon learned that his only real opportunity at North Texas would be on the basketball court. Bryan Lucas currently plays for Ulm(Germany) in a European league where he is listed as a 6-9 forward. Bryan Lucas player profile

Yes, and he was able to provide us with one of the most comical moments in North Texas basketball history. A player from the other team misses his second free throw shot. Blount gets the rebound and races the length of the court to the other basket. Blount looks over his shoulder, notices that he is unopposed to score, jumps up and slams the ball through the hoop. Blount pumps his arms victoriously after the awesome display. Yeeaaahh!!! Unable to refrain from laughing, the referee retrieves the ball for the player that is still waiting at the free throw line to take his third shot.

I think either Williams, Wooden, or both are poised for monster years this upcoming season. Both have outstanding ability and their confidence was incredible at the end of this past season. I predict that our frontcourt players are going to be dominant this year.

That's the existing structure apparently which will be maintained while PHASE 1 is being built. Being that those are the West Sideline Seats, I am sure that Phase 2 will have it's most prominant structure planted along that sideline. That stadium could insure that FIU is able to remain in Division 1. I admire the fact that they are trying to entice fans to attend by actually placing them inside the stadium where they would have desirable seating. People should enjoy that a lot more than being seated across the street, down the block, or on top of and behind the press box. Those kind of bad ideas could lead to low attendance and futures in 1AA.