VideoEagle

No, averaging 22K will pay the bills. That’s the actual point! If we average 22K, we are probably have some 28K games and a few 19K games. To average 30000 in a stadium that only seats 30500 is not practical. And a lot of the C-USA schools are averaging LESS than 20K. Most MAC schools average less than 20K. Most WAC schools average less than 20K.

We would kill for a 30K crowd! That would fill the stadium within a few of capacity. If we can get our average crowd to around 22K, we could completely drop the body bag games.

I hope it's not the majority, but I'm sure it is a significant minority - greater than 35%. At $50 of giving, they are right in average for our alums. The small group I talk to was among the more active supporters while they were in school during the 70s, but the 80s program completely drove them away. Going to a bowl game in 2001 after the 40 year drought got their attention. I'm not saying they are correct, but it is NOT just the "press" who is questioning NT right now. Remember, there are only 2800 or so users on this board who follow closely. There are 10Ks of alumni in the area who get their news from the newspaper, the TV and the radio - not an internet message board.

I've gotten half a dozen phone calls from guys who were Talons in the Hayden Fry days. (In school, I knew a lot of Talons although I didn't have time to join.) Each of them has told me hold stunned they are at DD's firing. These are guys in their 50s who never, ever read computer message boards. I mentioned bowl losses and get laughed at as none of the previous coaches even GOT to bowls. Six of nine losing seasons gets "most of those were when he was turning the program around. One of those still got us to our first bowl in 40 years." And not a one of them has ever read any of the negative comments from DD since those don't appear in the Morning News. And they don't listen to the post game radio show. And it should be noted, that while these guys are proud they "give money" to NT, it's only about $50 to $100 a year. And during the past four years, every one of them has turned down my invitations actually come to a game!

I seem to remember a "general consensus" on this board that she was "bad for athletics." Did the wind change and a "general consensus" change their mind? I will point out I thought she was a great hire when it was announced. I'm wrong often so I don't get many chances to gloat!

I never questioned this before, but how many coaches move on voluntarily? And I now that I'm thinking about it, it's not just NT. How many SMU coaches have move on because they got a better offer? At TCU I can think of Franchioni and no others, but I don't know their history that well. Let's drop down and look at C-USA schools. From Tulsa, Tulane, USM, Memphis or U of H? I'm beginning to think one our criticisms of DD is unfounded. (Please everyone note I wrote just ONE!) Having you're good head coach hired away from you seems to happen at the 1AA and below level, but rarely at the 1A level. I hope I'm wrong, but someone please point out 25 or 30 examples. There are 119 schools, that means at least 1/3 should be low enough on the food chain to have coaches stolen on a regular basis if the idea that coaches move on is really true. Can anyone name 25 examples in the last 10 years? No, I'm not saying we should have kept DD. But I am at least suggesting the idea we can't keep a coach might be wrong!

Something Silver Eagle pointed out in another thread got me thinking - how many of our football hear coaches have been hried away from us? I think just 2. Ever. Hayden and Jerry Moore. And have Moore hired away was probably a blessing considering his record 11-11 record with us and bad record at Tech. A lot of our assistants have been hired away, but not the bosses.

Yes! That is clearly the answer!

I just did the simple math. There are about 2500 registered users on this board. That’s an extra $400 each. Just once - Mr Mattress only gave his million once! Anyone for a GoMeanGreenDotCom one time only donation? Let’s beat Mac at his own game! And Mean Green Athletics is the winner!

While I’m happy someone cares enough to buy an ad to express themselves, Mr. McIngvale was turned down when he tried to by the naming rights to what is now Minute Maid Park. The old Houston Bowd chose to fold rather than take more money from him. I don’t have a problem naming the practice fields for which Mac paid to improve after the person he wishes. And DD did enough to earn that name, at least until another donor comes along with more money willing to buy the name for someone else! It is certainly no secret we need big donors. But there is a difference in smiling at someone and being a prostitute!

It appears MM has given us a great way out of a bad PR situation. Naming the practice fields after Darryl show the University appreciated the 4 bowls and the win streak. Naming the practice fields shows we're not the "mean, ungrateful" Green. Yes, certainly do it!

You called and left a message asking what size they thought best, so wait till they answer. Or call on Tuesday if they don’t call back to get the answer. I somehow doubt they are going to allow a 25 yard sign! I’ll bring my own Sharpie®.

Be nice and don’t run it in - too much.

Getting back to original subject of the thread, is DD going into the NT Athletic Hall of Fame? It will be 10 years or more, but certainly he will. He will probably be remembered as controversial coach and many minuses but some major pluses as well. Four bowl games in a row is some very unusual outside of the automatic BCS conferences. No matter what happens here forward, he is the coach who actually did it as opposed to the coaches who “could have but“ or “would have but.” He showed he could work under extreme pressure. In 2001 he it was printed in the paper his status was “week to week.” That was where the after a win the “I get to keep my job for another week” actually started. Win this week or be fired is pressure few coaches ever hold up under and DD did. He coached to one of the longer conference win streaks in college history. You can say it was just a weak conference, but none of the other school in the conference found a way to do that. And, no one has a long conference win streak in a conference with a lot of strong teams - you do that in conferences with two or three strong teams. What DD did not do was build on his success. The current team just doesn’t have the overall talent of those other teams. There are individuals on this team with more talent than those teams, and a few individuals from those teams not nearly as good our current group. But, there is no getting around the talent of the team as a whole is not what it was. Some of the younger guys have a lot of potential, but they are not there just yet. And there is no way to avoid saying DD’s offense just stunk. It was the Nebraska/Oklahoma offense that beat DD’s K-State teams over and over in the 70s and 80s. But, football has evolved and it just doesn’t work anymore. Anyone who goes back and reads a paper about NT from this period will see almost nothing about the last two paragraphs. They will seen 4 bowl games in 4 years. One of the longest conference win streaks ever. And that’s why DD will be put into the NT Hall of Fame.

Is there someplace still open that delivers pizza to watch a game this late? One small pizza should cover all the potential viewers.

I hadn't thought of DD burning Tune's redshirt just to hurt the school!

El Guapo will tell you tequila is much better than beer.

It doesn’t bother any of the sports reporters or sports commentators who are calling our school and fans ungrateful. You didn’t see old SWC schools turning down their championships even though ? of the league averaged 3 wins a year (SMU, Rice and TCU). Some years that was 3 wins combined! Many of NT’s big wins in the past were against schools with big names, but bad teams. None of those Tech teams we beat were very good. The Tennessee team we beat didn’t make it to a bowl that year. We still have every right to be proud of those wins. Winning never bothers me. Losing does!

Our schedule is usually not set in Feb-March.

He certainly has the right attitude! He can inspire. He can perspire. Our fans will love him and our opponents fear the mighty Guapo!

It is not most of the media - it’s closer to all of the media. To outsiders, we were a school that had not been to a bowl game in 40+ years. DD comes along and we go to 4 in a row, plus we have the 27-ish games conference win streak. Then we have one bad season last year. And the coach has emergency surgery, is diagnosed with diabetes, has a heart attack and is fired before the end of the season. That’s the story, not the fact that he only had 3 winning seasons in 9. Not the bad OCC record - actually according the most of the news I’ve read, NT is know for its “tough” OCC schedule so any coach will have a bad OCC record. The version of the story you will read on this board is not what anyone else will see. Folks get used to taking a PR hit for a while. I just hope this doesn’t cause many good candidates to shy away. It will blow over in a few weeks. But meanwhile, we the one’s who put the “mean” in Mean Green. Just try to ignore it!

It’s the note under the College Picks.

A million dollar donation off sets a lot of tickets! I also would not say we were really “held hostage” either. How much earlier do you really think DD would have been fired? I’m still surprised they didn’t do what most colleges do and wait till the end of the season.

“Take my work for this?” Are you actually complaining about a manager hiring people he knows and trusts to be on his personal staff? Mandy and I think Dustin work directly with Rick on a daily basis. I know in TV and advertising when a new manager comes in, expect everyone who reports to him to be dismissed and replaced by “his people.” Now, a head coach is a little different. But, I would expect him to hire someone he trusts which means someone he knows something about. Not necessarily a buddy, but Rick is probably going to personally know someone who worked with the guy. Once you’ve been around the business world a few more years, you’ll learn all successful managers hire “their people.”

It did not help when we had Matt Simon. Back then I knew some of the kids playing and they ALL told me, both black and white, that winning mattered more than the race of the coach!