Thoughts from a long time fan

untgeorge · September 27, 2005

Many think these two losses are the end of the world. If you were a fan as long as I have been, you would think differently.

Keith has tried to compare DDs record with the all-time school W-L record. No valid comparison of such can be made, not even if you take out the 2-year schools and other entities such as Fort Hood we played early in the 20th century. The modern era in football is considered by many writers to have begun in 1960, coincidentally a year before I graduated. If you look at the modern era you find:

- We have had only one HC with a winning record, Hayden Fry

- We have an overall losing record during that period

- Our last conferfence championship was in 1984, the Southland, and the prevous was in 1973

- Our last consecutive conference championships were in '66 and '67

- We have had 15 years of 3 wins or less and more painful last minutes losses than I can begin to recount

By comparison, these are the golden years. The best football memory I have is the Miracle in the Desert, which even though there were two conference games left told us we would win the conference. The next best is the bowl win over Cincinnati.

The progress we are making is visible. Four consecutive conference championships, four consecutive bowls (more than in our previous 85 year history), two consecutive national rushing leaders. An old timers thought: is this really happening to us? A boom in new facilities, all of which (other than football stadium) will be on stream by the end of the calendar year. (Baseball might not be, but we don't control that.) Steadily increasing attendance, the most recent evidence of that being a crowd of 23,000 for a game with an opponent which has never been a big draw in the past, and which was achieved without a promotional push. Attendance had improved every year under DD until last season, when we had the low turnout Tuesday night game.

We are not "there" yet. Progress was dramatic for a couple of years but will continue on a slower pace. 50 1A schools signed HS players in Texas last year, almost all from conferences which are more prominent than ours, and which have invested far more in facilities and in coaching than we ever thought of investing. Look at the histories of Boise, Marshall, and Fresno and you will see that significant progress followed significant fan and community support. We are just now developing that support.

These last two losses are bad but not devasting. The Tulsa loss was worse because it was unexpected. But those things happen. Hayden lost to Okla St 7-61 and went on to a winning season. Corky lost to ArkSt 0-56 (in conference) and some consider him one of the best coaches we have had.

Focus on the positives, it's easy to do. These losses were not the end of the world.

Everything "The Fake Lonnie Finch" said is not only truth, it is wisdom. Focus on the positives.

PlummMeanGreen · September 27, 2005

Many think these two losses are the end of the world. If you were a fan as long as I have been, you would think differently.
Keith has tried to compare DDs record with the all-time school W-L record. No valid comparison of such can be made, not even if you take out the 2-year schools and other entities such as Fort Hood we played early in the 20th century. The modern era in football is considered by many writers to have begun in 1960, coincidentally a year before I graduated. If you look at the modern era you find:
- We have had only one HC with a winning record, Hayden Fry
- We have an overall losing record during that period
- Our last conferfence championship was in 1984, the Southland, and the prevous was in 1973
- Our last consecutive conference championships were in '66 and '67
- We have had 15 years of 3 wins or less and more painful last minutes losses than I can begin to recount
By comparison, these are the golden years. The best football memory I have is the Miracle in the Desert, which even though there were two conference games left told us we would win the conference. The next best is the bowl win over Cincinnati.
The progress we are making is visible. Four consecutive conference championships, four consecutive bowls (more than in our previous 85 year history), two consecutive national rushing leaders. An old timers thought: is this really happening to us? A boom in new facilities, all of which (other than football stadium) will be on stream by the end of the calendar year. (Baseball might not be, but we don't control that.) Steadily increasing attendance, the most recent evidence of that being a crowd of 23,000 for a game with an opponent which has never been a big draw in the past, and which was achieved without a promotional push. Attendance had improved every year under DD until last season, when we had the low turnout Tuesday night game.
We are not "there" yet. Progress was dramatic for a couple of years but will continue on a slower pace. 50 1A schools signed HS players in Texas last year, almost all from conferences which are more prominent than ours, and which have invested far more in facilities and in coaching than we ever thought of investing. Look at the histories of Boise, Marshall, and Fresno and you will see that significant progress followed significant fan and community support. We are just now developing that support.
These last two losses are bad but not devasting. The Tulsa loss was worse because it was unexpected. But those things happen. Hayden lost to Okla St 7-61 and went on to a winning season. Corky lost to ArkSt 0-56 (in conference) and some consider him one of the best coaches we have had.
Focus on the positives, it's easy to do. These losses were not the end of the world.
Everything "The Fake Lonnie Finch" said is not only truth, it is wisdom. Focus on the positives.
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Back when I would board any kind of airplane, I was riding in a twin engine Cessna type plane from Easterwood Airport outside Bryan/College Station back to DFW so I could get back in plenty of time to listen to that Fry-era NT/Oklahoma State game which we lost 61-7.

Following that game in Stillwater, I almost wanted to get back on a sky-divers plane to make an unscheduled jump without a parachute. Seems like we may have had our biggest win (back then) in school history that same year of that terrible loss if I recall. My how those make us quickly forget these lop-sided losses. Our day to shine in the sun will come again--it always does.

Great post, untgeorge...and BTW young gun alums, as long as I can think back of anything that I ever attended (starting in the 70's) relating to NORTH TEXAS, untgeorge had already had about a quarter of a century head start on the rest of us from the 1970's; but what I was going to say is that untgeorge seemed to always be at most any of those events. By now, he knows how many of us appreciate his undying and most loyal support for NT and Mean Green athletics.

GMG!

Edited September 28, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

IslandEagle · September 28, 2005

Back when I would board any kind of airplane, I was riding in a twin engine Cessna type plane from Easterwood Airport outside Bryan/College Station back to DFW so I could get back in plenty of time to listen to that Fry-era NT/Oklahoma State game which we lost 61-7.
Following that game in Stillwater, I almost wanted to get back on a sky-divers plane to make an unscheduled jump without a parachute. Seems like we may have had our biggest win (back then) in school history that same year of that terrible loss if I recall. My how those make us quickly forget these lop-sided losses. Our day to shine in the sun will come again--it always does.
Great post, untgeorge...and BTW young gun alums, as long as I can think back of anything that I ever attended (starting in the 70's) relating to NORTH TEXAS, untgeorge had already had about a quarter of a century head start on the rest of us from the 1970's; but what I was going to say is that untgeorge seemed to always be at most any of those events. By now, he knows how many of us appreciate his undying and most loyal support for NT and Mean Green athletics.
GMG!
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Good post, untgeorge. In 20 years, people won't remember the loss to Tulsa or KSU. They will remember the bowl trips and conference championships. Does that mean I am happy with the team and coaches right now? NO. Does that mean I think that the program will fall apart if this year turns into a disaster? NO. All schools have some seasons like that.

But, that being said. We DO have to take a step to the next level sometime relatively soon or we will be left at the station again. Us old timers have been there and done that and don't want it to happen again. I can tolerate a bad season, if I think that we will be much improved next year. I can tolerate it much less, if I think that we are sinking back into the quagmire that we have tried so hard to get out of.