Responding to the fans

[Glad To Be Green]

I take a chance every time I respond to comments made on this board, in the newspaper or just in casual conversations. However there are so many stories and suggestions flying around I feel it is in the best interest of this program and its' continued progress...and we do continue to make progress... to address and clarify them. This is not venting and is not intended that way. I am only responding to questions and comments on the board over the last couple of weeks.

First, I have not and do not apply for every job that comes open. I have been approached by some schools over the last two years because we have been successful. You need to understand that many times when a name comes out as being involved with a school it is not because you apply for a job but because someone is interested in you or a search firm thinks you would be a good fit. And sometimes when a job comes open, rumors eminate from an innocent newspaper item which is what happened in this instance. Here's the rest of the story and more.

1. The article in the Lafayette paper was a small portion of an interview with a reporter out of Lafayette that I have known and respect who wanted the perspective of an AD that had been at multiple mid-major schools, had helped advance programs to the point that others considered them successful and was a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The gist of the interview, which was about 30 minutes long, covered a number of areas and was intended to explore the challenges schools in our conference and at the mid-major level face every day. The article was one of a series of columns that appeared and just happened to be about media and community exposure, a problem that this university and not just this athletic department has experienced for a long time. My comments were written not in whole, but rather as pieces and does not really convey my thought which is that lack of a local radio and television station makes it difficult to infiltrate the local and regional market on a regular basis. Throughout the rest of the interview I was asked to compare everything from travel to media market to access to post season play. As most of you would expect I was extremely positive about our situation here in those areas.

2. The blurb about no contact from Lafayette came from a question posed by Brett Vito as a result of the column. I told him at that time that I was not sure why he was asking as that there had been no mention of the job and I had not been contacted about a job. It was that simple.

Suggestions about game days

First let me state that I feel we are "up to the challenge every day" and and if we don't do those things that someone sends in doesn't mean we failed anything. I know that suggestions made are done so with best intentions and I appreciate them. But it's easy to direct from the balcony when you don't have to worry about all the expenses or logistics or reprecussions. Though we are limited in resources I know we provide as much as most places we visit throughout the year. We know because we evaluate other venues and operations at all away games. I also realize that many of the people complaining about a lack of promotions and other game aspects haven't come to a game recently and don't really know what we do in many areas. But that does not mean we can't get better and we want to. I must also address the person who complained about promotions and activities for the tournament last year. Although we don't run the peripherals of the tournament (Sun Belt does) there was plenty of promotion and great activities. You must have been in hibernation. Ask anyone who came.

3. Promotion suggestions- I have always had an open ear about promotions and we have implemented suggestions from fans. But to continually say that we don't promote the product is just not true. From season posters to table tents, game week posters, newspaper ads, A-frame signs, game day campus and yard signs, message boards, elementary school programs, $1 hot dog night, video tents and pre-game band promos for students, t-shirts, kid's funland on the concourse, kids' halftime events, televising games on public access television, game day spirit truck on campus, coaches' live radio shows in public venues, tailgate parties, e-mail blasts, family packages, enhanced Mean Green room, etc. we are constantly putting information out and promoting the product. We're not sure items like spotlights are the answer as they are expensive and in our confines don't make the impact that generates sales. If they worked others would be doing it. Free tickets are not the answer. It was the method before we got here and that didn't work. If sometimes seems that if we're not feeding fans, providing T-shirts and giving them free tickets to the game, then we're not promoting. I may be wrong but we believe that most of the people complaining or suggesting don't live in Denton and therefore don't see much of this. And whether we like it or not it is economically impossible to put enough radio and newspaper spots to penetrate the Dallas market. The sad part for fans not coming is that the real marketing tool these days is the game itself. With good tickets as low as $5, affordable family packages and a product that is outstanding our fans should come without further inducement. We play in a league that is in the top half of the country and those who are coming know it. Once you come to a game here you will come back.

That said, I want you all to know that I am willing to listen to any additional ideas anyone might have and welcome your input. Sometimes I am not sure what you consider a promotion so it would help. E-mail anything you would like to see us try. Keep in mind that until we have sufficient paying customers in the stands on a regular basis, some things will not be economically feasible.

4. In-game activities. People have complained about a lack of cheerleaders at some games during the holidays and that is valid. However most of our cheerleaders live out of town and are not on campus. That is not unique to North Texas. In fact at Tulsa there were not only no cheerleaders but no band and no dancers. We have not had a game this year without band or dancers even during the Christmas holidays. Cheerleaders have returned but I agree must get more active. Overall however our support groups are really good. We are trying to work out the logistical problems of a mike man with our speaker system. I like the suggestion and hope we can make it work.

5. Concessions- unless you have 10 stands open like a pro game there will always be lines. We are now opening everything we can and will open satellite stations but remember crowds dictate our ability to open stands. It doesn't make sense to open five stands when there is a trickle until halftime. It is the same at a lot of places and as we continue to expand the options for customers we will unfortunately continue to have lines. We will work to serve as quickly as we can.

6. Students- we meet with sorority and fraternity presidents at the beginning of the year and our coaches went out prior to basketball season to speak with them. We do communicate our schedules to these groups as well as other student groups with our staff and our coaches throughout every semester.

7. Coaches. Someone questioned the coaches I have hired. Those that I have brought seem to be holding their own. Jim Bob Jackson won a conference championship and has had a lot of success since then. Our swim team has improved consistently over the last three years and broken nearly every school record while moving to the middle of the pack in the conference but I know we can and must make more progress. Cindy Padgett, the women's golf coach I hired who recently had to leave to join her husband, had her team win twice in the fall and positioned them to make a run at this year's conference title. Our softball team though young has already beaten Big 12 and C-USA teams and will only get better. And Johnny Jones is already the 5th winningest coach in school history and just signed the 29th rated class in the country.

Let me also comment on two existing coaches that seem to be getting a lot of time on the board. A lot of people now want to let Coach Dickey go although 8 months ago he was a hero. One losing season does not erase 4 straight conference championships and bowl games and he has earned the right to turn it around. And in the 6th toughest conference in the coutry according to the RPI, Tina Slinker is 13-5 with 2 losses to top 25 teams. Her latest loss came as she sent one of her best players home for violating team policy, a practice I applaud. We sure have come a long way when we complain about these kinds of numbers. I love your passion and respect your concern but must temper it all with rational decisions. Many programs would like to be making the progress we see every day.

8. Lastly, I want to address some numbers being thrown around. In the first month of my being hired I did state to the board that we would need over $90,000,000 to get this program to a point where it was on solid ground and could be compared to the better programs in the country. To break that down we said it would be 9,000,000 for the athletic center, 30,000,000 for stadium renovation, 16,000,000 for women's facilities, 3,000,000 for a baseball stadium, 2,000,000 for a new track and 20,000,000 - 30,000,000 in endowments. Although at that time I did not realize the depth of the apathy and lack of connection that existed at this university, the number is still right. I will be the first to admit it has been much, much harder than I could have imagined. But it is not impossible. And although some facilities have cost less today the athletic center, the women's facilities and an academic center have all been put in place and the athletic department owes less than $4,000,000 (2,000,000 already covered by pledges that are being payed out over the next two years). It must be noted that nearly $1,000,000 of that amount was used for video equipment and new turf in the stadium. an expenditure that was necessary but unexpected. Someone also complained that this money was loaned by the university. That is incorrect. It came from commercial paper that the athletic department is responsible for and has already payed back over $400,000 in just six months. The remaining debt will be paid from monies saved and raised by the athletic department. In addition to those projects, we have added players' lounges in basketball, projectors and sound systems everywhere you look, new transportation for teams and over 30 new computers that don't get figured in the regular budget. We also added new seating and tables at basketball, a new floor and new lighting. All of this is paid for and came from private dollars raised on an annual basis. Now we must continue to raise more money than at any time in the history of this program or any comparable program to make the stadium a reality. But remember to be a successful fund raiser the constituency must be willing to step up when asked. It recently took Auburn (over 40,000 season ticket holders and competing for a national championship) over 3 years to raise $60,000,000 for the athletic department employing a hired firm staff of three and a department staff of full time athletic development people. Therefore we know it will not be easy but can and will be done. They stepped up. When asked will we?

9. Academics- 67% graduation rates and all teams above the APR. Enough said.

I tried to cover the areas most people were questioning and complaining about because I want you to know the view from my position. I hope you trust my positions as I have never hidden our negatives and have always been willing to discuss our shortcomings. I do not need accolades but do expect that people acknowledge what this staff has done. Many of you do and I really appreciate that for my staff.

You also need to know that despite the negative sentiments of some, I do want to be here and I work hard every day to prove that. You also need to know that I run this department and will make the decisions necessary to elevate this program. I have the same commitment and passion I had four and a half years ago when I took this job. I know there will always be detractors regardless of how many good things an administration achieves because everyone has their own agenda. Everyone has a certain tradition or protocol or game day experience they treasure and any change or lack of emphasis on that particular event causes concern and many times anger. I must confess that I am often guilty of the same behavior. But let me assure you that everything we implement, be it about safety, programming or direction of the athletic department is in the best interest of the entire program. My passion to do these things is strong even though, as someone suggested, I'm not an alum and I will continue to do them every day until someone tells me it is no longer my job. I will keep my ears open to those who offer suggestions and help. I will not be frustrated or deterred by critics who don't know the whole story or don't accept that the right thing is being done. I accept that we will sometimes make mistakes. Most of all I understand that you don't change the entire complexion of a 70-80 year old program in four years and I intend to stay the steady course to get where we need to go. It may not be at everyone's desired pace or even my desired pace but at the pace our alums and constituency allow us to move until the challange is met. And whether you agree with me or not, honor your alma mater by helping where you can.

In closing, I reflect that I really do hope other programs might have an interest in pursuing me. You should too. It means we, and that's all of us, are doing great things at North Texas. GO MEAN GREEN!

P.S. I respect and love our people. I refuse to call out any posters by name, although I know who you are, but I need to say that I put no faith in the negative opinions of people who have a lot ot say but give very little more than an opinion (no attendance, no season tickets, no MGC). Especially when face to face you say how much you support what we are doing.

P.S. P.S. It's time to crank up our quarterly public forum again since our expansion is about finished for now. Please e-mail if you would attend. It's a good thing but only if people participate.

[MeanEd]

Glad

Thanks for all you do

[NDT]

Thanks for the post. I think many people are wondering about the baseball field. I understand that it is dependant on the owners of the Outlaws participating. Will they still be building a baseball stadium and if so when?

[EagleD]

Thank you for everything you do. I was proud when I introduced my wife to you at the game in Colorado 2 years ago. I said, "That's the Man, right there."

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!

[Glad To Be Green]

Thanks for the post.  I think many people are wondering about the baseball field. I understand that it is dependant on the owners of the Outlaws participating.  Will they still be building a baseball stadium and if so when?

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It is no longer dependent on them although I believe they will be a part of it. Look for good news soon.

[Baby Arm!]

Rick,

Once again thanks for all you do, It's not at every university where the AD will take the time to respond as you do.

Depending on when it's scheduled you can count on me for the quarterly meeting. One question, will there be a fan meeting for signing day at the AC like last year?

[Guest e-bone]

Improvements have been made in promotions for basketball games, but very often the only people who are aware of these promotions are the same people who attend games regularly. It is good to keep those people coming back, but we need to improve on our poor attendance figures for the basketball teams, not just maintain.

What is being done to promote games directly to students who live on and near campus? It seems if they don't get on the website or actively try to find out when games are and what promotions are going on for them, they are unaware of games and promotions. As you stated, it can be hard to have a quick turnaround after years of apathy, but I believe that we can see a significant increase in attendance in basketball if students are made aware of games and promotions.

Thanks,

Evan Switzer

[DeepGreen]

It is no longer dependent on them although I believe they will be a part of it. Look for good news soon.

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Edited January 25, 2006 by Harry

[Will to Win]

MEAN!!!

[untbowler]

Improvements have been made in promotions for basketball games, but very often the only people who are aware of these promotions are the same people who attend games regularly. It is good to keep those people coming back, but we need to improve on our poor attendance figures for the basketball teams, not just maintain.

What is being done to promote games directly to students who live on and near campus? It seems if they don't get on the website or actively try to find out when games are and what promotions are going on for them, they are unaware of games and promotions. As you stated, it can be hard to have a quick turnaround after years of apathy, but I believe that we can see a significant increase in attendance in basketball if students are made aware of games and promotions.

Thanks,

Evan Switzer

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Checking mail tonight I saw posters taped to the ground in front of Maple and in the entry way to the Mall area for the game on Thursday. If I did not have class in Richardson I would look to attend the game, unfortunately PhD profs are not very forgiving. I would think most people would see what they are stepping on, very clever on that idea.

***Noticed it is RHA night on Thursday so not sure who is responsible for the extra promotion of the game here, either RHA or Athletics either way it is nice to see some promotion***

Edited January 25, 2006 by untbowler

[MeanGreen61]

I would think most people would see what they are stepping on, very clever on that idea.

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I don't know, some people can't even tell when they've got their foot in it

[GangGreen]

No plummer hi-jack??

Here's your chance, Art Bell of GMG, toss your stupid conspiracies toward a credible source.

My guess is, your nuts are really on your chest.

Edited January 25, 2006 by GangGreen

[Go_UTA]

Pardon me for interjecting here, but that was a hell of an effective and classy post by Glad. You guys are lucky to have this guy running your athletic show. Running a very high profile and complex organization is not an easy task. I don't think any of us can appreciate what it is like unless we have happened to have been in those shoes. Obviously, your man knows what he is doing.

Glad, I'd sure like to see us playing each other in every sport possible, and particularly would like to see a resumption of the men's basketball series. I remember those games from several years ago, and they were always very exciting and drew extra fan and DFW media attention. Furthermore, the travel costs are next to nothing.

I'm cutting you guys some slack now, but I hope we get this thing going again when we are in our new arena.

[MeanGreen61]

P.S. I respect and love our people. I refuse to call out any posters by name, although I know who you are, but I need to say that I put no faith in the negative opinions of people who have a lot ot say but give very little more than an opinion (no attendance, no season tickets, no MGC). Especially when face to face you say how much you support what we are doing.

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I put no faith in the negative opinions of people who have a lot ot say but give very little more than an opinion (no attendance, no season tickets, no MGC). Especially when face to face you say how much you support what we are doing.

Edited January 25, 2006 by MeanGreen61

[GMoney]

Pardon me for interjecting here, but that was a hell of an effective and classy post by Glad. You guys are lucky to have this guy running your athletic show

AMEN!!!!!

[FirefightnRick]

Well, what else is there to say other than, 'that right there is one of the reasons why I keep coming back and supporting my Mean Green.' I too have been critical concerning promotions of the bb team and I greatly appreciate the insight on that. Firing up the quarterly's again would be great in my oppinion.

Thanks for the update Coach and know that we appreciate all that you have done for us in such a short time and most here feel very fortunate to have you working for us.

Rick

Edited January 25, 2006 by FirefightnRick

[greenpie]

This is what makes North Texas, North Texas. Thank you Rick for taking time to communicate with us. I love that North Texas fosters an enviroment and culture where administrators are approachable, responsive, caring and honest. This is why I went to UNT and why I will forever bleed green.

GMG!!!

Edited January 25, 2006 by greenpie

[Monkeypox]

Let me also comment on two existing coaches that seem to be getting a lot of time on the board. A lot of people now want to let Coach Dickey go although 8 months ago he was a hero. One losing season does not erase 4 straight conference championships and bowl games and he has earned the right to turn it around.

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I'm just gonna comment on football for now...

1) DD was never a hero to some of us, not 8 months ago or 8 years ago. Watching and listening to games since the dawn of the Dickey era, it's been fairly easy to notice things that weren't right, even when we won. And we'd get called out for it. Funny that the comments then were "WHO CARES? A WIN IS A WIN..." and now they've changed to "WHERE WERE THESE COMMENTS WHEN WE WERE WINNING?" They were there. They were dismissed.

Any decent coach should be able to SEE those things, account for those things, and fix those things. Some of us knew the moment that we did not have a distinct talent advantage over teams, that some of those little things (and not so little things) would come back to haunt us. After all, they were plain enough to see whenever we faced mid-major talent or better. Last year, they came back to bite. It wasn't entirely unexpected. If our goal is to frequently win the Sun Belt and lay eggs vs. most everyone else, then I understand sticking with DD. I'll believe he's capable of more the second I see it. He's at 39-55, or a .415 winning percentage. In other words, he's no Corky Nelson. That means something to some NT alums. Sure, most of us will still be around watching NT football when Dickey's gone. He'll either go the way of Corky Nelson or he'll stay around here long enough to actually start winning something of note. There's a certain chance last year was an aberration, but it would be easier to believe if the signs weren't already there. And accepting that as a possibility, one might also be reasonable to accept as a possibility that Dickey's success came off of one recruiting class, and that those 3 winning years were the aberration. Obviously some people feel it's worth the risk of having a poor football team now on the chance that he develops later as a coach. After all, isn't that the case with...

2)...Ramon Flanigan, conspicuously absent from your post, though I would say he's gotten a good bit more flogging on this board than just about anyone outside of DD. In fact, I would hasten to say that he's responsible for a good percentage of the flack that DD gets, as DD is to you. It trickles up... but I digress.

Any reason for his (RF's) absence from your coaching comments?

Now, I realize you're bound by diplomacy and good sense. Obviously, we aren't. That's the way of things. It's a message board. I've got people who work for me too, and I wouldn't make comments regarding their performance anywhere other than where it belongs, which certainly isn't a message board. But I'm a football fan, and IMO the football at NT is simply a bad on-field product. You can dress it up however you like, but in the end all you'll have is a gilded turd, or, as it's called in NCAA football, a Sun Belt title.

I can't much stand for defending the state of a bottom 20 football team. If people are content winning against only the worst competition, I do not understand our position in Div 1-A. However, I've not had any major problems with the job you've done (yet), and I was pleased with your hiring.

[LoveMG]

I can't much stand for defending the state of a bottom 20 football team.  If people are content winning against only the worst competition, I do not understand our position in Div 1-A.  However, I've not had any major problems with the job you've done (yet), and I was pleased with your hiring.

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have to agree with that. let us be realistic here, winning the sunbelt is what it is and that is not a national championship so let us not act like it was. as for you RV i like how you shoot stright with us, but do more of it more often. only 12 posts in 4 years is not enough info to keep us stright. when will you really start asking for a football stadium and money from us fans? time is short to me.

[PlummMeanGreen]

No plummer hi-jack??

Here's your chance, Art Bell of GMG, toss your stupid conspiracies toward a credible source.

My guess is, your nuts are really on your chest.

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MY RESPONSE TO AN INSULT WITH A, WELL........... A FEW MORE...

POINT/COUNTER-POINT

My thoughts concerning your most shallow "dumb-a$$ed" statement about comparing me to Art Bell is that you are like one of those college students who apparently couldn't read (like the ex Okla. St. football player who went to the NFL and then they discoved could not read) and that you for damn sure can't (or simply won't) read your "blanekty blanked" NT Football Media Guide which would tell even a novice (which Im not sure your even at that level) would tell any "foward thinking" Mean Green football fan that this football program has been living a lie (so you really do listen to, uh, Art Bell, GangGreen?) UNT is living a lie with all this fake, veiled and disguised success of beating a bunch of SBC nobodies (most of whom were just out of 1-AA) to go 4 bowl games. 4 bowl games (of which got beat 3 out of 4 times with the last 2 losses which showed this football program was sinking even in the depths of SBC). GangGreen, you just seem to enjoy small time "shooting fish in the SBC barrell" football, so I guess DD is the coach for you to enjoy for the next 8 years as he still tries to get to .500 of which his last 8 years still has him 16 games under such. (And there even now seems to be a new tradtion at UNT of honoring such performance).

Yet you and others of you who are almost 2-faced (when it come to yalls "like DD today/didn't like him yesterday and probably won't after national signing day on February 1'st); This is all very confusing with all this love/hate for DD. Yet some of you will just go ahead and continue to throw your good money at some terrifically bad and enjoy this SBC/Bottom 10 existence because that is all Darrell Dickey will ever be able to deliver in Denton. NOTE: And then there are some who won't be throwing their money away anymore until Darrell Dickey is off the NT payroll and is back in the land of Dorothy and Toto (or anywhere he damn well wants to go for that matter just so its out of Denton). I'm sure "daddy" can fix him up.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE AT UNT TO DESERVE ALL THIS IN THIS NEW MILLENIUM?

All you still have with DD is a journeyman assistant football coach disguised as a head football coach at an NCAA D1-A school and if not for his "daddy" who knows all the right people (like, uh, all the right hiring authories at NCAA D1 schools?); anyway, if not for that "special" inside advantage," DD would still be a journeyman assistant football coach at some school(s), probably right there with his buddy. Phil Bennet, at SMU. Just very frustratingt how UNT would hire a totally unknown commodity who had had about 6 assistant football coaching jobs in the previous 10 years before "daddy" and Craig Helwig ((all 3 with Kansas State connections for you who seem to forget that connection) pulled off this hiring coup right under the noses of a "sleeping" Mean Green Nation. Of course, the NT BOR's rubber-stamped all this of which it seems this group will rubber-stamp just about anything up there. Do they really ever read what the hell they are rubber-stamping? "You All Like That?"

LET'S CALL AN ACE AN ACE AND A SPADE A SPADE HERE: NT leadership has been terribly unsuccessful the last 2 1/2 decades in hiring athletic personel (like their hiring Dennis Parker over Dennis Franchione)? A very big........DUH with that one). Yet GangGreen (and others who enjoy all this mediocrity) you still need proof of all this non-success when it comes to hiring personel in the NT Athletic Dept? The proof in the pudding is still merely looking at the W/L records of all those who have been hired and their varsity teams at UNT the last 2 or so decades of which can be found in any school's media guides.

EVEN WORSE THAN DD? Some of the 2-faced hypocrites on this message board are absolutely astounding (and pathetic). I lost count the last few years of the number of people who have told me how they did not like Darrell Dicky's leadership or even his style of football. They dissed Dickey Ball on GMG.com almost non-stop and then when he buys them a beer or even smiles at them, they just seem to forget all about his last 8 years of W/L records; they seem to forget the worst home loss in NT history vs. Tulsa; they seem to forget that we still get beat by schools whose football programs only recently opened up for business; and never-mind that we got our heads handed to us by a school last seaason at some far away outposts in NW Lousiana that UNT should be out-recruiting even in bad years.

Yet with our "double-faced" crowd (who have been as pissed about DD's on-going radio comments as the next NT Ex) but with some of this group he has become "da' man for da' job" at UNT. And now that we have Spring (excuse me), uh, Winter football practice coming up (BTW, hurry up DD and get that started before they pull a Dennis Parker or Matt Simon on you and fire you after they see the results of yet another SBC/Bottom 10 class on national signing day).

Yes in deedy, we have our Spring Football birds who start doing some of that "Art Bell" type stuff and suddenly think DDickey has recruited for UNT a whole covey of Parade All American football recruits and then they begin their annual Spring Football "kiss a$$" with DD like he's the 2'nd coming of Vince Lombardy (and start trying to convince other NT Exes that for sure "next season" DD will have an offense that finally breaks into the NCAA D1-A top 80 ranked offenses. NOTE: Did any of you get your wish about NT Offensive Coord, ie, "In The Stands of Fouts Field Debate Champion" Ramon Flanagan BTW? Do you think all these experts in Denton listen to anything we ever say about "OUR" school's athletic program?

AND SUDDENLY DD CHANGES HIS PHILOSOPHY AFTER 8 YEARS?............... why did it take DD 8 freakin' years to (apparently and finally) leave behind his famous "we want to play em' close till the end" philosopy? For him to say the following at a football banquet last Saturday has caused a few laughs and I paraphrase him from some of you who (laughlingly) told me what he said and that was: "I feel sorry for our opponents next season, we are going to kick their asses" (which I hope he really didn't use those exact choice of words since I understand there were several children at that FB Banquet).

GangGreen, so you think Bobby Ray needs to go ahead and give DD yet another contract extension because of that most bold statement he made at the FB Banquet? And FWIW and beggin' your pardon, but it really seems to be you who is UNT's version of Art Bell because of your accepting of one of the strangest, unusual and wierdest college football coaching careers that I've witnessed (or even heard about) in my 40 plus years of following NCAA Divsion One football. GangGreen, all you and a hardy handful of others need with some of your posts about being excited about all this is the Twiilight Zone theme song.

<>*<> Anyone who would gladly accept what we are getting at UNT are the Art Bells of UNT, ie, the "accepting of just about anything dished out to them" who have allowed all this crapola to create for them a scenario where they are the ones who have become a bit left of center and for damn sure a bit on the far side. The truth really will set you free for you who seem to be avoiding it.

Many of us just no longer believe or trust NT leadership and the on-going Barnum and Bailey circus or charade of what they actually seem to think is a highly successful athletic program. Anyone can follow a bad act and look good. Yet still I simply defer to media guides of every UNT varsity sports program for the gospel truth with all this and the very reasons many will no longer continue to keep our heads stuck in the sand. That can be kind of suffocating if you do it too long and have you really doing some Art Bell style thinking for all the lack of oxygen.

GIMMEE' A FREAKIN' BREAK WITH EVEN THIS:

And new facilties at Eagle Point (except the main one that would make a big difference in our football program coupled with new leadership and that 35-40,000 seat facility that would advance our program like no one person could eve dream of doing. But unfortunately, that main facility have had no monies raised for it according to UNT's other AD, one, Mr. Bobby Ray).

Someone please explain to some of us if UNT would really be able to remain in NCAA D1 and have a competitive NCAA D1-A athletic program (which we do not presently have as far as the mainstream of NCAA D1-A is concerned); anyway, would we really be able to keep our hands in play at the D1-A table if we were not building all these facilites at the MG Athletic Village? <>*<>*<> Come on for crissakes', it's like those poor, unfortunate hurricane victims who have been living in tents the last few months being told: "Hey! We are going to build you a nice frame house with indoor plumbing." "Aren't you all lucky to have us around doing all this just for you?"

Edited January 25, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

[mad dog]

I can't much stand for defending the state of a bottom 20 football team.  If people are content winning against only the worst competition, I do not understand our position in Div 1-A.

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Please stop this argument. It is tired and overused and flat out wrong. No one is content with our position, but most of us do understand that we are making progress, even if it isn't happening at the rate you'd like it to be.

Content with bottom 20? No. Happy with it? No. So stop saying that. No one is satisfied with where we are. But things are getting better. If you can't see that, then I don't know what do say. Keep the faith...

[mad dog]

12 posts in 4 years is not enough info to keep us stright. 

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It's 12 more than the guys at UT and A&M are giving.

when will you really start asking for a football stadium and money from us fans?  time is short to me.

Personally, I'd rather have Coach V doing his job than giving us daily reports. Sure communication is part of it, but unless you're going to pony up for six or seven figures, don't expect a guy as busy as Rick to personally attend to you.

[untbowler]

Please stop this argument.  It is tired and overused and flat out wrong. No one is content with our position, but most of us do understand that we are making progress, even if it isn't happening at the rate you'd like it to be.

Content with bottom 20?  No.  Happy with it? No.  So stop saying that. No one is satisfied with where we are.  But things are getting better.  If you can't see that, then I don't know what do say.  Keep the faith...

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I think it is hard to say it is getting better when we go from 4 Bowls to a 2-9 season, obviously you know more on the recruits than 90% of us on the board but the pill is pretty bitter right now.

Hope your correct on the assessment.

[eulesseagle]

Rick V--

I really appreciate your comments on the state of the UNT program.

Most of our concerns boil down to how do you measure the success of the program?? That is all of our concerns given in a plethora of different ways by the numerous comments by all those who post on this forum.

You addressed many of the concerns that we have except, "HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS OF ANY PROGRAM PARTICULARILY FOOTBALL."

I will be the first to admit that I have supported Coach Dickey for the last 8 years up to the end of this year but have least stated my "parameters" of success, win 2 OOC games, win the SBC and win the N.O. Bowl against the #4 CUSA team.

RV, in all sincerity, if your parameters are "just" to win the SBC only and not care what happens against our OOC opponents and what happens in the N.O. Bowl then I, like the rest of us, can accept your convictions.

The current coaching staff that you have in place I am thrilled to have them and am enjoying the benefits of their current success however I pray that you have addressed some of the situations that occured over the last 2 years concerning:

1. Coach Dickey explaining to the team and fans that we can not win some games. To us that is a defeatist attitude and can not be tolerated.

2. Coach Flannigan overtly verbally confronting an alum in the stands because of comment of, "you are being out coached."

I, as just one alum, am just concerned over your philosophy and that is what are your parameters of success for coaches?

[GangGreen]

Plumm, I have never said I am happy with the state of our football program. Check my posts, you'll see that.

My point is that every thread on this board becomes a rant by PMG with the same crap over and over again. Making claims that you have no proof of, involving back door deals, does paint a picture of you being a conspiracy theorist.

Go ahead and write your 40" reply. I'll read the first sentence, like everyone else on this board and go on with my day. Watch out PMG, they are watching you.