DRC College Notebook, Attaway ejects from F16

[OldTimer]

College Notebook: Attaway gains fame from ill-fated ride

Former UNT QB bailed out of F-16 fighter before crash

08:41 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 3, 2006

Playing quarterback at North Texas won Jason Attaway some recognition in the state, but it paled in comparison to the notoriety he received recently for an ill-fated flight in an F-16 fighter jet.

Attaway has served in the Air Force since he graduated from UNT and experienced perhaps his most frightening flight a few weeks ago when he was forced to eject from an F-16 during a training exercise in Glendale, Ariz.

“Right after we took off, the guy in the plane next to me looked over and my plane was on fire,” Attaway said. “I ejected and the plane crashed into a field. You always talk about ejection seats, but you never expect to need one.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Attaway was not hurt in the accident that was reported in newspapers and on television around the world.

“I got a bunch of phone calls from friends that I hadn’t talked to in years,” Attaway said. “I was in the paper more often for being the quarterback at North Texas, but the accident was more of a headline since I put a $25 million plane in a potato field.”

Attaway has about 30 hours of flying time in the F-16 after flying the T-37 trainer earlier in his Air Force career.

He expects to fly the F-16 for the next 10 years and could end up back in Fort Worth, where the Air Force has a squadron of F-16 jets.

The career is one he has been preparing for since his days with the Mean Green. Attaway was in the ROTC at UNT and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force the same day he graduated.

Attaway played at Sanger High School, joined the Mean Green as a preferred walk-on and rose through the ranks to become UNT’s starter. He made the first start of his career at Oklahoma.

Attaway lettered three times for the Mean Green from 1997-99 and led the team with 680 passing yards in 1998.

“When I got here a number of people thought that if Jason had a chance, he could make something of himself,” said coach Darrell Dickey, who took over at UNT before the 1998 season. “We had a quarterback returning, but he sat out spring practice. Jason won the starting job and started the first seven games of the next season, including his first start at Oklahoma. We were in first place in the Big West Conference when he blew his knee out later that season.”

Attaway’s career in the Air Force has taken him far away from his roots in the Denton area, but he still follows the Mean Green. Attaway meets up with his former teammates for UNT games and typically sees the Mean Green play at least twice a year.

He said there are some ways flying jets in the Air Force compares to playing quarterback for a college team, although there are a few major differences.

“In an F-16 you are by yourself if you mess up,” Attaway said. “As a quarterback you have a team depending on you.”

Briefs

Football

Sun Belt has no players selected in NFL Draft

The Sun Belt Conference went the entire NFL Draft without having a player selected last weekend.

UNT running back Patrick Cobbs was considered the Mean Green’s best draft prospect, but was not among the 255 players picked.

UNT officials said Cobbs was trying to find a team to sign with as a free agent after the draft. Cobbs said earlier this spring that he was willing to play in the Canadian League or in NFL Europe to extend his career.

Cobbs won the national rushing title in 2003 with an average of 152.7 yards per game before sitting out most of the 2004 season with a knee injury. He came back after a redshirt season last year and led the Mean Green with 1,154 yards.

Cobbs finished with 4,050 yards for his career.

Former UNT kicker Nick Bazaldua is also considered an NFL prospect and is looking for a free agent deal.

The Sun Belt had at least two players picked in the NFL Draft in each year from 2002-2005. The Cowboys made Troy’s DeMarcus Ware the first Sun Belt player picked in the first round last season when they used the 11th overall pick to select the defensive end.

Softball

UNT breaks through for SBC series win

The Mean Green won a Sun Belt Conference series for the first time this season last weekend when UNT won two of three against Troy.

UNT won the first game 1-0, lost the second, 5-4, and then came back to win the finale, 4-3. The first two games of the series went extra innings.

UNT shortstop Katya Muller drove in the game-winning run with a single in the top of the 11th inning of the first game. The Mean Green held on in the bottom half to end the longest game in UNT history.

The Mean Green appeared as if they might sweep the first two games of the series when Monica Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to score Kristina Fowler in the top of the 10th, but failed to hang on when Troy scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the win in the second game.

UNT took an early 3-0 lead in the finale when third baseman Susan Waters hit a three-run home run and hung on for the win.

The Mean Green improved to 3-9 in conference play with their performance against the Trojans, but are still stuck in last place in the league standings. UNT is two games behind Troy and Western Kentucky, which are both 5-7 on the season.

Fowler picks up two wins

Kristina Fowler produced her best weekend of the Sun Belt Conference season during the Mean Green’s series against Troy last week.

Fowler pitched in all three games of the series, started two and picked up her first two wins in Sun Belt play. The former Meeker, Okla., standout allowed just three hits in an 11-inning shutout in the first game before coming back to throw five innings in relief in the second game.

Fowler allowed three runs, two of which were earned, and took the loss.

UNT started her again in the series finale and saw her respond by allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings to pick up the win.

Fowler enters the week ranked 10th in the Sun Belt with a 3.82 ERA to go along with a 17-18 record. Lanie Hardcourt of Troy has thrown 241 1/3 innings and is the only pitcher ranked among the Sun Belt’s top 15 leaders in ERA to throw more innings than Fowler, who has tossed 216 1/3.

Track and field

UNT heads into final meet before SBC championships

The Mean Green will have one last chance to prepare for the Sun Belt Conference Championships on Saturday when they compete in the UTA Open in Arlington.

UNT comes into the meet off a solid performance in the Mean Green Twilight, its second of two home meets this season. The Mean Green won seven events at the meet and picked up one regional qualifying mark when senior Ciji Brooks posted a throw of 47-2 1/2 in the shot put.

UNT has tallied nine qualifying marks for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet on May 26-27 at the University of Texas.

The Mean Green will look to add to that total this weekend at a familiar track. Rachael Runnels and Mark Lee recorded regional qualifying marks in the 100-meter dash and the high jump, respectively, at the Arlington Invitational earlier this season.

Runnels posted a time of 11.64 in the 100, while Lee leaped 6-10 3/4 in the high jump.

UNT head coach Rick Watkins said his team could be peaking just in time for the end of the season after last week’s meet at Fouts Field.

The Mean Green are looking to build toward the conference meet and improve on last season’s outing that saw UNT finish third in the women’s team standings and fourth in the men’s rankings.

Smith posts best marks of season during meet at Fouts

Heath Smith turned in one of his best performances of the season last week at the Mean Green Twilight Invitational.

The former Lake Dallas standout competed in both the shot put and discus and turned in his best marks of the season in both events. Smith posted a toss of 53-0 3/4 in the shot put and a throw of 157-6 in the discus.

Smith’s marks were not only his best of the season, but also ranked among the top performances in the Sun Belt Conference this year. His throw in the shot put ranks third in the league, while his mark in the discus ranks fifth.

Men’s basketball

Former UNT standout takes over in Athens

Kenneth Mangrum, a four-year letterman at UNT, has taken over as the head boys basketball coach in Athens.

Mangrum spent one season at the Class 3A school as an assistant before taking over for Kelly Parrish, who left Athens to become the head coach at Grace Community in Tyler.

Mangrum will have all five starters returning from last season’s team.

“I have high expectations for next year’s team,” Mangrum told the Athens Review. “My goal for the team is to make it and advance in the playoffs.”

Mangrum was a two-time all-state selection at University High in Waco and was also named the Central Texas Player of the Year before signing with UNT. He lettered in all four of his seasons with the Mean Green from 1999-2002.

Mangrum spent three years as a student assistant at UNT before taking a job as an assistant at Athens.

“Kenneth is a hot coaching prospect and we’re excited he’s staying with us,” Athens athletic director Dan Hamrick told the Review. “I know there are others who were interested in having him on their staff.”

Women’s basketball

Bobo named MVP at Mean Green’s banquet

Senior guard Erika Bobo was named the Mean Green’s MVP during the team’s annual awards banquet last week.

Bobo averaged 10.5 points per game and earned second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. She also received the team’s Offensive Player Award.

Senior guard Mian Williams earned the Defensive Player Award, while sophomore post Talicia Sanders received the Rebounding Award.

Senior forward Kennethia Wilson received both the Mean Green Pride Award for community service and the Best Attitude Award.

UNT won the Sun Belt Conference West Division title — its second in the last five seasons — with a 19-9 record. The Mean Green’s 19 wins on the season ranked as the fourth most in school history.

Player of the week

Katya Muller came through in the clutch for the UNT softball team on Saturday, setting the tone for the Mean Green’s best weekend of the season in Sun Belt Conference play.

Muller came to bat in the top of the 11th inning with UNT and Troy locked in a scoreless tie in the opener of a three-game series. UNT’s shortstop responded by singling home what turned out to be the game-winning run.

The hit proved to be the highlight of a solid weekend for Muller, who went on to finish 8-for-14 with two runs and an RBI in the series. Muller went 4-for-5 in the second game of the weekend and tied the school record for hits in a game.

Muller’s performance boosted her batting average to .309, a total that ranks ninth in the Sun Belt.

UNT went on to win two of the three games in the series after winning just one of their first nine games in league play this season.

In four games last week, Muller hit .500 and had nine hits.

For her performance against Troy, Muller is the Denton Record-Chronicle UNT Player of the Week.

Seven-Day Schedule

Wednesday

Softball: UNT at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Track and field: UNT at UTA Open, all day; Softball: UNT at Western Kentucky (DH), 2 p.m.

Sunday

Softball: UNT at Western Kentucky, noon

Monday

No events

[letsgiveacheer]

I am glad he is OK as this is a big deal. There is only one engine on the F-16, so if it goes, there is no recovery. Good for him for putting it down in a field.

Any other Det 835 exes on this board?

[ArkansasEagle]

Former Air Force SSgt who worked for the Wing Commander and worked for a general in the 301st Tactical Fighter Wing at Carswell AFB. 4 years active, 3 years active reserve.

[Zeke]

Also good to hear some good news for Kenneth Mangrum. He always was one of my favorites.

[Coach]

Good luck Kenneth, I know you will do an excellent job.

[FirefightnRick]

Good news on Jason. I hope he gets to come back to Texas. And good luck to Coach Mangrum as well. Proud of you both.

Rick

[eagle60]

Attaway's plane crash was about four miles west of my house in NW Phoenix. I was out of town at the time but glad he didn't hit my swimming pool! Its just warmed up enough to keep from freezing and the North Texas T-Shirt hanging out on the back of one of the lounging chairs at the pool would let him know he was welcome.

Where was I? Buying one of the new Eagle ball caps and a new t-shirt at Voertmans with our daughter and grandson. The grandson just turned 13 and he's already over 6 feet tall and 220#. I've taken him to NT football games for exposure. I think he understands he is being indoctrinated!