Interesting Fact About Corky Nelson...

GrandGreen · October 6, 2010

Some missed the point here. Corky had a great ability to get his teams to play above themselves against what should have been better teams. Some years he had a much tougher non conference road schedule than what we have played the past two years and competed well and even won some of those games. The folks who witnessed those games know this. But to meet your players 1 month prior to kickoff and nearly walk out of Baylor with a win to me is amazing. Then to win conference in only his second year with only one recruiting class under his belt is even more amazing. And the main point is, if it can be done before in such a short time, it can again at North Texas, which is what the doctor is ordering for the opening of the new stadium.

Rick

Didn't miss your point; did you miss mine. Corky in his second year, first in 1-aa was playing with a team largely recruited at the 1a level, therefore had an advantage. His first game was against the team he had coached Baylor and it was a close game but he won I think 2 games that year.

No doubt, Corky got the team up for the big oc games and did a better job against those teams then any of his 1a predecessors. He is also the only NT coach I've seen get into a fight with a player on the side lines. While I am not as nostalgic about Nelson as some, I do believe if NT gets the right coach he can be quickly successful in the Belt. NT should and could dominate the Belt. While overall the Belt has gotten marginally better, only Troy has really elevated themselves and I think their questionable recruiting strategy should be much harder to accomplish going forward with rules on the number of players that can be signed.

wardly · October 6, 2010

With the right hire, this team wins 6 games next year. Anyone who was at the LaLa game knows that we had superior talent, but threw the game away with a key turnover, penalties, and another special teams blunder. Hire the right guy, and we will all enjoy at least a break even year in the first year of the new stadium.

if i am not mistaken, we have more seniors on this team than anyone else in the belt. looks to me that our new coach will have to rebuild a team that has won only 6 games in 4 years.

SilverEagle · October 6, 2010

if i am not mistaken, we have more seniors on this team than anyone else in the belt. looks to me that our new coach will have to rebuild a team that has won only 6 games in 4 years.

Especially in the D-line. In looking at the official roster, we only have White, Abbe, Cantley (if he ever realizes his potential) and Boutwell(?) at DT.

We have Akpunku, Obi, McCoy, Bellazin, Gaines, Foster and Anyiam returning at DE.

And as an aside, why is Boutwell (254 lbs) playing DT, and Anyiam (292 lbs) playing DE?

TheTastyGreek · October 6, 2010

And as an aside, why is Boutwell (254 lbs) playing DT, and Anyiam (292 lbs) playing DE?

I've found that after 4 years, it's easier to just simplify the question to: "WHY????"

I stretch my anguished arms towards the heavens and ask that question several times every time I watch our football team.

FirefightnRick · October 7, 2010

Didn't miss your point; did you miss mine. Corky in his second year, first in 1-aa was playing with a team largely recruited at the 1a level, therefore had an advantage. His first game was against the team he had coached Baylor and it was a close game but he won I think 2 games that year.

No doubt, Corky got the team up for the big oc games and did a better job against those teams then any of his 1a predecessors. He is also the only NT coach I've seen get into a fight with a player on the side lines. While I am not as nostalgic about Nelson as some, I do believe if NT gets the right coach he can be quickly successful in the Belt. NT should and could dominate the Belt. While overall the Belt has gotten marginally better, only Troy has really elevated themselves and I think their questionable recruiting strategy should be much harder to accomplish going forward with rules on the number of players that can be signed.

Yeah, I get that you simply were not impressed with him. I was. Especially by the simple fact that his '82 team was recruited to a horrible facility in the first place and had gone 2-9 the year before, which included a loss to 1-AA UTA. Yet with 4 total weeks to recruit and another 4 weeks to witness and evaluate talent on the practice field his team nearly walked out of a Southwest Conference stadium with a win, and the next season won a 1-AA conference championship.

Even more amazing to me is that with absolutely nothing in regards to facilities to recruit to, and even less in the budget to work with, while coaching North Texas during 8 of it's 1-AA seasons, Corky Nelson won exactly the same number of games against 1-A programs(9) as Dennis Parker, Matt Simon, Darrel Dickey and Todd Dodge won COMBINED against 1-A non conference programs(9).

That's coaching your ass off in my opinion.

Rick

Edited October 7, 2010 by FirefightnRick

UNT90 · October 7, 2010

if i am not mistaken, we have more seniors on this team than anyone else in the belt. looks to me that our new coach will have to rebuild a team that has won only 6 games in 4 years.

We play in the Sun Belt, not the SEC. The right hire will turn this around in year one.

Mark it, pin it, put it in 6 inch headlines.

wardly · October 7, 2010

We play in the Sun Belt, not the SEC. The right hire will turn this around in year one.

Mark it, pin it, put it in 6 inch headlines.

i hope you are right, but we are the worst team in the worst 1a football conference in america.

UNTLifer · October 7, 2010

i hope you are right, but we are the worst team in the worst 1a football conference in america.

I would argue that the Sun Belt has surpassed the MAC and will quickly pass the WAC in the next year or two. Why is it that many slam the Sun Belt when it is the only D1 conference that would give us a home when we needed one? Nobody was complaining when we were winning and heading to New Orleans each year, or when Cobbs and Thomas were on the cover of USA Today were they? True, the Sun Belt is a young growing conference, but at least it is growing and not losing ground like the WAC. I think we would all welcome the chance to move to a more highly regarded conference in the future, but what purpose does in serve to bad mouth our current home at every turn?

Edited October 7, 2010 by UNTLifer