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A quick search pulls ACLJ as the "American Center for Law & Justice". They are a religious rights watchdog. What's the harm with having this as a law? $0 tax dollars are spent on it. It's not a law that is enforced in any kind of way... If you don't believe in God, then don't pray. How is it different than any other normal day? And for those that do believe, they're praying for the strength of the country in which you live in. What's wrong with that? Also, I don't believe it specifies any certain religion, so there's no favoritism. If it were the "National Christian Prayer Day", or the "National Buddhist Meditation Day", then I could understand. Sadly, thousands, if not millions of dollars were spent on this useless ruling that could have been redirected elsewhere. If the "National Day of Prayer" (the Government version) gets struck down and removed, then the religious organizations of the US will probably continue it as a grassroots movement, and nothing will have changed. I think there are plenty of other issues that the courts could be tackling instead of this.

Here is what my Mom said by email. **Donald is my older brother - Mom went into labor with him the night of the NT/SMU game in 1977 - she waited till halftime to goto the hospital to deliver him. Talk about dedication to NT basketball and to journalism!

Weird that an SBC fan base would turn on a moderately successful coach after their delusions of grandeur got unfulfilled a few seasons.

San Diego State fan here. Undoubtedly the first to post here since we've never played you guys. (But there's a first time for everything.) This might be a bit long, for which I apologize, but I think it might be of interest to you. Five years ago Tom Craft was completing his final season as SDSU's football coach. I heard enough rumors to think he might get canned mid season like NTU just did with your guy and then I thought Tom actually might survive but he lost the finale to a bad Hawaii team and sealed his fate. (I later heard from well-placed sources he was gone regardless.) Anyway, Craft had more than just high school head coaching experience but it was just at the JC level and I was aghast at hearing he had been hired when we almost got Jeff Tedford, then Oregon's OC, then almost got Mike Riley, then the Chargers' head guy, then almost got Rich Brooks, who was unemployed. When Craft was shown the door I was therefore adamant that SDSU not repeat the thoroughly botched hiring process that resulted in his hiring. (Among other things our idiot AD reportedly appointed the fired Ted Tollner to sit on the interview committee to replace himself. Yes, that's apparently true, as amazing as it sounds.) I therefore created channels from which to obtain information from insiders about the process to replace Craft. I won't bother with specifics and rumors but one thing that's a matter of public record is that SDSU hired Chuck Neinas to vet the candidates. After the attendance swoon created by the lousy teams at the end of Tollner's tenure and four years of Craft, SDSU's athletics budget was in bad shape. The general consensus was, therefore, that the university was unnecessarily spending a reported $35K on Neinas that it could have better used in some other manner. Plus reports suggested some nepotism in the retaining of Neinas. Was the $35K money well spent? No. However, that wasn't Neinas' fault in the slightest. As I'm sure you guys do when your football coach job is open, I heard many rumors of applicants and I won't bother to detail those, either. However, I will say that none of the names mentioned was Chuck Long, who ultimately got the job. Chuck was therefore called the stealth candidate and although I wasn't sure what I thought of him when I heard he had been hired, I attended his introductory press conference and hung around after the media was done with the guy and found him to be highly personable and thought he would do well. Of course as you may know, Chuck had the worst 3-year run of any SDSU head coach in half a century and SDSU ended up buying out the last two years of his contract in order to save its football program. Did Chuck Neinas recommend his namesake, you might ask? No, I might answer. Rather, Neinas recommended Jimbo Fisher. SDSU football is now finally back to respectability under Brady Hoke and his excellent staff. However, because SDSU's AD didn't listen to Neinas, the school's football program undoubtedly lost millions in ticket sales and alumni contributions, to say nothing of the $1.5M to pay Chuck to sit in the athletics office for two years and twiddle his thumb allegedly writing reports which nobody ever saw. (He's now the OC at Kansas. 'Nuff said.) Listen, $35K in this day and age is peanuts when it comes to FBS football. Probably pays for nothing more than some paint for your new stadium. And maybe Neinas has an incestuous relationship with a bunch of people within NCAA institutions. But so what? There's no doubt the guy has more contacts than anybody else out there from which to gather dirt on applicants. And since he didn't recommend Chuck Long to SDSU, I'm sure Neinas found some stuff of concern on Chuck since Fourth-and-Long was at that time the highly-regarded OC for Oklahoma. Sadly, however, it's obvious our then-AD (since fired himself) knew Chuck back in the day at Kansas State and thought he was God's gift to football coaching. In conclusion, I don't mean to stick my nose in your business and I definitely don't make it a habit to post to other schools' message boards. I just thought you guys might like to hear my perspective on the report of the hiring of Neinas.

Git sum pitchin'.

Just as some wear their burnt orange envy on their sleeve?

Horn jealous?

Ya, but you can have as many as you want. Quantity over quality?

With Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska, Texas remaining on their schedule, it's not too far fetched to say the Texas A&M job will be open as well if Mike Sherman can't pull out three more wins among them. The Aggies have beat every team on their schedule with a losing record and lost to every one with a winning record. All remaining opponents have winning records. The A&M job will be the cherry of the region. If they lose this weekend to Texas Tech, I'd hope Rick puts the pedal to the metal on our hire.

I agree completley. Anyone who can only win 10 games for 11 straight years totaly blows. With all the talent they have they should totaly win every game every year. Since there is clearly no one in the whole universe who get the talent that they get by not doing anything or working hard or coaching good or any of that stuff (cuase the totally dont), they underacheive when they lose even one game. I dont know how they look at themselves in the mirror.....

No, but it will water down our input. Our final decision will be weighted like this: Neinas - 28% RV - 18% Rawlins - 19% GoMeanGreen.com - 35%

Do you see that beautiful stadium being built right there? Canales said, pointing to the skeleton of the new football stadium. Id sure like to be a part of that, because this place is going nowhere but up. This is a gold mine thats ready to take off. Throughout his coaching career, Canales has built a reputation as a man who was able to recruit among top schools, snatching talent away from the likes of Florida State, Miami and Florida.

Yes. City College of SF, 1967 and 1968.

The harm is that it is unconstitutional.

Then again, I thought a high school candidate was unrealistic. Shows what I know.

Absolutely. Wasting time on this takes valuable time and resources away from removing "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. Seriously, good post.

We are building a $78 million football stadium. If we aren't going to offer competitive salaries and field a good team, why would they make such an investment in the football program?

I assume you missed it, but recent reports indicate we will be prepared to offer $600-750k for a head coach and $1 million for assistants. There is never any guarantee that whoever you hire will be the right man for the job. But this is one time where UNT needs to be as sure to get it right as possible. 3-4 more years of 2-3 wins could be disastrous for the future of the program.

Agree with all of your comments. Very interested to see Holmen this year. If he's matured a bit and works on his shot selection, I think he going to be a very dangerous player.

I hope we don't skip on a Special Teams coach again...

Bumped into Coach Blakeley about 8 years ago at Greenhill HS. My son was playing for Trinity Christian (Cedar Hill) while he was there to see a grandson play. I mentioned to him that I was a student during the time he coached at NT. He stated that he was crazy back then. He also predicted that the new coach (JJ) was going to do great things. On my way out, he stopped to provide a basketball tip to my son. Can't remember exactly what it was but it was a typical hysterical comment. Blakeley raised the bar for men's basketball. In addition to winning, the teams were entertaining to the large crowds he attracted. After years of futility, I'm glad to see JJ's teams finally approach the bar he set. RIP coach!

And that's why he is who he is, folks....

Quitters....

Your not one of those young guys trying to revisionist out one of our all time best wins in our history, now are you? Actually, we beat your alma mater when yall were ranked #20 in the AP and/or UPI poll during Hayden Fry's 2'nd year in Denton. Your coach(?) then almost kicked one of our visiting room water coolers over into the next county right after that game. BUT......yall tore us out a new one with the return game as I recall beating us quite handily. (Get your SDSU media guide out for more on that). BTW, thanks for your information. GMG!

A favorite Coach Blakeley memory of mine: We were beating UTA by 30-something points at the Super Pit. There's less than a minute to play, when UTA fouls one of our players. Anyway, our player goes to the free throw line to shoot FTs.......when, for no apparent reason---the UTA coach calls a timeout. I guess he was trying to "ice" our player and only lose by 32.....who knows? Anyway, the timeout ends....our players go back for the the free throws. They get lined up, our shooter is ready to shoot FTs.....and Coach Blakeley calls a timeout. That timeout ends....our players go back for the the free throws. They get lined up, our shooter is ready to shoot FTs.....and Coach Blakeley calls another timeout. That timeout ends...our players go back for the the free throws. They get lined up, our shooter is ready to shoot FTs.....and Coach Blakeley calls another timeout. He called three straight timeouts.....just to dig at the UTA coach for calling one really stupid timeout. Needless to say, us UNT fans were laughing hysterically. Thanks for the memories, Coach.

That's right, the report lists 20 players and mentions a 21st but there were only two, Student Athletes B and C who claim they saw Coach Leavitt grab Miller by the throat and slap or hit him. Student Athlete M claims he recalls seeing him slap his face but doesn't mention seeing him grab Miller by the throat, instead he say's Leavitt had ahold of the players shoulder pads. The other 17 players who were interviewed either didn't see it the way Student A claims it happened or never saw it at all. Student Athlete D Student Athlete D said that he saw Leavitt put a hand (maybe his right hand) “high” on Student Athlete A’s jersey, indicating that it could have been on Student Athlete A’s throat. At this point, Student Athlete D turned his head because he “did not want to ‘catch anything himself’ or see anymore.” By the time he returned his sight to Student Athlete A, Leavitt had his hands on the side of Student Athlete A’s face, although Student Athlete D did not see Leavitt strike Student Athlete A Student Athlete E Student Athlete E described Leavitt as having grabbed Student Athlete A only by his shoulder pads while exhorting Student Athlete A to “Fight your Ass! You’ve got to fight your ass!” Student Athlete H Student Athlete H, the fifth name provided by Student Athlete A, was seated in the vicinity of Student Athlete A during the halftime. He said that Student Athlete A is the kind of Student Athlete that “hangs his head when he messes up.” He remembers Student Athlete A as being non-responsive to Leavitt’s questions and Leavitt becoming frustrated with Student Athlete A’s attitude yelling, “ya’all have to get your freakin’ asses up!” He saw Leavitt “grab” Student Athlete A but is not sure if it was by the neck or by the collar of his jersey. Student Athlete J Student Athlete J was seated near to Student Athlete A. He saw the encounter and reported that Leavitt saw that Student Athlete A was “down,” grabbed him and said “We gotta win! You have to do a lot better!” Student Athlete J said that Leavitt grabbed Student Athlete A with his right hand on Student Athlete’s A’s neck or on shoulder pads in an area close to Student Athlete A’s neck, and was pointing at him with the other hand. Then he “tapped” Student Athlete A’s face twice “to get his attention,as if to say (Student Athlete J’s words, not Leavitt’s) “Snap out of it!” Student Athlete J thought it was “nothing too major,” Student Athlete F Student Athlete F is a senior who did not see the event. Student Athlete G Student Athlete G is an underclassman and so was not in the main locker room. Student Athlete I Student Athlete K Student Athlete K was in the locker room but used the rest room at the beginning of the period. As he traveled through the locker room, Student Athlete K heard Leavitt shouting at Student Athlete A, “Did you get your block? Did you get your block?” When he returned to the locker room, Leavitt was no longer there. Student Athlete N Student Athlete N was not playing in the Louisville game but he soon heard of the incident that occurred during its halftime. Student Athlete O Student Athlete P According to Student Athlete P, Coach Leavitt grabbed Student Athlete A by the shoulder pads, shook him, and told him, “fight, fight!”. Student Athlete Q The reviewers met with Player Q who said that he hadn’t seen anything in the locker room during that game. Student Athlete R Student Athlete R told the reviewers that he was in the locker room on November 21st, but didn’t see anything. Student Athlete S Student Athlete S indicated he was in the locker room on November 21st at halftime. He said that he didn’t actually see the entire “alleged incident” because his attention was focused on his position coach and their whiteboard....he saw Coach Leavitt with his hands on Student Athlete A, up around the neck area of the jersey Student Athlete T Student Athlete L Student Athlete L said that Leavitt put his hands on Student Athlete A by his shoulder pads while speaking to him in a raised voice Student Athlete M Student Athlete M recounted similar facts, saying that Leavitt grabbed Student Athlete A’s jersey and was shaking Student Athlete A’s shoulder pads to motivate him. He indicated that Leavitt slapped Student Athlete A two times on the cheek to get his attention and was holding his chin with his hand. According to Student Athlete M, this is “what coaches do” to motivate Student Athletes. Student Athlete U, not interviewed. Again, per your own link, and by the information provided by USF's own review report, how in hell are there TWO DOZEN or as you now say, ABOUT TWO DOZEN players claiming Coach Leavitt grabbed Miller by the throat and slapped him in the face? Rick

You're a politician, right? This is the most twisted sense of logic I've seen in a long time. Let me get this straight. By funding scholarships we "are telling these young men that they have to risk their health for our pleasure if they wish a higher education, no?" No, we are not telling them that at all. By funding scholarships, the MGC provides the athletic department with the funds to offset the cost of scholarships. These scholarships are offered to these young men and women, who in turn, decide on their own whether they want to accept it or not. These scholarships are not forced upon these young men and women. Making the comparison between a coach violating university policy and physically grabbing a player by the neck and slapping and a player accepting a scholarship to play the sport of their choice is comical at best. Well just have to agree to disagree. Go Rangers.

Good Lord, people!! Both the weak sisters of the poor (Boise and TCU) and the big bad bullies (every AQ team) are trying to SCHEDULE for success. There are 2 ways to get to where everyone wants to go--a BCS bowl game and possible National Championship. If you're playing in a weak conference you need to run the tables and get lucky by beating one or two "name" AQ teams that also happen to not have a down year. The big boys perpetuate their own rankings by using the pre-season polls and weak OOC schedules, where they refuse to go on the road or use another conferences officials, to bolster their records and rankings, hoping that a single loss in conference doesn't derail their season. Both sides are playing the same game and you morons are getting bent out of shape trying to argue which side is doing so more correctly. It's maddening. The whole system is F'ed up. Know what's worse? A playoff where all conference champs don't get an auto-bid. That's where this goes next. So, keep it up. You may just get what you wish for.

"It's a good move for UNT. Rick Villarreal and Lane Rawlins are going to make the decisions, but an extra opinion certainly won't hurt matters any." You mean they are bypassing the opinions of this message board?

If/when Howard is gone I hope they do get a high profile coach. It can only help make the conference better and make us better with it.

It's an easy formula, actually. You start with a huge pot of money and look the other way when the outlaws on the team get in trouble, and voila you have a football factory.

Only partially agree, programs like UT were you can pay to have the very best assistants; this is the approach that works. For lower tier teams, the HC has to be a more hands on guy. It is common to have the hc be the de facto coach on one side of the ball. It is why Mack Brown would be a terrible coach at a place like NT. His main role is hiring and monitoring assistants, fund raising, and providing very general guidance. NT needs someone who does those things but also who can recruit and take a much bigger part in the developing of game plans and players. This doesn't mean the hc is out leading drills and coaching techniques but it does mean that he takes an active part in game planning, play calling, and recruiting. It is a fact that even if a lower tier team can afford a very capable hc that they will also have the same level of assistants.

Hmmm...

It doesn't matter what he is talking about, he knows zip, nada, zilch about the law. I get the feeling if he actually did attend law school he flunked out the first semester. He really exposes his ignorance with every post. Florin's firm focuses on unusual mix Florin is president of Florin Roebig, a firm with 12 lawyers including his brother Wolfgang and two other shareholders. The firm has a somewhat unusual mix of specialties — personal injury, medical malpractice and employment law. The mix may explain why Florin and his office attract plaintiffs such as Leavitt and Landers.

Totally agree. Cuz they NEVER load up on cupcakes in the OOC, play in a conference within a light year of the SEC and dont have a bail bondsman and rotation of explanations on hand. All with the largest athletic budget in the country. Yep, UT is the very definition of doing more with less.

Rangers in 3.

Yes, and a jury will hear the majority of them say that he physically assaulted Miller under the legal definiton of assualt. The others will testify that they discussed it with the Miller and the closest bystanding witness who corroborates the story. Depending on whether the the hearing is criminal or civil, the jury or judge will hear form the D.A. or University Counsel that the nearest witnesses saw the choking and hitting and many others nearby saw some kind of assault. Leavitt's attorney is stuck having to try to convince a judge or jury that nothing happened when the 20 or so witness testify they he had in some manner. And, they'll testify as to the mindset of the player afterward and the actions of Leavitt during the investigation. They will then introduce into evidence USF's rules and policies, and Leavitt's contract signed by him saying he would abide by them. And, when Leavitt loses, he will have been out of coaching for two years and will not have the mark of the incident cleared. And, in addition, he'll have a nice legal bill to pay, possibly two depending on how that particular jurisdiction in Florida handles plaintiffs who files lawsuits and lose. It could be that they stick him with USF's legal bill as well. All in all, a stupid gamble unlikely to anyone any good - expect the attorneys, who will be paid one way or the other.

Doesn't RV know you already made him a website? Now, draft him some form letters to send to every target, track down the emails and you got yourself a thriving business, internet master.

RANGERS! Holy fuck! this is so surreal! i have never been so happy over a sports moment! mother fucking rangers!!!!!

We all knew it was coming. It is going to be interesting to see how blatant they make it. UO is on the verge of being the 3rd #1 in a row to go down. Next week, it will be Oregon and those God awful uniforms at the top spot. Then it would be Auburn, then LSU, and even Michigan St. They will make up a way to place a one loss or even a two loss BcS team ahead of Boise or TCU.

Good news for the Baylor fans...Bowl eligible.

In 2003 USC was #1 in both polls and #3 in the BCS rankings. That's why the split National title.

Yes, I also saw the quote in speaking with his assistants Will Muschamp and Greg Davis today in the paper to be; "I told them if one of your guys is playing bad, I can change them, if three of your guys are playing bad, I can change you". THAT is how a CEO-type coach does it. Pick the best assistant's you can, let them do their job...if they don't hold them accountable. I like it!

the following numbers are aproximate, so don't carve them in stone, but i think our oc and dc are paid about $100,000 annually. that is probably ok if your head coach is making about $275,000, but way short if its closer to $500,000, which is probably in the range an experienced hc will cost. if so, we will have to up our oc and dc to around $200,000, and top assistants in the $125,000 range. to bring in an experienced college staff in todays market could increase payroll $750,000 to $1,000,000 annually. just a guess and by golly.

Considering the economy, these numbers are far more important to the coaching search than the opinions of students, faculty, fans, or alumni. Folks, we're talking a ton of money in an era where state support is declining yearly. Please keep this in mind when considering a "national" or "big name" hire. I'm pulling for a big name, but it just doesn't seem likely. Big coaches demand big money and I don't think UNT is in a big money position. We gambled on Dodge, not necessarily because of his HS success, but because he was cheap and had potential (I admit it). Today, the economy (including state funding) is even worse. I hate to say it, but I think UNT may have to gamble again.

Never apologize. Agreed. With what did they replace the union? Juniper? You know you make gin from juniper berries. I like gin. We're not. Both ways.

The 5 things he needs to do to win the job: 1). WIN at WKU 2) WIN at home against Troy. 3) WIN at ULM 4) WIN at MTSU 5) WIN at home against K St. Do that, and you prove you are a proven head coach at the college football level, which is what this university has to have in it's next head coach

One year too late. Typical UNT.