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If there were College Hall of Fame Presidents, Lane Rawlins would be a lock.

Uncle Charn says he hopes you enjoy his millions upon millions he's donated...

UNT has negotiated a six-year corporate naming rights sponsorship agreement with HUB International Texas, Inc. for signage and others promotional rights. HUB International will become the exclusive Naming Rights Sponsor of the UNT Apogee Stadium Club Level (the “HUB Club”) for the term of the agreement through August 31, 2019. Over a period of the next six years, $525,000 will be paid in Sponsorship Fees.

Not worried about it:

Dickey won four conference championships at the FBS level. Regardless of how his tenure ended, he certainly doesn't deserve the hate typically reserved for him on this message board.

LINK: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/01/catching-up-with-some-of-the-greats-including-the-great-dd.html/ +1 trillion.

Let’s talk some UNT basketball today. It’s been an interesting season so far. One game UNT looks like a top 5 team in CUSA the next game they look like a bottom feeder. Right now I have UNT ranked 12th in MGN’s basketball power rankings. It’s not that I think UNT is that bad, because believe me the talent is there to be a top 5 team. The reason they are ranked so low is the inconsistent play and poor execution at times. One minute you see great ball movement, the next minute it’s stale. One minute you have good defense, the next you have a guy getting beaten off the dribble and no help defense. It really is frustrating. With that let’s get into some topics. I’ve got 3 areas that I want to get to 1. The Players 2. The Schedule 3. The Coaching. Read the Rest Here: Friday Basketball Thoughts Hope all you guys enjoy the Super Bowl and I hope its a safe one for you and your family.

I have to quibble with this: "Fast forward to this year and he has already almost matched that win total with 10 games left to play and against tougher competition." Has it really been tougher competition this season? We had to get a waiver because of the number of games against teams below the D1 level. I am also not sure how much of a step up CUSA is this season.

Yes, Dickey's us against the world attitude really helped the program. Vito's praise of Dickey and vitriol against Dodge are the hallmark of unbiased journalism. Dickey was a good on field coach that had a lot of issues. He parlayed one great recruiting class to a great run, but he neither had the vision or passion to sustain that progress. He may be a future HOF coach based on his great streak in the Belt, but he would never get my vote.

We paid our assistants poorly and we constantly lost the ones who had proven they could recruit. I don't mean to BCS AQ schools, we lost assistants to other programs at our own level and sometimes even to other SBC teams. Dickey spent a lot of off season time finding and hiring new assistants when he and they could have been on the recruiting trail. Assistant pay is at a much higher level, and while we run the risk of our good recruiters being stolen by P5 schools, we no longer have to worry about Tulsa or ULM taking people.

I am far from a Dickey fan, but I take great exception to the sentiment stated above. The 2002 and 2003 teams were as good as NT has had in three decades. A lot of people believe that winning streak was wholly because of a weak Belt. However, overlook the facts that NT has never come close to that conference winning streak in the Southland, Lone Star, MVC or any other conference. Yes, I doubt NT could have done it in any other FB conference; but the Western Division of CUSA last year was not exactly the SEC. I think four trips to New Orleans was great for the program, but overall I don't think Dickey's NT years were a plus. I also believe that McCarney inherited a much better program from Dodge than Dodge did from Dickey.

Can we get minis of the alternate helmets used? I would love to get one of these, but there are several reasons that I may not be able to get one. Plus, I already have a mini helmet collection going and these would be great to add to my collection. On a related note, would love to see the historic mini helmets that we have worn available for purchase in the Apogee store. I would really love to be able to complete my collection as some others may want to do as well (or even start a collection for some).

I don't see that hate is typically reserved for him. He gets a lot of love, a lot of hate, and a whole lot more of "I really appreciate what he did, but..."

What items would you like to sell? What items would you need for growth? Do you want North Texas Athletics to be bigger and sell more merchandise? Yes...winning helps, but North Texas Athletics could brand & market itself a little better by adding "one" additional logo. Perception is reality. If it looks better...it will sell better. This is about "sports pride" and better tailgate gear...flags, car emblems & clothing. Attached is an example of "How-To-Do-It 101". The attachment has random merchandise & logo use by two of the best in the business. That's right...I said "business". I hope that North Texas is not allergic to money. I primarily featured both North Carolina & Notre Dame because: 1) They are both in the "Top 10" for collegiate merchandising. 2) Both are "similar in name" to North Texas. replace words "Fightin' Irish", "Irish" or "Tar Heels" with "Mean Green" replace image of "leprechaun", "clover", "foot" or "ram" with our eagle replace logo of "ND" or "NC" with our letterman's "NT" Out of the top 75 schools in merchandise sales, (Notre Dame ranks #3) & (North Carolina ranks #9). I think we could learn something about marketing from these two schools. Yes, they are both P5, but look at the way they use their NC & ND logos in merchandising. Out of the top 75 universities listed, over 90% use some form of a 1-2 letter initial or lettered logo in their brand management. Maybe you don't want a baseball cap with a diving eagle on it or a "green light to greatness" koozie. North Texas did not crack the top 75...but look who did. #54 East Carolina, #63 South Florida, #66 Memphis, #68 Texas State, #70 Louisiana Lafayette, #71 Colorado State & #72 Marshall. The big-dog top 25 universities get it. They understand the power of simple & sound collegiate design. What are we missing? What do they know that we don't? What are they doing that we're not? Marketing to your target audience, branding your institution, recruiting young people & new fans are all part of the equation. NT has been branding better the last few years, but it's time to turn another corner. Bottom line...big picture...it's about more money & respect for our university. Good Design is Good Business. 3XL

Interesting. UNT is considering refinancing the CP that was used to partially pay for stadium construction into long-term debt. Looks to me that the intent is to extend the Athletic Fee. We talked about this when the bill was passed in Austin, and that the University would have many options to keep the Athletic Fee in place indefinitely. Projects utilizing interim commercial paper that will require long term debt support: Football Stadium at UNT ($27,690,000). The original project budget for the UNT football stadium was set at an amount not to exceed $78 million. At the March 2011 Board of Regents meeting an order was approved to increase the budget to $79,011,000. The University of North Texas System (UNTS) previously issued $48 million in long term debt with the Series 2009A bond issue. The remaining $30 million was financed using commercial paper (CP), of which $27.69 million is currently outstanding. This issuance will refund $27.69 million of CP to RFS fixed rate long term debt. The estimated annual additional debt payment depending on the blend of taxable and non-taxable debt will range from $1.76 million to $1.88 million and will be funded from donations and/or Athletic operations, with debt service for the total project not to exceed 50% from the student Athletic fee.

ok, fair enough. I guess I am still a little frustrated that because of politics a group of us had to come up with money to completely renovate a building across campus for a dedicated basketball practice facility when right across the street was a perfectly good gym floor that could have been "given" to basketball. I have been told, and I could be wrong on this number, that there are 32 gym courts on campus counting those in the rec. center. I wouldn't have hurt to give the old snake pit back to basketball and the donated money could have gone elsewhere, like building a baseball field. Just one example. And I guess Coach McCarney is Rawlins hire and Benford will be RV's hire....... And its not all about athletics, that's just what I support

Why? I know he was good, but why all this greatness? The stadium was already under construction, the business building was already in the works, emerald eagle program already in place. Besides just being a great guy, what did he do besides steer a ship. I will check back later for the abuse I am about to endure, and please I am saying he did a great job steering, but I have not personally seen evidence of anything besides keeping the ship going in the right direction.

2014 Football Season Tickets Go On Sale Monday, Feb. 3 Schedule To Feature Six Home Games, Including Visit From SMU On Sept. 6 Jan. 31, 2014 Season tickets for the 2014 North Texas football season will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 3. The Mean Green, coming off a 9-4 inaugural season in Conference USA and a victory in the New Year's Day Heart of Dallas Bowl, will play six home games at Apogee Stadium in 2014. The home slate opens with a game against cross-metroplex rival SMU on September 6, followed by Nicholls State on September 20. North Texas will also host four Conference USA games yet to be determined. Fans can renew season tickets and purchase new season tickets beginning Monday, and may do so online, in person at the North Texas Athletic Ticket Office at Apogee Stadium, or by phone at 940-565-2527 or 800-868-2366. Those fans with season tickets for the 2013 season have until June 1, 2014, to renew their tickets. Club-level season tickets cost $375 this year. For more information on purchasing Club tickets, contact the Mean Green Club at (940) 369-7284. Priority sideline tickets, in sections 101-109 and 201-212, will be $160. Tickets in sections 105, 206 and 207 require a $500 donation to the Mean Green Club for every four seats. Tickets in sections 103, 104, 205, 106, 107, and 208 require a donation to the Mean Green Club of $250 for every four tickets or $125 for two tickets. North Endzone Reserved tickets are $130. The Family Fun Pack, located in the North Endzone Reserved sections, are $95 each purchased in multiples of four, and include food and drink for four from the Apogee Stadium concessions stands. General Admission season tickets in the north endzone wing sections are $65 each.

This is one of those non truths that just get repeated until it's accepted as gospel. Dickey and his staff were able to recruit well for many years. Rivals and other services weren't around then, but if you take a look at the Dallas Morning News State Top 100, which has, then he has out recruited everyone. During the Dickey years we landed: Booger Kennedy '99 Jonas Buckles '00 Eddrick Gilmore '05 Jamario Thomas '03 Randy Gardner '99 Taylor Casey '99 Cody Spencer '00 Roy Bishop '01 For comparison, Dodge recruited one DaMN ST100, his son. Coach Mac hasn't been able to sign anyone from this list yet. Simon signed zero, and I haven't looked back further than that. This also leaves out heavily recruited junior college players like Mike Pruitt ('03 and NJCAA All-American) and Darrell Daniels '00 that came in and had all conference impacts AND it leaves out recruits like Patrick Cobbs ('01 Oklahoma) and Shawn Early ('04 Florida) who were highly rated in their own states.

The 300 bucks was to recoup their actual cost. Yes, it's a chunk of change, but it really wasn't an effort to "stick it to everyone." And UNT had nothing to do with the cost of refreshments at the Cotton Bowl. There are some shortcomings over at the A.D., but I don't think the cost of these things are among them.

And yet, strangely, Dodge played a whole lot of Dickey recruits throughout his tenure. People like to point to the attendance number spike after Dodge took over...yet conveniently forget that the base that Dickey built through four years of winning is all that remained after Dodge was exposed for what he was. An entire class of kids (their freshman through senior years) knew only championships and bowl trips. And a great many are still around today for this very reason.

Lest anyone think I'm operating from old experiences in my disdain for our branding department or just anyone in our administration, let me share a recent experience. My neighbor across the street is a TCU grad. Her boyfriend is a Texas Tech grad, and recently he put up a "house divided Tech/TCU flag ourside her home. He told me that he acquired the flag at the TCU bookstore (like NT run by Barnes and Noble), and he added that he thought that he saw some TCU/NT house divided flags the last time he was there. Well, since my son is married to a TCU grad, I thought that that might be a nice gift to give them. So I called the TCU bookstore to see if they had any TCU/NT house divided flags in stock. The very helpful woman on the other end of the phone said no they didn't. She said that I could get a TCU/OU, TCU/OSU, TCU/Texas (and Tech) and a TCU/A$M flag. I commented that I was surprised that they didn't have more calls for the TCU/NT flags and she said that they did get a lot of request for that combination. I then asked why they didn't stock them. Her response? "because North Texas refused to sign off on letting us have the flags made". There it is folks. An opportunity to have our logo flying outside homes in Fort Worth and our short sighted administration prevented it. Typical........

Hated that attitude. Coach Mac is the polar opposite, thank goodness.

Jim McIngvale..."Matress Mac" for those of us in H-Town owner of Gallery Furniture also donated money to UNT and family of Andrew Smith to come Andrew's funeral arrangements and other transportation costs for the football team to attend Andrew's memorial service, funeral and so forth. Mattress Mac played for UT and NTSU/UNT. UNT has many wealthy, powerfull, influentical alumni and I don't know why our coaching staff and athletic department don't do more to get these folks to donate, or promote UNT more. Norm Miller CEO and I believe founder of Interstate batteries is UNT allumni but I don't believe I've ever heard of him manking any kind of donation to UNT. Hard to believe his company spends $20 Million a year with Joe Gibbs Racing. Yes, that's former Washington Reskins coach and Superbowl Champion Joe Gibbs. On the UNT althetics donation front with all these wealthy and powerfull alumni, zip, zero, nada.

Dickey's comment about loving the black uniforms at the HoD game is hilarious.

That's a lot of credit for an incoherent sentence.

Mexia

Is that Vito's wife? In Spain?

I had rather freeze in Evansville than live in agony from the humidity, heat and smog of Houston. Denton is just right.

Did you completely ignore the part about "selling like hotcakes?". Yes, the University probably clamped down. But the University communication/branding department is a bunch of unimaginative bureaucrats. Much like ones who tried to tell the Talons for years that the NT battle flag was an illegal copy of the official flag of Texas.

funny, why does the teacher change grade? he has a lot to lose if he gets caught and he did...and if the kid can't pass high school how did he get in SMU? sounds all fishy to me ... poor smwho has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar to many times!! ... where there is smoke there is fire ... every body playing dumb over their at smwho ... there is more to this story!! .. hope channel 8 keeps digging...

take all of my monies. i want one.

I would be willing to dip in to my student loan for one of these.

This thread has me craving hotcakes.

Do you understand why college athletes are under strict rules for working jobs outside of their scholarships? It's because people have given fluff jobs to athletes where the athlete doesn't work yet collects a pay check. It happens to this day even though it is barred by the NCAA. I think OU get its wrist slapped several years ago for such an incident. Is if fair to all athletes -- No; but it is there to prevent people from cheating.

Lids has sold ballcaps and knit caps in the past with the interlocking NT/star logo . . . and they've sold like hotcakes. I've got a couple of them myself.

... in a van ... down by the river!

It's a contract, they choose to sign it. If they don't want to sign it, don't. "Rights" are between a citizen and the government, not two parties. Just like a apartment complex can forbid firearms in the unit despite the second amendment.

Allowing a free for all approach to transferring, the "lower FBS" schools may as well go ahead and stop playing the game. If their best talent can be easily poached by another school, why bother? They will not be able to be competitive and the program would become a money drain as their fans would likely stop watching since they would also be aware that competition is unlikely. That would kill opportunity for others to play and get an education. I am in favor of making some changes to the scholarship system, but free agency is not the way. I would rather see an LOI, upon enrollment, be a four or five year commitment from both the school and the student. Out clauses for both sides should exist for certain circumstances, but there should be an understanding that just cutting bait is not an easy option.

The alumni NT-star would sell like hotcakes. Why in God's name it isn't being marketed is beyond me. I still don't know who's fault it is. But restricting the use of the logo by either the University and/or the alumni association has always added to my lack of respect for their business/marketing acumen. A NT battle flag with the NT-star on it (replacing the single star) would be sooooo distinctive and sooooo North Texas. BUT (in his best John Belushi rant voice....heavy with sarcasm) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, we can't do that, it would "water down" our school branding.......

I would think he means that coaches from those schools are in a HS coaches office wanting to talk about/to a recruit.

Yeah, we'll the thing about Brock is its next door, and most of their move ins already lived in Parker County.(that I know of) and its a tiny school. If they are branching out to recruit kids they aren't branching out very far, and the numbers are extremely low. Aledo on the other hand have a lot kids moving in, some from coast to coast, who are already developed, top rated talent. It's rediculous what they have gotten away with. Rick

I learned my 7s multiplication table faster than all the other ones and all the other kids in the class. Don't do it NFL, think of the children!

I'm not to concerned with 2 stars or 3 stars. All I know (or claim to think I know) is that this group of players can straight up play some ball. Our 2010 class which produced many of the big time producers on this years team was ranked 99th nationally by rivals. Its all about development. You've gone shopping for the groceries now its time to use them to make a great meal.

How about we add no more sun belch schools and dump the Florida twins.

Clearly the next logical step.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHQqqM5sr7g&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Now, now. Let's not go getting all unraveled. I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Lots of wool being pulled over.

I always love it when the put clothing on the statues by the Env. Sci. building. Always makes walking to class a tad more enjoyable.