Zeleny' Orel

While watching the NFL playoff game in the Chicago snow this afternoon, I was reminded of the days in 1AA when UNT played a game in a blizzard in Reno and lost (in overtime, I believe, or at least on a drive the last few moments of the game which we didn't complete around the 20 yard line). I remember it was cold!!! And I remember the team plane was 8 hours or more late leaving for home because it carried too much weight to get over the mountains on takeoff. It's been a long time, but I believe they sent the football equipment back on a separate plane so we would meet the weight limit required to take off in those conditions. I also remember eveyone being broke by the time we left---nothing else to do while waiting but play those slots! Anyone else attend the game and have any memories they want (can) share? What games did you attend that would qualify for becoming "legendary game stories" like this one for current and future generations to enjoy?

Watching Coach Blakeley and his teams are some of the fondest memories of North Texas Sports....glad he was inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame while he could enjoy it. Sympathay to the family. RIP Coach.

As I understand it, the priority point system assignments began with the 2007 football season, but points began accumulating in the 2003 season to reward loyal fans. The letter I received in 2007 said: "the point system will also be used to prioritze season and single game ticket seating requests and to determine seating location for postseason contests. Points began accumulating in the 2003 season and currently cover a 5-year period." DESCRIPTION OF SUPPORT AND PRIORITY POINTS AWARDED Current and continuous years as a season ticket holder (max 5 years in 2007) 2 pts. per year Athletic donations 1 point per $100 I'm not sure if this now ocvers a msximum of 7 years or if it froze at 5 years as far as continuous years as a season ticket holder, but it seems that the points are cumulative over several years. If so, it is not necessarily "what have you done for me lately, but what have you done for me over a long period of time." Perhaps someone can clarify it this is still the way priority points are calulated and if they go back 7 years now rather than 5 years.

Double header vs. FIU Sunday afternoon...women at 1:00 and men at 3:00...come support both!

I think the decision on Coach Dodge could easily go either way and either keep/fire could be a correct one. If we could only see the future impact of both keep/fire, it would make the decison an easy one. Unfortunately, RV doesn't have that luxury. It is going to be a really tough call. For me, the following would be important considerations. What we (or at least I) don't know is... (1) what expectations were set for TD by RV at last year's evaluation and whether or not he met them--in all areas, not just wins (2) what is the current feeling of the team about TD--do they still believe in him or has he lost them (3) where do we really stand on our recruiting campaign for next year (4) do we really have a strong, viable candidate out there that would keep us moving toward our goals without a 2-3 year delay or are we just letting our wishful thinking get the best of us RV should be in a position to know these things, which makes him the best person to make the call one way or the other.....good luck RV ...you will not please about half the fans either way until your decision shows either in positive or negative results in 2-3 years GO MEAN GREEN...40+ years of being a fan won't stop with either decision....the enjoyment of being a fan is all that hangs in the balance!

Mine finally came yesterday...one day after the first women's exhibition game...guess being at the end of the alphabet is a bummer!

I've heard the same thing, even from South Lake people who are not into sports. Another reason I hope he succeeds and brings both his winning ways, as well as his character development, from South Lake to Denton. It's no doubt been a tough start! But as the saying goes, it's not how you start, but how you finish. I'm hoping for a good finish, starting this year.

No argument from me.....this is the bottom line....after being a fan for 40 years, this may be my last hope for moving up in the football world!

Didn't mean to insinuate that the pre-Dodge coaches didn't produce quality players or people, only that it seems to be a top priority of Coach Dodge and that this caused some "growing pains" for the program the last few years. And that I personally support the priority of helping players achieve their potential of possessing not only good football skills, but also good life skills as well. Because I personally also see this as a priority, I want him to succeed in the win column as well.

Of course, there is the obvious...if Todd Dodge succeeds, then it means we are winning, Riley is staying, and UNT football is once again respectable. But, for me, there is another reason I would like him to succeed. First let me say that I do not know Coach Dodge, did not know Coach Dickey, and am not an insider. My observations are based on listening to coaches at various events, reading articles and the board, and what I have learned over many decades of living and following athletics in general, and Mean Green athletics in particular. My comments will also be based on my own experience in participating in athletics (not football) and playing under many different coaches. This is totally speculation on my part, but I have seen things to lead me to believe that my observations are valid ones. What brought this to mind was a comment I heard the announcers make on the TV broadcast of the UNT-Ball State football game. They asked Coach Dodge what he thought was the biggest difference between the high school and college game. His response was somethng to the effect that in high school you had responsibility for the kids during practice and then sent them home to their parents, but in college you had responsibility for them 24/7. This answer seemed to shock the announcers, but it brought home some things to think about, probably because I had a coach that felt the responsibilty for us not only as players, but people, and was very influential in making my teammates and me better people because of it. It is very important to me that UNT athletics brings positive publicity to my university (not like Oregon last week) and that UNT athletes get an education that will make them successful in life and good citizens, reflecting well on my university. That means they have to do more than just win games and this is where I hope Coach Dodge is the person I think he is. It seems to me that under Coach Dickey (and maybe before) our players had no boundaries, no self-discipline, and no "education" to make them successful people after they finished their football careers. We also had recruits who may have come from programs where football was more important than growing as a person. When the players had to make a change to the Dodge system that seems to require structure, pride, self-discipline, a code of conduct on and off the field, turmoil seemed to begin. Drug tests were mandated, a standard of conduct was required, etc. It is human nature for young people to rebel when some of their "freedoms" are taken away. I think the last two years showed this to be a fact as there were players to leave, others to quit, etc. Some players had difficulty with the new standards, some didn't, and the result was that we were not a "team." I hope all of this is behind us and that the players realize that Coach Dodge thinks more of them than just being football players. It seems to me as if this year's team has finally bought into Coach Dodge's philosophy, both on and off the field, and you are seeing a "team" that understands that it's more than just football. It about making them successful people as well as a successful team. That puts a lot of pressure on Coach Dodge and his assistants and we will see if they are up to the task. Maybe I am totally wrong about Coach Dodge and the situation, but I hope not. My greatest wish is to get back to the New Orleans Bowl (been to them all) and move on from there. However, I don't want this at the expense of the integrity of our program, our university, and certainly not by our players being exploited. They deserve more than that and I hope Coach Dodge is the one that can give them the skills they need for the rest of their lives. When you get close to the twilight of your life, you start to think about more things that winning football games, although I was really excited with what I saw last Thursday night's win. GO MEAN GREEN....NEW ORLEANS IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING!

Yes Cody was....and he is currently still in pro football as part of the Detroit Lions....lets hope history repeats itself!

I had hoped to be able to attend the Pourhouse function tonight, but found out I can't get off work early enough to make the 2-hour drive. If someone is so inclined and willing to help out those of us who aren't in the area, would you please take your computer and give us a "question by question" account of the discussion by RV if he attends. It would be much appreciated!

Right on....unfortunately perception is reality to the masses and the casual fan

When I was in college in the late 60's and early 70's, I used to go to Voertman's and dream of when I would have the money to really buy some of the neat things they carried. Now that I have a few bucks to spend, I make it a point to go back and shop. It always brings back old memories and, suprisingly, I still love the items they carry. I will definitely stop by soon and share a few of my bucks with them. By the way, Mr. Voertman was honored by the UNT Alumni Assn. this year...well deserved! He has supported UNT for a long, long time.

So, which Mean Green sport will be the first to be awarded any points in the future by the Director's Cup? Women's tennis? Women's soccer? Men's basketball--going to take more than 20 wins a season? Football?

I think good things are on the way.....

The ladies won another one tonight, playing well in every phase of the game. Trisha Lee followed her 29-point game last week with a 30-point game tonight. Maybe the Lady Eagles are coming along at the right time, just as the men. Should be a good double-header on Saturday...come out for both games!

There is an interesting article in USA Today about the SAT scores of college athletes vs. the general student body. More specifically, there is also an article on "cluster majors" for athletes. It looks as if the only "cluster major" noted for UNT is in men's basketball and social sciences (3 of the 9 players). Any comments? Better link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/200...etes-SATs_N.htm

It just proves it doesn't matter where you start, but where you finish...a great accomplishment for Casey. Congratulations on a job well done!

I totally agree with you, SCREAMING EAGLE. I would hope our university is represented by those with more than a limited vocabulary of 7th grade guy humor. For that matter, not all readers and posters are even guys....there are several gals. Also, parents of future students read the board and I don't think they would be too impressed with some of the "humor" expressed. This is a sports forum...let's keep it about sports.....go to some other chat board for express your "humor"

Wonder what Coach Stephens had to say at halftime? I believe ladies were down 11 points at halftime and made a great run at the beginning of the 2nd half. Good comeback against a good team. Great game to watch....more people need to come out and support the ladies. Of course, more people need to come out to support the men also....both are winning teams!

Ranked #1 nationally in what? Never in football!

No way but up for UNT...let's go MEAN GREEN!

Perhaps that is why the Trophy Club events were held...to develop a fan base from the Southlake area and sell season tickets to them. It is my understanding that Coach Dodge still lives in Southlake, so it stands to reason his family has friends there that might want to support him, Riley, and other former Southlake players at UNT. To me that is a good thing...I would be worried if they didn't want to support him!

Happy Belated Birthday Greeting, George. I like the idea of George Derr Stadium. Maybe we can take up a collection and make it happen before your next birthday!