rcade

People on the outside didn't have the misfortune of watching Dickeyball, so they're not in a good position to judge on how fast the program's been sinking.

I was looking for wire photos of the black uniforms when I found a spot-on prediction of tonight's score from the Palm Beach Post Palm Beach Post By Marcus Nelson | Saturday, November 18, 2006, 02:33 PM The Owls face the first of two lame-duck coaches today when they face North Texas and their coach Darrell Dickey who was fired earlier this month, before facing Don Strock, who resigned this week, and FIU in the Shula Bowl on Nov. 25. Just two seasons ago, people around the Sun Belt were lamenting the fact their league was losing credibility because North Texas was so dominant. After all, the Mean Green made four consecutive New Orleans Bowl appearances and won 26-consecutive Sun Belt games. The last two seasons, North Texas has come down to earth and apparently the administration at North Texas forgot they are North Texas and fired a respected and admired coach. Perhaps there is a plan in the works to lure Mack Brown away from Texas to coach the Mean Green. For getting rid of Dickey ADS Rick Villarreal and President Gretchen Bataille should consult with UNT alum Dr. Phil. “What Were You Thinking?” indeed! One of FAU’s biggest victories came against North Texas in 2004. With the Mean Green in the midst of that 26-game Sun belt winning streak, the Owls, who were then transitioning to I-A and just a Sun Belt “Scheduling Partner” came to Denton and served notice it could compete with teams in its new league be beating UNT 20-13 Last year’s game was also a doozy, featuring a mistake by the officials which cost North Texas a down and a kick that clanged off the upright in a 26-23 Owls victory at Dolphin Stadium. Here’s a capsule look at today’s game Florida Atlantic at North Texas When: 7 p.m. Where: Fouts Field, Denton, Texas TV: CSS Radio: 640-AM Records: FAU 3-7, 2-3 Sun Belt; UNT 3-7, 2-3 Sun Belt Key matchup: North Texas linebackers vs. FAU running back Charles Pierre The Owls couldn’t establish a running game last week as Pierre struggled for 29 yards on 18 carries vs. Troy. However, the UNT defense has struggled trying to stop the run. Key question: Will FAU be able to defend North Texas’ two offensive units – the starters and “The Green Team” North Texas has used a second-unit of offense effectively and having to prepare for two totally different units could create problems. Prediction: FAU 17, North Texas 16

What evidence do you have that Dickey was giving it everything he had?

Surely the decision had to get RV's OK, even if it originated (and was funded) by Dickey.

I don't know, but this stuff with the all-black uniforms for himself and his team -- as if they are in mourning -- is such a bush-league thing to do I'm glad he's gone.

My guess is that the novelty of the story -- football booster threatens to take his money elsewhere -- made it a popular item in a slow sports week. Who around Dickey has the juice to get this thing covered nationally?

The fans believed in themselves when no one else did.

A better question: How many high school seniors would be impressed when they learned he was an NFL coach for nine years? Another: How many of their dads wouldn't know who Glanville is?

Jerry Glanville would be a huge marketing coup for the Sun Belt and North Texas football. He'd get a lot of attention at UNT that few other coaches in consideration would come close to bringing. His Houston Oilers tenure would pull Houston media attention. However, my fear would be that he's a lot more into being Jerry Glanville than being a coach. A bad Glanville team would get a lot of negative attention, and make us look foolish. At a minimum, he ought to rate a visit to Denton, if he's really interested in the possibility and wasn't just fishing for a little press.

A high school football team in Texas has begun doing a ritual Maori war dance called the haka before their games, inspired by the 24 Tongan players on their team and the New Zealand rugby All Blacks, whose pre-game haka is the stuff of YouTube legend. Check out the All Blacks and imagine how nuts that must be to see before games played by Trinity, an Odessa Permian rival.

Reading this discussion doesn't tempt me to start listening to The Ticket again. All these in jokes make it sound like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Because the state of the football program is as much his making as Dickey's. He's on the hot seat as much as the next coach.

You sound like his publicist. You could mix together the attributes of the best high school footbal coaches in world history and not come up with one who could turn UNT into a top 15 program in three years. Stop bogarting the bong.

To me, Dickey's bad attitude was one of the two factors supporting his firing. His poor-me act wasn't motivational to the outside community and was at times openly hostile to it. I also question how far he really got by telling the players "no one respects you" season after season. The other factor was our inability to be competitive against mid-major (and worse) OOC foes. We're going to lose some of those games, but UNT was often run off the field in them. We have to expect better. As for Mattress Mac, his passion for the program should be respected, however misguided we think he is about Dickey. I hope he comes around to the notion that UNT needed to make a change, though I'm guessing this is the last we'll hear of him. The university should honor his requested name change.

It's a shame to lose Mattress Mac, but this comment about Dickey makes me wonder how well he followed the program. When did Dickey champion UNT? I didn't see any of the outreach we've seen here in Florida by Ron Zook and then Urban Meyer. The political aspect of coaching -- getting the community invested in the program and firing up fans -- were never a part of Dickey's tenure. It was always Dickey and his team against the world.

What's the point of comparing Mercer and Dunham? Are you suggesting that Dunham's not a great play-by-play announcer? I'd rank him among the best at conveying the action and supporting the program without being a homer. I wish I had clips of some of his best-known calls, like "Do you believe in the Mean Green?" and "See you later McNeese State!" One of the disadvantages to being a UNT fan is the lack of the perks that come from big-time college football, like wall-to-wall media coverage, national media attention, regularly televised games and serious attention from football magazines and local sports columnists. When Clemson recently stormed onto Death Valley after rubbing the Rock for good luck, to the screams of 80,000 crazed fans, I wondered whether we'll ever see that kind of moment in Denton. But one thing we don't lack at UNT is a radio broadcast worthy of a big-time program. I'm amazed there are people dogging Dunham.

Firing a coach early gives UNT a head start on finding a replacement and Dickey a head start on finding another job.

I haven't listened in a couple years. When I did, The Ticket had some edgy humor, but George Dunham was always the straight man to Gordon Keith's insanity. Dunham's so mild-mannered that the only way to tell he was angry was when he called somebody "chief." Calling the Musers "R-rated," as if they were the Howard Stern show, is a big stretch. It may not be to your liking, but to suggest that Dunham brings disrepute to UNT by virtue of doing that show is ridiculous.

If they brought in Applewhite and saw in the interview process that he has the vision, temperament and maturity to be a head coach, that would be an exciting hire. My biggest criteria for the next coach is the ability to motivate his players and the fans. Dickey's sourpuss act got old.

I sent this e-mail to Dunham, whose comment about "little Internet sites" appears to be a dig at GoMeanGreen: I'm an old P1 who moved to Florida years ago. I read that you were down on "little Internet sites" in your discussion of Darryl Dickey's firing at UNT. I can understand your discouragement as a personal friend of Dickey, but I wish you'd reach a better rapport with communities like GoMeanGreen.Com. You're the voice of UNT football. I think it's huge that you've supported the program the way you have, especially during those Big West years with absurd road trips. If I haven't said it before, thanks. GoMeanGreen is the voice of a lot of rabid UNT fans. I know some of us are a-holes, but if UNT will ever grow into the mid-major program it should be, it needs fans who care this much. I joined the Mean Green Club this year because of GoMeanGreen.

George Dunham's one of the best things to happen to UNT football. He's been a proud UNT backer for years on The Ticket, even back in some of the lowest days for the program, and is a terrific play-by-play announcer. I don't know anything about his finances, but since he's a Ticket morning drive host and the Cowboys stadium announcer, the UNT gig is probably the one he could most afford to drop. I hope he doesn't. Dunham's the voice of UNT football and I hope he continues in the job as long as he wants it.

Smart move. Dickey had the best run of any UNT coach, aside perhaps from Hayden Fry, and he deserves praise for that. But it's time for a change. His offensive strategy was utterly hopeless, the recruiting has been weak in spite of four bowl trips, and his poor-me complaints about fans and lethargic demeanor on the sidelines gave me no confidence he'd ever turn it around. Somebody had to go, and it was going to be either Dickey or RV. I'm glad they sent the turk for Dickey.

Who cares about timezones? TV networks and TV viewers. Other than that, nobody. The WAC had a chance to create a division for UNT and they turned it down. If you're going to dog the Sun Belt in favor of far-fetched alternatives that aren't going to happen, here's one for you: The SEC could create a western division for us that would be WAY better for us than the Belt! The Belt's the worst conference in I-A, but playing well over the course of years in a lowly conference is our best path to long-term success. Did the Missouri Valley Conference look good to UNT fans in the 1970s? Several of our former rivals in that conference stuck around when we quit -- damn you, C.C. Nolan! -- and they're now in CUSA and the Big East.

Aligning UNT with the south is better than the west because it puts us in two time zones, not three, and the geographic distance is much smaller. The WAC's crazy huge, and the teams in it today are only a shade better than the Belt.

So we're not supposed to be happy about this?