Glad To Be Green

Well you can all call it a lie but I can not get access to the account and did not post anything other than the concert and logo posts. I have reported to Twitter and have a copy of that. And I am the only one who had access to post. So regardless of what you believe, these are the facts.

Well I promised I would stay off the Board unless it was informational and this is. Our original Twitter site was hacked a while back and apparently whoever did it made it impossible for me to get back in or shut it down! I know there were political barbs flying back and forth and I promise you that none of that content was produced or condoned by any member of the LTTC and never would be. Anyone that really knows me or the members of our Board realizes that this type of behavior is against our general respect for people. Our goal as a Collective is to create opportunities for student-athetes and build a Collective that will help retain and attract top athletes so how would those messages advance that effort? We are still working with Twitter to remove the messaging and hope it will happen soon. My question is why do some of you take this misinformation, totally unsubstantiated and beat the drum one more time? Just because you don't like me. if that's the case then there is nothing I can or want to do about it. But how do you think that breeds anything positive about this collective and its' importance? As long as I have started, I am going to address some other things in this thread. I know many of you will not like it and probably create more threads to demean the comments, but in all honesty it won't bother me because I know the information to be true. First I took this position not because I love the University, but more because I believe in young people and want the best of them to come to North Texas. I believe in the men who asked me to take the challenge on because together we built nearly every facility our student-athletes play in today. I did it because, despite your beliefs, I knew I was capable of making this happen becasue everywhere I have been in my life I have done so. And while I don't count you in that number, there are a lot of people, coaches and administrators who do believe in me and I am doing it for them. And I do love this University. Secondly, I did raise money while I was here...lots of money. We convinced Ron Warranch to donate the entire amount, right at $1.5 million to build our tennis facility shortly after I arrived and we never stopped. Check the list of people who are our largest donors and you will see that they were brought on board during our tenure. Families giving million and multimillion dollar gifts to help build the Athletic Center, buy and renovate the Liberty Christain property and eventually erect Apogee Stadium. That cultivation has fueled their continued participation. The naysayers will try to say someone else did all this but if that's so then why didn't they do it before we got here. As far as my ability to lead, in under 60 days, we incorporated an organization, went through the appliaction process for tax exempt status, built a new website from scratch, created banking relationships, put together a strong board, traversed through the many steps required to run an NIL, created a business platform, initiated a successful kickoff event, developed programs and partnerships to provide student-athletes with opportunities to earn compensation, created and then offered contracts and raised a significant amount of money to meet those obligations. Many schools took 8-10 monts to do the same thing. Not bad for someone that, according to you, can't run an organization effectively. And when we get that $300,000 donor we will have no problem holding a press conference. Finally, I am not going to quit because you think I should. Many people don't feel the same way and are helping us grow. So now go and take all the shots you want, make remarks about syntax and perpetuate myths for your own benefit. What I would humbly ask is that you lose the personal grudges and think about the future of the program because it's not about me or you. It is about North Texas. So back to passing on information. Since the Twitter account was compromised, we have created a new Twitter site - The Real Light The Tower Collective@LLTCED2022 and will begin posting regularly soon with student-athletes providing a lot of the content about the process but also the nonprofits and charities we will be working with. I hope you will check it out and also hope you will consider joining our group to help complete the already fast start we have had. You can go to our website www.lightthetowercollective.com to get more information or make an online donation because every dollar really does help. One hundred $100 donations adds $10,000 to the fund and 200 at $500 gets us an additional $100,000. Those kinds of dollars paired with an already impressive balance from higher level gifts will help us create a solid and strong Collective so important to our athletic program. If you would like to talk about a recurring gift, please fill out the Contact Us section on the site and I will get right back to you. In closing, we don't have to agree, we just need to make a difference. Let's Light The Tower and Go Mean Green! P.s. By the way, we had the box for that Garth Brooks concert "donated" by a gentleman who comitted $40,000 and two others who committed a combined $30,000.

Well I promised I would stay off the Board unless it was informational and this is. Our original Twitter site was hacked a while back and apparently whoever did it made it impossible for me to get back in or shut it down! I know there were political barbs flying back and forth and I promise you that none of that content was produced or condoned by any member of the LTTC.. We are still waiting for Twitter to shut it down and remove the messaging but hope it will happen soon.. in the "Mean" time we have created a new Twitter site - The Real Light The Tower Collective@LLTCED2022 and will begin posting regularly soon with student-athletes providing a lot of the content about the process but also the nonprofits and charities we will be working with. I hope you will check it out and also hope you will consider joining our group to help complete the already fast start we have had. You can go to our website to get more information or make an online donation because every dollar helps. Remember one hundred $100 donations adds $10,000 to the fund and 200 at $500 gets us an additional $100,000. Those kinds of dollars paired with an already impressive balance from higher level gifts will help us create a solid and strong Collective so important to our future. If you would like to talk about a recurring gift, please fill out the Contact Us section on the site and I will get right back to you. Let's Light The Tower and Go Mean Green! Rick V

And that would be awesome. Every dollar will help get us there. While we have never had that size response for any initiative, it is our hope that we get to that level of participation moving forward to meet all the needs of the athletic department over time. And again every dollar heps. Hope you will consider joining the cause.

The objective is to retain and attract the highest level players necessary to win. Using all of the donations that come in without designation allows the Collective to maximize allotments to those players and adjust as needed from season to season. So to be most effective. donations, as is the case at most schools. should be to the general Collective.

INrither I or the Board have stated that we would need 12,000 people to make the Collective work. However we do want everyone to have the opportunity to donate and be a part of the initiative and help us be competitive in helping attract and retain players that can help us win. The Collective didn't create this situation but we are trying to make sure we are not at a disadvantage in the realm that is now a part of intercollegiate athletics.

I fully understand and do take it that way. Trying to get so many thigs done in a short time but no excuse. This must be done correctly in every facet. Appreciate your feedback.

Some may see Glad To Be Green and go oh no. I want to let everyone know that I will be using this board to share information and answer questions and not to rehash negative comments that might be left on the threads. The Light The Tower Collective should be a positive addition for our athletic program so I ask regardless of how some of you might feel about collectives or me personally let's keep the topic positive for student-athletes and potential donors that might visit the site. To start, I want to addrees the latest release on the LTTC kickoff event to be held next Friday at Apogee. I want to clarify that is in no way meant to be exclusionary to anyone. It is our goal to create a large fund pool quickly and so a list of people who personally or through giving history would be willing to help at certain levels to provide the kick start needed to be viable and have substantial funding available before the end of the month. Honestly, if we have missed anyone who would like to be a part of this initial group please let me know and we will get you an invite. We are fianlizing another more generaal event to get more information to those who desire it. Everyone will be able and have the opportunity to join the cause. As we release information we want to make sure we are fully prepared to take donations and that we have created ways for everyone to participate. While we have moved swiftly, we are still tying uo the final loose ends of all the tools necessary to operate properly. Many of you may have seen the release this morning that SMU will be giving football and basketball players $38,000 annually. They have been working on theri collective for over 8 months and are just getting to the point they are ready to make deals. One poster asked when I became an NIL guru. Well I am not and don't proclaim to be. I don't think there is one as this process is still so fluid. However I understand many of the facets involved that make up the process having served on two NCAA committees that have discussed this topic fo the last 10 years.. I accepted this role because I know I can adminster the program, provide beneficial service to student-athletes inside the guidelines provided and make sure the Collective represents itself in a manner that reflects well on the University and the athletic program. The website is set to be complete in the next 7 days and will provide information on the purpose of the Collective, how donors can get involved and the benefits associated at a number of levels. There are also areas that talk about how companies, corporations and charities can join with compensenstaed athletes in beneficial programs. Again as the rules fo the game change, the website will grow to reflect new an pertinent information. Yes I am participating finanacially in the Collective. I have always participated financially in the causes I work for and this will be no different. Hard to ask people to financially support if you are not. I know some of you have asked how you can give and if you want to do so without knowing the options and benefits available please email me at rick@lightthetower collective.com and I will make it happen. We appreciate everyone's patience in getting this endeavor rolling. I, like some of you, was frustrated that it took so long to get started and why it did I am not sure. At this point it doesn't matter. We will have a functioning program operating this fall and be competitive with most of the schools in our new home, the American Conference. GO MEAN GREEN and let's LIGHT THE TOWER!

Over the past 72 hours the Mean Green family has suffered a tragic loss and it has impacted many of our players, coaches and staff. Over this time many members of the GoMeanGreen.com family have reached out to us and shown their support through calls, emails, flowers and in other kind ways. I want to thank each of you for sharing your thoughts and prayers through this difficult time. The Mean Green Nation is awesome.

Hope everyone had a great fourth of July! Thought I'd respond to this and wait for the flack. First of all the uniforms have never been of the choosing of the athletic director. That choice is made by coaches as evidencd by the change from Dickey to Dodge. Green Helmets to white helmets. Plain to piping. My only mandate is green and white with occassional use of black. The style and cut of the uniforms are the choice of the head coach in each sport. And no we didn't take the cheapest uni from NIKE, we took the one Coach McCarney wanted. As far as helmet decals, yes I did put the North Texas on the side of the helmet in 2001 because the previous logo was terrible. My first preterence was an overlapped NT but that was nixed by admimistration. And yes my personal preference is not to brand the athletic program as UNT because that is how it would show up on the bottom of ESPN, CBS, etc. So North Texas became the mark. Our consistent use has made it a recognizable and consistent mark. As for the logo is concerned, yes we have implemented in may spaces throughout the stadium and on the field. I love the logo we helped design in 2005. So I have expanded its' use in many places hwere else it shows up will have to be seen. As far as pagentry and tradition of college football, I'd love to hear things you would like to see added. Since arriving we have added the team march through taigating, helped expand the band from 175 to over 350, added musical prompts for fans to follow (jgst like LSU), reinstituted tailgating, added the Jr Mean Green tunnel and this fall will add a new end zone tradition during the player entrance. We initiated Friday night at Clark Park and brought live music to the tailgating area. With the help of Fire Fightin Rick and others we have retained the cannon, the Model T and added yhe spirit tug. But the pagentry of college football you talk about isn't just about that. It is created on game day by stands filled with loud, engaged fans who stay the course. At LSU the mystique of Death Valley is the participation of 80,000 fans in a freny repeating cheers and songs that have been rehearsed for generations. At clemson it is the orange and blue clad students that line the run down the hill and the 1000s of tents lining the way in. At Texas A&M it is the corp, the kiss and the locking of arms in a show of unity. None of those started yesterday and have been honed over decades. So embrace what is in place and help grow the experience. The new stadium won't create the pagentry but the way it is built will help tighten the space and create a whole new environment. The tailgating space surrounding the stadium can become a field of green and white tents that provide a pregame excitement. Lastly, I understand that this is a fan board and therefore at some point everyone is going to disagree and complain about something. Everyone knows how to do it better and we never know how to do it right. That said, my vision and the hard work of our current group has taken the program to places most of you ever thought possible. And while you want to continually find or create problems in the program, you are missing the best times this place has seen in a while. Bragging on the growth of facilities at TSU when you have a far superior facility about to open is proof positive that nothing will ever be good enough! GO MEAN GREEN

Sorry, I didn't wear a North Texas shirt because I didn't plan on being in those seats and I was only there for the fourth quarter. And Skiver is very mistaken as I was in Mobile Alabama on May 17, on the Coaches Caravan in Grand Prarie on May 19th and at Sun Belt Conference meetings on the 25th. Pretty hard to be at a game then!

Not true. First game all year.

I want to preface this post by acknowledging that many will take the opportunity to rip me, but I have become accustomed to it as nothing seems really good enough for some posters on the board. Regardless, I proceed. After suffering through the same disappointment each of you faced last Tuesday night, I drove back to Denton and had time to reflect on this team and especially the nucleus of Josh White, Tristan Thompson and George Odufawa. The disappointment and remorse on their faces in the locker room made me sick to my stomach. Not because we had lost a game but because you could feel that they were shouldering all the hurt felt by so many that night. This week that nausea increased as I received e-mails of threads from the board that these kids were a disappointment, underperforming, didn't live up to expectations and now were not going to participate in post-season play. And the comments were, as is often the case, made without the knowledge of or regard for the circumstances of this team. No excuses, but early injuries were obvious and had a direct effect on the team's fortunes. The loss of Alzee Williams forced Josh White to play almost 40 minutes in everty game. The loss of Cameron Spencer early and then Jacob Holman late (who by the way was playing better every game) forced more minutes on both George and Kedrick. And late in the season it showed as we didn't shoot well in several straight games, playing on legs that were worn out. It was a different team that played game number 25 than games 1 through 18. And then when a lot of people had given up on them, including several on this board, they dug deep as they had many times before and came within a bucket of two NCAA trips in two years. In that six game stretch they not only won but they dominated in most cases. They went to UALR to play their third game and second road game in six days and won without Josh. They vindicated losses (both on the road) to Western Kentucky and Troy in romps and eliminated the #1 seed the same way. Tristan Thompson played the tournament of a lifetime and along with George and Josh showed everyone how they game can be played. Unfortunately a team that had to practice with only eight players many times at the end of the season ran out of gas and let something very precious to them slip away. And never made an excuse or cried foul. Along the way they won more games in a four year period than most any team in school history and continued the progress that has brought respectability to a program that had mired in a wasteland for 20 years. They made it to the dance, they beat teams from the Big 12 and SEC and made it attractive enough to lure one of the country's best recruiting classes for 2011. While frustrating at times, as every team is, they have provided more great memories that will leave "true" fans saying remember when. For the first time in my years here, more people hurt and cried when we lost than complained. Those kids and those coaches created that. Now some want to add insult to injury by demanding that they "perform" again because THEY OWE US! Well let me assure you that it was not a money issue that kept this team from moving on. Obviously new facilities, stronger and better paid coaching staffs, budgets that allow all sports to recruit and prepare student-athletes to achieve national rankings and post-season play and all the other improvements are not signs that the athletic department is finacially committed. Just like those kids have always been unlike some of you who complain but don't buy season tickets or support the program financially and then are "owed" everything. Well I would hope that you would welcome this incoming basketball class (and all new incoming student-athletes) with the support necessary to continue moving the program upward. I have deep gratitude for those of you who have taken up for these kids and this team. And for those who want to criticize this outgoing team I would like to paraphrase Jack Nicholson from the movie "A Few Good Men." "I would prefer that you just say THANK YOU!" P.S. For those who condem the schedule, check the non-conference opponents of number one seeds Ohio State and Kansas that include Emporia State, Morehead State. North Carolina A&T. IUPUI, and Florida Gulf Coast among others. And we have won the majority of non-conference games played in the last two years.

I want to extend our apologies to all the Mean Green Club Members for the recent error in the mailing of our Holiday Greeting Cards. The mailing list was sent to the center on campus to be printed and mailed. When I learned of the mixup today, we called the center and they acknowledged that in their address sorting process they inadvertently changed the name fields and the result was the names being placed with other MGC members' addresses. Therefore everyone got a card but with the wrong name. The center will send out an apology after the holidays. That being said I want to tell everyone that we have a lot to be thankful for and that includes each of you. I wish everyone a blessed holiday season GO MEAN GREEN! Rick V

Just wanted to take a minute and thank the fans and the students for creating an awesome atmosphere that hasn't been seen in the Super Pit for a while. Standing on the floor it sounded like a cannon exploded when Josh hit the layup and then we made the second three in overtime. It's how it should be every night when students are here and when school is out we need to fill the gaps and still get a crowd in the Pit. With a crowd that size please let me know if there were problems or any good things that happened. And I promise to let the student section do their thing. I only stepped over because early on there were a lot of students but only about half of them up and chanting. By the end of the game they were rocking. It was the kind of crowd I've waited for and thanks for making it happen. GO MEAN GREEN!