FloMoGrad

Welcome to the club, glad to have you, now eagle up and get every other person at commencement to do the same

With unemployment where it's currently at, and using your logic and style of thinking, it makes sense to close the Comp Science School, Engineering School, Business School and pretty much every other degree field as the entire workplace is flooded at this point with more qualified and willing applicants than positions. A Law School raises the status and perception of the entire University and begins to erode some of the "teachers School" and "Liberal Arts" monikers. And if you're trying to tell me SMU's law school is accessible to anyone, you are completely clueless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Affordable, every school offers financial aid and with FAFSA, any amount of money can be borrowed to cover your costs, this doesn't make it accessible. We also graduate more doctors than positions are available for, we should look at closing the lower tiered medical schools asap. Outsourcing has touched every field and profession in America, but that still doesn't stand as a reason to stop producing candidates in those fields. And honestly, besides the paralegal work, do you expect to have some trainee in India handling mediation or contract negotiation, or divorce proceedings, criminal defense, or any of the other hands on, face-to-face functions necessary of a lawyer? Some will never see the wheels of progress in motion, heads are stuck too far up their own arses... All good.

PS - From the numbers in this article, we operated in about a 6 million dollar deficit for '08-'09... That's not healthy at all... And why are we comparing numbers with UH... They're operating budget is roughly 3 times the size of ours, and they break even seemingly year in and year out.. .Notice the 5x higher revenue from ticket sales and donations. We've seen revenues grow extremely nominal levels while spending has increased dramatically. That's called investing. Increasing our investment, knowing the returns are right around the corner. Personally, I'd like to think all those club level seats and Luxury Suites, in addition to all the naming rights and sponsorship opportunity's give our revenue stream a significant kick to the pants, along with the additional money from Student fees which kicks in next year if I'm not mistaken. Realistically, we should see the spending deficit on our athletics program drop significantly and all but disappear by 2012-2013. This will be the point where all of our efforts start to pay off and we really see the fruits of our labors. When trying to change the culture and perspective of an entire university, its students, faculty and alumni, people without vision tend to fail to grasp the intended movement. Regardless of what SpoogeStooge says or thinks, we are marketable and there is a desire by other conferences to gain a foothold into the D/FW metorplex. Plenty of decision makers are waiting for just a few years success in FB and we'll see the offers for upgrade come rolling in. My friends, don't let the short sided and myopic thinking of the minority sway our efforts to drive this ship where we want to see it. Eagle up, give whatever you can to the MGC, put an arse in the seat and eagle up for some season tickets. If you fail to do any of those, shut your damn trap and get back to us when you do. Good Day. I said Good day!

I agree with the premise, but with the wing as our "Family Zone" make it a little hard with really small kids when the band gets rocking... Would love to see them highlighted in some special way, whatever it may be... I thought for sure my 2 yr old would freak out over the cannon blast, but nope, it's when the band cranks up out of nowhere that freaks him out... Even when we're sitting on the alumni side of the stadium... Just sayin..

Rick hit the nail on the head. Every Mean Green fan should have 3 goals, as fans, each year. Make a donation to the MGC, any donation. Buy Football season tickets. Buy BB season tickets. It's pretty much as simple as that. More we support the Athletic Dept, more change we'll see and the higher we can raise our expectations. UNT fans love to look around and blame everyone but themselves, but our program, it's perceptions and it's ultimate destination are pinned squarely on the backs of the fans that support the program. More money coming in, more pressure on the programs to perform and the Administration to uphold their end of the bargain. And my wife transferred in from A&M while I transferred in from an out-of-state soccer scholarship. Both attended games while in school and both claim UNT as our school. She even had a class ring from A&M before she transferred, long story there, that she never wears. Nobody gave me a thing, so I feel proud of the degree I earned from UNT. And keep in mind, you close the transfer door, you close out future alumni like myself, who take the burden squarely upon our shoulders to move the perception and status of our alma mater forward. My 2 worthless cents...

I may have had way too low of expectations for the big money seating, but it's starting to look like they're going to fill at least 75% of those seats... That is absolutely outstanding work and an amazing job. For the first time in the history of the program, you actually have a real tangible incentive to plop down a donation of $3000-$25000... Big things on the horizons folks, big things!

Are there separate Luxury Suites, apart form the Club Level seating options? It was my understanding that there were no "Suites" in the traditional sense but instead a huge club level seating option? Am I mistaken and is there even more revenue potential than I initially thought? If so, that's even better for our financial future.... Either ways, all positive signs, even more excited to pick out my seats for life, Section 105, midway up, 2 please! GO MEAN GREEN!

This is huge. And PS, they don't have to jack up ticket prices, because we added a club level. Nobody seems to mention or pay this much attention, but at $350/seat, $500 MGC donation and then the required one time donation of $3125, for the worst seats up there, this more than offsets cost and allows us to increase season ticket prices only marginally. Home Run, don't even live in the state right now but I guarantee you I'll have 2 season tickets for when I move back to the metroplex. Folks, I feel the excitement brewing, the winds of change blowing thru. We're on the verge of something special here.

So Just got my email from the MGC and was excited yet again. A. Season ticket prices, plans and the like are supposedly coming out tomorrow. B. Of the 745 Club level seats, over 1/3 are sold, so that's at least 248 seats, with the requisite $3,125 donation per seat, $350 per season ticket, and mandatory $500 MGC donation, assuming that there's one donation in every 4 seats sold, just to be conservative, that's somewhere around $155,000 in "donations" for seat rights alone for this year, if everyone paid just the 20% that's required, along with another $31,000 in MGC donations... Is it just me or is anyone else almost blown away by those numbers... We just finished the season and they've already pre-sold 1/3 of the club level? That's where the big money comes from, what drives this ship forward, revenue we previously were completely unable to generate. This is the type of revenue that allows us to do so many other things and raise the entire aura of the program. Anywho, thought it was worth noting. Each Club level seat, on the very low end, will eagle up $1800 a year for 5 years for 2 seats. Thats roughly $350 a game. Big Boys in the middle of the 50 will drop a minimum of $6200 a year for 5 years for 2 seats. Yessir, things are changing for the mean green. Regardless of whether we fill the stands, we keep the club level sold out and we'll be in fantastic financial shape one would surmise. Quote from email

TR, while you seem to be bitching about a lot of the same things we have and will continue to do so on, it's the manner in which you go about it that ruffles the feathers. There is an elitist attitude the permeates everything SMU does, anyone living in Dallas/Ft Worth can attest. I tend to like UNT and chose UNT over SMU for a number of reasons, but fellow students had a lot to do with it. I will agree that constant turnover at the top has the potential for some serious negative consequences in the near future. However, I expect to see those consequences more on the academic/administrative side, and less on the Athletic Department, since we have had stability within that department for nearly a decade. RV has a plan, and while it may not be the overarching Mein Kampf you're looking for, he's already shown an ability to raise funds, improve facilities, increase budgets and add positions to the department. One look at the ticket pricing options and you'll surely see that the tides of UNT FB are changing.

+1

I like the way you think sir! Go big or Go Home. 3rd Largest tuition in the state, a football hotbed, No other Big XII school in the metroplex, Vastly improved basketball program that has consistently proven it can play with the Big XII, even win. We're a much more attractive option than say a Tulsa or SMU, imho.

Not discounting any of the above, but even as a student, there was very little excitement for the conference streak. The win over Tech was a huge moment, but not something that fostered long term excitement and Baylor was terrible when we beat them. I'm not saying this is our biggest moment, or greatest period of time, just saying that I've never been more excited about the direction and shape our entire football program is taking. The year we had two national rushing champions returning to play in the same backfield we also still had no passing attack and nothing other than 2 players to get excited about, if I'm not mistaken (Scott Hall). Lance may not have a rushing title to his name, but is there a more exciting RB to watch? Dude consistenly puts up solid #'s in a pass first offense. We also proceeded to go 2-9 that year and 3-8 the next year, ending our conference streak and seasons of winning football... I don't remember being excited or as optimistic then as I am now.

Then it all starts to make a little more sense... I was under the impression the Alumni Building, "Area", whatever, was a part of the stadium and not some outhouse out back? Am I mistaken?

Anybody else get the info on the Alumni pavers they're selling for the new stadium? Again, is it just me or does anyone else see the increased efforts by the Athl Dept to coordinate and modernize their approach? I actually got game invite emails, days before the game. As well, they hit me with 3 different coach announcements, in the 24 hours after coach was hired. Don't know who to thank or what's changed, but I for one can definately see a difference in the management of the AD. Is it perfect, far from it. Do they need even more help, absolutely. But a step, however small, in the right direction is how a course is changed. Damon

Granted, my history as a UNT fan is rather brief in the grand scheme of things, but from 99-present, have we ever had more to be excited about as UNT football fans? I was caught up in the Todd Dodge hysteria, and truly believed he was set to change the face of the program. Even convinced some fellow alumns to eagle up for some season tickets and MGC club donations. But as excited as I was, it was more hope and blind faith than it was true belief and assurance. Coach Mc represents the most decorated coach we've had since possibly Hayden Fry? They guy's coached on the biggest stages of college FB in the Big XII (X) and the SEC. Our new stadium is no longer a dream, but a tribute rising from the 17th and 18th fairways of my childhood? How impressive did it look from across the street at the Fouts Finale, definately had every K State fan I spoke with interested and admiring. I have alums of A&M and Tech telling me how impressed they were with our coaching decision, which caught me off guard. But did anybody notice the quotes from Bob Stoops, Hayden Fry, Urban Meyer, Bill Snyder and Barry Alvarez in the president's email on the coaching hire? They were effusive in there praise of Coach Mc. Forgive me if the green colored Kool-Aid flows a little freely, it's been a long season and I am steadfast an eternal optimist, but have we ever had more to be excited about as fans after such a dysmal performance? Is anyone else feeling like we truly have reasons, not just hope and alumnist faith, to expect more from this program and this team? To expect to compete in our non-conference games and actually win 2-3 of them? To actually dominate our sunbelt competition and return to the days where the SunBelt title had to pass thru Denton? For the first time ever, it feels like UNT has finally committed the time, money and emotion into building a program, the right way, from the ground up. And while it's taken nearly a decade and 3 head coaches, it finally feels like we're on the verge of doing something special and re-defining UNT football in it's entirety. Damon

As we've said the past 2+ years, talent is not and has not been the issue. It's finding a way to win we've struggled with. Sad, but reminds me of the Cowboys putting 9 players or some garbage in the Pro Bowl only to get dismissed in the first round of the playoffs...

I came to UNT because of a number of factors, sunbelt conference and football schedule had absolutely 0 to do with it. Win, doesn't matter who you play, and the students will support it. Moved to FL before the season started, but had 2 empty seats at every home game but the Fouts Finale. Kind of my tribute to myself as a fan for sitting thru the last 5 yrs of UNT football. Even though I can only say with any certainty I'll make it to the home opener next year, I'll be making my MGC donation and claw'ing up for another 2 season tickets at least. I'll donate the non-attending games this year to the athletic dept for recruiting or find a good home. Our program will only go where we drive it as fans. We finally have real pieces to the puzzle and now is the time to recognize that and get behind this program like never before.

Add 2 more to the list! Just got my ticket confirmation, gives me a good reason to buy a new shirt, look respectable for a national audience and all! Go Mean Green!

As a Mean Green Club Member, Football & Basketball Season Ticket Holder, I was assured I had enough Priority Points for tickets. I purchased 2 and they've already hit my AmEx, and she assured me multiple times on Sunday night that I did indeed have tickets and should make my arrangments for Ok City... I'm taking my Dad and we're driving up for the morning games and heading back that night, I check my wife in for day surgery Friday morning at 8am. The only way I could go was if we played on Thursday in Ok City. My prayers were answered and I literally ran into the streets from my man cave (garage) and did my happy dance while screaming. I'll put a little extra in the offering plate on Sunday, rest assured. Go Mean Green!

Evans was a beast, the kids were more excited than I've ever seen our fans, and most of th had no clue what was going on... Fun game, colin plays hard and had a nice steal to no look pass for an easy bucket... We seem really young, not just on paper but in our decision making and consistet effort... We've got the talent it seems, just need to get some defensive intensity....

I want whatever's filling Campbell's glass... A couple minutes of that to the wife and I might find me some peace and quiet...might include padded walls to boot..

I will be in attendance for this one! Coming with the wife and kiddo... First UNT Basketball game for both... Great excuse to cut out of work early for a day...

Call me an too rational, but if our backup RB, who we all agree has not been fully utilized, still believes and supports his coach, I'd be remiss not to support him as well... TD will do what is seldom done because he still has all these players believing in what they're trying to accomplish... Mark my crazy words, put it in your signature... TD will be back next year and we win at least 6 games finishing at .500 or better... We go 8 or 9 wins our first year in the new stadium.... We give TD a raise and more money for coaches and he re-ups for multiple years...

Pourhouse on Mondays at 12-1... Been that way all year because of Monday night practices... So hard to take a long lunch on a Monday...