FirefightnRick

Me too. Funny thing about those early days, how you learned when most don’t want to work and sign up for those times, which in turn led to more hours and promotions. My Junior year I got on at Montgomery Wards at Thanksgiving/Christmas time. So many people quit when the semester ended that I was assistant manager by week two. Then set my schedule to what ever I needed by week three. Good times. Rick

This. As soon as you start to realize who we are then it’s easier to understand that our attendance (issues) match our culture. I promise @UNTLifer, this isn’t @PlummMeanGreen taking over FFR’s account. As of right now we’re averaging 3100 per home game. Attendance has ranged from around 2400 to 4,029. This makes me fairly certain that each time 3,100 people are surrounded by 10,000 seats, that it will remain traumatic enough to keep the strangely infatuated by what attendance looks like on their TV set in hormonal therapy for years to come. Things we all know. We don’t play in a P4 conference. Hosting Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas, Houston, TCU, Baylor etc would certainly increase it. But we don’t. And early home scheduling has usually been uninteresting to most. So unless we get an invite this isn’t going to change. Other than an Oregon State or App State we rarely play non-con schools in Denton most outside of college basketball fandom have ever heard of,….including today with FAU. I would claim the “We’re not the only show in the metroplex” excuse but of the 3700 who showed up on a damp, cold one o’clock Sunday afternoon today, 3660 and change were alumni and general fans. To me, that’s not outstanding, but that ain’t horrible, either. So who WASN’T there today? The Students. There’s 8,000 to 15,000 students within walking distance(My Walking Distance, and I’m 58) of the Super Pit, yet there was only 35-50 students sitting in the Maniacs Section today. Why? I don’t know. I can only guess? Maybe it's because the general student doesn’t like basketball, or hadn’t heard of FAU? Maybe they’re disgusted paying fees to athletics that go to play-for-pay athletes while they wait tables, sell lawnmowers, mow lawns or stock groceries at Piggly Wiggly on East McKinney St. to pay for rent and food(What? When did they go out of business?)? It’s possible that for many students the games just are’nt that fun enough to return on a Sunday afternoon? On average the game day atmosphere doesn’t look fun to me, especially if I were a student? Other than the baby race today, the in-game atmosphere, the music, the entertainment during timeouts and the contest activities as usual were all over the place and not fun. Today we were getting our asses kicked by FAU. But later we countered with a 6-0 run to get back in the game, forcing the Owls to take a time out. What do we do as a sports entertainment entity at that moment? We shush everyone and kill the euphoric excitement of the play on the court with a P.A. announcement about the volleyball team or something, followed by a lame-ass video of two of our players discussing god knows what on the scoreboard overhead. What’s that sound? Oh shit we got a flat tire, let me pull over pfffffffffffffffffff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mascot. As an ex-Scrappy and possibly the only “Professional”(Oh no, not another “NR” story, but anyone could have done this if you knew and respected and worked for the great Jim Hobdy in the 80’s), mascot here posting or reading this, I’ll remind that a mascot is in fact for entertainment. Other than one many years back I haven’t seen Scrappy do anything towards entertainment in any way form or fashion. Mascots are mostly for the kids. But done right, with an athletic and energetic individual inside can and should add to the overall atmosphere. The dance team, ummm I thought was there for entertainment? I’ll be nice, and I’m being nice,…… and just remind those of you who are new here and may not know, that for 20 to 25 years, prior to 20-17,18,19?, somewhere around there, the North Texas Dancers were considered the DFW minor league to the world renowned Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. NOT ANY MORE! This is all sports entertainment wet blanket 101!!!!!!!! Oh yeah, the Cheerleaders. The cheerleaders are still great at what they do. The NT chant needs some help at times, but they keep the noise up and are still an athletic, competitive group who still seem to pride themselves at maintaining the top standards the championship teams of the past set for them. So I have no idea why the other 45,550 students don’t show? But the 35-200 who do are fairly consistent depending on the day of the week and the opponent. It’s been that way for years. And I know this. We all know this. So that’s why it’s no longer an issue to me anymore, and doesn’t affect whether I support or not. Nor should it be for anyone else. Hell, the university PAYS $10,000(last I heard) per year to the lone “OFFICIAL” student spirit organization to perform their sworn duties for this school, that of promoting and protecting our spirit & traditions. Yet they’re no where to be found on game days in the Super Pit, at least not that I’ve seen? I think the Maniacs get some funding, also? So, if the university cant even pay for student attendance then what can you do? I’ll finish with this. Several have mentioned, and I agree that maybe we need to hire someone knowledgeable of the inner workings and entertainment of a successful minor league baseball program? Those people seem to really know how to inject some fun into a game day atmosphere. Might be something to consider? Rick

No & No. Rick

You live in California, WTF does it matter to you what our attendance is? People need to give the attendance issue a rest for crying out loud. Rick

More reason to get out of the NCAA. If DIII can run a 40 team football playoff tournament to find a true national champion then so can everyone else. But they won’t. The G5 needs to act now. Rick

Just wait till we start watching Tarletan State winning bowl games in the future. Unlike North Texas they strongly uphold and protect their traditions, not mock, change or trash them. And I just got word yesterday that A&M has green lighted a Physician’s Assistant program to go forward for them, and a full blown medical school is in the very near future. Plus, they have also recieved interest from CUSA and the Mountain West conferences, which I hope they don’t do because FBS is now a fool’s game for everyone other than the 8-12 usual wealthy programs. They need to stay in their lane and take advantage of the FCS, which is what should do also if things don’t change. Of course we’ll never do that, but we should. Rick

Yeah, that defense, which is 47th in yards allowed, came within a whisper of beating the current Big 12 Champion this season, finished with 9 wins and a second bowl championship in a row. And UTSA finished 71st in Yards Allowed Per Game. That’s not a world beater defense but it’s a far cry better than 125th. Maybe that’s why they’re 4-1 vs North Texas the past five years? Rick

What a silly question, even for you. “BOBCATS ARE BACK-TO-BACK FIRST RESPONDER BOWL CHAMPIONS” https://txst.com/news/2025/1/3/football-bobcats-are-back-to-back-first-responder-bowl-champions.aspx Ricck

He sure did. Rick

If I was G.J. I’d be watching the portal for him. Rick

Defense. Rick

He’s a Kyler Murray starter kit and you would think we’d get the most out of him while we have him, which is at QB. But you and I know we can never underestimate North Texas’ ability to F things up. I haven't witnessed overall team speed on a HS team like like I saw on the NC team yesterday since the 1983 Daingerfield Tigers. Westlake beat North Shore twice this year, the second time badly in the semi’s and NC was making it look like child’s play against them yesterday. A very impressive, dominant season by them for sure. Rick

Yup. I’d take 100 more just like him and his attitude he plays the game with any day. Rick

A contract? Rick

No one is mad at the players, we’re mad at the system and the bleak future it holds in front of us as a G5. But you go ahead and waste and throw your money away. To each his own. Rick

No, there can be NIL and transfer portal. There will just be rules set in place for them. Or we can just keep doing the same and sit on our hands and watch this shit show continue. Rick

The court ruling says nothing that prevents from getting out from under the thumb of the mouse and form a new alliance that allows us to invoke rules and contractual obligations like normal business entities run on. Rick

FYI: Not sure I ever posted this or not, but Colorado was also in the script plans, but something happened during filming one day and their team got scrapped. When I wasn’t in the Dillo suit doing my scenes I was working in the costume department for head costumer Dan Moore and his main asstant Barry Kellog, and as the liaison between production and our athletic department. CU sent two trunks full of game-worn uniforms and both were accompanied by an athletic department employee. Nice guy and very helpful. The day he arrived with the trunks(huge lockers on wheels with hinges and keyed locks) we immediately opened them up and sorted them out by positions, and I saw Eric Bienemy’s jersey and gave it to him and told him to hide it, we won’t use it because it would get stolen for sure, so he did. Then a week later before we shot the scenes with those uni’s he was gone? Someone said they had heard he got told to pack up and come home. We never knew why? Rick

Did you see the 109,000 plus at the Texas-Texas A&M game? You think they care? You think Disney/ESPN who line the pockets of the NCAA power brokers with billions care if next years A&M-Texas game only has 105,000? The system is set to keep the same top 15 schools hoarding the money and players every year, and that’s how they want it. Rick

WRONG! Two conference championships. True, we blew every playoff opportunity, though most games were close. At least there was excitement in the air after each season…unlike now. But along the way we had some helacious, competitive seasons, including the most famous where we were the #1 ranked team for 7 weeks in ‘88 and beating T Tech, Rice and getting robbed by tU in Austin. We had other seasons where we beat K State, TCU, New Mexico, New Mexico St, Arkansas St and SMU. And we had a lot more positive press in the metroplex than any time we’ve had the past 10 years outside of the Arkansas win. Rick

Sure it can happen but doesn’t seem to at the rate it’s happening at the G5 and FCS players are more easily replaced I would think? Rick

Good to read some of our folks here are finally waking TFU! Its time for the G5 to band together and leave the NCAA to reform a new collegiate alliance or for North Texas to drop down to FCS with a plan to dominate it? Rick

And now maybe the NIL lick bags will understand why? Rick

Since that’s three halves are you admitting you failed college algebra? LOL! Rick

Hell, after nearly three weeks of open portal who knows what we’ll look like? Rick