FirefightnRick

Fantastic event and two very solid hires. Lots to be excited about as the Mean Green move towards taking that next big step up. Rick

I could see someone from Crane, Texas wanting to come home. Rick

Exactly! Rick

Mack’s offense is putting up 578 yards PER game right now for UIW. He got his first start in Apogee as a freshman QB for UTEP in 2013 late that season. Tuff kid, and EXPECTS HIS QB’S TO BE TUFF AND STEP INTO THEIR THROWS. I hope Eric brings him in. Rick

Good hire. Won championships at a lower level. Won’t be spoiled. Seems to be able to communicate well. Will be interesting to see who he hires as DC? Rick

We have no idea what their “in it” motive might be until we ask. Maybe they want to Lane Kiffin it back to the red carpet, and the only way is to kick ass here. Who knows? Rick

“On 3rd and inches, does your QB generally go under center…..or do that stupid f%€#ing $hit where he’s five yards back in the shotgun, hands off and expects the runningback to make up that five yards plus, despite it not working the previous several times?” Rick

Schnellinberger had winning seasons in three of his first five seasons, including a conference championship and a bowl championship by his fourth year. Yeah, he didn’t get them into the SEC by year 10 but what he did accomplish, building a program from absolutely nothing, at his age was simply remarkable and proof that you can’t judge a book by its….cov,….expiration date. Funny thing was North Texas lost to him 6 straight years before Dodge somehow squeezed out a 4 point win in 2010. Rick

At the time a conference championship was pretty high praise, and Simon and Dickey(conference & bowl championships) were in their 40’s when they accomplished that at North Texas. Schnellenberger was in his 70’s when he started kicking our asses at FAU, and Coker in his 60’s when he started UTSA. Regardless, for anyone to place an age bias/limit on a coach before knowing their current status and present ability is ridiculous. Rick

53 might be ok in your book but would bother the s#it out of someone else, trust me. Rick

Yup,….he’d never make the grade. Rick

I swear, if we could fire up the time machine and catapult 2003 Nick Saban here someone would claim the part in his hair was on the wrong side. Rick

That’s a SURPRISING development. Rick

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not at the top of my wish list. But he’s BUILT……………….a winning program in Texas from absolutely nothing at the DII college level going 52-21. He was the conference coach of the year four out of six seasons he was there at ACU and placed several players in the NFL. And since has coached and recruited at the highest level nationally. And he’s only 54. The last guy to win hardware here at North Texas was 60. If he’s still got the fire in his belly and able to sell our program and adjust and mold it to within our unique culture he’s exactly what we need. Now, I haven’t heard him speak as a head coach so I can’t say if he’s all that. But regardless his hiring wouldn't be a “disaster”. Rick

Like Emmett Jones? Rick

WTF is wrong with Chris Thomsen to the point he’s considered a disaster on GMG? Rick

I normally prefer defensive minded coaches but I can’t help but be intrigued with the 578 yards per game his UIW team is putting up. And he knows how to promote and sell his program. He would have been a good one. Rick

Thank you @Cr1028 & @TalonsUp for trying to point out the facts and understanding our unique culture. Anyways, I want a Carthel or GJ Kinne or Johnny Jones or Grant McCasland type coach who believes in their system, who wins, who sells this program to fans and recruits and won’t come here spoiled and is proud of what we have. Because I only have a reasonable guess who the decisions sit with I’m not getting my hopes up high, although I’ll support whoever it is. Rick

Because he hires and produces winners that also know how to sell their program. Good coaches are ALWAYS losing assistants. Rick

A good listen. Rick

By getting blown out in the Birmingham Bowl 31-10 by 7-6 Auburn? Rick

Something Seth Littrell and Justin Fuente’ head coaching careers have in common. They both managed to give up leads late in the game to the same 4-8 Old Dominion team in 2018, with NT giving up 10 points in the 4th and VT giving up 28. Rick

Seth Littrell can never be compared to Colby Carthel. Rick

Don’t know where your getting that,…SFA didn’t start playing WAC games till ‘21 and conference affiliation till this year and went 3-1, although they were not eligible for the championship. At least I think that’s how it reads? Regardless they were caught in the middle of the Covid mess, plus a crazy transitional period that spanned more than one season. Notice that they had to play ACU twice this year, and finished 6-5 overall. If you’ll listen to his interview above he explains it better. In 2020, his 2nd year they had no conference, so he signed them up to play 4 FBS teams. Lost by 10 to UTEP, lost by 14 to UTSA and blown out by Memphis & SMU but still finished 6-4. In 2021 they finished 8-4 including a 28-24 loss at Texas Tech, a 1 point loss against #1 Sam and an OT loss in the playoffs to UIW. Rick

Nope! He had been there for two seasons, going 10-2 and winning the Lone Star Conference Championship in his first year in ‘05, followed by an 11-2 season the next in ‘06. WT was truly starting to get great crowds for a DII program then, and one of the following seasons after, and while hosting a homecoming game vs Tarleton St, Donny learned the opposing head coach’s wife was battling cancer, and during half time had several of his own players walk up and down the aisles of their stadium asking for donations for her. Thats the kind of people the Carthels are, winners on and off the field. They understand the importance of supporting the community they work in and the need of having that community support them back. “Eastern New MexicoEdit In 1985 Carthel took over head coaching duties at his alma mater Eastern New Mexico. In his seven seasons the Greyhounds had only one losing season. After a 5–5 record in Carthel's initial season, the Greyhounds were 8–3 in 1986 and 9–2 in '87. They were 2–8 in 1988, but followed with records of 7–3, 6–4 and 7–3–1. In five of Carthel's seven years, the Greyhounds were ranked in the Division II Top 20 Poll. In 1991, the ENMU won the Lone Star Conference championship. Carthel was inducted into the ENMU Hall of Fame in 2001. Having reached the pinnacle of his career as a head coach, Carthel chose to retire at age 39, and moved back to the family farm in Friona, Texas.[1] He took a pause from football coaching for nine years, before becoming a volunteer coach at Abilene Christian University under head coach Gary Gaines in 2000. Trying to become a head coach again, Carthel applied for the vacant West Texas A&M job in late 2001, but athletic director Ed Harris opted for Ronnie Jones.[2] In 2004 Carthel was named the head coach and general manager of the Amarillo Dusters in their inaugural season in the Intense Football League. Amarillo posted a 15–3 record under Carthel and won the IFL Championship that year. West Texas A&MEdit West Texas A&M fired Jones after three unsuccessful seasons, thus Carthel applied for the job again. This time, he was selected as head coach. In his first year, he guided the school to its first Lone Star Conference Championship in 19 years. He then compiled a 33–5 record, which is the highest winning percentage of any West Texas A&M coach since Alonzo P. George's 3–0 record in 1918. As of 2008, only Joe Kerbel (68–42–1) and Frank Kimbrough (54–52–2) won more games for West Texas A&M than Carthel. He also hired his son Colby Carthel as the Defensive coordinator in 2006.[3]” Rick