ragpicker

South Central Dallas contains the largest and most famous state fair in in the United States with the largest collection of Art Deco (Moderne) buildings in the world. It also contains one of the most storied football stadiums in the country. (Far more suitable to college football than that bloated grotesquerie in Arlington). We should not forget that it also produces some of the best high school football players in Texas.For heaven's sake, we have a monstrous highway and regular train service from Dallas to Denton and we still can't fill our stadium now and have rarely done so in the last fifty years. We are talking ONE game to increase our profile in Dallas. We can sit around and behave as we are just another Denton 5 A high school or we can, at least, TRY something different. I love Denton and our beautiful stadium on game day, but with a half filled Wing section and half empty reserve and visitors sections when we are actually winning football games should concern everyone. Dallas may not be the answer, but it is worth a try.

Forgive me , but allow me just one more observation. Recall, if you will, the thirty thousand or so fans at the HOD and all those Mean Green shirts and jackets. Now picture all those fans with their green and white gear walking around, not at an empty fair grounds, but mingling about in a vast sea of hundreds of thousands fair goers from all over the state and beyond. That's the kind of natural marketing that money can't buy. I have heard that if we build it, they will come and have been disappointed. I have heard that winning will make them come and have been disappointed. We need to think logically, and do the math on this idea, rather than emotionally. I can only surmise that there must be a kind of odd xenophobia on this board that would react in such a reactionary way to this suggestion. Someplace like Texas State is likely jump on this opportunity and there we will be - left behind again.

I said a HALF FULL Apogee and at least ESPN was AT the Cotton Bowl.

Another thing, a one-third full Cotton Bowl, as was the case at the HOD, is still more impressive to a potential recruit than a half full Apogee anytime. I guarantee there are always potential recruits at the fair grounds during the fair and while some of them may not be able to make it to Denton, they can certainly afford a reasonably priced ticket to a D1 football game. It also might be a opportunity to develop a much needed rivalry with a team that's willing to meet us at the fair each year. I would think that some distant team such as UTEP, for example, might jump at the chance for an annual trip to Dallas during the fair.

When Willy Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, his famous reply was "Because that's where the money is".We have to face facts folks, DFW is where our largest alumni base is and a State Fair game should draw a nice crowd and be an opportunity to boost our profile with the Dallas media as well as possibly getting local apathetic alumni interested in their university. God bless our Denton fan base, but Denton does not support UNT in the way Lubbock supports Tech, Waco supports Baylor or Ft. Worth supports TCU. We have yet to sell out Apogee whether we are winning or losing and it just seems to make sense to bring our team, for one game, to where most of our fans are. I think it would encourage those fans to actually make a trip to Denton. We are going to have to do something. A half to two thirds full Apogee year after year is not sustainable for a serious Division One football team.

You are right, JSSEMARTIN, both sides make a good point, but if we took UNT LIFER'S advice, a Dallas game wouldn't be needed.

Make that Dallas Green.

I agree with Colorado Eagle and Dallas Eagle on both of their points. When it comes to creative marketing, we are about as creative as a slug. And yes, we do need a Dallas (Cotton Bowl) game.

Good point.

Those were fun times and just think we missed two more Big Dance bids by a missed shot in one instance and a made shot by our opponent in the other. We have such a hard time maintaining success after we achieve it. Very frustrating.

Equestrian. That's a sport we need. This is horse county after all, and horseback riding was once a very popular PE class at NT. Perhaps some local horse breeders could help fund and support it. It is a prestigious sport and pretty girls on horseback are enchantingly fun to watch. We need Crew as well.

Good points and your key word is publicity. (And T-Shirts}. You know, I was just wondering if we could convince DCTA to provide a party train for games back and forth to Dallas. It is just the right distance for a drink or two and could be quite festive. Keeping drinkers off of the highway would also be a responsible thing to do. Perhaps DART could become involved as well.We could even get this thing started by having UNT representatives (Cheerleaders, Talons etc.} greeting fans at certain stations along the way. It all may sound far - fetched, but we just have to find a way to get Dallas fans to our athletic events and driving to Denton on 1-35 is going to be less and less appealing as time goes by.

I agree. Although SMU has few football fans looking for parking spots these days, when they do have a crowd (TCU, Tech etc.) they have a great shuttle service with the Mustang Express. Alleviating parking problems requires thinking beyond the automobile and the notion that we have to drag a 2,000 to 3.000 pound pile of junk around with us everywhere we go. The shuttle worked well last year even though it was inexplicably used only twice. We need to use it for every game with a loop through campus on the way to games from the square.

Very cool boots.

ago

I remember when a real live Scrappy lived in a big cage on the crest of the hill, but that was long . "Backward turn backward o time in thy flight..."

How about 7 to 11 or 7 come 11? Something along those lines with the goal being at least 7 wins.

Pretty girls have been a North Texas tradition for many, many years.

Excellent point. I just hope we can stay with this pro team for a half or so until their almost unlimited depth take its toll. Foregone conclusion or not, our guys need us in the stands down there. The SMU game will be only a week away and they need to know that we are behind them against any and all opponents whatever the odds.

Agreed. It aint braggin if you can back it up.

Perhaps I missed it, but I have seen very little coverage of this event in the Dallas media. There was nothing in the DMN today and no mention of it last night on Channel 8. I would think that an event emceed by Ali McGraw honoring Larry Mc Murtry and the others would be somewhat newsworthy around here.

I hate Kerr Hall, but they tore Kendall down. Actually, I think the design looks rather nice.

It may seem egotistical and self serving , but what the hell - its true.