PlummMeanGreen

Like about 99% of C-USA's coaches and fans on the C-USA message board last Spring/Summer many of whom just 10 (+/-) years out of the NCAA 1-AA or FCS level who didn't know North Texas has mostly been Division 1-A since the 1950's (or at least they did a good job of pretending they didn't know). I still defer to the rainbow-lettered signature below as the on the field results (wins) represents part of our NCAA D1-A legacy beginning (mostly) during the Abner Haynes Sun Bowl era of the 1950's. So count me in, too, North Texas Shep, with that crowd who will (no doubt) doubt us again come this Spring/Summer. GMG! PS: In another sport-related front, why does our country allow what would probably amount to about 1 out 100,000 demand that the Washington Redskins change their name? Why do we genuflect to this crowd as if they are the majority? Is it time for our public school students to learn how some former great countries went down because of some of the shit going on in the USA today? I like the name Redskins, RS owner Snyder seems to like, too, and I personally know some Indians (native Americans) who favor it too (and were they even asked about all this at all)? In fact, just how may native Americans are part of the crowd wanting to change the Redskins name is an answer the usual non-stop talking heads wafflers' would waffle over, too.

Good stuff, Rick.

But we don't get your personal need to come on this cyber board property and be a constant squatter. We don't do that on UTSA's.

And just where did you see the "Made In Red China" tag, Phil? (Still trying to discover where communism and socialism actually works among those who don't work).

Of course, meangreener, you are talking about Fort Worth being the city of location with the "This Is A TCU Thursday Store", right? TCU will not in most our lifetimes be nothing but Fort Worth's team and looking at the attendance of their Big 12 home game versus the Kansas Jayhawks last Fall they may need to work on that. TCU is not a system school (a la our UNT system here in northern Texas) so their tentacles of academic influence can just reach out so far. We are all getting a bunch of keyboarding practice with this thread, but I doubt something gets done with the present UNT crowd unless new UNT President Smatresk adds this to his list of things he wants to get done at North Texas. Also, I can't see this being a high priority project just yet, though, as I think UNT's Tier 1 quest will be at the top of the his prioriity list (as it should be). I am enjoying this discussion, though. No name-calling has evolved just yet.

WW: Rick probably wouldn't mind me answering by telling you that that was the TCU/Kansas Jayhawk game at ACS this last Fall. I believe that picture was taken at half time (or there is another similar pic that was). As you would recall, much of the 70's (before and even after) TCU and other SWC private schools depended on much of their home attendance numbers with SWC opponent's traveling fans of which we at North Texas never had such a luxury, ie, UT, TAMU, Texas Tech, Arkansas and even Baylor traveled pretty darn good once Grant Teaff took over the Bear's football program back in 1972. Based on what we all saw on New Years Day at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium, though, I wish we would soon begin some kind of Apogee expansion talks because what if all 35,000 MG bowl fans showed up on a Game Day at our campus stadium and they saw there was not enough seats (least of all outlet roads and parking) to handle the upsurge? The aforementioned statement not mean't to start a fire-storm of "we need to fill Apogee Stadium 30 X's in a row before we do that" posts, but merely stating that like those mega churches who seem to build much larger churches (almost AAC-like venues) than most would think they would; that is, since many congregations such as Dallas' Prestonwood Baptist Church that go to the suburbs (Plano/Frisco?) and do build venues about 4X's the size of the ones that left behind in the Dallas because they know the growth demographics of their new location indicated that they should. And then we have UNT, Denton and Denton County's expected future growth demographics? Well, as Coach Mac would say...."Are you kidding me?" Sunday AM Addendum: We built Apogee at 30,750 because we apparently thought we'd be in the Sun Belt Conference for just about forever and we also didn't seem to do any serious studies at the time on how future re-alignment could affect our future or................ even our future growth on campus, Denton and Denton County. Easy to say this now, but we should have started at an initial 35K capacity at Apogee since we saw a glimpse of what could be a much larger fan base none of us had seen before on New Years Day at the Cotton Bowl. 35K should now be the projected fan base that we should now want to add to those numbers significantly. (Growth is happening in our area for those who are still living in or just can't get out of our UNT past) Our growth projections indicate that would have been a no-brainer. Still............we just don't think that way at North Texas at the present time and it's costing us future revenues along with very probable much higher profile non-conference home games in Denton (UT-Austin?) because of it. Traveling "full ticket price paying" fans from such schools could really help North Texas fund a 1 or 2 of our non-revenue varsity sports could be another way to look at it, too, and would not that be another way to look at it? GMG! PS: Don't Forget To Celebrate Abraham Lincoln' Birthday This Week! He Was A Great President In More Ways Than One...

SA and Denton? Apples and Oranges? Denton is a college town which also has all the amenities of 2 large metropolitan cities close by--best of both worlds, perhaps? SA is a large metropolitan city that is a tourist destination, but is College Station, Waco or Lubbock also tourist destinations, too? Most would say they are not. The comparison of SA and Denton is really a waste of time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C73A5q8nTQ#t=0

Oh hell, wardly, I know we are! GMG!

Yet how many "W's" would TCU have had during those decades they would not touch us with a 10 foot pole or play us, wardly? Would have been a great time for North Texas to have padded its "all time series W's" against TCU, now wouldn't it? TCU since the modern era of the NCAA (1950's and on) has always known when to schedule us and when not to schedule us. Well, for almost 35 years they would not schedule the Mean Green. I personally hope as members of the Big 12 they get their little Froggie asses handed to them on a silver platter; much like was their plight the last quarter century they were in the SWC playing the true Big Boys. GMG!

Whatever our present UNT coaches status are in the article's writer and the recruiting guru's view, it is still head and shoulders above where its been most my adult life of following this program Just maybe the recruiting experts is more pissed that North Texas is not giving him the time of day, somewhat like SMU and UT-Austin as well ? We just had one of the best recruiting classes since I graduated and I say that after looking at most all of our recruit's videos. I live out here in the West O' Plex and I assure you TCU is doing all they can to posture themselves as "The College Football Team of the DFW Metroplex." And no, that is not being paranoid, either, its just being quite factual. Even the TCU HFC Patterson has said that being this Metroplex's college football would be something TCU should shoot for but as I emailed the WBAP Morning Show guys (TCU propagandist Hal Jay) and their TCU football broadcaster (Brian Estridge) after they were blowin' and goin' on about TCU so that very morning I'd had enough and sent an email to TCU play by play guy and WBAP Morning Show personality Brian Estridge with a cc to his WBAP collegue Hal Jay and it saying something to the effect of: Tell your TCU Coach Patterson that one helluva' sea of green which featured 35,000 Mean Green fans at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Years Day at the HOD Bowl game is going to shoot down his pipe dream for TCU to be: "The Metroplex's College Football Team." (Tell Coach Pat' to stick with Fort Worth after looking at a halftime pic of your Kansas game at ACS with so few fans for a Big 12 game). I then said to the WBAP Morning Show boys in the email how gutless TCU was in not playing North Texas for almost 35 years and only seemed to schedule the Mean Green when we were either classified NCAA D1-AA or in one of our losing cycles. In the email I expanded on the reason TCU would not play our 1950's era Abner Haynes and Sun Bowl team and that because North Texas did the right thing in the 50's and integrated--first in Texas and probably the South for that matter One old timer ex professor from North Texas (now deceased) who'd know told me in a classroom how TCU had dropped North Texas off the Mean Green schedule because we had integrated; then how TCU certainly would never schedule us during the Mean Joe Greene era which featured 3 #1's & mulitiple NFL draft choices and how they ignored scheduling the Mean Green during the Hayden Fry era, either. ______________________________________ The TCU WBAP Morning Show guys did not respond in kind (and I really kept my email very kind....but quite specific). ON ANOTHER NOTE &...................The Mean Green Radio Network: I've listened to both the TCU Network football broadcast team and certainly our MGRN fooball broadcast team. While the TCU radio network team wins awards for their work I'm not really sure why our own broadcast team from the MGRN have not because they are as good and as professional as TCU's in my opinion. In fact, our MGRN broadcast team is better than some of the hayseeds which used to comprise the old Exxon SWC radio network for what it's worth. (I did sorta' like UH's Gene Elston back in the day, though, before the Coogs joined the SWC). GMG!

That pic was on DFW's NBC 5 AM news today as well. Has the North Texas video guys ever put together a YouTube collage of some of Johnny Quinn's greatest catches when he played for the Mean Green? If not......now would be the time.

Recruiting trail? LOL! Yes, they both have but here is our hopeful ace in the hole...new UNT president Neal Smatresk. "At UNLV, Smatresk emphasizes the importance of student access and success as well as research and innovation. Under his direction, UNLV completed a $537 million fundraising campaign that included creating UNLV's largest active scholarship program, established an Academic Success Center to help students graduate on time, and opened Brookings Mountain West in partnership with the prestigious Brookings Institution. At UNT, Smatresk will be charged with leading the university to build stronger community partnerships and strengthen its research, scholarship and artistic endeavors while continuing to expand the quality of its student body and faculty. As the nation's 24th largest public university, UNT is growing as a nationally recognized university that is committed to offering the best undergraduate educational experience in Texas. UNT graduated 8,400 students last year from its 12 colleges and schools and offers 97 bachelor's, 81 master's and 35 doctoral degree programs, many nationally and internationally recognized." http://research.unt.edu/research-profiles/neal-smatresk-named-unts-president-effective-february-3 GMG!

I rarely give UT 2 seconds of mental energy. Like so many of you the 1988 experience at DKR Memorial told me all I need to know about how some whose very jobs were all about being impartial still apparently let a school's long established legacy speak louder than their very principles. The UT fans that night after our "loss?" showed much more class than the SWC referees. Some of that group were downright embarrassed with the home cookin' we received. ______________________________________ Just One More Time For You Newbies' ! This YouTube of the 1988 UT/North Texas final seconds says it all for all for you who haven't seen it:

UNTMike81, honestly, this has been an on-going problem long before Rick Villarreal arrived in Denton. We hope RV will be the one who fixes this specific marketing problem albeit we need to wine and dine a few buyers of all these sporting goods places, too, beginning with all the different outlets here in the North Texas Metroplex. Does North Texas have a........ "We Gotta' Wine Em', Dine Em', Get Em' Drunk & Convert Them To What We Want To Happen With Our Mean Green Gear In All The Chains That They Are The Respective Buyers" luxury suite to host and entertain these people at Apogee Stadium? Let me repeat that once again...........................uh, just kiddin'. GMG! PS: The Russians are putting on an impressive opening ceremony thus far, arent' they?

You are most welcome, 3XL.

Too long....if you can't handle "too long" why bother unless you just need something to bitch about. FFR, I spoke to someone in their accounting department who seemed to know what he was talking about but I wasn't there to put a water gun to his head and tell him............."you better not be lying to me" because I am a member of this sports forum some of whom would much rather doubt someone's word rather than believe it. Of course, we have some among us who have long been lulled to sleep supporting athletic mediocrity for so damn long never, never, never asking for better (and demonizing those of us who did) that we've now been beep beeped marketing wise by UTSA.and once conference re-alignment comes around again (and it will) even more from our group with finally begin to understand why marketing in all the ways you can is important; also, why season tickets sales and Game Day attendance has been important all the time, too--even decades before UTSA finally stumbled onto the fact that they had a dome stadium available nearby and that even their "UT-Almost" school could add varsity football for their student's "off campus" experience. And no, I am "NOT" off my soapbox with some of the slackers at UNT now coat-tailing off Dan McCarney & staff's success and speaking of Coach DMac with one of his (understandable) comments at the recruiting party the other evening I say this; and I'll once again say this while others on GMG.com still just think it & won't post it for whatever the reasons (insert chicken cackle sounds); anyhow I will re-iterate this to our UNT HFC (who in all fairness to him should not have to be concerned to keep bringing up the subject): "Coach, there are reasons and (amazingly) some of those reasons have offices not far from your very office as to why we haven't sold out Apogee Stadium. Coach, please consider pointing your finger at that group because some of them think print media, and saying "Yall Come" from radio broadcasts) is still going to get the job done in season ticket sales and SRO crowds at our alma mater. Yet, Coach, similar to what the church lady said about praying maybe your athletic dept. colleagues should consider what she requested as in: "Lord, do help us put foots to our prayers." A Very Easy Prediction: North Texas athletic officials will be like some in Washington D.C; that is, they'll say 'not a smidgen of anything is wrong with what we've been doing;' they'll also say........ 'just let all this blow over' and by this time next week everyone will forget "what those people on the 'idiot board' have said or requested" Well.... not all of us will shut up until they put foots into getting the job done instead of just printing nice cards to mail out (which was a nice start but for damn sure not the marketing end all) and .................until our "in high demand to be hired away by other schools" (sarcasm in pink letters) support staff start doing something dramatically different than what they've been doing UNT will continue to remain toward the bottom of all C-USA school's football season ticket sales. (So get ready......get ready to not get an answer to your "how many season ticket sales" question come this August). There are times I'd like to be 100% wrong about so many things about our alma mater's athletic program and that annual August question is toward the top of the list and of which I'd love to eat southern fried crow for being wrong about. Have A Nice Day! PS: 2013 NCAA Attendance Link Article Below: Check out what TCU says their increase actually was.....did the "official counters" count the Froggies Big 12 Kansas game at ACS with it being a quite empty stadium of which the half time photo of that which went viral among NCAA school's message boards last Fall? http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2013-02-07/ncaa-football-attendance-continues-set-records-conferences-and-scho

Sorry, Bill, I didn't see your thread from the FWST. Sorry about the duplication.

I liked Emmitt's comments from another separate thread that I thought I'd put it on this thread, too. untjim1995, I agree with your thoughts. Having been around these parts since the early 70's and knowing TCU's history during their last 25 years in the SWC, I think the Big 12's true Big Boys will be frying up a bunch of Frog Legs during the next 25 years in their conference. Just sayin'... Emmitt's comments: From a coach referenced in that Startlegram article about recruiting... “[The player] was undersized and not on anyone’s ‘Top 100’ list. Very few offers from mid-majors. One day OU shows up, offers, and by the end of spring ball, [the player] was on everyone’s list, had offers coast-to-coast. He was no better player than earlier in the spring, but the OU offer catapulted him into the recruiting stratosphere.” Seems coaches are no more immune to the hype than Rivals or Scout

Yes, must have had a TCU co-ghostwriter helping Travis L. Brown write this article. It is very pro-TCU and very anti-North Texas and SMU (as well as UT-Austin). http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/02/05/5544440/recruiting-confidential.html?rh=1 GMG!

In some ways, ex UNT AD Craig Helwig had it right with what he was trying to do. He just didn't have it right with the brandings part and with some of those weird "non-North Texas colors" he signed off to allow the branding group to actually use. Just like other groups in the USA, our campus will deny there is a problem, let this all blow over and probably not do a damn thing about it, but they should know there is a much larger market out here for UNT gear and headwear than they seem to not want to acknowledge. There is a world out here beyond our favorite college's home town and home county. 35,000 Mean Green fans at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Years Day for damn sure didn't all come from Denton and maybe some of them need to understand that glaring fact first and then proceed with solving the problem of which is the theme of this thread. GMG! PS: And yes, many of us let it all hang out while we blow and go on GMG.com, but we're all business people or former business people who know how to write a well constructed (and quite diplomatic) message to those who need to hear our message with our goal being to get what we all want to get in this matter. We don't need to get our torches and march up the cobble stone trail to Frankenstein's castle telling all we're going to burn the barn down to kill a mouse, either.

I'm telling you that there are conspiracies happening out there as I post. No imagining that! (Truly being facetious to those who don't know me) SMU? Check it out! Flying Worm versus SOW! Check it out! Ban On Band Days @ UNT ? Check It OUT-TTTTT! Grand Green Brigade Entrance versus Walking Real Slow To Designated Spots Green Brigade Entrance? CHECK THAT MUTHA' OUT! IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES! JFK? Nuthin' to it! This list of conspiracies could go on but I will stop it...now! GMG! Now yall will pardon me while I go take my 3 o' clock meds of which I'm 18 minutes late? Oh yes, they're working just fine... _________________________________________________ Scrappy-fucious Son Say: If a situation looks real and proves by all appearances to be real and in some situations with production numbers (or lack of) that indicates it to be (w/o a doubt) quite real with no ambiguity whatsoever, then it can no longer be classified as, uh, paranoia. (Scrappy-fucious quote from his NY Times Best-Seller)

Yes, dammit! +1

We all to the person love our school and want more to know all about it....that's is the main theme you'd get from any UNT student or alum on such marketing projects as having classy looking baseball caps available outside Denton County and to the uttermost parts of Texas. This ain't about some power trip or control sort of crap. Most of that comes from campus but they need to expand our marketing horizons up there because they are sitting on our "OUR" gold mine for whatever reason or excuse they'd come up with. Are we so wrong for wanting this to happen for our school? It pisses me off that yesterday I counted 6 UTSA caps at my Weatherford Loves and not 1 from UNT; and best I recollect the Alamo City is almost a 6 hour drive away from Denton (if you really stay the speed limit counting pit stops, too). GMG! PS: And how many outside Denton and the Mean Green Nation know that single eagle on the front of our UNT cap is not the Philadelphia Eagle?

I just got back from that location, SUMG, so next time you stop in to take a "rest" (using the nice word for that) do check out the cap bin--ALL NORTH TEXAS HEADGEAR/CAPS---ONLY! I placed the bin outside the potty room area and is quite impressive if I have to say so myself. One NORTH TEXAS cap in flashing neon would really make all our old friends who've long since left us so proud. Yes, its in apple green neon & it flashes: "Eat & Drink Beer At Apogee & Stay For The Game, Too!" (You'll Be Glad You Did)! Harry has limited me to "1" Norm Hitzghes-like attempt at humor, ie, dad joke per day--so this one is it for today). Whatta' ya' think, Quoner? Do I need more work on this or what? GMG! PS: And SUMG.....answer your damn phone while I'm thinking about it. +5

Nothing wrong with what meangreensports website is doing with all this but come on now.............. .....................isn't their audience who even know about their website a tad limited?