PlummMeanGreen

Many times I have already expressed my feelings for the old "Gal" by wee-wee'in on the old solid block of concrete wailing wall we used to have in the Men's Room/Press Box Side. What did they ever do with that monstrosity, anyhow? Looks like it could have actually been part of the Berlin Wall at one time.

As stated before, a Jim Leavitt hire would be great and... ...our loss to ULM does not diminish my feelings of Coach Chico at all--he is obviously a talented coach but still probably the right coach but at the wrong damn time of our school's athletic history--new stadium and all...I still would love for Coach C to be Assistant Head Football Coach/O.C. with a Leavitt hire. Just my .02 GMG!

Till they run out of checks and have to go to their debit card?

Good answer, UNT90... Fact is, if we did not care none of us would waste one minute of our time on this message board. Some of us Older Gun Alums are running out of time to see marked change at UNT, subsequently one reason some of us might be a bit more graphic with what we see as answers to our dilemma. Wish past UNT powers would have been a bit more graphic to address all of this themselves than accept what they've had to accept right along with us, to. GMG!

And 2 of our best alums just the last few days told me "the name hire could probably help UNT immensely to eventually get a better conference home, too." We have to get past the project idea this time around for so many more reasons than one. This why a Francione-type hire would be an attention getter to leagues looking than the unknown name and quanitity--at least at the FBS level. Fran has turned losers into winners pretty quick and with our 6 losing year in a row, that would be a welcome sight in Denton. If (a big if) Fran came to UNT, I'd just like him to stay longer than he has other places and it wouldn't hurt if he brought his Brenham JUCO HFC son to Denton, either. Addendum: I would still be quite happy with the Leavitt HFC--Canales Asst. HFC combo, too. GMG!

As stated before a while ago, it hardly takes a rocket scientist to see UT-San Antonio (located in what many would call a tourist destination city) and the Road Runners moving to a major stadium, ie, the Alamo-Dome "might very well do" what South Florida pulled off a few short years ago (maybe not quite as grandiose as USF) but......... ............ still such a feat that would leave one particular Sun Belt school's constituency dead in its long existing traditional tracks with a growing number of NT Exes asking: "What the hell do we keep doing wrong in Denton as all these schools post-Missouri Valley Conference days up to even now have kept "Beep-Beeping" past us while we still try to find our identity? And we doing this while we beat up on 'Belt schools seemedly only when the 'Belt is in down mode? (A reason so many DFW alums still do not want to be part of this on-going charade led by some personnel who might not should be employed at an FBS school at all and what year after year green flags seem to indicate that)? Pretty cushy jobs it has seemed to many who can see through all this. All one has to do to get away from that big vat of green Kool-Ade and merely go outside the Denton City Limits into the realistic world of Dallas-Fort Worth to get a true reading of this from many on the outside looking in. Whats that saying about the trees and the forest? I hope all of Chuck Neinas' reports turned into Prez' Rawlins office does not mince words as to why UNT, ie, the 3'rd (or still 4'th?) largest university in the Lone Star State which seems to keep all the same players in place who have kept giving us the same results with so many buying into the BS (which that part may even be the worst part of all). Ever read the story of the Emperor's or King's Clothes and how his subjects treated him with such regale as they said behind his back as you know they had to be thinking: "What the hell is all this about" with our clotheless King and just look at us praising the sumbich)? Meanwhile, how do we feel when we see a school with no football program in Texas do like all those in Florida and get to our almost 100 year football history level pretty quick or way past it, ie, U of South Florida? As said, I do not hope Neinas minces words in his full report. We tend to let some state employees float when some need to be torpedo'd out of the state system period and that not just in Denton, either. GMG!

No wonder Wright Waters has tried to get jobs elsewhere as I believe I recall reading a year or 2 back. His league is being held together by chewing gum and bailing wire. North Texas has seemed to have wanted to follow than lead hence Troy's recent multi-year run in a much better SBC than it was in its first 4 years. Being redundant here but in the Belts 10 year history, unfortunately, we still seem to compete best in this league when it is in down mode; of which all but 1 or 2 of its teams seem to be this Fall. We must start out-recruiting the Lousiana schools (save LSU--lets be realistic here) because if we suddenly had on our team all the best players these 2 or 3 other La. schools recruit in our own backyard, then we start having teams that will easily transcend the Sun Belt Conference best and then we begin our rise which could eventually take us to Boise type success. This new stadium with the right staff (coaches and ancillary adminstrative) in it can be a huge difference-maker and I think several La. schools getting "OUR" Texas kids now know their days may be numbered in Texas to keep that cycle going. GMG!

It's a crap shoot but I'm almost relieved we have Neinas running interference for UNT and the Mean Green Nation. We (and I do mean "we") of this forum don't pick well with all our past smack board choices, ie, myself being on the TDodge bandwagon last time around. Matthews has some definite positives and the Texas background, but how many of Alabama's (Crimson Tide) past several coaches had state of Alabama's backgrounds? I don't know how important that really is anymore, although we know some of our assistants need to have Lone Star State backgrounds if our next HFC does not ? GMG!

And the last time we beat a team in the Top 25 was ? ? ? Well, it may have been called the Top 20 when we actually did but........all these years later (and recently) its just so damn uncanny that we have not had one similar type of win Matthew's team had over VaTech. The law of averages never seems to average out for our program for whatever the reason. Sun Belt? I will still say that in 10 years of this league's existence the only time we are successful in this league is when it is obviously down. We only have SBC W/L records to look at to prove it and most likely the 'Belt will have only one bowl elgible team this year? et The descension of Troy's football program surprises me the most as I thought they would stay the toast of the SBC until North Texas got its stuff together with our new stadium as a major reason as to why we do. Red number or green numbers who the heck cares and whose counting except math nerds but I have never understood my entire adult life why North Texas alums never asked our powers to hire people in UNT athletics with real skins on the wall who could take us up the next level rather than BS everyone on how great things are just the way they are. Many of us have lost count of all the schools who have passed us by who we once were at the same level and is one reason I sure as hell don't want UTSA in any league we'd be in because they have all the criteria of a school (great city and a bowl stadium) who could pass us, too, if we don't make some serious changes in Denton and I'm not just talking HFC, either. Without UNT students vote we'd have no stadium being built as we all post and it was our alma mater who purchased the Denton Liberty property--not monies raised by anyone else. GMG!

Coaches like Dennis Francione may not have applied before, but with the "unseen on the Neinas radar" kind of head-hunting for UNT the best list of candidates he can produce, we could be in for a surprise or 2 of who else "might" be on the list; of course, all this is so under the radar we will never know who they are, either. (Which is probably best truth be known). As another alum pointed out "since everyone is in Monroe today might we have had a candidate or 2 or 3 take a peek at our new stadium in person today? GMG!

Troy got slaughtered today and thus far I think FIU will be the only SBC school with 6 or more wins. When Troy was on the eve of SBC membership and in its first few years they were hanging in with such teams as I recall. On this league's 10'th anniversary one could say........well, better left unsaid... GMG!

Only 2 things missing for one those kind of rants, Silver, and I'm trying to remember what they are; but the content and length look pretty darn good to me; you can throw "hellsbells" in their every once in a while if you want, too. GMG!

Although we don't get to talk on this forum or kick the tires a bit with potentials who the media usually reveals in past coaching searches at UNT, I still like the Neinas style of doing this because IMHO it raises the number of more well known HFC's when they know the press won't get to write "Coach Ex Famous Coach was interested in North Texas but North Texas told him the feelings were not mutual." It really is smart for Neinas to do it this way and that is why he is apparently a success doing it that way. Maybe Too Simple A Pie in the Sky Formula But If It Works--Why Not Try? As I posted before even in a thread and I know some still won't buy it but, hire Jim Leavitt who in turns hires Coach C as Asst. HFC/OC (with hefty pay rai$e) and our next coach in waiting but the big difference is........... from a winning UNT coach's staff. And then when Leavitt would leave for greener pastures 2 very nice things could happen for Coach Canales. as Asst. HFC at UNT: (1) He would most likely be a prime candidate for another HFC on a winning staff he helps Leavitt (again) in producing as one with his title of Asst. HFC/OC or... (2) North Texas starts copy-cat'ting Boise and our next hire is our Asst. HFC ,ie, Coach C. from a winning football program this time around of which he played a major part in creating with Leavitt. This kind of similar hiring within from Boise's winning program has "only" catapulted Boise to 3 BSC bowls the last 4 years Amazing to me is how they lost 5 HFC's in the space of about 10 or 11 years in the not so distant past--BTW, in each changover the Broncos didn't lose any ground and were still a Top 25 football program. Never seen anything like what Boise (the non-traditional/non Big Name school--for the moment); anyway, never quite seen a program that North Texas was all but even with at one time do what they have done in about a 10 year window which in the NCAA would be all but considered over night with many. (Sorry, Broncos, but I still loathe that blue football field with those blue unis' expecially for TV games where there is too much blend going on). PS: And I wonder which stalker-type poster of late gets me those quick red numbers before I even finish the post? Now get on over to your other computer and give me a 2'nd one real quick now, ya' hear?

Add up the total votes of those who want a proven FBS HFS from all those in the poll who meet that FBS HFC criteria, not matching one against the other. No, I don't think Leach is in the mix & really never did but the people who voted for him in Harry's poll is still an indication that they want a proven FBS HFC, right? I know one who runs a computer bank in Fort Worth and the manager (afriend from the tech school business) who runs it who could really stuff the ballot box on this poll from about 25 computers, but that would make this poll even more as un-scientific as it already is--even though most the voters that voted for proven FBS performers want a new direction in this hire). (Jeez, will this group still be campaigning for Chico after Prez' Rawlins announces someone else)?

Actually, I think that the UNT new coach search process has just now officially begun to be honest. And "the guys" list you seem to think is set (from a college smack board to boot) will suddenly become larger till they cull it to the one that best fits North Texas in its most crucial hire in history in light of the high stakes of the marketing that will need to be UNT's most successful in its history as well. UNT needs to be able to promote itself to the point that it will receive the single-most contribution of $30,000,000 (which is what the naming rights of our new stadium is). This has never been a business as usual hire in Denton; at least, the kind that having Fouts Field as our home would most times produce for us. And like GrayEagle recently posted, I, too, am very grateful to Todd Dodge who in his first week at UNT said "we must get a new stadium at North Texas to compete." I don't think we would have this stadium happening now if he hadn't said that 4 years ago. GMG!

And how is your family? Great job in a down mode Sun Belt just needs more definition for many of us. Might Todd Dodge have won these same games had the bottom not fallen out with all those injuries? And wasn't his part of the schedule the toughest part of the season, too? And FWIW...isn't the offense play calling a bit different (and more wide open) than when Dodge was roaming the sideline? You have bought into the kool-ade and become emotionally involved with this for whatever the reason, but jeez, try to accept the fact that not every one is going to always agree with you--I sure as hell accepted that a long time ago. PS: I'd bet I would know who ArkStfan and his SBC compadres would hope that we would not hire and that would probably be the kind of candidates that Neinas has been known to shop at other schools for consideration. Other Sun Belters already know we're getting a new football palace & would see a rare great hire at UNT as a double whamo', but they are also probably depending on us to do our usual hiring thing at UNT with another 5 year contract of another project which won't make it to Year 4 or 5. GMG!

I will trust Neinas to find our miracle. I'm not angry that Chico is a candidate, but we've hired so many like him before (like the last 6) and some of us are now older thinking our school has not learned anything from our history like in the old adage: Those who do not learn from history are likely to repeat it. UNT seems to be repeating its hiring history. Canales? Maybe the right guy on the wrong coach's staff but absolutely at the wrong time in our history IMO--just like Dennis Parker was fired with UNT of the verge of something very big at as in a "student approved" expanded Fouts that we "had to" (no choice) meet attendance criteria? Parker was probably cut short a year because UNT officials knew as long as he would still be coach, they might not be able market, sell tickets and subsequently reach the NCAA att.criteria for us to regain D1-A status. I see the Canales hire somewhat like the Dennis Parker situation if he were hired in light of a new era and new stadium--I just think UNT needs to start off fresh across the board. AND...he does not fit the criteria of what most alums still want in a UNT HFC if you use Harry's poll as an indicator. Most assistant coach hires (maybe 100%) normally come from winning staffs and like it or not, Chico has been on this staff all season long and was calling its plays since the Rice game. He got some players back that poor ol' snake bit TDodge did not have the luxury of having and the schedule was tougher early on, too. Chico's followed what turned into a bad act, luckily caught a very down Sun Belt conference still w/o a Top 75? ranked team but mostly (again) he just simply followed a bad act. Whoever is really pushing this "just win a few SBC games" to get the UNT HFC's job I think may be as clever as Chico's marketing scheme has apparently been. Again, its not so much Chico as it is the criteria of the kind of coach I think many would agree has not panned out of late--like over 35 years--give or take? It doesn't matter what I think & I know that--have never pretended that it did otherwise, but I hope it does matter for UNT leaders because we don't need to kiss off another 5 year coach's contract that will never reach Year 4 or 5. I am just sorry a decent personality ie, person which I understand Coach Chico truly is had to become mixed up in the way this has all shaken out with the formula that UNT will use to get a new HFC. Vying for jobs can get sometimes get very ugly in the good ol' USA I think we'd all agree and its a shame that it can't be done w/o all the blood-letting that sometimes occurs. GMG!

Still the majority of votes indicate that a known commodity HFC is head and shoulders above any other specific kind of coach for North Texas. That part has not changed since the beginning of this poll, either. I hope Neinas will help put an end to this smack board mob-esque intellect and non-sense very soon. It has been quite an educational experience and validates what some of us have known for too damn long about why we have not done much nationally or on a ranked basis for close to 40 years. We have met the enemy and the enemy is... GMG!

For those not drunk on this post Dodge firing 4 week kool-ade binge, a huge telling green flag with this latest retainment of Neinas. $40,000 plus expenses to find us a new football coach? Jeez! I am in the wrong business since that is also a part time gig. For those who doubted a real national search, I don't think anyone at UNT would say that that $40,000 consultant fee was cookie jar money UNT felt they could do without just to have him comb the streets of Denton for a new HFC. GMG

Maybe...but even more telling on this whole episode is this: Just saw the DRC blog that said North Texas will pay Chuck Neinas $40,000 plus expenses to find North Texas a new football coach. Chuck Neinas reputation is somewhat on the line here for other schools like North Texas to use his services in the future but.............if you were Neinas, what kind of unifying hire would you suggest? Jeez, $40,000 plus expenses!

This is typical. Haven't many of us who follow Texas college sports seen this happen at other schools, but......... did you expect any of our players to say " we play for him right now but can't wait till we move over to the new stadium with a new era and a new coach?" Green Flag? If Neinas is being given a bunch of money by our retaining him (again) in the last few days but only came back and recommended Chico, that would be a mild shock (but not so much with our hiring history) but worse this most recent retaining of Neinas would be a terrific waste of money to make a "local" search. You Don't Threaten Your Employer By Leaving Cause He'd Probably Say: See ya'! And You Don't Threaten Your College If You Demand This or That, Either: You will sometimes find a few players who will also threaten to leave if they don't hire said coach and the response to that group from UNT or any school's powers would probably be: "Don't let the door hit ya' where the Good Lord split ya'." These are still college kids with college kids emotions and hasn't every bit of this whole damn charade been predicated thus far by.............emotion? Good leadership could have prevented every bit of this from happening, unless they are just fun'nin' around with UNT posters on GMG.com; by the way, not a favorite forum from 99.9% over at the UNT Athletic Dept. The Quick Healing First Meeting: Usually after a new HFC has his first meeting with a team they are usually on board with a bright new future ahead. College kids moods change about as often as posters on this board. Still will be interested to see some switch-overs if and when UNT says "Coach Known By Many" has applied and really wants our job; you know, wants our job about as badly as Chico wants it, too? Prediction: Dr. Rawlins will have to take the bull by the horns and make this hire based on our past muck-ups--Jitter Nolen did the same with Fry but the locals back then who might have been on a search committee would have never pulled the Fry trigger. Maybe just another reason Rawlins had the "interim" taken from his title last week?

This from one of our non-North Texas alum friends: "I checked my Phil Steele's mag last night. Are you aware Steele picked UNT as one of his most improved teams this year based on among other things having 17 returning starters? He predicted you would be bowl eligible. So I sure have to wonder whether Canales doesn't look really good mainly because he replaced a Not Ready for Primetime guy. If Canales gets the job, you guys who are a bit more objective about him may want to demand to know who Neinas recommended. Nothing would hoist your AD on his own petard more than finding out, as our alums did, that our AD didn't go with Neinas' recommendation and then the guy he hired instead turned out to be a dud. Of course, Neinas may actually recommend Canales, but that would be a big surprise to me."

Back to the old post stalking tactics of the Canales Canaries, I see. You should begin to detect a trend that it is not working with me. And the Sun Belt is all we have to judge by--yet losing SBC schools to determine a major financial (probably) 5 year contract at a school we'd like to think has some fiscal responsibility skills? We just recently ate another unfulfilled contract--how many time can we keep doing that till someone has to answer to that? And.......the SBC is all we have? Even more the reason many want one with more pedigree and actually FBS HFC' experience, ie, skins on the wall to get us out of this freakin' conference that has made too many thinking "we po' but proud" but after all, we're North Texas of the Sun Belt where we not supposed to think much higher than that? So when your dad (or is it uncle) does not get the UNT job, what town will all this circus act go to next? And BTW, it is you and your posts that have made me change my mind period about your kin. Has Denton become a Mormon mission for your clan or what? I think if he's hired then others would eventually get fired truth be known because of what many (not on this board, of course) would think without a doubt would be in a long chain of other muffed up hires, yet this would top them all--and they've had more than a couple if you can trust what the media guides all seem to point out. (And some at UNT can't understand why DFW alums still all these decades later won't support this charade). 70's? A few at UNT can only dream of getting back to the Mean Joe Greene days or Fry era--I guess I'm one of them; in fact, some on this board would like to not have to compare now with either of those 2 eras in light of what they've recieved of late (w/o anyone even offering a jar of vaseline to help ease the pain, either). The things we have been asked to accept from some UNT officials which has not produced much in the over. 500 is a feat in itself. In fact, some have called it more a snow job than a feat. Business Owners: Would you run your business and make decisions for your business the way some of you are now wanting UNT to run its business with this "only" candidate to show interest and pull a knee jerk hire based on this amazing "self entitlement" with no viable long term record at any collegiate stop which is usually the case with journeymen football coaches? Do we still really want to buy the first car we see w/o maybe checking out 2 or 3 others that really might better suit our purposes? We can all talk about how a 25 year journeyman football coach will soon be in the NCAA Coaches Hallof Fame all we want, but what other serious NCAA school in the state of Texas of whom you've followed their hiring histories would even consider what would be the all time joke is on us if I can believe several of non North Texas friends in Dallas and Fort Worth? (They are shaking their heads in disbelief with even the remotest chance that UNT powers would hire anyone with this 25 year resume--one might also wonder what the real bonafide Texas sports media would have to say if UNT splits its britches yet one more time with another "off the wall" kind of hire). Don't forget all of you who have posted this non-stop: Perception Is Reality....and in Texas its even more reality when it comes to college athletics. GMG!

Sun Belt wins that produced 4 bowls for Dickey did not get him "ONE" job interview from a upper level program. So we see what respect the rest of the FBS has for Sun Belt wins, now don't we? Still.....who would hire a coach based on the success of beating under .500 'Belt schools who'd be in their right (hopefully) upwardly mobile mind? It's an idea that some small group has beat the drum to death and promoted among themselves but I don't think our new Prez' will even address the possibility of it. Yet the idea of doing that is so damn preposterous and reeks of us doing what we've done the last 6 hires at UNT. Do we want to keep doing what has made us unsuccessful at North Texas? As a UNT Alum it embarrasses the hell out of me that some (not near enough from all accounts) are even mildly hinting at doing this. If he got the job, does his goons still stick around on this board to heckle us when he loses a game? But a school that still says it wants to go up to the next level does not use schools at the level we profess we want to not be associated with to give out yet another 5 year contract. We just ate the contract of the last person who used to be Coach Canales boss as I recall and for whom he was TDodge's O.C for the first half of this season, too. BUT....if Coach C is not even remotely being considered (which many believe but are not on this board), I'd be one mad sumbich' if I were in the Canales Camp because I might feel like he would have been being led down the primrose lane of deceit. FWIW, leadership can usually prevent the aforementioned kind of thing from happening and IMHO, Dodge's coaching staff should have been told post-Dodge firing that no one on this staff would be considered for HFC because............UNT was going another direction that actually worked before but had been (strangely) put on the shelf for close to 40 years now. GMG! PS: Have a nice afternoon, I'm outta' here till tonight.