PlummMeanGreen

A losing football program for 6 years in a row is the problem here. Seems all associated with it are still part of that losing era. Not much more to say on this. _________________________________________________________ Another Post this time by Cr1028 Plumm, no disrespect to the great Hayden Fry and what he did at North Texas but would our fans in 2010 consider the following a "big name" successful hire? Quote Hayden Fry compiled a 49–66–1 record in 11 seasons at SMU, including the school's only three winning seasons since the late 1940s. In 1968, SMU went 7–3 and defeated Oklahoma in the Bluebonnet Bowl. LeVias was selected as an all-conference player as a senior for the third time. Fry's Mustangs then had just a 12–20 record over the next three years from 1969–1971. That put Fry's job in jeopardy, and rumors started to swirl after Fry's Mustangs started the 1972 season at 4-4. Not even a three game winning streak could save Fry. After a 7–4 season in 1972, Fry was fired at SMU, which robbed the Mustangs of a bowl berth. Just Responding to Cr1028: No disrespect taken, Cr1028, but I was at that Bluebonnet Bowl game that was at that time called Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl (with the Astrodome connection, of course). A great win for SMU in a most exciting game. One like Boise/OU a few years ago but on a much smaller scale than a BCS bowl game. Cr1028, are you tapping into my phone line? I spoke to another alum jus this morning on that same subject about Fry's overall unimpressive record at SMU before we hired him just as you posted. What Happened Back Then Some Might Ask? The UNT president of that era (Jitter Nolen) took charge of the hiring of Hayden Fry. He didn't fiddle-fart waiting on a committe to be formed, either, as I recall. NOTE: One such committee in our past hired Dennis Parker over Coach Dennis Francione who really wanted the UNT job if you want to see some of the comedy and tragedy UNT alums have had to endure thru the years. Fred McCain was the AD and would not in a millions years have called Hayden. (Poor Fred lost his AD job to Hayden not too long after Fry was hired as HFC and that started some of the bittnerness among many of the old nestors in Denton--Fry didn't fire Fred, the UNT Prez' did). We all love Coach Fred but he was part of the Denton "lets keep it small time teacher's college" crowd of which some descendents still seem to be posting and keeping that fire (and modus operendi) going. So in affect, President Nolen took charge of that hire and got it done pretty quick. What you understandably think was a negative, though, turned out to be a positive truth be known and why was that? Hayden Fry had 11 years of HFC'ing experience in a conference we all followed. I knew who Coach Fry was because I read about SMU in the Houston Post and Houston Chronicle in my public school years on the Gulf Coast. He was known as an innovative coach at a school that post-Doak Walker era was in disarray. Many from SMU hated Fry for recruiitng Jerry Levias and I heard that from an SMU old timer in Fort Worth. Many have posted that "IF" UNT were to hire a name coach this time around with true name ID he would most likely have some kind of blemish. Fry's was what you stated even though his last year on the SMU payroll the Mustangs finished 7 and 4. Yet for a school like North Texas back then (and even still today) a name coach like Fry made it happen in Denton because Texans knew who the guy was. Fry turned his SMU lemons into UNT lemonade and I think Iowa would say "North Texas, thanks for hiring Hayden because you made our selection of him very easy." But What's The Difference? Just as we found there was a huge difference from Southlake Carroll HS to a HFC at the NCAA's FBS level there would be the same for an unknown project also unknown to most UNT alums across Texas (and isn't that group who keeps our seats empty who need a "buzz or splash hire" to get them even vaguely interested in this program)? It's that group who don't follow this as close as GMG.com members do, too, but the difference would be as glaring as the TDodge model from HS head football coach to HFC at UNT. Act like you haven't been part of the Canales pentocostal emotional experience, get back down to reality and earth and then start your own thinking process as to what we really need at North Texas for this particular hire. Remember, if we get someone with Fry's or Coach Frans or Coach Leavitt's NCAA FBS kind of experience with hopefullly some semblance of Texas recruiting ties, then there will still be some obvious blemishes, other-wise most of us would be realistic enough to know we wouldn't have a prayer with such a coach as Coach Fran, Jim Leavitt or even a Mike Leach; I understand there are others of similar stature who want our job now that UNT is building a new football palace located between those 2 Texas interstates.

The Head Football Coach Closes The Sale After the Coordinator Brings Them To Campus: When our recruits back in my day walked into Hayden Fry's office for him to close the deal they usually had their parents, grandparents, 1'st cousin, 2'nd cousins, inbred cousins, those they never claimed as cousins, their HS football coach & staff, the entire student body from said recruits HS alma mater just to see a celebrity head football coach, ie, the great Hayden Fry. Then SuperHayden went the next step and had that whole entourage buy season tickets for their blue chip recruits freshmen season the next Fall. Do any schools really get that with a project coach hire from a losing program at the NCAA level? On Another Note: I am duly impressed with CaliMeanGreen's stuff the ballot box campaign the last several days; albeit I predicted that would happen with some of the Canales crowd, now didn't I? Now......seriously. Actually, the word myself and others whose opinions I've long respected hear about Coach Canales, ie, those of us who don't drink Denton water which seems to create strange sensations concerning athletic hirings among a hardy handful of our alums is that he really is a great guy, motivator, a good coach as well--but probably at UNT at the wrong time with all the wins/losses that goes with the present football scenario in MG Country. I hope that he will (in fact) get to stay in some capacity once this thing of a new coach gets done. NOTE: I think his lack of a long term Texas recruiting background to put on his resume' will have been a key factor in his not getting our job. Looking ahead, if he were an assistant at UNT the next few year but with a winning program, then his time to be HFC would probably be at hand. And Now Even More Seriously, after a most very recent conversation with a UNT heavy hitter, I am most assured our most pro-active AD Rick V will do what I thought he would do in the first place and look beyond Denton for a new HFC. The UNT BOR's are very much interested with this hire maybe more than I've ever heard from that group since I've been around Denton, circa 1972, and that's all I'm going to say about that special board at this moment in time. They really care a helluva' lot about this hire and this football program (and that is good news for all of us). In closing, this post will all but wrap up my diatribes about the hiring of an unknown project or assistant coach on our present staff to be our HFC; oh, I may still join in on some more opinion making on the subject, but for all practical purposes: I rest my case. (an olive branch to all who will accept).[/ PlummMeanGreen aka James Plummer UNT Class of 1976 Ulys Knight Spirit Award Recipient (1996) Former MG Club Early Bird Fundraiser Recipient Proud 6'th Generation Texan Former Member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas Tea Party Member Who Believes in the Constitution The Way George, Thomas, Ben and the rest of the guys intended it Conservative Independent (who rarely votes straight party; yes, I vote for Democrats sometimes if they aren't too far out there) Couts Methodist Church, Weatherford, Texas (member) Go Mean Green!

gangrene, on 30 October 2010 - 11:24 PM, said: I'm trying really, really hard not to laugh. The team played well today and Coach Canales deserves some credit, but let's take a step back here and look at the big picture. Our "big" win came against a team that's won what...two, three games in the last three years? Before we go anointing Canales as our savior lets put this into the proper perspective. I don't want to take anything away from Canales because I like him and I want him to be our OC next year, but let's not forget he learned a lot of what he knows from Jim Leavitt. Canales is a passionate guy? Well, Leavitt is even more passionate. Let's not be so easily appeased. It takes an entire staff of good coaches to be successful year in and year out. Let's not settle for good when we can have great. Do we still need Leavitt - are you kidding me?? We'd be absolutely crazy to not hire Leavitt if he's willing to take on the challenge of being our head coach.

They were ranked #19 the week Troy played them and after that game Troy football players didn't care less what the Tigers did after they whooped their a$$e$ on national TV. Most on this board would enjoy a Top 25 win and I am trying to remember last time that actually happened with UNT. I guess I dare not mention the UNT coach I think that last happened, too.

Perennial losing programs? Well, 2 of them did not come from that kind of program. I don't think Snyder who worked with Fry at UNT and Iowa came from a losing program nor did Art Briles when he was at TTech and... ...those 2 guys all had state of Texas recruiting on their resume's and I don't think that Canales does looking at his bio as posted today by UNTLifer I believe it was. In fact, has Canales even been in our state 1 year yet? Even one of our best Mean Green football players from the past posted "how do we know this guy can even recruit?" Beggin' a few pardons here, but wouldn't that be something needed on a resume' that our next Mean Green HFC must have had success (and that success preferably in the Lone Star State)? If we were to buck even the trend on Harry's Coach Poll which still shows a large majority on this forum who do not want a project or up and coming assistant but still that is what happened, I'm glad it will be none of us whose heads will be on the chopping block by hiring an assistant coach from a losing program in (arguably) the worst or next to worst FBS conference in the NCAA. We can do better and I'll bet we do this time around since we didn't with TDodge and no university doesn't want to screw up their football program (even at a North Texas where expectations always seem "Sun Belt'esque low) with 2 screw up hires in a row. Again, this is the one hiring of a North Texas HFC we cannot afford any more projects like TDodge, DD (in a newly thrown together weak football conference), Matt Simon, Dennis Parker, etc, etc, etc. They coached at North Texas when most of our alums seemed to mostly have low expectations thinking "we North Texas and we most proud but po'" attitude knowing as long as we had a track stadium with the poorest sight lines in the NCAA, we could just keep on going business as usual with our hires--and we did. Did anyone really ever seriously think that CUSA would be interested in us with Fouts Field as our football venue? With our new stadium debut less than 12 months away the stakes have suddenly become much higher than we have been used to having at UNT. More of the UNT community will simply want more than what we've had once they see this stadium. The new stadium will create even more expectations with people of power like.....the UNT Board of Regents who are the ones who are actually running the show in Denton and who our top UNT leaders still have to report to with a (hopeful) good report of things to come. We just have to act like we are in the real business world with this hire. Hires like we have mostly seen at North Texas would close down most businesses in the world most of us have made our livings in. Just my .02 GMG!

Someone has to rise up and set the standard. I thought it might be Troy at one time until they seemed to have gotten settled down in the 'Belt with what seems to be our 'Belt ways. After all, they had beaten #19 Missouri to debut their new stadium on national television. A game many of us on the forum watched with a bit of disbelief? Somehow, the tide has to rise high in the SBC harbor whereas we all rise with it. Of course, we prefer it be North Texas who causes such a tide and ArkStFan would obviously want it to be his alma mater but the fact still remains.........Someone? Anyone? Who'd ever thunk it would be a WAC school in a BCS bowl who would capture the hearts of many college football fans in the USA when Boise State beat the Sooners a few years ago. GMG!

Well, most of my posts are simply rebuttals. It seems other keep telling the rest of us who voted for something different by the results of Harry's Coaches Polls that we need to still go with a journeyman football coach who has yet to be HFC at any level; surely you don't think we would sit idly by and agree with that? This board is for those who have opinions. Some can't handle the opinions of others especially if its not like their own; somewhat like some in Washington who still cannot handle the glaring fact that the USA is a center to right political country--always have been. I have one voice, one vote and an opinion; it seems the rest of you do too. I don't pretend to think that I can change the minds of those of you who want an untested, unproven hire at the FBS level as our next HFC. I actually don't try changing minds on this forum, but I also know people on campus read this board and many times I'm mostly posting my opinions for their, uh, "reading pleasure" rather than those on GMG.com; hence a reason I don't get too excited when many of you criticize my hot sports opinions. Back to Green Acres: All many of us know is we've seen what works and has yet to work at North Texas as far as a football program which has any semblance of a national significance. Winning the Sun Belt and still being in Sagarin's #90 on up rankings is not most of us on GMG.com's idea of a program with growing momentum and national significance. We can hire just about anybody to continue in that modus operendi--and it seems we have for about 30 years. Sorry, Sun Belters, but that is the way many of us happen to believe, but we also once saw UNT ranked inside the Top 20 when TCU could not even smell Top 20 here in the Metroplex and didn't till they were an ex member of the Southwest Conference for that matter. My "one" opinion seems to counter a few who want to continue yet another experiment of which Todd Dodge (in deed) was one of those. Many of us (including yours truly) pushed for TDodge, ie, an unknown college HFC commodity that was super at a Texas High School level. We were all wrong and freely admit we were wrong. After all, can't you see all our Sylvestor the Cat "we goofed up with our choice" expressions? .

Doesn't matter what I think. We pay people pretty good money to make that decision and I think they will be smart enough to try to fill our position with one coach who will fit a very demanding list of criteria. Right now, I don't see any assistant football coach from any program fitting that job description. Again, this will not be the normal "business as usual" hire at North Texas and our leadership (not us) I think knows that. GMG! PS: OK, if Canales beats KSU after a run through a very weak 2010 Sun Belt Conference you put him right up there with the top 3 or 4 coaches with Name ID and FBS HFC experience. UNT cannot afford a "shoot from the hip" kind of hire because a few on this board get off on post game pep rallies. Last time I checked, such things as that never really got coaches hired at FBS schools, especially at this very important and crucial time of our own school's athletic history. GMG!!

I disagree... There were about 24,000 who showed at the worst college football stadium in the FBS for the Rice game with a program that has had 6 losing seasons in a row. Can you imagine what happens at UNT with a coach with name ID that excites even the local or DFW area casual fans; a coach with FBS experience and known as a good recruiter in Texas does for this program? Could 24,000 easily become Standing-Room-Only at our new stadium next September as we open with the Houston Cougars? I think most would agree that we do have a base of fans from which to build and make much larger in Mean Green Country. It could be most fun to watch it grow and if we have all the right personnel ducks in a row that will only make it grow even quicker. GMG!

Even outside GMG.coms Who To Hire Poll by Harry which is as much a mandate for a HFC with name or FBS HFC experience as what the Republicans and Independents pulled off Tuesday. Sure, the handful (and I think looking a the poll that best describes it) on GMG.com who want another project will no longer change their minds on Canales than the majority of us in the poll would change ours as we prefer another direction that has worked before at UNT. Some of you who have obviously gotten to meet and greet with Canales have all but lost your objectivity about this hire and seem to have forgotten what has "NOT" worked in Denton for the last 3 plus decades. It's not any of our's hire as it is: UNT officials will decide on one that meets the full meal deal criteria of which most who voted on this board still think is the coach with name ID or FBS experienced HFC. If we were going to stay at Fouts Field another 10 years then gamble with project hires till the cows come home but Fouts Field will soon become powdered concrete. We have this new football palace debuting that needs to make us really start getting serious about now climbing up the NCAA FBS totem pole--if not, then what a waste of money many will say. But what kind of coach gets the borderline/average college football fan in and around Denton excited to give all this yet another try or chance? (They've had so many others that did not pan out for UNT and we've all seen them come and go once they saw what we had hired once again that was no different than all the others). I think pressure from Big and Small Donors will keep Canales from getting this job and Rick V has to answer to (especially) the Big Donors (of which I'm not) and the Board of Regents with this next most crucial hire and I can't see our "always thinking ahead" UNT AD taking a professional gamble on any assistant coach from a losing program this season or the last 6 seasons for other UNT assistants (DeLoach?) who still might decide to apply. Both Coach Frans on the same staff at UNAT is my shot in the dark choice, but I think 2 or 3 others with the right background would be fine, too. (That small group has very high numbers of votes in Harry's poll). GMG!

Bob Tyler was known to have had problems before he got hired at UNT (and some on our committee knew it was the word on the street). Tyler was also largely an unknown commodity in the state of Texas with no recruiting experience here, either. I think most want a HFC at UNT with prior FBS experience and a Texas background. And Bill Snyder also came from a winning football program with a dynamic role model as his mentor. His role model in fact is now in the College Football Hall of Fame but I won't mention his name (or Boise State) for that matter. Makes a hardy handful on this board tense to talk about such things. They are used to other things that I suppose they feel more comfortable with? GMG!

Has Villarreal actually told Canales he would be hired or merely just be considered among others if he gets x amount of wins? Is there an actual quote in print on what he did say? I know one very large contributor to this program who says if we go with any assistant coach from a losing football program his donation in the future will be history. Well, so what because he's only "one" but one would be concerned if that might multiply into many others. So this hire at North Texas is truly a most important one that we don't need to drop the ball this time. It could get expensive very quickly in more ways than........one. But to see that possible quote from Rick V would end my curiosity on at least this part of UNT possibly (once again) fixin' to bust it butt with yet another 4 or 5 year mistake; and this because a few on this board think post game pep rally excitement is tantamout for making a good HFC--at least in Denton? (If Tony Robbins were on campus he would probably get some votes from this board based on his "passionate" upbeat speeches, too). Our State Ranking For Now? Are we #10 among all the others in the state of Texas we say we like to be associated with? Should we start worrying about being #13 when TSU (SM) and UTSA join up at our level, too. In Denton of late, that is really not too far-fetched a question now is it? Our head football coach hiring record at UNT speaks for itself loud and clear, but we still have deaf ears with some for whatever the reason. Yet.......the first time some familiar names/faces with FBS HFC background start showing up on campus for interviews most of the GMG.com tire-kicking with Canales will also become fewer and fewer--that is also a most predictable happening for a hardy handful on this board, too. Harry's Voting Poll thread still suggests the majority on GMG.com want the name or (at least) experienced FBS HFC to take this job, but at UNT and looking at our past mistakes in hiring, the obvious too many times can become a huge obstacle in Mean Green Country. __________________________________________________________________ The bio below describes what is called a journeyman football coach, folks. No, doesn't make him a bad person but a question many Big and Small Donors will ask: "Why during at least once of those numerous stops was Head Football Coach never his title? Be careful, North Texas, you are gambling with a hire to put in a $80,000,000 brand spanking new football stadium. Hardly a time for yet another project experiment in Denton we've yet to have success with before in most of our lifetimes. NOTE: Thanks to UNTLifer for the bio. Here is Canales bio: ( 1985-86 Brigham Young University Graduate Assistant - Quarterbacks 1987-94 Snow College Offensive Coordinator - Quarterbacks C oach 1995 Pacific Quarterbacks Coach 1996-2000 University of South Florida Offensive Coordinator - Quarterbacks Coach 2001-2002 North Carolina State Quarterbacks Coach /Passing Game Coordinator 2003 New York Jets Wide Receivers Coach 2004-2006 University of Arizona Offensive Coordinator - Quarterbacks Coach 2007-2009 University of South Florida Offensive Coordinator - Quarterbacks Coach

OK, I think it will soon be time to talk re-alignment. SBC? I felt like we were being told that there would be an orphanage for about 8 or 9 misplaced/displaced orphans (of which we were one) when that league was formed in 2000 Of course, it was the only orphanage who'd have us as a result of most of the post-Fry years SilverEagle refers to of our (non-stop) trying to do the un'Fry sorta' thing in Denton. Can we old gun alums merely dream of what could have been had our mindset for the last 30 or so years would have been the same as former conference-mate Boise State who went north (so to speak) while we went south--I know, Boise is another taboo subject with some, too. I think most of us know how the "un-Fry" experiment turned out in Denton and I choose not argue with those who can't see or understand the difference. I know if I were around 25-30 years of age today how I would probably not even believe most the Fry stories in light of what I would have been observing of late. In fact, if in that age group I might feel even a bit cheated as I would compare the 2 eras--180 degrees opposite of the other. Next subject...this train ain't going nowhere fast. GMG!

Book of James: Chapter XXXXXX Ignorance is bliss except at North Texas where its seems to most the time be our always painful road most traveled at the level of FBS football some seem to think is the best we can really ever attain in Mean Green Country; and perhaps all this because of hiring the same old kind of hires that will guarantee we never leave our present national rankings neighborhood according to Jeff Sagarin's poll. Remember when..........Troy had it going on when they first entered the SBC and then they, too, seem to have gotten bogged down with the malaise and mediocrity that seems to annually happen in our conference? Remember when Troy was about to become an offical member of the 'Belt? How they debuted their new stadium with a win over a Top 25 Missouri Tiger football team? Now look how far they seem to have fallen although they will be a plate full for us this weekend. Hell, they may have to beat UNT to get close to 6 bowl elgible wins. All this in the SBC must be catching and even today Wright Waters may not have 1 team (least of all 2) who will be bowl elgible with the magical 6 wins. Of course, an SBC football champion can go to NO's with 5 wins I presume. Granted, we may be in the Sun Belt till Gabriel blows his horn, but why not North Texas be the school that raises the high tide which bring all our SBC ships, ie, schools up to national rankings status? Eons You Say? Lets look at the long roll call of past unsucessful football "project or no name" hires at North Texas and then see just how many of those eons we have to go back in the Mean Green time machine to actually find a former UNT HFC that had more career wins than losses. I would mention his name but now realizing how tense that part of Mean Green football history makes some feel I will just simply defer. GMG!

So we use Little League as a gauge to see if we have a future in the Big Leagues? I strongly disagree, but 6 straight years of losing in Denton has most definitely brow beat some of our alums to think we just about can't do anything at North Texas except what same said alums have been used to seeing for about the last 30 years at an unranked level to boot. Another poster said don't use the Boise model? Last time we played Boise I believe the year before they started their Top 25 run we beat the Boise State Broncos, but then we went into our usual retreat mode which our school has become most famous for doing; you know, 2 giant steps forward and then 3 back? To use a North Texas modus operendi phrase from SilverEagle: It's just our culture at UNT to keep doing the same things over and over again and still expect better results. Just who will break this cycle at North Texas? In light of that new football palace debuting next Fall, now would be the best time more than ever to do something different in this next hire. I don't think most NT Exes will accept another project hire without raising some real old fashioned Texas hell about it with a mass letter writing campaign to the UNT President with copies going to each UNT Board of Regent. I've seen that concept work effectively at UNT in ways you'd never believe, but you just have to show em' whats worked before in Mean Green Country (as if they didn't already know) and what has yet to work to date--then you have the attention of the UNT Board of Regents.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc10.htm 17 SUN BELT (A) = 54.47 54.68 ( 17) TEAMS= 9 54.66 ( 17) College Football 2010 through games of October 30 Saturday the BCS uses the ELO_CHESS from here HOME ADVANTAGE= 3.03 RATING W L SCHEDL(RANK) VS top 10 | VS top 30 | ELO_CHESS | PREDICTOR 105 Troy A = 61.91 4 3 58.93( 138) 0 0 | 0 1 | 59.28 130 | 63.99 89 124 Arkansas State A = 58.52 3 5 60.67( 125) 0 1 | 0 1 | 53.68 163 | 62.66 98 128 Fla. International A = 58.31 2 5 65.47( 80) 0 0 | 0 0 | 52.62 169 | 63.24 95 149 Louisiana-Monroe A = 54.92 4 4 60.65( 126) 0 1 | 0 2 | 56.57 145 | 52.61 155 150 Florida Atlantic A = 54.79 2 5 63.05( 104) 0 0 | 0 1 | 52.16 171 | 56.68 129 163 Middle Tennessee A = 52.83 3 4 54.25( 172) 0 0 | 0 0 | 51.95 173 | 53.06 151 171 North Texas A = 50.99 2 6 58.24( 146) 0 0 | 0 0 | 47.17 198 | 53.76 144 174 Louisiana-Lafayette A = 50.21 2 6 62.19( 112) 0 0 | 0 1 | 48.74 191 | 50.99 162 177 Western Kentucky A = 49.62 1 7 62.65( 108) 0 1 | 0 1 | 45.45 200 | 52.60 156 GMG!

Forget Kansas State...but why use a very weak Sun Belt Conference remaining schedule as the bell weather or barometer to hire our next HFC at the University of North Texas. We have college football fans from other higher profile Texas universities laughing at us for considering any of this, folks. You ask a Texas Ex or TTech ex would their school even think twice about doing the same. A TCU friend of mine can only shake his head. Whoever we hire at UNT will be asked to beat teams much better than SBC teams year in and year out. Even La Tech fans expects to beat higher profile OOC schools and they have done better at this than we have the last 15 or so years. Check their record of doing such--it will make you envy the Bulldogs (who BTW we have to recruit against in Texas every year). Do you think the La Tech's of this world want us to hire a name coach? The far-reaching effects of our hiring a name coach might make the 'Dawgs feel it would diminish any chance they have to get in CUSA if UH and UTEP leave that league leaving 2 very big openings. Neverthelesss, this hire will effect UNT in so many ways. Question: What are the present national rankings of all SBC football teams as of today? It's not going to look too pretty once you see what they are. We are a better school than to use this throw-together (still a) bottom-feeder league as a basis to hire anyone in Denton. GMG!

Can you imagine the uproar among the entire UNT community if we hired another project we know nothing about how he'd recruit in the state of Texas? (The next few weeks of this football season will not give us the answer to that major question, either. Who we do hire needs to salvage this years recruiting and at North Texas only a name coach would have that chance. Unfortunately, most on GMG.com who are truly pushing for Canales for our job have never seen the effects a name coach can have on a program or bring to the banquet table. It would be a complete mind-changer for many on GMG.com if this happens with many who would say, "why in the hell didn't we do this a long time ago but rather keep doing what we saw was not working at UNT?" Recruiting, You Say? Lets say you have a Texas 3 or 4 star recruit in your home and a total stranger with no HFC background or prior NCAA FBS success comes in your home wanting to recruit your kid for a football program that has had 6 losing seasons in a row? Then said unknown coach gets asked by family members "so what program were you at last season when Coach Dodge was getting fired in Denton? Oh, ..........did I actually hear you say, uh, North Texas. We'll get back with you, Coach. Nice to have met you. So is it worth gambling again on such a project hire? Especially when he would be given at least a 5 year contract to do what most other projects have done at North Texas which is not win many games and forget any chances for future nationally ranked standings. Those of our holy tribunal who would collectively come up with such an unknown project coach (which most of us don't think they would now touch with a 10 foot pole) might still have to go hide in a mountain cave in Montana to avoid the fallout among the MG Nation for yet another failed project hire in Denton, but what the heck, the upside is they might find Bin Laden in one of those caves. Canales is probably the best assistant coach since the invention of sliced bread, but as GrayEagle posted, there will be many, many more things he would be asked to do other than calling offensive plays. North Texas official know they can't mess up this hire by taking such a huge gamble. I think the right name coach (preferably with Texas recruiting ties) would help North Texas fundraisers close a deal with a Corporate Sponsor which means a sponsor who will shelve out $30,000,000 for our new stadium's naming rights but even then, our new HFC will be asked to do so much more. New North Texas Head Coach Poll Results As of Today: Still a marked difference of the "name coach" total votes versus the up and coming assistant coach votes. Jeff Bower (13 votes [4.42%]) Percentage of vote: 4.42% Mike Leach (103 votes [35.03%]) Percentage of vote: 35.03% Dennis Franchione (43 votes [14.63%]) Percentage of vote: 14.63% Mike Canales (34 votes [11.56%]) Percentage of vote: 11.56% Kevin Wilson (5 votes [1.70%]) Percentage of vote: 1.70% Steve Kraigthorpe (4 votes [1.36%]) Percentage of vote: 1.36% Jay Norvell (3 votes [1.02%]) Percentage of vote: 1.02% Up and Coming Assistant (12 votes [4.08%]) Percentage of vote: 4.08% John L. Smith (3 votes [1.02%]) Percentage of vote: 1.02% Terry Bowden (15 votes [5.10%]) Percentage of vote: 5.10% Jim Leavitt (59 votes [20.07%]) Percentage of vote: 20.07% I still defer to the signature below.

"Whoa Nellie" to quote former ABC TV college sportscaster Keith Jackson; but this thing is not a "Plumm thang'" at all but a North Texas "don't screw up another hire" thang' instead. Please check Harry's Poll which was most heavily voted on by posters to go for a name coach since the day after TDodge was fired and Harry put that poll on this board. Now that may change in a few days once the Canales vote-Castors get a bunch more votes in his column, but that is fine and most democratic. TRY THIS EXPERIMENT, NorthTexan95... replace "big name coach or "known" coach with "unknown project coach" in each place you put the former and see what you have except one helluva' very angry UNT alumnus base who gets very pissed at UNT leadership for hiring yet another unproven project that didn't work like all the other ones type of a possible scenario? I think those who voted in Harry's poll for a "name" coach want the project coach experiment at North Texas to end and to end soon so we can get a new coach on the recruiting trail. Deep Fry'd: Fry recruited players his first recruiting winter at UNT with players who helped beat Tennessee in his 3'rd year at UNT; he also beat other notable schools that same season--again, his 3'rd season. He tied for a conference championship his first year at North Texas. Who could make as quick a recruiting impact as a name coach with strong Texas ties? An unknown commodity would have to blow off his first recruiting season in a state like Texas where North Texas is not on the minds of many HS kids these days. One ex Mean Green football player posted earlier today the question of "do we even know if Canales is a good recruiter"? Can we gamble on a 4 or 5 year contract of such a hire to find that out in a brand new football stadium to boot? No, we can't this time around in our school's football playing history. Can you imagine more bad recruiting to put in that new football palace that debuts next Fall? God help us all and especially those who want to keep the "project coach" experiment going at North Texas. I just don't see Rick V doing this with the stakes as high as they are. He's a pretty smart and savy kind of AD which has mostly been my thoughts of him except when he would give contract extensions to those who were not successful enough even at UNT to see those final extension years through. UNT hasn't had a known coach coupled with being a well known to the state of Texas coach since Fry. He had his own blemishes coming in from SMU but his clone would be most welcome today with a much larger UNT constituency but now with a new stadium--this would have been a ready made miracle fixin' to happen for one like Fry but we know that is me just dreamin' more "odd" type stuff, right?

Well, odd at North Texas and moreso with some on this forum is having the audacity of wanting to see North Texas duplicate some semblance of an era of Mean Green football that beat some notable name football schools and even get what used to be Top 20 rankings. If those are odd or way out there thoughts, then let me be the oddest of all. I can handle it--I've handled much worse; but you are absolutely major "spot on" with your thoughts. I only wish all the others who I know feel the same would post their similar feelings on this subject since we know our Athletic Director does check in on this board from time to time. Of course, he or anyone else would only needs to see Harry's New Coach Poll results to understand what the majority on this forum really feel needs be our next direction. I defer to the signature at the bottom of this post and will until we hire the right person during a very unique time in our school's athletic history; that is, with a once in a lifetime debut of a new football stadium coupled with what we all will hope to be the right coach to complement this golden opportunity to make a huge splash in DFW and the Lone Star State. I think the criteria for wins, being a PR type of coach, marketing across the state at NT alum get-together, helping our UNT powers find a Corporate Sponsor, etc, etc, would be a tall order to any possible name coach with proven NCAA FBS success. The fact that UNT will be asking very much from this new HFC I think is a given. North Texas will not have this unique kind of hiring opportunity coupled with a brand new stadium ever again in any of you younger alum's lifetimes since we are hardly known to build new college football stadiums that often in Denton.

Hardly a breakout year in the SBC's 10 anniversary year. GMG! PS: What is the highest ranked SBC football team in that 10 year history? I don't think we've ever had a team in the Top 25 now have we? GMG!!

There is something very sexy about a pregnant woman for sure! Wait a minute? Upon further review, I don't think pregnancy is Kathy's problem in left photo, but I'd still, uh, well.....you know, love to hold her hand in a dark theatre. GMG! PS: Great idea on showing that movie! Who came up with it? GMG!!

GMG!

Certainly does...thoughts & prayers to the family.

Cr1028, to quote Elvis: Thank ya' very much ladies & gentlemen. Colors? As a kid, I was a huge fan of the NBC peacock! GMG! PS: LoveMG, sorry, but I did tend to ramble on that particular post of passion. I can't explain it, my hands just take off and I have no control of what they sometimes type, so I don't take full responsibility of all my word actions at all sometimes. It's a phenomena of midget proportions. I will seek help. GMG!!