PlummMeanGreen

Good post... As I hope would one day become a permanent exhibition of the Abner Haynes/Sun Bowl Era at our NT Athletic Hall of Fame in the Athletic Center, wouldn't it be nice to hear Abner in an oral history recording talk about some of his era? Problem is, those from the Abner era are (like many of us of middle age status) running out of years to make such an oral history of their life and times as UNT students in the 1950's. So.......with some of this time is of the essence? The UNT Athletic Dept. could probalby get some help with such an photo and oral history exhibition from other departments on campus starting with the History Department. If you've been to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and have seen all their giant photo and oral histories from actual participants of their eras, you'd kinda' know what kind of project I'm talking about here.. This alum hopes the next new Mean Green HFC hire is the last one I see before I go to that Mean Green heaven in the sky. As far as who we hire next? I don't have a clue and freely admit it since my record is not that great of recent days because I was hog wild about the hiring of Todd Dodge and still don't quite understand why he didn't have a bit more success. NOTE: But I do know the last true collegiate name coach we hired did us proud. GMG!

Does he know he's already been crucified, tarred and feathered on this forum? I'm old fashioned about giving folks 2'nd chances because many have done that for me (and I'd bet some of you, too). GMG!

The humongous (and forever) missing part of the puzzle at UNT is finally being built at the Mean Green Village as in the $80 million football show place. It will one day be enlarged to 40-50,000 seats as growth demands and that will be sooner than later because growth is everywhere in Mean Green Country. The City of Denton has even made one list as one of the 15 fastest growing cities in the USA. Denton County has over 600,000 population. I think most of us would likely agree that in the 8 million populated North Texas Metroplex that UNT should be able to very soon find our own 32,000 fans out of that number, especially now that we will have a new stadium that will be fan friendly, butt friendly, very accessible and one that we don't have to feel like 2'nd class citizens among our Texas intercollegiate peers any longer. All this will go a long ways toward adding to our fan base. So........at last--UNT can now put our entire formula (listed in the thread) to work in our statewide, regional and "national" recruiting--both athletically and academically. The stadium, now quickly becoming our largest focal point & soon to be UNT's athletic symbol of excellence, will even enhance every other non-football sport many of those added added with new venues since AD Rick Villarreal has been in Denton. Come next Fall, start watching for other new faces showing up from UNT academia--faces not seen in a long time if ever. Why? They, too, will begin to most wisely utilize our football showcase to introduce their own culled potential donors for their academic pet projects and even those who might endow an academic chair or 2 or 3 or... UNT's New Stadium ='s Everyone Wins At The University of North Texas A Legacy That Should Be Highlighted & Put On Permanent Exhibition At Our UNT Sports Hall of Fame: Our being the first major traditionally caucasian university in Texas to integrate in the 1950's with our great All American (and friend to many of us) Abner Haynes who would later be voted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and Kansas City Chiefs Circle of Honor. IMHO.....the Abner Haynes Era At UNT should be a in an exhibition of photos with storylines at the Mean Green Village's UNT Sports Hall of Fame collection and yes, include the good, the bad and the ugly of that era--we should never forget that time in our history just as Israel will never forget the Holocaust. (Abner has expressed to many of us some of the things blacks had to contend with in the 1950's--it would make your hair stand straight up). In deed, the 1950's was a long time ago but that still does not take away from the fact that our university bucked the tide the segregation South/Southwest and had the correct attitude toward civil rights. UNT did this before the Southwest Conference integrated with John Westbrook of Baylor and Jerry Levias of SMU. In fact, we were almost 10 full years before the SWC and when that subject was not being addressed by any major universities in the Deep South and the Southwest part of the United States. NOTE: Of course, in a perfect world where equality was reality instead of just a theory, we should have integrated in our schools first year of operation, ie, 1890. I am going to guess there could be some of our older alums on GoMeanGreen.com who were around (or know those who were) during the Abner Haynes Era at UNT who could very well have some old photographs or maybe even super 8 film footage of some of our games in that era. Present UNT Athletics staffers put what I believe to be a knockout collage of film of many of our greats for pre-game entertainment on our giant scoreboard with the huge HDTV type screen. How many of us does that film vignette of our former Mean Green greats get the green blood going everytime they run that piece pre-game? In fact, many of us applaud those who put that multi-media film and music vignette together several years ago and still run it to this day. That collage of film with the great AC/DC music in the background is one of the things I hope we will take with us across the interstate to our new football palace. You agree? GMG! FYI: Some Recent Numbers On UNT's Diversity African American 14 % Asian American 5 % Hispanic 12 % International 3 % Native American 1 % White 65 % Unknown 1 % Out-of-State Students 7 % Student Age Breakdown Under 18: 1 % 18-19: 20 % 20-21: 30 % 22-24: 30 % 25+: 19 %

No rocket scientry here, but it depends on who we hire on the salary part. Up and comer? Not as much... Name Coach? Get out the check book. I've heard there may be a Big Donor who might underwrite a very, very large salary if we get a truly name coach. Don't know how much validity there is with that one, though. Norm Hitzghes was wrong today on The Ticket because UNT when it puts its money people together can pay for a name coach. Hey Rick V! Make sure ol' Stormin' "Father Time" Norman Hitzghes and all the DFW media types get a royal party at our new football palace upon completion, but I'd bet you already had that idea in your sights, too. GMG!

Dan Garner formerly of Garland, Texas Jim and Wanda Parks formerly from Lancaster, Texas. Ron Wesson & Paul Polk? Anyone know the whereabouts of these UNT alums? GMG!

For most of the last 30 or so years, we've earned every bit of what we get from our NCAA colleague schools from the state of Texas. Now is the time for Rick V to change this. He did our stadium dilemma now didn't he? GMG!

A fellow UNT alum just the other day said if we had hired one of Fry's assistants after Iowa hired him we probably would have never had to spend over a decade in NCAA D1-AA, and it could have been us who did the Boise thing instead of...Boise. NOTE: Bill Snyder of Kansas State had been one of Fry's assistants at North Texas. GMG!

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Bring in a true name coach, UNT90, and you have a sellout because even the most curious would then come to the UH game. I really believe that. And you are right on when you posted this: Bring in the wrong guy (read: Bower) and this university may never recover. GMG! GMG!

Jeez, I bought a brand new auto in Denton while a student at UNT and my personal tally of Shopping Denton goes way up from that. I cannot even begin to imagine that the support is anywhere close to equal from my years as a Dentonite but........we've discussed this a few million other times thru the decades, too. I don't think the winner of this argument necessarily wins anything by being right, either. As Lyndon Johnson used to quote often: "Come, let us reason together" would still be the best policy for Denton and UNT because after all--they stand to benefit from each other in a most dramatic way. Personally, I am happy for Denton, Texas, America, because they are now getting a true NCAA D1 stadium on their west side near those 2 Texas interstates. GMG!

UNT needs an "impact" hire to go with our new "impact" football palace. Even the guy co-hosting Norms show today on The Ticket said our stadium would be better than Boise's so we will have a huge plus with this venue. We need a "hungry to prove himself all over again" name coach and I think there may be 1 or 2 out there reading all the lists here. That person can't afford to come to UNT and fail like everyone has of late because that would be his personal Waterloo as far as getting another HFC's gig. He needs to be very hungry for success and spend all the kind of time he did when he first had to prove himself at his first HFC's gig. GMG!

Jack, most always agree with anything you've ever posted because we tend to think alike concerning UNT and have for decades, but TCU came along much later with their own success (Top 10 ranking & a BCS bowl) than when Boise's success started several years ago as well as about 5 head football coaches ago, too. Can you show me the differences of those 2 schools and how they got to where they got with the "barriers?" you've listed and their timeline differences of a few years with each of their respective BCS successes? Addendum: Maybe this link below is why Norm Hitzghes said "North Texas! Be A Boise State! http://oxblue.com/pro/open/unt/stadium?DB_OEM_ID=1800 GMG!

Norm was serious as a heart attack about UNT being a Boise type program. I've been listening to Norm Hitzghes since I transferred from Alvin JUCO to UNT in 1972 and the guy doesn't shoot from the hip when he says what he says. TFLF, I don't know how many UNT fans are really thinking about any of those other entertainment options 6 or 7 Saturdays out of any Fall, though. I think most our young couples on Fall Saturdays are more involved in their kids soccer during the day or early evenings of football season. GMG!

First of all, Canales is Interim Head Coach, let Rick V pick the Head Coach. Norm, you would be crucified on this board. Too many unbelievers who think the SBC and Bottom 25 SBC championship trips to NO's is their version of NCAA nirvana. And who is the clown talking alongside Norm? He sounds like a typical younger UNT alum with all his low expectation talk and pro-talk for Canales. He probably hates when Hayden Fry's name is mentioned, too, if he is. He for damn sure did not attend UNT in the 70's. I can always tell those who didn't. Go for it some of you young gunners, give me those red numbers! You honor me when some of your group does that because many of you still don't have a clue. You know, like making the first round of the NCAA and getting our asses whooped each time is your idea of a successful basketball program for starters? Bring it! And don't hide behind your monikers or "would be" cute'sy comments. Show us some true grit for a change instead of your Ticket'esque and extremely poor sports smack board attempts at humor to put down what most on this forum would believe to be the truth--but not your version of the truth? You know, just like those who call Tea Party folks "those racist booger bears" because they just don't happen to believe in the most liberal politics and policies in our nation's history? Whats right about that? Truly, my favorite liberal, Juan Williams, got fired from NPR last night because of his having his own opinon that differed from someone elses--like federal funded NPR. Screw PC and those who use it to further their own version of the truth. Hellsbells, Harry M! I didn't mean to do add this lagniape but I just drank some Starbucks cappicione with double the mule kick in it! Blame Starbucks! Norm, you are now an honorary UNT alum, but don't dream too big in your future comments about UNT football. You, too, would get those red numbers.

You da' man, Riley! PS: Can someone find his campus email and send him this thread?

Just so he doesn't have an accent like he's from the freakin' Bronx. Thank you. GMG! PS: Jeez, this guy doesn't have an ulcer, does he?

Yes......source?

I do and whats the love affair with Buster Keaton? (I had to ask). GMG!

His classy adios at UNT will probably be heard about and will help him get a nice "hola" at his next gig. One can't rule out that Missouri all but gives him sole credit for their offense a few years ago that started a nice win streak for the Tigers. He has a future because his offense will fly at other places where they will be able to recruit toward it. Good luck, Coach Dodge. GMG!

Quoner: FYI: You can't say dick on this forum, but you can say, uh, "wee'nus." gmg...

And truth be told, his search probably intensified after our Rice loss at home.

Plain & Simple--Leach Trying To Suck Blood Out of the State of Texas: Why do some keep bringing Leach' name up on any of this? He still has a lawsuit pending versus the State of Texas. If a hardy handful of Leach-Lovers can look past their noses on this that lawsuit alone would mean UNT will not touch Leach with a 10 foot west Texas yucca because we don't won't to screw ourselves politically with those good folks down in Austin. Google this if you need proof of his "still" pending lawsuit versus our state. Now the Minnesota Gophers, the New Mexico Lobos (or anyone outside Texas) can talk to him till the cows come home because last I checked, Austin, Texas, has no jurisdiction on anything happening in those outposts. Move on..........Leach is still a hot commodity that we would not be able to talk to even if he wasn't trying to sue and get monies from the state of Texas; you know, that group down there at our state capital we would like to make our school a Tier One Status Research university one day? GMG!

Plain & Simple: No one on this board has said we need another splash hire from any Texas HS. When you get a name (splash) hire for a coach with prior success at an FBS school, we have to think (or at least) hope he can make it happen even in Denton, Texas, America, too? So you want an up and comer, then, to be another experiment at North Texas? Been there--done that for most my adult life except for one exception and I don't need to tell you who that was. GMG!

Yet in many ways aren't we hiring a figure-head, general, the face of MG football but it will be all his assistants (especially his Coordinators) who will make or break this program especially in each of their roles in recruiting? When Fry was around he was the name and face of MG football everyone around Texas knew (and they knew him from his 10 year career at SMU). Fry's assistants would cull out the players he wanted and then Coach Fry would go in for the close of the sale, but most parents of those recruits knew who that guy from North Texas was sitting on their living room sofas, too. He had had 10 years of coverage statewide from the old SWC media network & outlets. We need an impact hire to go with this impact stadium and this moment in time for North Texas to make a knockout hire will not happen again with the present criteria of hiring a new coach to make his debut in a new football stadium. UNT needs to listen to those who have seen more than just Bottom 25 success around here and then look back (again) at the kind of hire that made this program go places it had never gone before on a national basis and even a ranked one as well. We lost that coach to the Big 10 and the College Football Hall of Fame. Anyone in Denton & beyond seen anything like that since with our program? Still kind of so-oooo North Texas'esque that we still can't find anything on campus to name after the one coach ever associated with UNT that went to the highest mountain tops of NCAA success. Oh well...... GMG!

Yes! As great an up and comer Canales might be, he would still not excite our fanbase and sell tickets and club seats. Has he even proven himself as our offensive coordinator many might ask. GMG!