PlummMeanGreen

Was it Texas Tech's Montford who spear-headed the $20 million cash gift from (formerly) SBC Communications for, uh, the "remodeling and expansion" of Jones Stadium, the Red Raiders football stadium? Whoever it was, it was quite a coup for Tech and one I often wondered why we could not duplicate a similar donation in Denton.

Makes sense to me...hopefully, we are catching on. Welcome to GMG.com, toecutter. BTW, GoMeanGreen.com is now only 89 away from having 3,000 registered members.

(I'll help Cerebus out on this one): All male members shall remain cloaked and in tact, please. But I do like what you said in one of your aforementioned post about TDodge, Coach. With our cross-town sister school Texas Womens University just last week announcing T. Boone Pickens has just forked over $5 million to their school, I just have to continue to think there will be some Bigger Bucks forthcoming for UNT (from a T. Boone Pickens clone perhaps) and that money... ...to be used for what will probably be one of the Top 3 facilities our alma mater would have built in the last 50 or so years (and that edifice which will rise like the Phoenix off that rolling Texas prairie located between those 2 Texas interstates and what we call.............the Mean Green Village). GMG!

Yeppers, the old kiss of death alright. Wonder if TCU would hire him back if Patterson were to go elsewhere in the next 2 years?

And all this after 4 games of the DodgeBall Era? More craziness in a another subject area: How many on GMG.com would have run this coach or any of his assistants off after the following season listed below? Game 1 L Lost to SMU Game 2 L Lost to Tulsa (not even a close game) Game 3 L Lost to Lamar U (not even playing football anymore) Game 4 T Tie Game With An Old Missouri Valley Foe Who Also Dropped Football Game 5 L Lost To Louisville Game 6 W Won Over A Bad NMSU Team Game 7 L Lost To Memphis U (in a big UM Tiger's blowout over the Mean Green) Game 8 W Beat SDSU Aztecs Game 9 T WTSU--Now A Division II program Game 10 L Long Beach State U If in this coach's 2'nd year at UNT he would have read a board like this, might he have said "I don't need any of this--screw it all?"{:>( If that would have uncharacteristically (by any new coach) happened, UNT would have never beaten the University of Tennessee Volunteers under Coach Hayden Fry in...................the very next football season following the aforementioned 2 win season.

Good post, ADLER... What will also help North Texas remove itself from a quagmire of fellow Texas schools some of our elect want to be part of in a conference (CUSA) may suggest that we cannot build a stadium in the low 30's (like some of those very Texas schools in CUSA). We have to all eventually consider adopting a philosophy that we are just going to have to do the extra things to catch many of our fellow D1-A Texas' schools eyes. Rick V talks about 50K in the Austin American-Statesment, but I think that is long term; but I do think we need to start at 38-40,000 since that will be a larger football venue than several CUSA schools (in and out of the Lone Star State). Time-table on starting construction for our new stadium? When "one" Big Donor gives the thumbs up (and a signed check) construction can start sooner than you'd ever think. One Fine Day we will all wake up and read where such a Big Donor has been secured, but meanwhile.................our journey continues.

The aforementioned post, fellow alums & Mean Green fans was from a former Mean Green football player (and one very involved with our Lettermen's Association). Yet what you are saying makes sense to me, GMoney. We are all products of this microwave society that includes the need for instant success. Some coaches do well their 1'st year and then not so well their 2'nd year (and I defer to former Mean Green HFC Hayden Fry whose team won only "2" games his 2'nd year in Denton). Some of our very best alums are doubtful right now, but hellsbells, we can't all be Tony Robbins or Norman Vincent Peale all at the same time! Seems we've all had our doubting moments with MG football the last 2 1/2 decades for many of us--but I think we have a keeper with TDodge and one who will make the proper personnel adjustment if and when he sees the need but...................FWIW..................he just needs more than 4 games into his tenurship as our new HFC to even think about making any semblance of changes. I agree, GMoney, when you said "it won't take TD near the same amount of time (as it did DD) to get competitive by way of his recruiting efforts alone." The glass is still half full. GMG!

A friend of a friend of a friend had an Indy' 500 car that had had some known mechanical difficulties and for the last 2 Indy 500 races had finished toward the end of the entire Indy 500 pack. Well, that friend of a friend of a friend's Indy' 500 car owner knew exactly what to do. After the last terrible 2 showings of his car at the "500" he simply went out and hired another driver. Problem is, that that friend of a friend of a friend Indy 500 car owner still did nothing to improve the internal workings of this car; in other words, he still had the same car but with a different driver yet for whatever the reason, he expected successful results. Funny thing is that the results were the same with that same Indy 500 car yet all those who had followed this Indy 500 car owner thru the years just could not understand what the hell was wrong because after all............he had hired a new driver and with that car's same problems, he should have still finished at the front of the pack, right? Coach Dodge, I am 1976 grad of UNT, a 30+ year follower of Mean Green football, played a little Texas HS football myself, was a Tri-Captain on my HS alma mater's football team my Senior year, was an All District safety my Senior year and if I hadn't been one of the slowest white kids on the entire Gulf Coast of Texas back in the day, who knows, I may have had an (outside) chance to play a little college football but................. to get back to the subject at hand here, I feel I know what you want to do in Mean Green Country that will get us out of this 2 1/2 decade rut and truly get people to quit merely talking about our potential at the University of North Texas--a subject many of us older nestors have (relunctantly) been listening to for the past 2 1/2 decades as we've been on one helluva' roller coaster ride in the NCAA football wildnerness--both 1-A, then -AA and now back in 1-A (see what I mean about the roller-coaster part)? Coach, you have my undivided support and loyalty (and the patience of Job) to do what I feel you will do to get Mean Green football out of the Bottom 25. If I didn't feel you had all the ability and skins on the wall plus being the former starting UT QB you were in a program I'm sure you learned much down in Austin, I would not be posting this post or any other post about Mean Green football. Most of us also like your style, your positive'isms on the radio and your availability to talk Mean Green football whenever asked. This means a lot to us. All this will pay off for you (and the rest of us) in due time. Keep the faith that you as a Methodist PK will most likely have.

I am really going to attempt to wean myself from the subject of Darrell Dickey and Dickey Ball and where it really has this program today after his 9 years in Denton, but since we seem to have so many comparisons going on of late on these threads, it's been a bit difficult to do but............. ...........anyone (and no matter who "anyone" is) who accepts Darrell Dickey's annual Bottom 25 of so-called football success in a SBC still in diapers (if you will) and then going to bowl games as a Bottom 25 (and no where even close to Top 25 rankings) in what truly became our annual SBC/Bottom 25 co-existance; anyway, anyone who was accepting or just hunky-dory of that kind of NCAA D1-A football never experienced 6 short years of the Fry Era at UNT (which raised the bar for many of us on this forum) or................... just does't have very high expecations for Mean Green football (and probably never will with all their "seemed" limited expectations for the University of North Texas and its varsity football program). In fact, I am trying to decide what was worse for our football program the last 30+ years I've followed Mean Green football and that being: (1) 13 years in NCAA D1-AA football which lost a generation (or 2) of Mean Green fans or was it (2) 9 years of alll the veiled success that DD Ball gave too many of our alums who apparently don't think our school worthy of Top 25 football a la Boise State (remember them(?), one of DD's former opponents who went one direction post-Big West break-up while we, uh. went the DD Ball direction? One day in the near future, Todd Dodge will truly get the last laugh with all this and his "early signings class of 2008" will probably be the first of many, many chuckles from our coach (although I don't think he the type to worry about who gets the last laugh). Like the UH Coog alum who came on this board after he read all this DD vs. TDodge tommyrot said (and I liberally paraphrase redallover): "Be patient UNT fans, your football future is bright." (The red in honor of redallover's alma mater off Cullen Blvd in H-town).

And that coming from a UH Coog' fan folks. If you won't listen to some of your own--listen to this UH alum. PS: Are you the same UH alum that sat beside me at the UNT/NMSU game a few years ago? EAT EM' UP!

Reply from OldTimer from another post Oh for the wisdom of youngsters who can't remember what happened when DD came to North Texas and while he was here. I can't believe the naysayers....,,,,give the coach and team a chance. Just for your historical education since you asked for it.... DD's results...(2 wining seasons in 9 years) 1st 1998 Lost the first 4 games and wound up with 3 wins and 8 losses 2nd 1999...Lost 4 of the first 5 games UNLV 3-26, LSU 0 to 52, Nevada 28 to 41, wound with with 2 wins and 9 losses 3rd 2000 Lost first 4 games before beating a AA team....NT 10-KState 55, NT 28 Ark St 53, Wound up with 3 wins and 8 losses 4th 2001 Lost first 5 games, wound up with 5 wins and 7 losses. Last two years 2005 won 2 lost 9 2006 won 2 lost 10 Who overall won 41 games and lost 65 (with 35 wins against SBC conference teams and 2 wins against AA teams for 37 of those wins, whose record against other Div 1 schools was .....see if you can figure this one out....) We hired a coach who has the ability to move NT up the success ladder, who has the recognition with TX HS coaches to compete for recruits and getting players from the top football schools in the nation, doubled season tickets and donations, created nation wide publicity for NT. He's been here 10 months and you expect better results against Oklahoma and Arkansas on the road? We don't need naysayer. DD's record in 9 seasons 41 wins and 65 losses and I can guarantee you todays Sun Belt teams are 100% bettern than when the conference was first started.... As far as worst losses ever I seem to remember playing UT in 2004 and losing 65-0. We need to recognize the positive things Dodge, his coaches and our players have shown, what they has accomplished so far and encourage our coaches and players, not crying wolf 4 games into a new coaching program. One thing I am sure of our team was fighting down to the last in this game....they didn't give up and cry surrender like it appears some posters are doing.

Why am I a UNT fan? The main reason is that I graduated from UNT (1976) and unlike many of our front-runner fellow Texans college sports fans across the state who never even stepped foot in Austin or Colleges Station yet are Horn or Aggie fans, you still won't find any UT or TAMU gear on my (little over) one acre or even at the bottom of my pond, either. It's easy to be a Longhorn or Aggie, but it takes g'alls (doesn't The Ticket guy use a "g" at the front of some of his words?); anyway, thats what it takes to be a Mean Green fan, especially when you think we're only about 25 years behind where most of us from the Fry Era feel we should be. I supported Darrell Dickey for 6 out of his 8 years in Denton (even after the very abyssmal start of his 1'st four years) and I will give Todd Dodge that same fair amount of time (4 years) that I gave DD Ball. I welcome others to do the same. Matter of fact, what's the alternative?

Incorrect conclusions for sure... Also, don't think anyone of us (including TDodge) would be upset with wins this season, but lets still look where we've been before TDodge signed as to see why what happens this season (in deed) happens (whether that be good or bad); but mostly lets still examine our recruiting the last 3-4 years as compared to even Sun Belt schools at this point in time. Many who follow college football would still concur that what happens on Game Day will still (mostly) be determined with what happened the previous last 3-4 years on the recruiting trails.

I think it may be a reasonable theory for those who will accept it to suggest that we are just going to have to go through a time of short term loss in order for us to have (eventual) long term gain. I guess the question I have is what most on this board would define as their version of long term gain. In my heart of hearts, I just can't believe that winning the SBC as a Bottom 25 football program and then going to a bowl game as an unranked football program is just not going to cut it for most of our alums and MG fans anymore. Whoever wins the SBC this year I hope will win it as a Top 25 football program. Are we as Sun Belters asking too much with that? Well, the MAC and WAC champions have done it in recent years as members of the Top 25 and it wasn't that long ago where many Sun Belter's didn't see us that far behind most of those 2 conference member's football programs. TDodge inherited a program that had numerous off the field discipline problems that are just not going to be posted on this forum by anyone. There is just some dirty laundry that should never be posted on GMG.com, but hellsbells, the Black Unis'-Gate toward the end of last season easily suggests discipline problems may have even existed toward the top and if that were the case, its very easy to understand why such problems ran downhill to some of our players. I think Coach Dodge has corrected most of this, but can any new HFC really correct most or all such undisciplined mind-sets in less than 1 year? IMO, we are a work in progress of which our elect are just going to have to accept short term loss(es) for eventual long term (Top 25) gain. I think when that time comes, that we will look back and say the early DodgeBall down times were more than worth the wait. It also seems to me that other D1-A outposts are beginning to notice and extol Todd Dodge's upside than (maybe) way too many of our own elect? That should be a matter of concern for any NT Ex or MG fan. Do we want to make it easy for our Coach to look back at his beginnings (and subsequent treatment) during his 1's year or so at UNT by our fan base as a reason to leave?

Courtland, I did change that number to 2 bowls for FAU. They were 1-AA the first time they beat us and a school-in-waiting for official SBC membership. The 2'nd time they beat us was when they came to Denton after they had beaten a fine UHawaii football team. I can't recall their SBC status that year. BTW, hope all is well for you in Hollywood. (notice the Hollywood sunglasses).

Responses in bold black Again, we all want to win as many as we can, but I can' wait till Todge gets his players and if his early signings (which we've NEVER had at UNT) comes thru with a few surprise additions, I feel Mean Green football will be on its way to the heights we haven't had nationally (rankings?) since the 1970's. We can all agree with those lofty goals, right? Would really hate to lose one of our Texas treasures to the freakin's state of Arkansas, too. (Sorry, Arkstfan, nothing personal about that you know)? Build That 40,000 Seat Stadium Soon ='s Helping Keep TDodge Out of Arkansas (for awhile, anyway). PS: Can you blame some of those Hogs fans, though? They haven't had a true Texas recruiting presence since they left the Southwest Conference. When Governor Perry and Gang start building 12 foot high fences on the Texas/Mexico border, they need to put one in and around Texarkana, Arkansas too. (Just kiddin', of course)

Never have I said DD left the cupboard completely bare. In fact, I've said he left several good athletes--just not enough of that group; but DD lived off one recruiting class (1998 or 1999, ie, the Booger Kennedy class?) and you cannot live on one good recruiting class forever. In fact, the last 2 years should have shown most of our astute that he (basically) quit recruitiing "enough" good athletes after he and his staff seemedly quit trying to recruit what would even be considered a good Sun Belt Conference class when they didn't get job offers after (probably) the bowl win over Cincinnatti. Many of us believed DD was mostly a journeyman assistant coach, his resume before UNT showing quite many assistant coach stop-overs before his Kansas State connnection handed over to him our UNT HFC's job practically before Matt Simon hardly had time to pack his boxes to leave. DD's expectations for his future as a NCAA D1-A HFC may have been a tad inflated and his never getting not even one higher profile job interview after 4 bowl games should have been a red flag to some of you (sorry, but his Idaho job interview doesn't count among the higher profile group). My and many other's light bulbs came on with DD and what his recruiting was producing for our football program when we got pounded at Fouts Field by another Oklahoma team (mainly Tulsa U) in our worst loss in Fouts Field history and then La Tech (who I thought we had been recruiting at least on their level) that same season put the icing on the cake in that disastrous 2005 season; and all this happening right after a run of 4 SBC championships--which included 3 losses to FAU as I recall with that first loss while they were a 1-AA program--BTW, we went to a bowl game after that season we first got beat by a Schnelly 1-AA team). An NCAA D1-A football team usually gets beat on Game Day not neccessarily based on practice sessions of the week before that game, but moreso what happened on the recruiting trail 3-4 years before any particular Game Day. It will be that way all season this season, too. Jeez, I hope Todd Dodge is not reading some of these threads in what the Mean Green Radio Network guys even call a honeymoon year for the belatedly hired late December coach. Honeymoon year for those who may need a further interrpretation means you do the best you can with what you inherited both from the previous HFC's recruits and for TDodge, an much improved Sun Belt Conference that looks nothing like the one DD marched thru like Sherman did Atlanta in its first few formative years of schools mostly just out of 1-AA. DD's first above .500 year came in his Year 5 (out of the 8 he spent in Denton). Yet why all this immediate expectation for Todd Dodge with mostly DD recruits is a question many I know on this board have been discussing well beyond this thread? I suggesested all that immediate expectation maybe even coming from a hardy handful who wanted DD Ball another year or 2 or 3 so he could have completely put this program in the grave and for those who like lots of elbow room at Fouts Field home games, too. For those of you who got too close or befriended Dickey (who in my 2-3 times around the man I found to be mostly pleasant albeit a bit stand'offish); yet some of you should know better since you would know as much as anyone the first big opportunity Darrell Dickey might have had to leave Denton he would have in a New York minute; and FWIW............ he may not have even said goodbye. I still defer to the below signature for those who feel we should win the SBC in 2007 with the last 3-4 years recruiting classes.

There will be no real progress in Denton until Todd Dodge gets all his people in the fold. He is merely playing "step-coach" now to players that came from a totally different era of whom our leader from that era had a totally different attitude toward our school (his employer), our alums and the whole concept of discipline--on and off the field. UNT is a better football program due to the fact that most all the aforementioned from that era have taken a 180 degree positive turn; the wins will come later.

I think most would also agree the 3 previous times we played Howard Schnellenberger's FAU that we were definitely out-coached. Our first ever loss to FAU was when they were an NCAA 1-AA football program. OUCH! I believe 2 others of those times we got out-coached (and beat) by FAU were against 2 of our bowl-bound teams, too. Hmmm? Wonder if FAU had been official SBC members then who would have gone to the NO's Bowl? (And ask Silver Eagle about the "out-coached" subject, he confronted a UNT assistant coach on this very subject after half time of a game last year and almost caused a riot in the reserved section)! Lets Look At The Other Side of the Coin With All This: With 5 wins the last 2 seasons from players that still (basically) comprise our 2007 football team, might our near wins over SMU and FAU be considered progress? Dodge will have all his recruits in about 4 years and like DD was given more time than most in 8 years to get his cumalative W/L record above .500 (which BTW never happened), I feel UNT will more than do the same for TDodge because of so many of the other positive changes that have taken place off the field and most of you know exactly what I am talking about with that. I do agree that our Mean Green "D" needs some serious tweakin'; but I think it a bit pre-mature to be calling for a Defensive Coordinator's head. Ad Nausem Phrase Time: Folks, nothing profound with this oft' used phrase of late, but we really are a work in progress and based on the last 2 football seasons and the last 4-5 recrutiing years, I don't think too many who really take the time to think all this out clearly would disagree. I still like the upside even after starting 0 & 3 because I believe this UNT coaching staff (which may have to have changes among assistants in time) still will get us our first ranked Mean Green football program since the Hayden Fry era. I never thought that would happen under Darrell Dickey even during a 4 year bowl run. Did any of you really believe we would with what used to be our attitude toward what some of you call Body Bag Games and our almost non-success over the last 8 years with all those higher profile OOC games? I know the few "DD as UNT HFC" supporters who are left are eating some of this up with Dodge's (expected by most of us) slow start, but they should get their kicks in while they can. One thing about it, DD never coached in a much improved SBC that Dodge is now coaching in; or maybe I should take that back, that is, DD's last 2 years at UNT were in a much improved Sun Belt Conference and I suppose our last 2 year's record speaks for itself. Also, black jerseys allowed to be used by our team for home games toward the end of last season also made some pretty large statements themselves as to what we really had going on up there, too, and probably for a longer amount of time than some would fess up to or admit.

All you newbies & Young Gun Alums (who many not be aware) but still need to know that UNT integrated Texas inter-collegiate football 10 full years before the Southwest Conference did with Baylor's John Westbrook & SMU's Jerry Levias. The setting of a story Abner told a few of us at a Dallas get-together back in the early 1980's was in the mid-1950's when integration was not the thing that universities in the Deep South/Southwest had at the top of their agendas. Then UNT President Dr. J.C. Matthews was ahead of the curve back in the 1950's and said "this is something we need to do and must do at North Texas." So UNT integrated its football program in the mid-1950's with Abner Haynes and Leon King. Abner had played his high school football at Dallas Lincoln HS and I think (Dr.) Leon King also went to Lincoln, too, (although I stand to be corrected on that). OK, the short story Abner told us: North Texas had a game scheduled against the University of Houston during the mid-1950's and as was the custom of that day, the team (and many of our students) took the train down to Houston for our game against the UH Cougars. Abner went on to say that blacks were barred from staying in the hotel with the rest of our football team, so he & Leon King would have to stay on the train over-night and just do the best they could to get rest before Game Day the next day. Haynes went onto to tell our small group that the "no blacks welcome" rule so hacked off all UNT white players so instead of their all going to a very nice, comfortable hotel room near the UH campus for a night of rest, they each & everyone elected to stay with Abner and Leon in the train for their over-night accomodations. Abner also said many times the white North Texas players would have to surround him and Leon King to keep others from getting at them with intentions of physically harming them. Keep in mind that this was the mid-1950's when most of our Texas HS black football stars (from all black HS's) were going to many Big 10 schools or black universities where they would be welcome. Heard Abner on a KRLD sports show a few years ago and he said he had been writing a book about all this experiences, I just hope he is close to finishing the book because I know a whole bunch of North Texans who would love to get an auto-graphed copy of such a book from the great Abner Haynes. Abner Haynes Notes and A Few Urban Tales (?) Concerning Haynes: I believe I read it or heard from one of you older nestors that the late Lamar Hunt signed Abner Haynes to his new Dallas Texans/American Football League (AFL) football team following Hayne's last game at Fouts Field. Seems I also read that he signed his contract with Lamar Hunt in one of the end zones at our venerable Fouts Field. Can anyone verify that who may have been there that day? ** Abner Hayne's famous coin toss call in over-time for the AFL Championship in 1962 between the Houston Oilers & Dallas Texans at Jeppheson Stadium (now UH's Robertson Stadium: Most have heard the story of how after the Dallas Texans won the coin toss for the over-time game how team captain Abner Haynes chose to defend one of the end zones which created a disastrous scenario as to where the Texans ended up kicking off to the Oilers in overtime. I asked Abner about that many years ago and he told me that Lamar Hunt was running up and down the sidelines screaming for him to do one thing while Hank Stram was yelling at him to do different; thus the confusion and embarrassment that followed with that famous coin toss. Luck for the Texans, Tommy Brookshier kicked the game winning field goal in the 2'nd over-time (as I recall listening to that game on the Houston Oilers Radio Network). ** Abner Haynes is in the Kansas City Chief Hall of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium. Of course, that is the KC Chief's version of what the Dallas Cowboys have at Texas Stadium with their Ring of Honor. ** I believe I read years ago where Abner Haynes actually played his last season as a New York Jet. In fact, a story I heard years long ago from one of our NT Exes was how Broadway Joe Namath had handed off the ball to Abner and when he had no place to run and then got boxed in by the opponent's defense, Abner simply pitched the football back to Joe Namath (bad knees and all) who was said to have had one helluva' expession on his face when he got the football back that he had just handed off to Abner Haynes. ** Abner Haynes has been called by many media-types as the American Football League's first true super-star. .................................................................... Once again, congrats to our own Abner Haynes or as the late, great Ronnie Shanklin called him many years ago at a Dallas get-together--Father Time.

As I once heard the late, Mean Green great Ron Shanklin call Abner Haynes while we were eating Mexican food on West Seventh Street in FW; that is, he called Abner "Father Time" and to the great "Father Time" I say: Congrats, Abner "Father Time" Haynes! You Were Long Over-Due But You Made It, Friend To Many of Us! This is just simply great news for the entire Mean Green Nation and...........the Nation of Texas, too!

Darrell Dickey's 1'st four years: 1998....3-8 1999....2-9 2000....3-8 2001....5-6 DD had my full support as a MG fan for his first 6 years in Denton and some of you know that for fact; it was the last 2 where he lost me (and countless others) and that not just because of his coaching but for what many of us thought were some terrifically bonehead PR gaffes that he should have known better in doing (since he grew up surrounded by upper level D1-A football programs due to his dad's coaching years). Even with DD's slow start at UNT, many of us said: "Well, let's give him time to let him get his kids in here." BTW, that usually takes about 4 years to happen for a coach to get "his kids" (almost) fully into his program. Now Coach Dodge is in town and he has already raised some Mean Green fan base from the dead because he is in Denton. Toward the end of last football season, a very loyal MG fan since the 1940's was ready to throw in the towel had DD been given a 9'th year to be our HFC. Saw him the other night, and he is fully backing of our new TDodge era. Yet come on now, folks, if DD had been coaching the other night (with probably the same 0 & 2 record leading into the FAU game), just how many Mean Green fans does anyone truly think DD Ball would have drawn against FAU? Yet, with largely DD talent (and there is some with talent he left behind), yet Dodge is supposed to resurrect a team (with too many off the field discipline problems from the DD Days that would curl some of your hair to even talk about); yet Dodge is supposed to "suddenly" take the last 2 seasons/5 win group of talent and turn it around in his Year One in Denton? (I defer to the top of this post and DD's 1'st four years W/L record in Denton for those who seem to think TDodge is apparently not deserving of a similar span of time to get "his kids into the Mean Green Villege" and to get his foundation-building started). Back in "late" December when we hired Coach Dodge, I said with what he inherited, maybe 3 or 4 wins in 2007--others said the same. Do we want more that that? Is the Pope Catholic? Is Billy Graham Baptist? I still think by Year 3 Coach Dodge will have his first above .500 season, but lets also not forget the SBC he also inherited; hardly the same SBC that DD was a pioneer coach in as the league was in its formative years most would say. BTW, if Coach Dodge is above .500 in Year 2 (2008) there will be no complaints from anyone I know (including myself). GMG!

For starters an SBC quick-fix? In 2001 with a 5 & 6 record going to a bowl game as an un-ranked football team. Don't know how much more "quick-fix" you can get than that. Then..............4 bowl games in a row and then 5 wins spread out over 2 seasons suggests that a 4 year walk thru a new league of brand new D1-A upstart schools as the SBC was mostly comprised did not quite get us the same solid foundation that former Big West Conference-mate Boise State seemed to be building at the same time we were "quick-fixing" thru the Sun Belt Conference. How many D1-A schools have you heard of that went to 4 straight bowl games (unranked) and then won 5 games the next 2 years following a 4 year run of bowls?

In my heart of hearts, I just feel Coach Dodge really wants more for UNT than merely winning the SBC as an un-ranked football program and representing our conference in the Big Easy un-ranked as well. So with that in mind, an "SBC quick fix" (which we know is quite do-able because of the schools in our league) but such a non-ranked quick-fix is not what the doctor seems to be ordering these days in Mean Green Country but rather something much more grandiose. When Todd Dodge (and the rest of us) get a new football palace, it will be harder for him to leave Denton but probably more tempting for him to want to stick around and build something very special in Denton, Texas, America; but let's be realistic about such things, too, as out of almost 120 NCAA D1-A programs wouldn't about 110 of those schools all be considered stepping-stone football programs to a large degree? Boise State has had multiple HFC's in recent years but have not lost a step in Top 25 rankings. Most of us hope TDodge is the one who leads us to the NCAA Promise Land and that he hangs around awhile doing so. Why not? He's a PK , ie, a Methodist "preacher's kid" and most of that group are usually the kind you want to hang around awhile because of their disciplined lifestyle that translates to those around them. Of course, not all PK's turn out that way. For those who have forgotten, Coach Hayden Fry's Mean Green only won "2" games in his 2'nd year in Denton and I know that because myself and many others on GMG.com saw both wins. So some should just take another zanex (sp?) or vailium and remember what we really need in Mean Green Country is really going to take patience, ie, or more than 2 or 3 seasons to build; yet want we all be the beneficiaries when we have a football program much like our former conference-mate, ie, the Boise State Broncos, who have been a perrenial Top 25 football program for the last several years? I still defer to the below signature:

After Super Jamario's lights out freshmen year, he came back his Sophmore year all bulked up--almost muscle-bound which seemed to be the time his hamstring really started giving him fits. I often wondered if he were told to muscle-up after his record-setting Freshmen year or did he just do that on his own. I know we all hope Jamario can stay healthy for the balance of this season and continue to show us his superb talent. In 30 plus years, I never saw any Mean Green RB do what Super Jamario his Frosh' yeaer did and I know many of you would concur.