PlummMeanGreen

Was in Bartonville/Argyle today at Enriques' Mexican eatery discussing this very same subject. A fellow alum said "why jump into a new league that keeps losing its marquee schools?" What is the WAC w/o Boise State (if they were to move to another league)? If UNT could have only been in the WAC when CUSA expanded we would have probably coat-tailed it into that league like 1 (maybe 2) other Texas-based schools we all know and love. I think U of Houston had the right formula when they gained admission into the SWC by just getting better than most of the other SWC schools back then. They also brought with them only the "8'th Wonder of the World", ie, the Astrodome as well. That stadium had as much to do with UH's entrance as the quality of their program. At UNT, I know its all about what monies will be available, but if at all possible we just need to build a bigger and better football stadium than the majority of present CUSA schools have now. All this is just the ingrediants of getting their attention (which can lead to eventual votes) to get in such leagues as CUSA or the MWC (my personal choice if that ever became do-able). GMG!

And I find it to be total unadulterated message board tommyrot/fodder to read those (mostly from other Texas based D1-A school message boards) who all posted with one giant swath of their keyboards that future Mean Greener Riley Dodge would have never had the ability to be a starter as QB for the Texas Longhorns (had he stayed with his dad's alma mater). (HELLO?!?!? Didn't Riley "only" quarterback the winning team in the, uh, Texas UIL 5A championship game last December)? Wasn't that same SLC team picked as the 2006 high school national championship team from some U.S. sports media outlets as well? Some of this same group of message board talent experts would have probably suggested that Doug Flutie could have been a good free safety back in his day at Boston College, too.

Funny how its the simple ideas that can sometimes be the most effective. GMTB... GMG!

Funny how its the simple things that can sometimes work the best, [colo

Hey, CbL, I "HAVE" read your book "Humility & How I Attained It!" (You know I'm just kiddin', of course). Many of us on www.GMG.com like your style & pro-activity, though, and are glad you are posting on this board now. You do have some very important & strategic influence that could help UNT athletics, but only if they'd make the contact with you to do some creative brain-storming. One possible strike against your influence now is that you post on GMG.com--an unpopular forum to many non-UNT graduated employees at our alma mater. www.GoMeanGreen..............you know, a board of NT Exes/Mean Green fans most of whom now think we can do better than Bottom 25? Most of us would like a Top 25 ranked Mean Green football team when we go to our next bowl game (whatever bowl that would be). Probably a better way to get the respect of college football fans across the USA and (and more importantly for us in the Mean Green Nation) college football fans in the Lone Star State where we compete for most of our recruits. Keep your fire a-goin', Censored by Laurie, and don't let anyone throw cold water on it as to discourage you, either.

Hey, CbL, I "HAVE" read your book "Humility & How I Attained It!" (You know I'm just kiddin', of course). Many of us on www.GMG.com like your style & pro-activity, though, and are glad you are posting on this board now. You do have some very important & strategic influence that could help UNT athletics, but only if they'd make the contact with you to do some creative brain-storming. One strike against you know is that you post on GMG.com--you know, a board of NT Exes most of whom think we can do better than Bottom 25? Most of us would like a Top 25 ranked Mean Green football team when we go to our next bowl. Probably a better way to get the respect of college football fans across the USA and (probably more important for us) college football fans in the Lone Star State where we comp

Phil, most of the Denia group (and the ducks near our eventual new stadium's pond) will probably have all moved out by then? Seriously, whats the difference of drinking (a Okie' style watered down beer) than they going to the Beer Barn and drinking a strong brewskie? Of course, they have to drive out of that Beer Barn and those customers might be tempted to drink and drive. I have no problem with beer sales inside our stadium as long as (like any other time any other place) its kept in moderation. One might want to keep in mind that some students will have already had a few once they enter the stadium "30 minutes before kick-off, of course."

Excellent idea, CbL, especially the "grassy knoll" part for our new stadium. Getting through to the freshmen at Frosh' Orientation can be a key in getting them started out right with all this being inside the stadium early business.

At $200 + an hour (many times) I just cannot cancel this gig to go to Norman. Texas Weddings quarterly did a survey that said DFW area DJ's make an average of $750 to $3,000 per wedding reception. Those number$ have to be happening in the Greater North Dallas area because they just haven't caught on out here in Parker County, Texas, just yet. Of course, its also a matter of who you know as far as wedding planners--like almost any business in America. After 25 years in the education business (with total burn-out toward the end of that), this is now what I do. Only bad part of the mobile DJ business are that Saturdays are many times a work day for me now; albeit, I am doing my best to schedule around Mean Green/Dodge Ball/Game Day Saturdays because I just cannot miss the history I feel we all will be experiencing with all this. And what the heck, I took enough music courses at UNT (electives) to where I even thought about it being a minor at one brief time. (The piano barrier would have been murderous for me at UNT, though). GMG!

So true, ADLER, but if you tell em' the (female) UNT cheerleaders will be doing their award-winning pyramid buck nekid' 15 minutes before kick-off, then Sally Sweetknees and that frosty Coors Light will lose their priority real fast. (Harry, can I say nekid' on this board)? Yes, your are right, we are kinda' being like that Boy Scout who is trying to help the little ol' lady cross the inter-section (who doesn't want to cross that inter-section, now aren't we)? BUT...............when you have that record-breaking 2007 UNT freshmen class out there tail-gating, they don't know they are supposed to be inside the stadium early (until we kindly "suggest" to them that it is a good idea to do so because they will miss something pretty special if they aren't, right)? So many things that a freshmen starts doing out of habit may continue when they become older nestors like some on this board.

GMG.com flood control issue...

I'm DJ/Emcee'ing a wedding reception that Game Day, but whoever takes GGII up on his ride offer will have the time of their Mean Green life. I'm jealous with whoever gets that seat already. (I'll be taping the game so I can see it later that PM). GMG!

First of all, Dickey did not have his 1'st above .500 year in Denton until his 5'th year in Denton (out of his 8 total years). Probably a prime reason Rick V sorta' wanted to make a HFC's change after the ULM loss in 2001? Heck, all AD Rick V had to go by at that time was 4 losing seasons in a row. Lest we also forget, DD's 1'st bowl team was also under .500 so we then had Wright Waters and the fledgling SBC of very recent 1-AA level schools coming to the rescue? YET BACK TO THE PRESENT............Might it now merely be about getting out of the Bottom 25 and (in 2, 3 or 4 years) getting into what has been unchartered waters at UNT for much too long; that is, getting into the higher stratisphere and higher profile of Top 25 rankings? I don't know, but maybe some alums need to put behind them "what DD Ball hath wrought" (which to a growing number now is tantamount to an annual Bottom 25 co-existance with his having no real plans of competing any higher than the SBC)? As long time alum GrayEagleOne posted a day or 2 back, when the SBC (finally) started improving top to bottom, DD could not win the league title any longer. DD played a a part (about $1 million out of about $8 million) in our getting an A/C built and DD deserves credit for that. He also deserves credit for getting MG football's head just above water level and out of a near drowning scenario but the problem was while in the water, we hardly came close (in 8 years) of making the Olympic swim team that would get us near any semblance of Top 25 rankings. Just my opinion and .02 worth as one who (along with many of you) actually saw UPI polls with UNT in their Top 20 and a UNT football team that even once beat a Top 20 football team........... ...............I know, this is the kind of stuff a hardy handful of MG football history revisionist just don't want to read or hear about, but it is the cold unadulaterated truth. (And FWIW............ Hayden Fry could not (alone) vote & get his team into any Top 20 poll). If so, I guess we would have been in it many more times than we were most of his tenurship in Denton since he was an annual UPI voter which was held over from his days at SMU. Personally, I hope Todd Dodge exceeds everything Hayden Fry ever thought of doing in Denton and even in a more grandiose way. Most of us older nestors really wanted all those Mean Green HFC's who followed Coach Fry to have done the same thing quite frankly. Hellsbells! We didn't stick around all this to watch what Hayden Fry had started in Denton go to hell in a hand basket (although it seemed some up there post-Fry Era and with much less talent or abilities seemed all but hell-bent into seeing that it would).

I apologize, Daddy --------, as this was sort of an over-lapping thread, but after we get thru all the silly stuff , I thought some very specific ideas on how we truly get the UNT student masses into Fouts early enough to even sing the national anthem & Glory to the Green would be submitted. Who knows which UNT official will be reading this thread today since we know many do at some time or another (which they should do anyway since folks like us are "somewhat" the stock-holders of the University of North Texas). In the real business world, stock-holders are those who have the largest interest in said business --no matter how much stock they have invested in said business matter of fact. Obviously, they don't run the business, but they do have a voice & vested interest (and at times have been known to have some semblance of influence as well). I think we all mostly agree that posters on www.GoMeanGreen already have a handle on the subject of getting into the stadium early from past year's observation. Yet how many times have the Green Brigade marched into a way too empty stadium (with too many UNT students/MG fans still tail-gating out in the parking lots) as our great marching band plays The Star Spangled Banner and Glory to the Green ? Having sat by greenjoe in past years, I know he'd like to hear many more around him singing both songs than myself (and he as well). Another idea: For the 1'st home game which would also (hopefully) set a precedent for all following home games in the new Dodge Ball Era, have a very, very nice UNT student give-away that students must be in the stands to receive said give-away (if his/her name is picked in a random drawing). We will undoubtedly be setting another UNT Freshmen Class enrollment record this Fall and in fact, when is the last time we didn't do that?

Campaign-type buttons or T-shirts distributed at Freshmen Orientation and Pre-Game Tail-Gate area that says something like this (or similar): I'm A Fouts Early Bird Who... Brings Out The Mean Green! See Ya' B-4 Kick-Off Time! (with a green smilie, of course) PS: Posters, what would your button or T-shirt say?

I have actually thought of gettting on top one of those coach's tower set-ups with my Peavy sound system 45 minutes before kick-off & just start reading all my posts of the last umpteen years non-stop. Might that get em' in 40 minutes before kick-off?

Any past ideas of yours you want to post or new ones you've been thinking of lately? Really is something UNT needs to come up with some kind of viable game plan to solve this students/fans hanging out in the Tail Gate area after the kick-off. GMG!

If not for the most timely (for more NT Exes/Mean Green fans than most of us would probably ever want to believe) hiring of T'odge; ;anyway, if not for his hiring, I think Troy U would be on their own 3 or 4 year bowl run to the Big Easy. With Coach Dodge @ UNT, all bets for that to happen in Trojan-Land are now officially off. Many first year coaches have made some fairly big splashes in their inaugural year in the annals of NCAA D1 football. Our membership in the SBC may afford Coach Dodge such a splash, but I think Todd Dodge's biggest impact at UNT thus far has been his "can do" attitude which I really believe will add a few thousand new fans & new faces to our ususal per game turnstile averages at Fouts Field compared to what we had even during 4 bowl years. (Game Week and Game Day promotions would still be a good thing for UNT to plan on doing, though--after all, this is still the DFW Metroplex we compete for the entertainment dollar). I think most of us believe Coach Dodge being at UNT will help our campus fund-raisers seal a deal on a Big Donor(s) which will get our new football palace jump-started and all that out at our magnificent Mean Green Village. The alternative of not doing this sooner than later is unthinkable for our entire athetic program. Who knows, we may very well have the necessary talent to win the SBC in 2007, but I think Coach Dodge is 2, 3 or 4 recruiting classes away from our having the talent to rise above what previous SBC football championships did not do for us and then Mean Green football....................will start college football's version of the rising of the Phoenix from the Bottom 25 desert sands & toward Top 25 rankings and that......................FWIW, is what most college football fans judge any D1-A football program's progress & success. (Can we simply defer to the Boise State U Broncos for ample proof of that)? What I really look forward to in 2007 are our post game coach's radio shows and................I don't think I'll need to put the HBP medication in my glove box from here on out.

ESPN Article Vignettes So (for our helmet) we put an N inside the map configuration of Texas at the spot where Denton, Texas, America is located? (Only just kiddin', helmet logo-meisters). In the ESPN article is the first time (ever) in my 56 years I've read of TCU having national championship aspirations for any varsity sport. Congrats to TCU for thinking big... something we seem to have finally (& thankfully) started doing at North Texas once again. I do remember listening to that UT/OU game (as I recall my late dad & I were salt water fishing on the golden Gulf Coast that day) with Todd Dodge as the Longhorn QB; yet I don't remember it being SWC refs who screwed the Sooners out of a win that day, though Can you imagine SWC refs doing something so shady?

I wasn't there, but did I hear that NT Ex Don Henley (who amazingly was wearing a Johnny Cash'esque black shirt & slacks) sang his big hit "The Last Worthless Evening" at DD's swan song game @ venerable Fouts Field?

Boise State U Really Did Us All A Huge Favor...Didn't They Make Our Own Recruiting A Tad Easier Truth Be Known? Come on now fellow foot soldiers & grunts, how many of us ever thought that it would be a former Big West school (and conference-mate of UNT) that would be the 1'st non-BCS school to win a BCS Championship Series Bowl game (and against the OU Sooners to boot)? To do that, they had to transcend (and basically ignore) all the "they'll never be able to raise themselves up beyond the low aspiration and goals of the WAC" crowd of which that group is a dime a dozen (somewhat like some of our group). And again, they did all of the aforementioned as a member of the WAC. FWIW.................with all our eventual ducks (facilities) in a row, I like UNT's chances of getting in a BCS Championship Series Bowl as much as Baylors, Texas Tech, SMU, UTEP, etc, etc, etc, because all we have to do is get the stadium, get our masses (regulars and border-liners) excited about sitting inside our new football palace (and watching Dodge-Ball); also, UNT probably needs to tweak our OOC schedule to get a few Top 25 schools on it in the near future (whereas we also beat a few of those OOC biggies instead of cowering down to them) and with a few more things falling in place, we can get into a BCS bowl. Seems much of this was Boise States modus operendi. After all, look at all the PAC 12 schools that Boise State beat to such a bowl first of which some of the Big 6 BCS conferences & some of their traditional llower echelon schools (like Baylor, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, etc, etc, ) may never accomplish such because of the annual toughness of their conference? I know, all heady stuff there, but if we don't (collectively) think like this, all we will get in Denton is what we've been getting for about 3 decades now. OK, now who wins the over/under contest? I still defer to the new signature manifesto below.

Come on now, Emmitt, use that good UNT education to understand that some of us "old timers" would have loved for each & every one of Fry's successors to have raised the bar with each making it higher and making better our Mean Green football program. FWIW................many of us on this board became Mean Green football fans because of Hayden Fry so we hardly apologize for that and for what all we witnessed first-hand--Fry Ball is still for many our golden era because of who his teams played and actually beat once in a while. We have received so little respect from Texans (and CUSA officials?) across our great state for beating schools in the SBC; really hard for some to face up to that fact, but that's how its all played out for us. Even one bowl down in Houston over-looked MG football after a 4 years in a row bowl run--talk about your major insults from some of our own here in the Lone Star State. In fact, what lack of true D1 football facilities Fry did not have in Denton probably made his accomplishment even greater (since he "only" competed against Texas universities that "sadly enough" made ours in Denton look like a rough hewn mobile home park). We are still in facilities catch-up mode I think most would agree. Yet we have NT Exes from times gone-by all hoping coaches who succeeded Coach Fry would improve upon his success being a major reason some of us even stuck around--non-stop bad hires and all for decades at UNT. YET.................all one has to do is look at our school's past decades turnstile numbers to understand that it should be obvious that thousands of our fellow alums (from the Fry Era--before and after) chose not to continue with these UNT athletics roller coaster rides that we had become too accustomed , but FWIW.... .....all of us on all that heart medication want Todd Dodge to lower all our blood pressure and give us what we all really had hoped "any" of Hayden Fry's successors (maybe at least one of them?) would have given us as a higher profile and at a non-Bottom 25 college football co-existance (which is what we've been mired in for way too long for those who want to face the music with that cold harsh fact). Todd Dodge's hiring could not have come at a better time for many of us; one of which is a poster on this forum that had been following MG football since the 1940's. DD Ball (and attitude) had all but killed his own Mean Green spirit. I am glad he and others (like myself) have had that spirit revitalized giving us a much-needed new outlook and attitude about Mean Green football because (after all) it has been a passion to many of us most our adult lives. (Excuse me while I get the old heart monitor out now). PS: Does the new signature statement below sound like an NT Ex & admittedly proud Fry disciple who is still stuck in some kind of time warp from an era long gone by? GMG!

And that, folks, would be how UNT would get into Conference USA. Other-wise, someone in CUSA outside DFW would have to do the persuading for UNT (and whose to say that can't be done)?

WHOA NELLIE! Dodge2007, I was merely agreeing with GrayEagleOne (and I highlighted one of the best points of his post in dark gray) that I, too, was agreeing with GEO as we both felt Riley Dodge could have been a starter at the University of Texas. Some of us remember QB's of much lesser physical stature than Riley Dodge that did quite well in the higher stratisphere of NCAA D1-A football and one of those was a QB from Boston College named Doug Flutie. What was Doug Flutie, maybe about 5'9" in height only after he had been stretched out to the max on one of those wooden stretcher machines found in medieval England several centuries ago?

Not wanting to over-dramatize any of this, but it is such posts as trud1966's that lets UNT officials know where some of our wealthiest alums can be located. We are in a very mobile society and alums from many colleges don't take the time to inform their alma mater of their newest mailing addresses. "If" the Lending.com owner is (in deed) a UNT graduate, someone needs to (with great haste) let UNT AD Rick Villarreal know about this ASAP. One of UNT's metro numbers is: (817) 267-3731 or 3732 (or at least that used to be the main campus switchboard). And of course UNT athletics 1-800 number is on most MG athletics correspondence. The thing that has amazed me over the last several decades are all the multi-millionairre NT Exes we have out there. In times past, all you would hear from some of our officials was that all NT Exes were dirt farmer poor. Nothing could be further from the truth and most of you who've been around the Mean Green scene for awhile know this.