PlummMeanGreen

Good post, Green Mean...To answer one of your questions, I say a 40,000 seat stadium (1'st phase) because that will help us get some of the high profile Big 12 schools into Denton. Would we fill it every time? Of course not, but does Baylor fill theirs for every Big 12 home game in Waco? but with a 40,000 seat stadium we would pay a heckuva' lot of bills when we do fill it for those September OOC Big 12, Big 10, SEC, home season openers. We should all remember that UNT, Denton and Denton County have no immediate plans in any of their short-term and long-range planned growth studies of getting smaller in enrollment and populations. So many times in the past we seem to act like everything that happens in the future of our Mean Green football program will be based on whats happened the last 9 to 25 or so years and with the leadership we had during much of that time. During these past decades, we had some good leaders & we had some bad leaders who only delivered lip-service when it came to Mean Green athletics; but during most of that time we had no leaders who wanted to lead us into the direction a school our size and scope should have been being led all the time. Former Prez. Dr. Norval Pohl helped us play a lot of catch-up with our NT athletic program and he came to us during a crucial time--but he left us at a crucial time, too (and we will probably never know all the reasons for that other than his taking up for one of his UNT VP's). NOTE: Many of us thought there may have been a philosophical conflict between he and Chancellor Jackson, too, but that is probably just a message board guess. Listen to me (if you will) fellow nestors, NT Exes and MG enthusiasts for the cause : This is a new era! Let's repeat those 5 words together again: THIS IS A NEW ERA! ! ! ! ! ! Our school will continue to grow, Denton will continue to grow and Denton County will continue to grow. If we have not found those on our campus who cannot market these kind of growth demographics that we have been getting in Mean Green Country an an annual basis, then............. .................well, you fill in the rest of this statement. Schools that act like they are going to get bigger and better just use some common sense and build to meet such expecations. If we build in the future based on our 12 years in 1-AA and most of the last 25+/- years, then lets just build a small stadium to meet small expectations at UNT and continue to hang in there toward the Bottom 25 of NCAA D1-A while we win a few SBC championships and go to a few bowls (but not much else that anyone outside the SBC has seemed to notice). UNT Has More Potential To Be a BCS Championship Series Major Bowl Contender Than The Boise State Broncos! Put That In 3 Inch Headlines!(Well, I guess I just did). Funny thing is, but I don't think only SBC/Bottom 25 mild successes is exactly what Todd Dodge has signed on for at UNT. I think most of really feel in our heart of hearts that he has much more in mind for Mean Green football with his being our new head football coach. He knows he cannot get the Notre Dame job by emulating everything Darrell Dickey did in Denton. That is a no-brainer. If DD had to do all this all over again, I think even he would have taken a different approach. BUT................hellsbells, Coach Dodge probably knows that even he can't get a major college job offer after 5, 7 or 10 years in Denton by doing everything just as we've been doing things the last 9- 25 years in MG Country. I would think he probably realizes thats Mean Green football will most likely need to do things at the level the Boise State Broncos have been almost since we left their presence as Big West Conference-mates many years ago. FWIW.................UNT has already identified a handful who could build our new football stadium and one that could probably seat as many as 50,000 if that is what they want to do initially, but its just a matter of what I feel will be a very high profile UNT new stadium committee (with NT President/Dr. B, Rick Villarreal and Todd Dodge among that group) sitting down with 1 or 2 or 3 of these corporations or indviduals that UNT already knows has the Big Bucks to get started with the new stadium. Todd Dodge's presence makes this about 200% more do-able than where we were, folks, and I think most of you (like it or not) would now have to mostly agree with that, too. And what we will be getting started on with this enormous new football palace to be located inside the Mean Green Village will be one of the most exciting chapters our school will have ever experienced since it opened it doors for business (circa 1890) when Texas was not that far removed from the days when Commanche and Kiowa Indians were still raiding many of our northern Texas ranches and farm houses. ........................................................................ Our journey toward what many, many, many of us have thought for decades could be our ultimate (much higher profile) NCAA D1-A destination will be almost as exciting as reaching that destination point itself. Hang onto your seats, fellow Mean Green'ers! It's going to be one heckuva' wild ride!' ......................................................................... GMG!

...but we cannot afford the "dirt turning" part of the ceremony with all the NT dignitaries and a photo op with each of them holding their gold-plated shovels to be delayed. I think many of our own gut feelings tells us it will not delayed now due to recent developments. You know, I am not sure we'll ever know if Todd Dodge was really ever RV's first choice; guess it really doesn't matter now. Personally, I don't think he was as I believe there were serious temptations to hire from other fronts (of which UNT-oriented public opinion may have discouraged), but what I think was our backing into the Todd Dodge hire has turned out to be a magnficently sweet hire for the NT Athletic Dept., Todd Dodge (himself) and a terrific early Christmas present for the entire UNT community and our Mean Green Nation. I don't think we'll ever know how surprised many on the UNT campus (specifically athletics) would be with the local, regional and national publicity UNT has received with the hiring of Todd Dodge, either. BUT..........we are asking Rick Villarreal (along with the very high profile new Mean Green HFC Todd Dodge who IMHO will be key to all of this new stadium business happening sooner than later) to raise more monies for our eventual new football stadium than is in the entire UNT System's endowment. I think with that aforementioned fact alone we would all sorta' know (from past history) how raising this amount of monies for a new stadium is probably going to go over like submarine with a chicken wire top hatch with many of our academians at our main campus. This group (of academians) on our main campus may need to be reminded frequently, though, that it is actually the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) who is also saying UNT will need a new football stadium since they (TxDOT) will eventually take over interstate frontage property almost adjacent to the Fouts Field press box and concessions area. BUT.........paraphrasing (liberally) a quote from that MeanGreenSports.com feature article of which almost 100% on this forum would agree: This will be the single-most important facility to be built at UNT as far as how it will affect every aspect of UNT life at our main campus. I think all would agree that both the city of Denton and Denton County (which has a population larger than the city of New Orleans pre-Katrina) will also see some very nice windfall profit$ and benefit$ from the construction and usage of this enormous new facility, too. FWIW, this new football stadium which will be located inside the Mean Green Village out at our Eagle Point Campus will most definitily be a win-win situation for every constituency mentioned in this very lengthy post.

Concerning "boy'ish body" Natalie Portman but nevermind that as I think this young lady has the prettiest (and best shaped) facial features in all of Hollywood (sorry about that, Norah ); anyway, concerning Ms. Portman--can we all say in unison: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER!?!?! For Ms. Portman, was that for real or was it a video/digital (or whatever) creation?

If we de-emphasize "Mean Green" with the Eagle logo on a helmet, then these 2 would be my favorites. Also, although Fry had the "flying worm" logo designed by Rick "GGII" Spears, it was Hayden who originally saw the usage of "Mean Green" as a marketing tool for UNT because there had been so many other schools with "Eagles" as their maascots and chief logos on their helmets. Plust the fact, the Joe Greene inspired name of "Mean Green" had not really been around that long when Fry arrived in Denton in December of 1972. I still wish there would be an "N T" whereas the N and the T are somewhat side-by-side to each other; doesn't have to even be the VaTech stylized "N T" (although IMHO that one presented on this forum is no more a copy of VT as an "N" directuly on top of a "T" would be copying what the Minnesota Twins have done with their 2 letters in the past or (U)SC has done or............countless other schools or pro teams who have put letters on top of letters in the last few decades. We all know what "N T" stands for, but the fact that so many (who are really the ones we need to impress with who we are when you think about it); yet when so many have posted accounts of the "T N" confusion, I don't think we should have any logos that might present any semblance of "what the hell does "THAT" stand for" from any unafilliated to UNT TV viewers. If we have any logos or letter combos that confuse the very ones we are most trying to impress (media, unaffiliated to UNT regional and national TV-viewing sports fans, etc, etc, etc), then haven't we defeated our original intent and purpose for what we're trying to do with all these brandings and logos in the first place? I know I now prefer the white helmet with a kelly green uni' incorporated with much black a la Southlake Carroll and many others BTW (and white outlines in strategic places) and hope some of our graphic artists on this board might consider putting something together with those combinations in mind. With so many schools who are using black (which should somewhat be considered a neutral color?) would UNT using silver or gray be any less a neutral color than using black with kelly green would be? I would think not--and would wonder how some kelly green and gray (or silver) combos might look like. We all know Middle Tennesse uses the silver and blue helmet although their official colors are blue and white. Image is a big concern to many of our fans and alums and that is the best part of all this going on in this thread. I hope all those on campus who say they never look at GoMeanGreen.com consider some of these ideas on this thread!

The sooner we build our new football stadium out at our Eagle Point Campus aka the Mean Green Village, the longer we'll ward off potential suitors for a good UNT coaching staff (especially from other non-BCS schools who don't like all this attention we're getting with Todd Dodge) and we'll also be able to keep the kind of coaches we want to hang around Mean Green Country for awhile, too. Honest to goodness, though, I still don't think many of our top academians (staring with our Deans?) fully realize what this particular edifice located in the middle of Denton's Interstate 35 corridor will ultimately mean for each of their own departmental fundraising efforts. Our campus fundraisers really need to put it in 4'th gear on this new stadium project if they haven't already. We need to turn dirt on this within the next 6-12 months and no later than that. Time is of essence and he who hesitates--loses? I know, easier said than done, but doggon' it, there are pro athletes getting paid the kind of monies UNT needs to build a very, very nice NCAA D1-A major college football stadium; and with that fact in mind, there is money out there to be had for this project, folks.

How about black jerseys and black pants with about 90% of both of those mostly being in kelly green? (I know, I could have said all that in another less confusing way). All that green with a solid green helmet with whatevers on that helmet might be considered too much green and might look a bit funky on TV since most football fields we play on are also solid green, right? On that green turf football field, our wearing white helmets (like we did in the Mean Joe Greene era) with "whatever" on them would really set off such unis' now wouldn't it; but I know, on this forum, it would for some and it wouldn't for others! So as many of you are now saying: Let our new UNT HFC Todd Dodge have much say in the design of our new unis and helmets. After all, it is he who will be the one coaching those who wear them, right?

He (Craig James) had UNT grad and ESPN play by play man Dave Barnett in the broadcast booth with him as well as College Football & UNT Hall of Famer Hayden Fry who would join those 2 from ESPN at half time; so probably a very convenient time for the ex SMU Pony Expre$$er to say some nice things about The University of North Texas? Of course, Craig James' tour of the Mean Green Village earlier on that Game Day and his most positive comments about what he saw seemed most sincere. Craig James is an SMU homer, but had Hayden Fry been around to recruit him for NT, he would have been a UNT homer that evening. SMU NOT ALL BAD: Honestly, some SMU'ers I've worked with here in the Metroplex are nothing like a hardy handful of those who post snippets on a regular basis toward UNT on their PonyFans.com. message board/forum. Of course, some of us have done the same with SMU, now haven't we? I have also been a long time admirer of the late Lamar Hunt who didn't act like many born into mega-wealth have sometimes been known to act. Mrs. Lamar (Norma) Hunt is a graduate of the University of North Texas and I believe GrayEagleOne and others from that era knew her when she was a student at our Denton campus. Please don't send me boxes with something ticking inside it, but I attended the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl game when SMU played the OU Sooners and I was 100% behind the Mustangs that day. Little did I know back then that I'd one day attend NT and that Hayden Fry would be our future coach at NT post his SMU firing. Funny how life works sometimes, now isn't it. BTW, SMU beat OU in that bowl game which was one of the most exciting college football games I'd ever seen. My oh my how the college football scene has changed here in the Lone Star State. An NT/SMU game at Ford Stadium (Fouts Field @ University Park?) that I would not have attended until about 3 weeks ago will now be on my 2007 Saturday schedule. SMU may need to bring in extra seats for that game to insure that all of us Dodge Ball Mean Green gorillas have a place to sit.

I second the motion, MeanGreen61!

Come on now Courtland, it was hardly secular yesterday for those millions of us who celebrated the "Reason for the Season" in thousands of churches across the USA yesterday in all those churches of their choice yesterday. Hmmm? Churches of their choice was one of the parts of the Constitution I think our founding fathers really had in mind with the part concerning Freedom of Religion, but in my heart of hearts, I don't think they had the Koran in mind for future U.S. citizens to use as their book to swear into public office with, either. Yes, I know, the American Civil Liberties Union would be busting a brain vein reading this kind of stuff, but its probably going to have to take a mushroom cloud from a dirty (nuclear) bomb hanging over each of their own respective U.S home cities before they understand the full seriousness of this as to what we're talking about here? FWIW, I also think even Nancy Pelosi (sp?) would probably need such a cloud over her own city, too, before she gets her own big clue about all this, too. Those who call us infidels mean business, folks, and this is nothing new to you who call yourselves college educated and topical as to whats going on around us. Only those who would have been living in a cave the last several decades would not understand the seriousness of of the intentions of some of the different sects from the Middle East, and surely it won't take some in the USA losing any of their own children at the hands of those who want all of us dead for all this to become real? PEACE ON EARTH! GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN! (is not what those saber-waving camel jockeys have in mind with anything or anybody associated with the USA). But he who lives by the sword dies by the sword, too, right? Sorry, but all of this is just a subject none of us can avoid unless we want another 9-11 on our front doorsteps once again (and we all know how that affected each and everyone of us). We should never forget the feelings that day's events gave each of us as long as we live, either. Just my .02 Nevertheless...............MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL GOOD NIGHT!

Only in America would we allow one person who worships Habib--baballoo-a-rashna keep 250 million American Christians from being able to put Christ in _ _ _ _ _ _M A S ! .................Nevertheless............................. ...............MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL FROM THIS INFIDEL! PLUS............I have for a very, very long time had a BOOK (like many of you also have had in your own possessions) that tells me exactly how all this Middle East business is going to end! In fact, it has been right on target as to what has happened there in the past and what is happening there now. But I can't say the name of that book because it offends so many folks in our own country. Also, the moral lifestyle this BOOK promotes is offensive to many, especially out there in Hollywood who would all have us live their kind of lifestyles their movies promote too many times. Sorry, Harry....I'll get back on topic now of which I defer to in my signature statement below:

Once again I'll respond to this one: Good news with that info, OldTimer!

So many more of our 34,000 NT students will now want to be part of all this national and state-wide craze that many are calling Dodge Ball in our new Dodge City aka Denton, Texas, America. Add in all the casual/borderliners who have shown at many home openers with many leaving at half time in the past. Yet as Sheriff Brodie said in Jaws: "We're going to need a bigger boat!" In our case, we'll soon need a bigger (and more modern) NCAA D1-A football stadium (which is in the planning stages even now). Wonder if it would be asking Santa too much for a sliding roof on our, uh.............oh, well, nevermind. Acutally, I'd be happy to start with a 40,000 seat stadium easily expandable to 50,000. You listening, Santa? Hey! Wait a minute.......it's already Christmas Day!

Is Riley Dodge a good fit for UNT? Is the Pope a good fit for the Roman Catholic Church? Is Billy Graham a good fit for Southern Baptist? Is Rosie O'Donnell a good fit for the GOP? (just kiddin' on that one) But................uh, wide receiver?!?! One of the more prominent recruiting gurus has already projected that Riley Dodge will be a highly recruited QB next year. The name Mitch Maher comes to mind and has already been mentioned on this thread and Maher (of whom Todd Dodge helped to develop as a Mean Green QB when he was offensive coordinator at UNT); anyway, I see many similarities between former Mean Green QB Maher and Riley Dodge. But some will say: "But Mitch Maher played at a 1-AA UNT." Well, for the many of us on this board who were at a Big 12 school stadium in Stillwater, OK, watching Mitch Maher pass a Big 12 school silly I think we know what caliber of QB Mitch Maher was. Of course, Maher had more than just a few big games other than just that one against OSU, too. Riley Dodge has as much (or more) upside coming out of HS next year as 1 of the 2 best QB's I've ever seen wear Mean Green and that would be the great Mitch Maher (who once again I repeat was recruited from Plano when Todd Dodge was on staff at UNT as our offense coordinator). Maybe one of the reasons Mitch Maher gave Todd Dodge such a glowing recommendation to be our new coach and drove all the way from Jonesboro, Ark, just to be at Todd Dodge's UNT Press Conference when he was announced as our new HFC? I think much will be cussed (by many of our frustrated recruiting opponents who will also be vying for his services) and discussed about Riley Dodge in the next year and who he signs a letter of intent, but my money says he still ends up at the University of North Texas to be coached by his dad. BTW, I think Riley Dodge will also have many others of his Texas HS football acquaintances and buddies on future Mean Green football teams and not all of them necessarily from Southlake Carroll HS, either. He seems to know many of his opponents players, too, as I observed the TV post-game of their 5A state championship game the other night. Of course, how many of those players might he have met at his dad's summer football clinics, too? UNT has hit paydirt with this hire, folks, and winning SBC championships in the future will include an SBC football champions who will not embarrass themselves or us at a bowl game with their storied pre-game activities in the Big Easy and.....................have Top 25 rankings, just like the WAC and MAC football champions have had in recent years). Of course, such a coach who pulls off those kind of ranked SBC football champions (like at any other non-BCS outpost) will be in demand, too, but would we have it any other way in Denton anymore? Has our days of being a Mean Green Retirement Center for those who can't get jobs elsewhere ended with this new Dodge Ball era we now find ourselves at the University of North Texas. Should we rename the Mean Green Village, uh, Dodge City?

Many of us felt for Stack as we thought he became a wasted talent, but the young man hung in there anyway and I believe even graduated from UNT.

Exactly, Deep Green...especially with your "what new regime wants to sport the same unis of two losing seasons" part of your post. We should want nothing that reminds us of the last 2 years (and to be more specific) the last 3 weeks of this last football season which also included our school's team wearing solid black unis that apparently came from a Motts 5 and 10 store. I think these posts and threads on "how we look in our football unis" are extremely healthy because its all about image and we all want our school to have the right image, now don't we? Yes, I agree.......

And we should all find this to be very encouraging because Charles aka OldTimer follows Mean Green recruiting very, very closely each year right alongside his compadres, ie, the GoMeanGreen.com recruiting team of experts that begins with Harry Miers. Also, I think we'd all be interested to know who is going to be hired as Coach Dodge's assistant coaches who will recruit the Greater Houston area. And............who might Coach Dodge hire to be his assistant head football coach who might also have as part of his duties to be our new recruiting coordinator? I think it will take Coach Dodge at least 2 years to establish a recruiting base whereas we will have a group of players on campus in a few years who will have our Mean Green football program emulating what schools like Boise State has done (this year) and Utah (in recent years) as far as their being participants in the BCS Championship Series. A new NCAA D1-A football stadium at the Mean Green Village will hasten all this BCS Championship Series talk, too, IMO.

Just reviewed a video tape of that part of the post-game when the Westlake kid is talking to Riley and then he asks Dodge (as ntexeagle posts says) "you are going to SMU and Rice, right?" But Riley looks at him with a non-answer kind of expression on his face! Hellsbells! Riley was probaby wondering if news had made it to the Austin Westlake area that his dad had been named HFC at the University of North Texas? . In observing that piece of video, it looks as though the Westlake kid knew exactly when the TV cameras were panning on him when he asks his big question to Riley. Today's HS kids are pretty darn "TV camera's panning on them" savvy now aren't they? IMO, Riley Dodge will go neither to SMU or TCU or Rice, but if he stays in the Metroplex, he'll be wearing kelly green again under his dad's coaching out at the ever-burgeoning Mean Green Village. The reason I believe this is because if Riley did go to either of the 2 local private universities it would make it look like his daddy could not recruit (1) the Metroplex or (2) his own son (and for what its worth for a hardy handful who have been under someone elses spell the last few years, we have actually been successful recruiting DFW in past decades and that when we had a HFC in Denton who actually had very healthy self-esteem, could walk into any DFW area HS with a "high profile" sort of swagger and even felt damn good about his job at UNT (and to this day in his late 70's age-wise still thinks he had a damn good job when he was at UNT). Little Ball of Hate, care to get some quotes from the great Hayden Fry on the University of North Texas? Acutally, from the other thread with "the Little Ball of Hate's" Fort Worth Star Telegram article today, I find it quite strange that she dared not to mention that Todd Dodge turned down the Rice HFC's job last year as well as joining Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys this last year as well. Of course, that would have not fit into her "kick UNT in the gonads" theme or her "shock jock" kind of article she had today, now would it? I've listened to her radio show very briefly, and it's pure "D" shock jock. As far as Jennifer's article in today's FWST, it is now at the bottom of my parakeet cage and my little green fine feathered friend seems to get the runs anytime he is perched above the LBOH's feature article portion of today's FW Startle-Gram. As Dallas Green posted earlier today: "Todd Dodge is the 2'nd Coming of Hayden Fry" and Dallas G, I just happen to agree with that assessment 110%! In fact, I could close my eyes listening to Todd Dodge on FSN last night and could easily feel like I was listening to a young Hayden Fry...........Even some of Dodge's facial expressions and mannerisms took me as well as what I would wager would be many of you other older nestors back to the Fry era in his ladder years at SMU and then his coming to North Texas in December of 1972. Happy Days Are Here Again!

8 words: New Football Stadium At The Mean Green Village

Great post, Illuvius32. I think we will also need a much bigger page for all of us to be on at at the same time, too. Said it many days ago, but I couldn't be more excited as I am for our present Mean Green football players who I think will get the kind of coaching and discipline they've probably wanted all along and quite frankly deserve. Also think we will set a Fouts Field attendance record in our 2007 home season debut of Todd Dodge come this September.

AMEN! Let it begin ASAP--like the day after Christmas?!??

Congrats Dragons! Still defer to the signature below as many of us watch UNT graduate/broadcaster Craig Way on the post game show on FSN.

The fat lady is warming up her vocal cords! (BTW, everyone like the kelly green SLC is wearing)?

REVISED ON CHRISTMAS DAY.......................w/more sarcasm... For certain we probably won't change a darn thing as far as our new Dodge Ball era unis', the color of our helmets or what logo or letters would be on those new Dodge Ball era helmets, but this thread sure as hell beats some from over 2 mos. ago when quite a few posters were trying to extol the virtues of a UNT HFC who had a 42W's and 62L's career at UNT with a program that even college football novices could figure out was not going anywhere but south. While at the same time trying to make some posters who actually had the audacity to think we could do better at UNT with a high profile hire (because they had seen better in the past with another high profile hire) sound like a bunch of pipe dreamers. end of sarcasm... Now about those white helmets with the VaTech looking letters... Except for one thing, they are not the VaTech letters, they are the "N T" letters. How many of you would have even know they would be similar to VaTech had it not been mentioned on this board? As another alum said today, we would no more be copying VaTech than some of our "N T" letters directly on top of each would be copying other schools who've done the same in the past or even pro teams (Minnesota Twins) who have put letters on top of other letters. BUT...........what we do use if we use letters at all should not create any semblance of confusion to anyone as to what they mean. Letters on a helmet should not be creating questions from non-North Texans as to what they stand for. PS: Actually as I presently watch the Southlake Carroll/Austin Westlake 5A state championship game the Dragon's white helmets with the green/black unis' just don't look bad at all. And it would be apparent to most television viewers that green would also be the predominant color of Southlake Carroll HS, too.

I like your statement you put in quotes, DG, because that is exactly how many of us felt. In fact, I thought they might have come out of a clip art book to be honest. Pearly white with that VaTech-stylized "N T" you've come up with would be very nice IMO. And no, I don't think VaTech has a corner on the market with such letters, either. We'd be the only school in the Southwest with anything similar. I also think our entire unis' (including a possible white helmet) would still have about 85-90% green and that's still a whole bunch of green. The kelly green will also stand out more than any green we've had since Fry's apple green (which really stood out)!

Wonder if Coach Dodge will try to have an expanded "walk on" program? Hey Deep Green, quite teasing us with that white helmet in your above post and that most unique (and IMHO, very marketable) version of "N T".............. ...........I like it more every time I see it and for the first time in a long time, might we have letters on a UNT football helmet that can even be recognizable from a distance? So in essence, the fewer the letters on any helmet the larger you can make those letters as to make them more visible?