PlummMeanGreen

Just two, Quoner? JUST CHASING A FEW PARKER COUNTY RABBITS, HERE.............. Not one of us think DD is some kind of an ogre or bad human being and (for the life of me) I still don't understand why a few have wanted to personalize all this as far as DD is concerned. In fact, most of have heard or read that DD is truly a good guy, ie, a responsible, church-goin' sort of family man of which most of us on this board would admire and commend him (or anyone else) for having such traits. But this is not about a man's lifestyle because none of that is what has the Mean Green football program fighting to be the "best of the worst' as a member of the fledgling Sun Belt Conference. Good ol' SBC? Absolutlely nothing DD, Rick V, Bobby Ray or the 12 Disciples themselves could have done concerning our school having to be a member of the SBC because, quite frankly, no one else in NCAA D1-A wants us right not and our (seemedly) always being on the wrong side of the politics part of all this will (I suppose) always hurt us if we even tried to seek CUSA membership, again. . . .....BUT IN THE PAST, effective fund-raising above and beyond those who post (or even read this board) could have already been helping our cause even to the extent that we could have already identified a Big Donor (& this "ONE" who probably should have been developed as an alumnu$ long ago by NT's former Advancement Office); nevertheless, such a donor as one who would be instrumental in our building a much-needed football stadium at the Mean Green Village. Can we live with Fouts Field as it is now? Sure we can and sure we're going to have to for awhile, apparently, just as any of us could probably live with having a 1956 Chevy Impala as a our main vehicle here in the Year of our Lord............2006. A '56 CHEVY!?!?!?!?:0 Yes, a '56 Chevy...................And for sure we could fully-load a 1956 Chevy as to impress many, but just how many of today's 17 or 18 year olds are going to be impressed with such an old dressed out car when many of them are used to having better, more modern and up-to-date vehicles even during their HS years? $$$??? Yet, I'd bet if one multiplied by 10 X's the total amount of the combined posters of this message board's MG Club giving, you'd still fall short of $1,000,000. Folks, check out the UTEP athletic dept. or those budgets of those old Missouri Valley Conferenc schools we used to be in bed with (and whose dust we are presently choking on) if anyone thinks that evem $1,000,000 would be so impressive an amount in context to most upwardly bound NCAA D1-A football programs. Nothing profound with this statement, but its more than just about us who post (or read) from this sports message board and always has been. There are actually some pretty great NT alums who don't even know this forum exists. Yet some on GMG.cm have made their stand (and one post on that is probably sufficient) as far as how they will personally support this athletic program from this moment on into the upcoming academic year. What their personal suppport is (quite frankly) is also personal. I mean, if someone comes up today to ask you what your present checking account balance is could he or she expect an answer? MORE RABBITS ON THE WAY HERE..............The whole UNT System seems to be at some semblance of a crossroads at this time of our history; for instance, we have a UNT-Dallas campus that has (still) not met the state of Texas legislature's time-table of becoming a free-standing university even as those down in Austin keep changing the criteria to help UNT out in that regard; we have a Chancellor who admits that athletics is hardly a passsion of his (although he also says he won't stand in the way of NT Athletics, too, but after looking at his recent mission statement someone linked on this GMG.com, he seems to be backing up his claim with so very little written in his mini-manifesto about how NT athletics really fits into his version of a future and perfect UNT world..............YET ADDING INSULT TO INJURY..............we just lost one of the 2 most supportive NT presidents in our school's history as Dr. Pohl announced his resignation months ago. OH, THE HUMANITY.....................

If some of our MG elect (who I feel are truly some of the best fans/alums any school would be proud to have in spite of the philosophical differences betweem us on some matters relating to NT athletics; yet if some of this group from our Mean Green congregation would just leave the human aspect out of all this and merely look at what most NCAA D1-A schools look at, ie, the bottom line..........with our record over the last 8 years I think there would be more who would also be a bit than mildly concerned about our future at the NCAA D1-A level (especially in the next most crucial few years for any NCAA D1-A program that truly wants to be a player at this level). I'm almost positive our present situation at UNT would create much concern among alums at most other 1-A locales if they, too, had a similar situation as ours. I also think many of you know this discussion would not even exist at most any other NCAA D1-A school because most of that group of schools would have already made"directional changes." Lord help us all that UNT doesn't become a state-supported retirement center for another wave of athletic personnel of which not one NCAA D1-A school with a higher-profile than UNT are not even vaguely interested in talking to them. Granted..............Americans love the under-dog and pull for such in many cases, but doesn't there comes a time when there has (in deed) been enought time given (DD's 9'th year on the way, folks) for anyone who might be called an under-dog to have put such a role behind them, but rather gain the role of being on many higher profileNCAA D1-A football programs "Most Wanted" lists? After 8 or 9 years at most NCAA D1-A schools outside the Super or Mega-Football Schools, the new role that most head football coaches would have after almost a decade at a school would (in deed) be that of "Most Wanted." And outside of about 10 or 15 Super or Mega-NCAA D1-A football programs, aren't the rest of us all still pretty well stepping-stones for all practical purposes? Haven't most of us accepted that role almost about the time Fry was hired at Iowa; but wouldn't most of us still prefer to have a football program in Denton, Texas, America whose head football coach's next step would be a Big 10 or Big 12 job? Or do we prefer the other kind of program where there is no demand for him (or her in other sports) at all? Being redundant all over again, but isn't amost a decade at an NCAA D1-A institution and our head coach still being (significantly) under .500 in wins/losses a bit of a stretch? Would there even be this argument on similar sports message boards as GoMeanGreen.com at most all other NCAA D1-A schools if they had a similar situation?

REVISED THOUGHTS ON SATURDAY AM, JUNE 3'rd.................... Yes, I'd say I have been "emotionally" involved with NT football for about 3 1/2 decades and is probably why I don't like our present direction because I (and many others) quite frankly can't seem to see what some of you apparently see and that is an upwardly bound direction toward a higher profile existence for Mean Green football. I will say that UNT is probably one of a small handful of NCAA D1-A schools that those who give little or nothing to the school (whether that be academically or thru athletics) can get real chummy with its head football coach. You think Texas Exes who don't give their alma mater all but the family farm in their personal donations get private audiences with Mack Brown? Do such Texas Exes get to go have a beer with Mack Brown w/o being a pillar of its athletic program? Ok, we are talking apples and oranges but some of you will get my drift YET...............what do some of you want, a beer drinking buddy with a crappy football program or a coach who is too damn busy to have a beer with non-large donors (if that be the case as some of you may have recently endowed an academic chair) but is out selling the football program and creating good public relations with new or potential MG fans (or a Big Donor who can build us a football stadium instead)? As some others have posted, I, too, have nothing against DD as a human being and never have since I've only been around the man about twice since he arrived almost 9 years ago now. Just as some of you have posted, many of us are also looking at the entire picture but from a vanatage point of where Mean Green football has been in past decades against higher profile football schools as compared to where we are now against much lower profile schools; you know, the very schools that when we win against them in league competition gives us a bowl game that (BTW) hardly anyone outside the SBC recognizes or gives much credence? Oh, I forgot, the "4'th" place CUSA team recognizes it and (lately) seems to have enjoyed their trips to the NO's Bowl to play the best that the SBC has to offer. To a hardy handful of you who vascillate on all this and have for years & the ones who yelled as loud as anyone, ie, "Dickey Ball" or "Pass the Ball" at Amon Carter Stadium several years ago, I'm trying to understand your emotional involvement with a football program that is blatantly going nowhere and (to add insult to injury) just had its worst ranked football recruiting class in memory as compared to all other 117 NCAA D1-A schools. Some in the Mean Green Nation might view such a passion for these kind of results as some kind of emotional problem itself. So Dr. Phil, where are you when we need you the most? Sorry, Young Gun Alums and maybe a (very, very) few older nestors who know a good college football program and one that has an upwardly mobile direction when they see one); anyway, many of our sights are set a bit higher than SBC/Botttom 10 success and that is likely not going to change no matter who is at the helm of our Mean Green ship at this moment in time. Yet there are some just as surprised that a few of our elect who think being loyal to a continued mediocre football program that has only found disguised success at the bottom quadrant (almost Bottom 10) of NCAA D1-A is going to (somehow) earn them some kind of Mean Green points, a free beer from DD or whatever; anyway, many of us who have actually lived long enough to see us beat known schools are curious as to why a free beer after a sand lot football game is (apparently) suffice; anyway, why not more of this group demanding much more in the area of excellence (both on, off the football field, in the stands of Fouts Field as well as in the area of public relations, you know, the kind that actually sells football tickets to new or casual fans)? You know any other NCAA D1-A program that sells 15,000 tickets per home game that has had such arrogance floatin' around in some quarters as has been the case at our alma mater in recent years? UNT is in dire need for some staff changes, but those in position of power cannot seem to see the trees for the forest with all this. Seems lack of annual ticket sales and empty seats during 4 bowl years would be proof enough, now doesn't it? What is your barometer of how we measure success if its not those 2 criteria? Those always seem to be the "tell tell" of most other NCAA D1-A programs so why not in Denton, Texas, America? But FWIW, it's a free Mean Green Nation we have going on here:), yet if all this we've seen coming down the pike the last few years is the very thing that floats some of your boats, then it might be suggested that you who are so "emotionally" involved with a Darrell Dickey-style football program with its unusual form of public relations that goes with it; anyway, it might be suggested that some of you then get "financially" involved with him, too, by the consideration of doubling or tripling your MG Club donations for the upcoming academic year as to make up for the many who are not pleased with what they have been seeing, reading about or hearing on the radio airwaves and are going to (subsequently) reduce or eliminate their MG Club donation completly until an upward direction from the Bottom Quadrant of NCAA D1-A OR...................until we even see some staff changes of those who truly do not belong at the NCAA D1-A level of which one very tell-tell sign of that could be this: Just how many NCAA D1-A schools with higher profiles than UNT are knocking the doors down to hire our head football coach? To hire a head football coach away from UNT who has gone to 4 bowl games? And schools who might be interested in our head football coach that are (again) higher profile than UNT? Anyone else just think it quite strange that no one seems to be interested in our head football coach at all (and even that after "4" bowl games)? I mean, come on, folks, get real with this, sober up from all the beer with all this..............DD has not had one "live" on-location interview for a higher profile job after 4 bowl games? Anyone else want to stand up and identify what the red flags of what has caused this unusual scenario that has transpired with DD's most unusual under .500 career in eight years at UNT or rather...........is it just time (again) to go out and have another brewsky with the head football coach at the University of North Texas so you can say that you had a beer with the head football coach at the University of North Texas? Raise the bar, let your heros always be cowboys (not the broken-back variety, either) and let our heros be those who are productive in an upwardly mobile-type direction and such a hero who will put our school's Mean Green football program back on track to where it was even in the 1970's when our alma mater's football team actually beat schools your grandfathers have heard of. You know, the kind of schools that we play most years as OOC schools?

I know this subject is one that creates much passion among the MG Nation and especially on GMG.com, but it could be said that it might be much easier to judge a football program and its leadership by not getting emotionally involved with those who are running it. Maybe if DD (when on radio) would just act like we are one big sand lot football team that is listening to his coach's show or post-game comments, he might not have the controversy that all that alone has created for himself. If we at UNT are only in the business of merely hiring good ol boys who make good beer drinkin' buddies at Denton's best watering holes or hiring those who might not necessarily be able to cut the mustard (competition-wise) among the upper half of all the other 117 schools in NCAA D1-A and that group we'd all on this board (I'd assume) really like to be cutting the mustard with and that with a win now and then ...............then we may have bigger problems in MG Country than previously thought. I think most everyone even on this most diverse board of opinion & thought would agree that we are at the bottom of the barrell in NCAA D1-A with our membership in the SBC. Except for one time, our league's best has not fared well even with CUSA's 4'th best football team at the New Orleans Bowl and that seems to be a trend that could very well continue looking at most all SBC's schools recruiting of late, specifically UNT's of the last few years capped off by last winter's class. But as far as our membership in the SBC, there is absolutely nothing anyone connected with UNT can do and our present overall venues will probably keep us in the Sun Belt for awhile longer (since our overall venues seemed to have played a big part that kept us from CUSA membership). Yet while we are planted in the SBC, lets at least bloom to (at least) raise our standards up across the board which includes getting the football program back to the level of where we can compete with and beat (at least) some of the OOC teams on our schedules that most of the posters on this forum would really like to see us win against. When those kind of wins start to eventually happen, then that will show us all what we are about as an NCAA D1-A football program (as compared to beating the schools we presently have to beat to get to a bowl game). Just my .02 on this subject...

All things considered...anyone really surprised with this? Our ace in the hole for a future higher profile athletic program @ UNT will probably be a present "non chairman" member of the NT BOR's. Many are hoping he will (in due time) tell athletic non-supporters in high places who do the lip-service routine how the cow eats the cabbage.

What a simple, well-designed college football stadium that is. Wouldn't it be great if one similar were located out between Denton's 2 Texas interstates out at Eagle Point Campus? Jeez, folks, UNT is located right smack dab in the middle of Fortune 500 company headquarters here in the Metroplex, just what the hell wrong are we doing with our major donor fund-raising? Of course, many of us have been asking that same question longer than some of you young gun alums have years.

Great story and a great post, BleedGreen64

Very interesting, Bill... And very, very funny are the closing remarks to your post of which I've high-lighted!

I know many of us will not disagree with you, Jack, with what I have high-lighted from your post. I have wished many times that I would have been living during that era to have seen all of it first-hand, too.

Thanks for that link, bigrobdsp...

I was listening to Norm this AM and he mentioned on his show that after July 1'st telemarketers will have the freedom to call all our cell phones to leave messages, promos, etc, etc, etc. Norm gave out this number that you have to call from your cell phone that will block such efforts and is good for 5 years. The number he gave on the air is: 1-888-382-1222 Again, you have to call that number from your cell phone and just follow the directions a recording will give you.

Good points, LongJim... Nation of quitters? I sometimes wonder if many of today's Americans would have said when we sent our troops over to Germany to attempt to remove that era's version of Saddam Hussein, ie, Adolph Hitler: "Why do we have to send our boys over there in harm's way? 'Let the Germans work all that out among themselves." And would that fat-assed bespeckled American independent movie producer have been in the bunker with Hitler apologizing for America's participation in WWII while attempting to also make President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appear to be the anti-Christ?

If one thinks about it, Jeff, for a mid-major to make a committment much less than the UCF's, Louisville's, Boise States, Fresno State's, etc, etc, etc, have made are (probably) asking for decades of a mediocre co-existence for its athletic program, specifically with its football program. At some point in the future when UNT makes a coaches change (and don't most mid-major as well as major schools do that anyway); yet notice how some mid-majors are giving "known" commodities with some blemishes in their past second chances to help take their programs to new heights. Surprised Rick Neuheisel hasn't been hired with such recent trends that indicate some schools are willing to gamble on the fact that coaches with proven or alleged infractions can turn over a new leaf. Obviously, a new on-campus football stadium will be the key for UCF to reach their goals and objectives. Their planning for such a new football stadium is what probably drew O'Leary to originally sign on with UCF in the first place. UNT will not be able to attract the kind of schools Middle Tennesse is now getting for home games at their stadium just as UNT will not be able to get a name coach to consider our program in the future if we don't get ours built in due time. ........................................................................................ And FWIW, does UCF have a better or more known legacy in its past intercollegiate football endeavors than the University of North Texas? Please do consider these questions: ** When the Mean Green's Abner Haynes (a future Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chief great)and his team-mates were going to the Sun Bowl in 1959, what was UCF doing? ** When Mean Joe Greene and his team-mates were all but beating a school in 1968 up in Fayetteville and a school who would play the Texas Longhorns in the "Game of the Century" for a national championship the following season; anyway, during that era what was UCF doing? ** When Hayden Fry and his Mean Green football teams in the 1970's were getting regional and national attention with some of the known teams they were beating (or nearly beating) what was UCF doing? In a perfect world, don't most of us wish in this article NT80 has posted we could replace UCF's name with UNT's?

Watching "Saving Private Ryan" the other night (albeit a Hollywood production) still makes this American thankful for our WWII generation, too, and the sacrifices they all made to make it where (among many things) we can express our opinions even on such forums as a sports message board. A Texas-size and heart-felt thanks to all of you WWI, WWII, Korean, Viet Nam, Desert Storm and Iraqi veterans.

Many of us can recall a day when NT's athletic budget was not that far removed (or was even close) to about 3 of the above listed schools. That is what some of the problems and dire concerns are now with a few of us nestors who've been around a few decades and how many of us have finally awakened to smell the coffee, roses, or whatever to our present situation and admit to each other that we just ain't progressing like a school of our size and scope should have been. After all, folks, we are now part of a UNT System and shouldn't we be just a tad ahead of those we used to think we were light years ahead of among the mid-majors? Many of those schools we used to be in bed with in the old Missouri Valley Conference (which basically and later became CUSA) too? SO WE PLAY THE BLAME GAME NOW? Well, we can all freely admit to being part of the blame; but of course, we grunts have little or no control of what happens at our alma mater's campus in the area of hirings (and keeping some of those hirings much too long and letting some of those hirings get away from us, too). IMHO, I really do think Rick V has done some darn good things at UNT, ie, brought in some progressive-style thinking onto our campus considering what he inherited when he arrived, but I just think he bit off more than most any human being could chew while being strapped with the already pre-existing staff (and on-going status quo) with that inherited staff many of whom seem to have the mindset of doing things pretty well the way they did things even before RV arrived on the Mean Green Scene. Proof of all that? Well, merely look at our annual and on-going football and basketball attendance and agree with many of us that our AD has been a man with some damn good ideas, but also has been an AD who seems to have inherited many staff-types who feel 15K per home game averages at Fouts Field and (what is it at the Super Pit for men's varsity BB) less than 2,500 per home game averages? Anyway, many of that (inherited by Rick V) group still seem to think all that is getting the job done with the attendance of our 2 men's varsity sports that at most mid-major outposts pays most of the bills. Go figure.... AND..............if we don't use our 2 major varsity sports attendance numbers to measure what degree of success we are having at UNT, then just what would it be that we would use as our barometer? That they're good ol' boys? Well, that would be right in many cases. That they made Fouts Field (built in 1951) look better than it used to with all the new cosmetics? Well..........gimmee' a break on that one, folks, because the condition of our venerable ol' Fouts Field was somewhat like an entertainer who would be following a very bad act on stage; in other words, just about anything one did on stage following a bad act would look good to most any audience. PERHAPS THE CRUX OF THE REAL PROBLEM @ UNT? Rick V has had no control (whatsoever) of many of the things that have strapped him at UNT IMHO (and I know many of you who feel the very same way on that subject but just won't post it for whatever reason). RV is not perfect and neither was Hayden Fry when he had the role of AD at UNT, but give pro-active and creative-thinking people a chance to move your program forward and prevent "would be" AD's and inter-collegiate athletic novices on-campus from standing or getting in the way of those we hired to do the job in the first place . When we have that being allowed to happen at UNT (again), then this athletic program (starting with football) can start moving forward once again toward a higher profile co-existance and start making up for lost time (and low budgets). Just my .02 on this subject.

There seems to be many sleeping giants among the mid major crowd. Some of that group (UTEP, UCF, Louisville, etc, etc, etc) do "get it" and will do "W.I.T." to remove each of their schools from the role of merely a sleeping giant; while others (as Deep Green posted) will continue to, uh, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Whoever becomes our new NT president as well as who takes Bobby Ray's place as the new chairman of the NT Board of Regents in due time will be strategic if UNT is to make bold decisions that will help us make a progressive move upward in NCAA D1-A. And with such new leadership their most likely taking the necessary time to do the research as to the kind of personnel UNT will need to have on its future payrolls that will enable us to emulate what the UTEP's, the Louisvilles, the TCU's and now what the UCF's have discovered are their own minimum committments so that they can all keep their hands in play with the upper echelon of NCAA D1-A. In many ways, can any school that wants to be a future player in NCAA D1-A afford to do much less than what U of Central Florida has boldly chosen to do with their school's new committment?

If someone will enligten many of us as to how are MG DL is going to make a rags to riches transformation from last year to this upcoming 2006 campaign with players that have little or no D1-A playing time (unproven commodities in other words) then there might be more believers of our improved competitiveness this Fall, but after looking at Lindy's 2006 National NCAA D1-A college football magazine today at a Fort Worth Borders Book Store, a Mean Green football team that Lindy's ranked #105 among all other 117 D1-A schools might find an SMU (or similar) to be a more than formiddable opponent as we play the Ponies the 2'nd game of this season @ Fouts Field (& that only after we open against the defending national champion Texas Longhorns the week before down in Austin). BTW, Lindy's 2006 College Football Magazine picked NORTH TEXAS to finish 3'rd place in the SBC this Fall with both ULaLa (ranked #83) and Troy U (I believe it was) in front of us. I thought that a generous ranking on Lindy's behalf in light of what we witnessed last Fall. Lindy's does have some extremely nice things to say about our Mean Green's Super Jamario Thomas, though. Somehow/someway, this football program is going to have to find a way to get out of the century+ numerical rankings that the large majority of SBC football teams seem to annually find themselves with most of the pre-season and post-season football season rankings. Any dramatic or novel ideas on how we get started with such a bold project as that?;(

Bump... For all you Orbison fans who may want to check out SAMS today & buy this combo DVD/CD collection to put in your DVD libraries. I've noticed SAMS will run out of such musical stock pretty quickly at times and have also noticed that is the last you will see of said items once they are sold out.

Rick, that would be mohair for goats--wool for sheep, CITY SLICKER! I am a goat ropin' son-of-a-gun who raises 32 GOATS! (plus 3 quarter horses) Still, funny stuff, GGII...

In response to your first sentence, yes we are in deed, flyonthewall... I would really like to be wrong about much of what I've posted post-2005 football season. I'd like to be wrong with my personal concerns of the direction of MG football because if I am wrong, I can most easily fess' up to being so (and would) and I can also eat crow just about as good as the next guy; but looking at the overall picture, the long term of all of this and merely looking down the road of our present situation (and future needs for this football program at an NCAA D1-A level); anyway, my gut feeling still suggests that I'm not going to be wrong (and FWIW, I don't think you are going to be wrong, either, with many of your past concerns that you've posted in recent months). So I will still defer to my signature statement below...

Don't know how some of you might feel on the subject, but at this point in time we seem light years away from having a program like, uh, UTEP. Amazing what just one hire has done for their entire athletic program and their athletic program's attitude & expectations. Simply amazing.....

On the Orbison DVD, I thought I recognized some of Elvis' old band with James Burton as one of the guitarist. Burton was also one of Ricky Nelson's guitarist as you can see him in the background on many of the old Ozzie & Harriett TV episodes when Ricky would sing one of his hits at the end of some of those shows.

UNT Fessor' Floyd Graham used to talk about Roy O, Pat Boone and other famous NT Ex musician types in a Music Appreciation electives class I was both fortunate and lucky enough to take in Graham's last year or so before he died. I believe Fessor' Graham started his teaching career at UNT in the 1920's if memory serves me well. He died in the early to mid 1970's. The "Roy Orbison Greatest Hits" combo DVD/CD on sale just this week at SAMS (of Sam Walton, Wal Mart fame) music section is very moderately priced ($15.99) which is quite a bargain for an audio and visual collection of one of America's greatest and pioneer of Rock and Roll. As a big fan of Roy Orbison (as many of us NT Exes & non-NT Exes were and still are) it is almost a haunting musical experience to see and hear Roy on the DVD portion of this 2 set combo sing his last great hit via music video and that would be "You Got It" which was recorded right before he died. It was like ol' Roy was leaving all of us his final gift or tribute which would incorporate his internationally famous Orbison-style with his "orbital" high octives sound showing us all he he could still hit those high notes even in his last days and those featured in the last hit he had before he died and was still high on the charts after his death. In the DVD, Roy also offers several behind the scenes vignettes of his early days as he refers to his friendships with Buddy Holly, the Everly Bros, etc, etc, and then he refers to his friendships with Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley before the 3 of them all began their recording careers at Sam Phillip's Sun Records, Nashville, Tennessee. In a couple of segments in the DVD you will recognize in Orbison's all star band performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warren k.d. Lang and T. Bone Burnett (among others). In the DVD portion, it also appears that 2 of Orbison's songs were recorded on PBS's Austin City Limits. Have $15.99 to spare? Then go to SAMS today or tomorrow and buy something that will further make you proud to be an alum of the University of North Texas. We have quite a rich heritage of the rich and famous of UNT who have also walked down the corridor of years at all of ours favorite school located in Denton, Texas, America!

Played that 1989 game at Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus and probably one of the Top 10 worst MG moments for many of us NT Exes back in the day. Our team was uninspired in this game almost from the opening play to the last. Was so pissed after that game my Irish temper almost ruled and I almost took off my class ring to throw it on the Ownby football field, but I'd just had a new diamond set in that ring so I wisely refrained.

If Troy U had been a "traditional" school I think that most memorable and "fan"tastic play by your Trojan lineman would have been highly considered if not put in SI's top 15. Unfortunately, all of us who the national sports media calls mid-major have to generate a generation or 2 or 3 of winning, winning and more winning against the Big Boys before we will ever gain the their attention. I loved that play and I'd wager, Trojanman, that a large majority of all of us Sun Belters, CUSA'er, WAC'sters, etc, etc, etc, were running right along with your TU lineman into the endzone. It was a great night for your school at any rate.