PlummMeanGreen

I am not of the Catholic persuasion but does anyone else see an apparition of the Virgin Mary in all the blank space our fellow alum eulesseagle left in this post? .............................................. Very informative article, ee...

Of course, Mumme needs more than his inaugural season to get his program set in place, too, LMG. BUT..........first of all, I don't think UNT will ever have a "pass happy" style offense under DD because that is simply not the way he is bent as a college coach. Secondly, I contend that most of La Tech's high profile wins came because they recruited "positions-wise" to become one of those "pass happy" football programs. Thirdly, many of us think we can just sell more tickets for those 15,000 waiting-to-be-filled empty seats (and were empty even during our bowl years) than we can with this "just keep it close till the 4'th quarter" offense we've seen of late. Granted, it will never be a problem to have a Cobbs or a Thomas on our campus, but to have them in an offense that can crank it up to become a "pass happy" offense could have only helped us beat many of those OOC schools we would have liked to have beaten in recent years that would get us out of our usual end of year SBC ranking among the other 117 1-A schools and very well (with such wins) may have even helped our chances in getting in CUSA 2 years ago.

Private schools versus public schools most always have these kind of symptoms and banterings. We open ourselves up for much of this on our own w/o SMU having to really do much if you think about it. What would probably silence many of our critics from SMU, though, is the day when the Mean Green Village out a Eagle Point is completely finished with a new NCAA D1-A football stadium at the juncture of those 2 Texas interstates as our shining buckle on the rolling Texas prairieland we call our Eagle Point Campus. Trust me (and other older nestors who have worked in DFW the last few decades), that will silence many of those SMuuuuu'ers.

Now where do all those virgins play into all this?

And there are those who think such offenses helps sell tickets to many school's casual or borderline type fans; you know, the kind of which we @ UNT have about 15,000 seats for the taking most every game? Some of you may agree or disagree, but it really does seem when a mid-major (a la La Tech) has upset one of the Big Boys, it many times had to do with the fact that they ran the wide-open "pass happy" offense. We should study trends at UNT more often from within and those happening outside our campus.

The consensus it seems of many on this board indicates that the SMU game just might be DD's biggest game ever. Some posters are even basing whether he should have a future at UNT based on this one SMU game. I just don't buy into that "one game" theory because first of all, the SMU game is only our 2'nd game of the 2006 campaign which will still leave us with 10 to go on our football schedule. As flyonthewall stated in one of his prior posts which I'd wager many (including myself) would agree and that is: Just who have we added to the upcoming team personnel-wise (with our 100-117 D1-A ranked recruiting class) who are going to make that much a difference with this team in 2006? That in light of the competition we have to play this Fall, too. Our DL last Fall may have been the most porous (or "poor us") one I can recall in my 30+ years of following all this (and granted, we did have those injuries starting as early as last summer, too). Yet many who were injured last Fall have been penciled in by some on GMG.com as instant stars who will solve all our DL woes? Well, at most other D1-A outposts, they would still be considered unproven with "few or no minutes" in varsity play projects (as they should be). And FWIW, everyone looks like an All American in Spring Football and even during Fall camp, but many of our 2006 opponents may have more in numbers who also look like All Americans (with some who will actually be AA's this Fall) which may be our main problem next season, ie, a shortage of talent compared to those we will play. Granted, we do have some Mean Green football players who (when healthy) could probably start for some Top 25 schools, but the injury bug-a-boo if it hits our team once again will probably be filled by those with very little D1-A experience or worse, maybe no D1-A experience at all. Super Jamario Thomas even if healthy this Fall had a better supporting cast in his true freshmen year 2 seasons ago when he was simply phenomenal. For those of our opponents who may be pooh-poohing JT based on an injury season last season should be reminded that he ran for about 250 yards against the Big 12's Colorado Buffalos his true frosh' year. That Mean Green football team of 2004 was a much more seasoned veteran football team than the one we will have this Fall. That team had numerous All SBC talent on it with 2 or 3 NFL-type talents on it, too. 'Twould have been a good year to play SMU in 2004, eh? Funny how most anytime we play SMU we are in a down-cycle with this football program. Would be more of a rivalry if both schools could play each other more than once every 15 or so years AND both teams playing good football, not just one. So what about the 2006 MG football season? I don't think many will buy into another 1 & 5 or 1 & 6 start like we seem to have on an annual basis. At some point, this football program has to show improvement (a key OOC win or 2 for starters?) with successes well beyond the SBC level. Yet if we keep doing things the way we've kept doing them of late, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see that we keep getting the same results? That is, an SBC football championship (realistically, probably a pipe dream this Fall), play the 4'th team CUSA team in a bowl game and get beat by the 4'th place CUSA team in a bowl game might be considered by many as our getting the same results.

And DallasGreen, would it bother you as much as it would myself (and I'm sure many others) that after all the years you, I and those others have followed MG football (with you about 16 yrs. longer than myself); anyway, would it bother you that beating a school that has had one(?) winning football season in the last umpteen years would be considered "our biggest game ever" for the upcoming 2006 Fall football campaign? You young gun alums or NT Exes please do hear some of us out with our concerns as older nestors: Put yourselves in some of our shoes inasmuch that if in another 30+ years from today we are still talking about replacing Fouts Field and are chuggin' along in a lower profile NCAA D1-A co-existence; anyway, are you going to (perhaps) lose a little bit of your present enthusiasm for the "picture window of our alma mater" if NT football hasn't shown much in the area of progress against those schools in the 117 member NCAA D1-A that winning merely a few against some of that group would truly show such progress? Might some of you younger alums (or those even older) be a bit concerned in another 30 plus years from today if our alma mater's picture window hasn't shown you (who BTW, will be 30 plus years older than your present age) the kind of significant & upwardly bound changes that would make you proud of our alma mater? Keep in mind that some of us on this forum were around when we thought we would be able to actually build on top of wins (or near wins) such as we had in the 1970's during "you know who's" era. Those of us who witnessed that era have ( I presume) a slight advantage of having something to compare to that we all actually witnessed firsthand; yet even (admittedly) as the sports novices most of us profess to be can still sorta' hint at the kind of personnel that can get us back to that level (and beyond) or even suggest on this forum (and beyond) the kind of personnel that might prevent any of that from happening.

Well, Peale would have done a better job with the theme! }:>) lol! Uh.................senior moment? Nevertheless, thanks for the correction, BA, but my theme still remains the same no matter who authored that book.

Now if we could get UNT graduate Dr. Phil to write yet another book Norman Vincent Peale'esque titled "How To Win Fans (friends) and Influence Fans (people)" & quit calling them part of the Focker Family for heaven's sake)! ................................................................................................. And GrayEagleOne, didn't you tell me years ago at Ken Murphy's business that you knew UNT grad and Hollywood actor James Hampton? Most of you would know him once you saw his mug as he is one of those faces you recognize but usually don't know his real life name. JUST WHO IS THIS NT EX JIM HAMPTON GUY? Jim Hampton played the guy in the first "The Longest Yard" with Burt Reynolds who when he turned on the light in his cell the explosives-rigged light bulb exploded and he burned to death. Actually, Jim Hampton and NT Ex & Rock & Roll pioneer Pat Boone were on our campus a couple of years ago and took a tour of the Murchison Performing Arts Center while the NT Symphony was in rehearsal. Of course, the Hollywood-ites were duly impressed with both.

FFR showed me one (maybe the last one?) last evening at a gathering where there were several NT Exes in attendance out here in rural Parker County. As you young gun alums would say: "It was S-W-E-E-T ! ! ! !" Not sure the one Rick showed me is for sale, though, as it may have been his, but I'm sure if it is he would probably send you a PM on the subject. FFR, the question I forgot to ask you is: Are there any more like the one you showed me last evening on order? BTW, FFR can sing a mean "bass" as in Oak Ridge Boys-style "bass" and Harry (Miers) can croon a tune quite well himself. The Mean Green Nation is just downright full of musical talent. Do we now need a GMG.com talent show? lol! AND.................next time yall have a small gathering or party, ask NT Exes national president Dallas (Jim Fincher) Green to sing his version of Elvis Presley's "Polk Salad Annie!" He gave that song new meaning to many of us last night! Great job, Jim! And sorry, GGII, that I didn't have a piano or organ on location becasuse I've heard your NT COM-influenced talents in the past. Whoops! Sorry, we were talking about trailer hitches now weren't we?

Of course all this SMU Law School/future UNT Law School banter might be a bit sensitive with one on this board since this forums creator's better half graduated from the, uh, errrhh, well.................in deed, Mrs. (Harry) Miers did graduate from the SMU Law School. No matter the situation, I know W/O a shadow of a doubt that SMU prez' Gerald Turner must be smack dab in the middle of all this orchestrating the controversy part of this UNT Law School business! ! ! ! ! ! (just kiddin', of course) Nevertheless, I think even many SMU'ers would (right along with SouthernMustang) agree that this region really could put a good public university supported law school to use.

We will never know the sum total of what dear ol' venerable Fouts Field has cost our school in possible conference affiliations the last 30 or so years. I think the Baylor locker room "black out" or power out was the straw that may have broken the camel's back as far are our effectively scheduling anymore Big Boys anytime soon. I think that kind of news seems to get out among those in the NCAA D1-A network would be this novice's guess. Fouts Field has improved remarkably, but (after all) didn't it have nowhere to go but up in the improvement department? Still it is a better venue for our fans with all the new cosmetics, but those still have not improved it to the extent as to impress the kind of schools we all still want to come see tee it up with the Mean Green. Middle Tennessee has a nice functional college football stadium (w/o a track inside) built in the way Fouts should have been in the early 1950's, but we just simply dropped the ball on that one. Not sure why a track was ever installed so far away from the east and west stands. Any of you older nestors have an explanation on that? First time it ran across my mind that NT might need a new football stadium? How about after the very first game I attended at Fouts as an NTSU student back in September of 1973. I'm sure for many fellow alums it was well before that. Many of us believed had Texas Stadium not been such a temptation for our school to use with the "big time" thinkin' Hayden Fry at the helm, that he would have totally focussed all his effort$ on getting a new football stadium at UNT and with all the DFW tie$ that man had back in the day(?) {and still does BTW}........oh well.

And, GGII, we can't also forget the fact that it was the great state of Arkansas that gave us, uh, "tooth" paste.

Texas Tech would be considered a meaningful OOC game. We did beat Tech with DD, right? Altheimers runs in the family.

And, ee, I was afraid we would forget ol' Tex (of McKinney, Texas).

I may be in the minority with this philosophy, too, (which is nothing new for me on this forum, of course , but I can never see how any one game, one season, one coach (popular or other-wise) or one "whatever" would ever determine when one would give the Big Donation needed for a new stadium @ UNT or any other school for that matter. If that was the case, we should have gotten all that after we beat Tennessee years ago OR after our win over Cincy' in the NO's Bowl. If memory serves me, even while Coog' football was in a down-mode, UH mega-wealthy alum John J. Moores gave UH athletics (and his alma mater) a (then) record donation for a U.S. public university of about $50 million to the school located off Cullen Blvd. in H-town. $25 million of that total was ear-marked for the UH athletic program and they built some very nice athletic facilites with it, too. Yet at the time Mr. Moores first told (then) UH AD Rudy Davalos money would be forth-coming to UH, I believe those 2 were in the Orange Bowl watching the Miami Hurricane dismantle the Cougars every which way but loose. I think a Big Donation to (eventually) get a new football stadium at UNT will come when we least expect it truth be known. FWIW & IMHO, there is just way too much money here in the DFW Metroplex for UNT to not get at least something as far as some very substantial seed money to get this new football stadium project started. I also think any Big Donor has to know that UNT has a well planned short-term and long-term plan of action for taking Mean Green football up the NCAA D1-A ladder. Not sure merely winning the SBC, getting beat by the 4'th place CUSA football team in a bowl game and no Top 25 rankings but rather being ranked in the bottom quadrant of the 117 member division would hardly inspire any potential Big Donor, either. Could be wrong with all that, but don't think I would be. However all this plays out, this will be the single-most costly construction project in our school's 100 plus year history. We will (in essence) be spending more money for this one project than we have in our entire UNT System's endowment. That fact alone scares some of us with this new stadium idea. We truly need a Big Donor who stipulates: "This money will be ear-marked only to build a new football stadium at UNT's main campus in Denton, Texas, America."

Actually, USA Today in a research study a few years ago said that 5.7 years is the national average for a student to finish a "4" year university; so in affect, might 6 years of elgibility be more appropriate for college varsity athletes?

Just like I've been saying, folks........... CONSPIRACY! PS: Actually, I've worked with many SMU alums in the sector of education I've been in for 25 years and SouthernMustang is most right on with his assessement; but its really more fun to think other-wise, now isn't it?

IMO, seems like the defining moment of when things seemed to really start going south for many of us associated with UNT in whatever capacity was the day (and subsequent following months) Pohl announced his retirement. I know there were controversies involved with that, but I also don't recall the 2 (two) NT presidents I've seen in my adulthood as a student and after my graduation AND who "VERY" pro-actively supported Mean Green athletics ever left peacefully or with a majority of on-campus academian's support. Hellsbells! They almost indicted ex NT president C.C. "Jitter" Nolen over some alleged things at the end of his tenure. We hadn't really had a pro-athletics (not just lipservice kind) NT president since Nolen left and Pohl arrived. Dr. Hurley did some great things for our school, but I don't think varsity athletics really was a prime passion of his. No doubt that if Dr. Pohl chooses to stay on the UNT payroll and is invited to do so, he will undoubtedly hang around the Mean Green scene to be a most productive and contributing part of our alma mater. That man will not sit around and collect cobb webbs just so he can merely put in enough years to get a state of Texas retirement, that's for gol' darn sure .

Always great to hear of any North Texas Exes' success... CONGRATS, SIR PATRICK COBBS!

Thanks for that info, Go_UTA... Out of the 4 projects for UNT, I am going to wager a guess that 2 of those will get off the drawing boards to construction sites ASAP (and with the necessary funding no matter how that part is done) and those 2 will be: (1) the College of Business bldg at our main campus in Denton and (2) the General Academic Bldg at UNT-Dallas ............................................................................................... A side note: The FW Museum of Natural History, Omni Theatre, etc, etc,etc, are going to spend $65 million on their much needed new facilites. Yes, I said.............SIXTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS! There sure seems to be bukuus'(sp?) and bukuus' of money here in one of the "Fortune 500" meccas of American business many call the Metroplex, now doesn't there?

Well, just the other day I was at the Weatherford courthouse square downtown cafe (just down the street from where former Broadway star (& Peter Pan, of course) Mary Martin and her son, one Larry "J.R. Ewing" Hagman used to live and we were all talking about what kind of Parker County peach crop we would have this year. Seems pretty promising to hear some of the older nestors talk. I left that get-together pretty doggone' excited to tell the truth. Love those Parker County peaches and that begs the question: When's the last time any of you had a Parker County peach?..............Well.........that's too long!

Loved those breakfasts at Jim's Diner. I can't remember, but what business took over that location? Anyone from that era recall?

LOL! No, EagleMBA, all still there and in working order.

That is very good news, Ole Green Guts. After eating a bit of crow myself on the thread "Pissed" that was removed (and the reason it was actually removed later explained to me via email) I made my own apology to Harry as well. That goes to all you other GMG.com administrators, too. Anyway, Harry being the true Southern Gent' that he is most graciously accepted the apology. But hey already! I'm Irish, I'm passsionate, I'm emotional, AND.....I'm a true 1'st tenor --------so need I say more about my own personal plight of what the late Garland and Ozella Plummer produced here?