PlummMeanGreen

Top to bottom? That means NT assistant coaches, also. I read early this morning where Troy U just gave their head football coach a raise to $215,000 per year.

AMEN, BRO!

Agree, grad88, we must have the latest arriving crowd in NCAA D1-A.

I wholeheartedly agree, Don, but on the other side of the coin, Dr. Pohl has 1 more full academic year left where he doesn't have to be as concerned about opinion polls giving him freedoms to maybe even go outside NT's usual box. We know if he did that he would do such responsibly, of course. Don't know what he will do with his last year on campus, but in some ways he could really do even greater things without near as much pressure as one might have who may have wanted to keep his job another 5 or so years at NT. NT BOR chairman Bobby Ray will not let this "all for one and one for all" momentum we have between the NT administration, NT Athletics and the BOR's miss a beat IMHO.

Well, Dr. Alfred F. Hurley also used the "athletics is a window to the university" illustration, too. All Texas D1-A school presidents are usually smart enough to say that; now whether they exercise it with follow-up can be another story. Dr. Pohl backed up what he said in that regard and Dr. Hurley just worked with what he had to work with at the time and I still believe played a part in us not dropping football in the early 80's. IMHO: Dr. Pohl received low teacher approval ratings in recent months and I believe a lot of that had to do with us. Us? He stuck his neck out for athletics at NT and I think that cost him approval points among the academians on campus. Hellsbells, I may now up my MG Club membership level again because of all this. I smell Lee Jackson all over Norval's resignation although that will be denied. Good new is: Bobby Ray is still the chairman of the Board of Regents and sportsfans, the Chancellor and the President of the UNT System report to our NT Board of Regents. The BOR will also have a major influence in selecting our new president and I can't see them picking an egghead who hates college football. Maybe they will even pick one who may know a billionaire or 2 or 3, eh? We will miss Dr. Pohl immensely, but IMO, the sky is hardly falling over this resignation. I'd be more upset if Bobby Ray resigned as chairman of the NT Board of Regents. If that happened, then up go the prozac millegrams.

Change can be good--change can be bad. We still have some bullets left in the gun, though. What is it they say about 99% of the things we might worry about never materialize? Join the MG Report Join the MG Club Join the John Birch Society Join Your Local Lions Club

This is a shameless tease, but if you subscribe to the MG Report now, you would then know about this news. I'm in a bit of shock to hear this quite frankly.

Personally, I would be more upset if a regional BCS school that would be more fan-appealing while bringing a few fans of their own to Denton (like say an OSU, TTech, etc,) cancelled a game with us at Fouts or our future new stadium. Of course, we don't have such schools scheduled for Fouts as SMU seems to get to do that (and their new stadium and not-so-good football team having some influence with that). Air Force football just doesn't do much for me like I guess it does others. I do appreciate the Air Force that protects the national defense, though.

I am trying to see where any of my post suggest where I am "trying to make" anyone do anything. I don't tell people "this is the "N T" baseball cap we have to have, ie, one letter on top another; I don't tell people "this is the shade of green we must have"; I don't tell people that you MUST tailgate; in fact, I don't tell people anything. I don't care that much about what anyone does as long as it doesn't affect me, but on this forum, I just merely voice an opinion just as you do the same. This thread is merely an opinion thread dealing with a simple request from the NT Athletic Department from their just-out in the mail Mean Green Fan Guide that everyone try to get inside the stadium 30 minutes before kick-off. I am not so naive' as to think all fans will do that. Wouldn't even bet a paycheck that they would. Shaneb, most of my posts usually say: "Just my .02" as my comments on this subject are "just my .02" and like the old Boy Scout story, I've never tried to make the little ol' lady who didn't want to cross the street, well, that is, uh, cross the street. Sorry you've misinterrpreted my intent as to suggest that I am trying to make anyone do anything. I think the the part that I've said about NT police monitoring the parking lots suggesting all go inside (or leave the parking lots to wherever they want to go) may make sense to those of us who have had their car windows broken and vandalized. Even at the tech school I'm employed, we have a security guy on a golf cart circling our huge parking lots all day long non-stop. Unfortunately, this is a society you even have to lock your front doors at night anymore. But FWIW, I don't understand anyone coming to Fouts Field to do all the tailgating and then not going inside the stadium for the main event. People can do what they want to do, but I don't want a bunch of teens who are obviously not going to the game hanging around in the parking lot eyeballing all our cars when that part can be nipped at the bud.

Jack, I think I heard Dallas Green say that one time about NT alum Pat Boone; of course, ol' Pat being originally from "Deep South" Tennessee would make being a KA a natural for him.

Actually, the Daktronics has become a big part of the pre-30 minute before kick-off ritual at Fouts Field. I also love to watch the HS recruits come in at the north end gate of the Press Box side and walk over to watch the NT co-eds AND whatever is on the Daktronics video board at the moment. There really are some interesting things other than just the Green Brigade that now go on 30 minutes before kick-off. No one should be told to do anything except follow the rules, especially if NT institutes a "no loitering" in the parking lots during the game. I personally don't won't some of our Concrete City neighbor's teenage kids in the Green Parking Lot eye-balling my car and would have no problem with a "no loitering" in the campus parking lots near Fouts during a Mean Green football game. Just my .02.

The press box guys were using that loud Eagle screech sound on the Daktronics as an attempt to tell fans "time to head toward the stadium, all." After checking on some football scores in my car at half time last Fall, I did see some teenagers (probably from Concrete City) who really looked out of place in the parking lots with all our vehicles. If NT had a policy that once the game has begun, that there can be no loitering in the parking areas because of potential auto break-ins that might encourage some. For sure we can't tell fans what to do and where to do it, but maybe a few subtle attempts might get a few more fans inside Fouts 30 minutes before kick-off.

Anyone can email a request to Ryan Barnhart in the NT Athletic Department for a 2005 Mean Green Fan Guide to be put in the mail now. If they already have your address over at the NT Athletic Department, then you will probably get the fan guide in your mailbox sometimes in the next few days. For you who don't think NT Athletics has your mail address, you can also email Mr. Barnhart with your mailing address inside the content of your email to him. Can someone link Ryan Barnhart's email address on this thread? Thanks in advance.... GMG! PS As far as season tickets, I've ordered 4 for the 2005 season and may add 2 more before 2-a-days. We have the best 2 back combo or tandem in NCAA D1-A. Those 2 AND their magnificent Mean Green teammates deserve the largest turnouts in Mean Green football history. All this can start here on GMG.com

Yeah, there are a few from our board that can be just as silly. ....but totally harmless, too. BUT AIN'T COLLEGE FOOTBALL JUST DOWN-RIGHT GREAT, THOUGH?!?!?

ipEAGLE, now that is a great idea on the 3 golf carts!

Sorry, I mean't Mean Green Fan Guide that many of you will get in your mail boxes this week. My bad.... I don't know about the NT football media guide, but I hope at the new MG Club level I'm in this year, I'll be seeing one in my mail box soon; if not, I'll just go over and buy one from Gabe Kirkpatrick in the Ticket Office. GMG!

What could be done by tail-gaters to see that even more NT fans, students and alums get inside Fouts Field 30 minutes before kick-off? Any new suggestions on that? I have enjoyed going inside early to see all the video features shown on the Daktronics 30 minutes before kick-off. Is sorta' nice to have more fans inside when the 400(?) member NT Green Brigade marching band makes its entrance into the stadium this Fall, too.

Of course, this was to be the great Andrew Smith's year to start at QB before his tragic loss. IMO, Meager will get the start because he's been in the system a year; but rest assured Coaches Dickey and Ramon Flanagan will be grooming a back-up QB (or 2) who will get many, many snaps during August two-a-days. I wonder if any of these young QB's are involved in the 7 on 7 summer schedule in Denton?

IMO, Dan Meager will be the Mean Green starting QB for the entire season and lets all just hope he stays healthy. As you said, he's a redshirt frosh and knows Dickey's system. Last time we had a similar scenario as this, we won a bowl game against the CUSA football champion at the end of that season.

Love that photo! Will make some think Fouts Field is not that bad, eh? (It's just the track inside a football stadium that has always been the main culprit). As it got darker, some of those empty seats seen in this photo became filled with fans.

Shameless bump.... What? No SBC visitors thus far? Question: Did NT sell over 4,000 season tickets last year? Or was it 5,000?

I don't have any idea what we have sold in recent years, but its not close to where it should be. When we have a big crowd at Fouts Field its always Game Day walk-up sales. I'm sure one of our NT posters can post what we sold last year. <>&<> NT's record sale of football season tickets? In 1994 we sold around 11,000 season tickets but one of our wealthy alums from Thailand purchased 5,000 of those which were distributed to kids, charities, etc, etc, etc,. Does a new NCAA D1-A attendance by-law say you can now count all sold tickets in your attendance whether those tickets are used or not?

Interesting.............very interesting.

MANIFESTO #77: Sleeping disorder? Take Sominex or try to get thru this post! LOL! Jim, I understand what you are saying but I'll add a few thoughts on some of what you are talking about and some of it I don't have any answers. IMO, we are talking about a completely different era when we saw some of Hayden Fry's teams get our school some very nice national recognition with several high profile wins. I remember hearing Coach Fry at some gathering proudly beaming how NORTH TEXAS had been the talk of the NCAA Winter Convention following the season that we beat the mighty Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. We had not seen better times in Denton as far as Mean Green football was concerned at that point in time of our history. Yet, the Tennessee Vols were not a ranked team when we beat them. Bill Battle's job was on the line before the Mean Green laid the surprise of his life on him and his team on October 25, 1975. Outside a 1974 win over an AP (or UPI?) poll Top 20 ranked San Diego State Aztecs at Fouts Field, I cannot recall that any of our other high profile wins in the modern era of football at NORTH TEXAS were ever against a Top 20 or Top 25 school. You were at all the games in 1974, too, which is the one football season in our history that we did beat a Top 20 school; yet even with such a high profile and quality win as that was over the Aztecs, our football team still finished with a 2-7-2 record that season. Go figure..... NOTE: I've read on other boards that when some other non BCS schools had high profile wins that they still many times finished with an under .500 W/L record. IMO, there was a day when NT's facilities (as behind the times as they've been thru the decades) were really not so far behind what the SWC schools were doing "facility-wise" back in the 1970's. The main thing the SWC'ers had that we did not were real bonafide college football stadiums and Astro-Turf on each of their fields. NT could not afford artificial turf in that day or maybe our NT administration just didn't want to spend the money for it. Of course, Coach Fry thought using Texas Stadium made up for much when it came to NT's facilties. How many NT recruits back then saw Texas Stadium first and Fouts Field last on their visits? A CHANGING OF THE WINDS: Anyway, there was no dramatic arms race among Texas D1-A schools on facilities back then as there is today and has been the last 10 years. When that arms race began back in the 1990's, that is when I believe many of us who support NT were seeing our school was (bascially) being left behind at the train station. The dramatic separation between the "haves" and the "have nots" began with athletic facility construction all over the Southwest---except at NORTH TEXAS. The Dallas Morning News a few years ago did a full length feature article outlining what each Texas D1-A school were spending on athletic venues (mostly football-related) and NT hardly registered as a blip on the radar screen in athletic facility expenditures. Many of us who read that DMN article were not only embarrassed for our school, but for ourselves--the NT students, fans and alums. Even worse when that DMN article came out, NT had no solid future plans to do much of anything except paint Fouts Field for the umpteenth time. (whoopy) I think it would be safe to say if NT did not have plans to build a new football stadum at Eagle Point (which TxDOT is telling us we'd better since they need Fouts's frontage property) that we would even get left further behind and even in the Sun Belt Conference because other schools (Troy U) have modernized their "track-less" stadiums or have plans to join the rest of NCAA D1-A's arm race. Even Coach Howard Schnellenberger's FAU has raised millions toward a new domed stadium. The arms race of D1-A facility construction, Jim, is the difference today because many of our Texas HS products already play in some nice HS facilities, starting real close to our campus with the Denton ISD and their fabulous football stadium. TCU recruited from right out of our back yard a pretty darn good defensive lineman from McKinney during last Winter's recruiting. At the last minute and after the kid had supposedly had a pretty good visit at our campus he opted for TCU. Anyone else think that TCU's complete package of football related venues with their Grand Old Lady, Amon Carter Stadium, as the icing on the cake might have been the difference in him wearing purple/white over green/white? NT at present cannot match TCU's icing on the cake, but we know that is going to change while we wait for our campus fundraisers to hit pay dirt with a Big Donor and word has it that they are out there hustling some pretty impressive names BUT----ALL WE NEED IS ONE. From Day One when we knew we had to eventually abandon Fouts Field we all knew we would need a Big Donor and that has not and will not change. With today's Texas HS football players, the "WOW" factor of outstanding college athletic facilities as Coach Dennis Francione at TAMU calls them seems to have a much greater influence of where a kid signs his letter of intent as compared to past decades. UNT has begun to add to its WOW factors with what we are now doing at those 200 acres at Eagle Point Campus and the timing for doing this could not have been any better. ******** <>*<> In fact, can anyone only imagine how even further behind we would have been in today's NCAA D1-A (especially in Texas) if we didn't have in our own athletic facility arms race arsenal what we now have out at Eagle Point? Schools who have the best football facilities can get into conferences over schools who have even gone to 4 bowl games in a row.? BUILD IT! I cannot answer the questions on our losses last year to #3 ranked Texas (except that UT was just that--ranked #3); or even our game with Southern Miss at the NO's Bowl. I do know USM gave the (then) #4 ranked Cal Bears a very close game a week or 2 before they caught us in the Big Easy and their game with Cal could have just as easily been a win for those Golden Eagles. If the Golden Eagles had beaten the Cal Bears, NORTH TEXAS and the SBC would have probably been hosting a ranked team in last December's New Orleans Bowl. Also, check out USM's overall football related venues compared to ours (for the moment, at least). We are now a school with an athletic facilties game plan and when we finish all venues at the 200 acre Eagle Point, there could very well be a pretty big handful of even BCS schools who we will pass in facilities, neverminding 99% of the non BCS schools of which we will do our Road Runner "Beep-Beep" routine as we pass them by leaving dust in our wake. What I can offer as one remedy to such high profile games that NT will play in the future is just signing more quality athletes because that is the difference in any D1-A program. All NCAA D1-A college coaches here in the Lone Star State would agree that each of their own collection of football related facilities plays a most important part in signing quality classes on a regular basis AND not just a good class every 3 or 4 years. Sadly, those schools (most of whom are in the non BCS) who don't join this escalated athletic facility arms race will find themselves sitting at home all dressed up for the Prom with no one who is interested in taking them. Some of those programs may not survive long enough to join the present athletic venues arms race if they don't begin doing such soon IMO. IN CLOSING: NORTH TEXAS is more than just fortunate to have President Norval Pohl, Board of Regents Chairman Bobby Ray and a pro-active AD in Rick V. Many of us have been around when none of the aforementioned in their respective positions were even close to being on the same page when it came to having the same philosophies as far as having a progressive NCAA Division 1-A football program.

Probably can blame the company up in Oklahoma for the music since they produced the video. I hardly noticed the music as the visuals would have been what most of us on this board would have been more interested. Just curious, how long did it take you to download the video?