PlummMeanGreen

WAR & PEACE Chapter 1: Folks, this is not our Uncle George's NCAA D1-A since the SWC dissolved. The schism between the haves and have nots has grown even larger. For further proof, just check the Texas state top 100 list anymore to see how many non BCS schools are even listed besides Texas HS phenom's names. It has even changed dramatically ever since Coach Dickey and his staff had 7 or 8 off that elite state top 100 list several years ago, now hasn't it? NT has to do its part (like in----F-A-C-I-L-I-T-I-E-S?) to try to bridge our own distance between the BCS and our present role in the non BCS. What we do on those 200 acres between those 2 Texas interstates, ie, the new Mean Green Athletic Village will determine how much we eventually close that gap, IMHO. And isn't it always money that plays the vital role in all this? Chapter 2: Until our NT constituency-wide donation levels reach that of the budgets of the LSU's, OU's, Texas', TAMU's etc, etc, etc, I guess a few of our most loyal will continue to stay intrigued with this "David vs. Goliath" role. This a role some non BCS schools play when they play Big Boy U and, yes, even ever once in a blue moon when one of the non BCS teams beats a Top 10 Big Boy U. Can't remember when a Top 10 school was defeated by one of our fellow non BCS schools, but wouldn't it be about (maybe) 1 out of every 500 games? Sure we would all love to beat the LSU Tigers and our team will go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with that full intent, but that kind of victory would really fit moreso on the ceiling part of where we'd really like our NT athletic program to be one day. If we could compare NT Athletics to a house, then we all know darn good and well we still have much, much more foundation that just plain out needs to be laid in MG Country,ie, fundraising & donations from NT alums/fans, big time marketing (which is costly), more butts in seats which a big time marketing program would produce, etc, etc, etc. Chapter 3: Yet it always come back to the subject of money, now doesn't it? Such a subject that can get real personal-----like in yours and my money for starters? It starts with a greater need for even more investors with this NT Athletic program. NT alum Joe "greenjoe" Holland, a Denton proprietor (Denton Bicycle Center), posted how any NT alum/fan can join the $250 level of NT's primary fund-raising arm of its athletic deparment with only a $21.oo plus change monthly donation. There is even a smaller donor level for the MG Club after looking at the mailer on the internet that most of us will be getting in our mail boxes this next week. Like other similar mailers in the past, it will probably go out to over 100,000 in our NT family across the Southwest. Don't we all remember the story about David and Goliath? Yet, if an NT ever defeated one of the Goliaths on our football schedule, we don't conquer an entire country as the story goes in the Book, but our Mean Green players have 1 victory that a coaching staff will allow them to enjoy until Monday when a new challenge begins. And if our MG had such a huge Top 10 win, they still have to come back to Denton and co-exist in whatever environment our alumnus donations utlimately creates for them to exist in; unlike Big Boy U who in their facility arms race have better facilites to train in and play in than some NFL teams. Epilogue: If you were a Mean Green football player, what kind of athletic physical plant would you want to come home to after such a victory over a Top 10 Big Boy U in front of 70-90,000 fans? So IMO, we need more concrete for our NT athletic's foundation and haven't we really had that need for decades even after we had a few high profile wins back in the day? Just my $2.00 worth on this...

IMO, NT will not have a QB problem this Fall as the season develops. The main problem at this point is that we will have a young QB for a conference game that just happens to be the 2'nd game of the season. Thank God above we have the best duo RB tandem in all of NCAA D-1A football according to one of the pre-season college football magazines because I think they will be carrying this team most of the season as it is; although, I think we will have the usual DD passing game with about 15-20 passes per game--just enough to keep 9 men off the defensive line trying to stop our all star running backs Sir Patrick Cobbs and Super JaMo Thomas Weren't we all impressed the last time we lost a starting QB at the beginning of a season and a red-shirt frosh QB took over our team? Didn't our coaches handle that situation almost flawlessly? The great Andrew Smith as most know was that QB and was field general in NT's only bowl game win in our history and that (only) against the CUSA football champion. I am duly impressed that one of our recruits from last winter, ie, Cedar Park QB Korey Washington made the Austin American-Statemen's 1'st team QB on its All Cen-Tex team because there is some very nice talent in that heavily populated part of the Lone Star State. The QB position at NT may very well turn into one of our strengths as the season develops.

If they don't beat NT on September 10'th, I'm not sure their Coach Andy Mac will make it to the end of the season and who knows, maybe not even half way thru the season because another NT loss would so demoralize their football program I think he would lose his team. I do hope this game is televised (and why wouldn't it?) even if they have to move it to a Thursday.

The owner of the Denton Outlaws said he wants to build a baseball stadum at Eagle Point that blends with the rest of all the other venues that will eventually be at the Mean Green Athletic Village. He and Van Poppel are out raising money last I read and IMO they won't build a stadium until they get enough funds to build a first class collegiate-type baseball facility.

Results of today's 7 on 7 ?

When you have the best running back tandem in NCAA D1-A (according to one of the pre season college football magazines) do you exactly have to have much else than an offensive line who can block for them? We have an offensive line led by Dylan Lineberry who is on the check list of the most prestigious award for any college lineman. We have arguably one of the 2 or 3 best receivers in the history of the NT football program with Johnny Quinn (4.4 forty) who is an ESPN Sports Center delight (he made their highlights couple or more times last Fall) and I'd put a Texas-style chicken fried steak up against some fine Louisiana Cajun cuisine that NT will have a starting QB who will effectively be able to get the ball to him by the time we arrive in Ruston on October 22'nd. We have a defense that I believe will have developed, jelled and be pretty salty by the time we arrive in the your part of Louisiana. In fact, we have some young players who IMO and from those who have observed them closely have a chance to really make a very postive mark before they leave Mean Green Country. NT jealous of anyone in the WAC? We felt sorry for those schools who left the SBC for the WAC and if memory serves me correct, I believe overtures were made to NT by WAC Commish' Karl Benson and he was headed off at the pass on those overtures by our administration before he could explain why. The WAC has 2 or 3 fine schools at the top (with all 3 having entertained the idea of leaving the WAC in recent days) and one of those schools is Boise State. Well.......NORTH TEXAS beat the Broncos 3 out of the last 4 times we played them according to an NT football meida guide I just checked. NT also has a 2 & 0 record against the Fresno State Bulldogs. So even at the top of the WAC are a bunch of schools that NT has effectively competed with in the past so we are hardly what you could call, uh, thunderstruck?. Heck! Even Howard Schnellenberger's FAU team (from the, uh.......Sun Belt) beat the Universtiy of Hawaii Bows last year. The SBC is to NORTH TEXAS as the MAC was to Marshall U and I'd think most of us would agree that their consistent successes in their former league has caused good things to happen for their progarm (no matter what schools were in the MAC, right)?

Bump

Sorry, bison, but I have to disagree with you about TCU because that school of all the ex SWC schools in the non BCS are drawing the most fans averaging over 30K for most home games. Living in the FW area, I've observed fairly close what the Frogs have been doing. We just need to get our NT Exes in Tarrant County and Fort Worth out to Fouts Field. If we cannot afford to mass market Denton due to our budget limitations, I'm sure marketing FW would be out of the question. BUT.......North Texas has to only go out and reach its own of which most are within 45 minutes from Fouts Field. ......................................................................................................................................... Our NT constituency and Greater Denton numbers: NT Enrollment: approx. 32,000 NT Employees: approx. 4-6,000 (a local gold mine if we start digging) NT D-FW Exes : approx 100,000 City of Denton: approx. 100,000 Denton County:approx. 500,000 (includes Denton's 100K) ......................................................................................................................................... All we need (at present) is "only" 30,500 from the above numbers. Doesn't seem like it should be as difficult as we seem to be making it at times.

One magazine has La Tech picked to finish (6'th) behind New Mexico State who hasn't beaten NT since Nixon was probably president. I just don't think they have an answer for our Dynamic Duo running backs at NT. Colorado didn't for just one of those running backs, but NT will find numerous ways to score against La Tech (compared to CU). Darrell Dickey's reloading with quality players who will be just fine for our 2 OOC foes and the Sun Belt. Yes, some of our re-loads will be inexperienced in September, but they will not be by the time we get to Ruston this October. NORTH TEXAS 42 Louisiana Tech 17

I've read on another collegiate message board's bylaws of being a poster and one of those bylaws was for its posters to not (under any circumstances) discuss the injury of its football/basketball, etc, student/athletes during the season.

Come on, Jim, we've obviously seen much of the bad and ugly up there, but what gives us a chance IMHO to see the good is the new population who don't know any better than to support their home town's ONLY college football team. NT officials needs to quit going back to the same well to get the same kick in the ass from the same people I believe you are referring to DG. We need to go after the new demographic of Denton (County) by going to all the areas where all the Texas and non-Texas transplants are moving to. Denton's Robson City with all those thousands of retired people who have nice retirements would not be a bad place to start. How about "AARP Night @ Fouts Field?"

ADLER, without getting as melo-dramatic as usual, I am more than just a bit over-whelmed with these renderings of what our new baseball stadium will be close to looking like. Man oh man oh man ! If this doesn't cause more of our good NT alums and fans to want to invest in this program, I just don't know what its going to take. All that NT has going on at its 200 acre Mean Green Athletic Village (between the 2 Texas interstates) just staggers the mind and is making some of us older nestors dizzy with Eaglish' euphoria! LOL! SUMG, I think the company up in Tulsa(?) who produced the virtual video tour had it on their website for (obvious) public consumption, but if NT Athletics did (in deed ) asked Harry or Cerebus to be remove it, then removing it was the right thing to do.

Keep hoping there will be an update of this virtual video tour by the company in Oklahoma that produced it; especially since we now have completed facilities out at our Eagle Point Campus and with the new tennis complex now under construction. Who knows, there may be "one" who sees this virtual video tour for the very first time who may want to ($ignificantly) help with the cause (or knows $omeone else who could).

Scott Campbell! Where the heck you been?

We do have a nice base of Mean Green fans out here in the former Commanche/Kiowa Country better known as Parker County, Texas, and that's for darn sure. Start at the top of that list with Jerry's Cheverlet's own Jerry Durant (we will forgive his son for going purple and white on us, though). Dallas Green supports NT Exes by buying most all his automobiles from Weatherford's own and NT grad Jerry Durant. I will soon be looking to do the same. But way to go fellow Parker County-ite and one of our very best fans of all time----- The FireFightin'Rick McKinney! You know, its not easy for you all with young kids to do this all the time but you who do join have all the admiration from the rest of us older nestors. Go Parker County Mean Greeners! (Anymore from Parker County want to jump on the the MG Club bandwagon--if so, let us know by posting your intentions and helping this thread to build some continued momentum).

The quote in small green letters at the bottom of all GreenBat posts is one of my favorite all time quotes that has come from the mouth of the head football coach of the University of North Texas BECAUSE.......Coach Dickey's quote makes me think we will build a football stadium sooner than most seem to think.

We will win because NORTH TEXAS has better Texas HS-produced football talent than La Tech's. It will show on the field this October and have some on their Bulldog Barks & Bytes board really scratching their heads wondering just where their program is headed. But others on the LTU message board know exactly what myself and others here are talking about with all this Texas HS talent business. I don't think LTU has 1/3'rd as good a defense as Colorado had last year when Super JaMo ran for almost 260 yards against the Buffalos. NT will have Sir Patrick Cobbs back and it will look like a track meet at J. Aillet Stadium in Ruston with Mean Green running backs sprinting up and down the football field all afternoon long but being able to score against the Bulldogs. LTU fans, alums and supporters will be re-evaluating many things after our game with them in October of this Fall of which one will be their condescending attitude toward the Sun Belt. No, they will still fight the inevitable (future SBC membership or Independent status which is NCAA D1-A suicide) as they watch their big red and blue ship continue to sink as the sun is setting in the western US, but wiser heads will prevail within the LTU administration of which Dwayne of Minden thought sold them out in the first place when they first joined the WAC. More on that board should listen to Dwayne of (or is it From?) Minden more. He has much foresight and wisdom in his posts. I am serious as a heart attack about all that I have posted on this subject--no smack intended.

DD has re-loaded with some nice talent which IMHO will translate OK in the SBC and whoever we play in the NO's Bowl:), but for gosh sakes people, we are taking on a school on September 3'rd whose entire athletic budget would put a nice dent into the USA national debt if applied to such.

SIMPLETON SIMON SAYS: Shucks! All we need is somebody who can chunk that pigskin tater as far down the field as possible and just let the Mighty Quinn run underneath the darn thing, catch it, score and then show the crowd his Mr. Clean impersonation) Isn't that the very thing that what will keep the Emerald Express and Super JaMo from seeing 9 lined up on the opposing team's defenses this Fall? Doesn't that just about size it up? SIMPLETON SIMON SAYS: THAT'S ALL & I'M OUTTA' HERE.

SUMG, you still go it, bro!

There are a bunch of NCAA D1-A college RB's with 4.4 speed (give or take a tenth), but its what Super Jamario does with that speed that has many of us older nestors thinking we have not seen the likes of this at NORTH TEXAS. I have heard some real old timers talk about Abner Haynes, but I was 5 years old when ol' Abner was on the Mean Green scene in Denton. I have seen his films, though, and he was special. In fact, got to see him strut his stufff as a Kansas City Chief when they came to Houston to play the Oilers. Our Emerald Express (Sir Patrick Cobbs because I would always answer him with "Sir' if I ever had the opportunity to chat with him); anyway, it was our Emerald Express who started it all with this NCAA rushing title business and we all look for further great things from Sir Patrick. Yet aren't we one blessed NCAA D1-A school to have these 2 in the same backfield with the exceptional talent they both have BUT even more important-----the class that each one of them exhibits every time they speak?

Enjoyed reading your thoughts about the MG Club, FFJ... FFJ, we have many on this message board who have been in the MG Club much longer than myself and it would be nice to hear from them on this thread. My new take on giving to our alma mater's athletic scholarship fund is that if we take care of all men and women's scholarships (and what more worthy project than that), then there is whole bunch of money available to do most every one of each of our pet project marketing ideas that I've read on this board the last 4 years. Honestly, I don't think NT Athletics or Rick V is ignoring us with these ideas, but rather they just don't have the money in the athletic department budget to do hardly any of them. Also, FFJ, great to know we have many down in Houston who love NT & the MEAN GREEN to the extent that they've invested (just like you) on behalf of the Mean Green cause.

SMU had 4 Big Donors who built their $40 something million football stadium YET I still say this.... If a small college........located in a small town........... in a part of the USA that has hardly ever been known to be a garden spot of thriving American economy; anyway, if Troy U of Troy, Alabama (pop. 10,000?) can do what they did with their very nice, modern college football stadium, in my heart of hearts I just have to feel even little ol' NORTH TEXAS can just struggle right along with our "we po' but proud" attitude and (miracle of miracles) still build a new football stadium at Eagle Point. NT can even use, uh, "TROY U" as a model to build that a new football stadium. Any of you think it strange that NT would use Troy U (a fine school BTW) as a model? You know, when Bill Yeoman of UH retired, their administration hired their ex football coach as a fund-raiser extraordinaire for the University of Houston athletic program. It can be done just like that and even at North Texas We have an ex football coach who was at one time AD and Head FB Coach at SMU & had that job for well over 10 years. In those 10 plus years in Dallas, Texas, Hayden Fry developed more contact$ in Big D than the last 5 North Texas AD's combined AND yet we don't hire this ex "NT" head football coach at least as a consultant (a la Gene Stallings who received a pretty nice pay check from NT as a short term consultant)? Stallings couldn't have served more than 6-8 months as a consultant at NT, but 1-2 years would probably be all that we would need with Hayden Fry because of who he knows and because of who knows him. Coach Fry didn't spend over 10 years as SMU's AD and head football coach without getting to know some of Dallas' wealthiest and elite.