chomp

I'm about as pro-athletics as you will find on the faculty, but I would have a hard time supporting the program if it became a haven for miscreants and castoffs from other schools as a way to shortcut the way to athletic success. I don't know about this kid's situation and he may be unique, but it would be disappointing if UNT were to begin bringing in students with these kinds of issues on a regular basis. Fortunately, I doubt that it will happen.

I love the quotes from Coach Meyer, they get me fired up even though I am 12 years and 1100 miles removed from Gainesville. His quote about the girl at Utah is exactly right, it felt precisely the same way for me when I was at UF. As a faculty member at UNT now, I really wish that more of our students could experience that same connection to their university instead of simply seeing it as a brief stopping off point where they take classes.

There are 4 alumni on the search committee plus 2 current students.

I came to UNT long after it became IA and got my degrees from BCS schools so I honestly do not know the answer to this question: what was horrible about being IAA? Was support and interest really low or was it the quality of play or something else? I have read people talk about being IAA like it was a form of pergatory for UNT, but I have never known why. Some schools (like Montana) seem to have done well as a IAA and maintained fan support, but perhaps they are an exeption.

As I said earlier, change does not necessarily equal improvement. Sometimes change is just change. If Dickey is fired this year, who in their right mind would take this job? If you want to fire Dickey and improve the program, UNT needs to not only raise the bar by saying just winning the SBC is not enough (something easy to do) but also raise the resources available to a coach to achieve those goals. That means fan support and interest, continued improvement in facilities, better resources for athletes, etc. If you want a new coach, UNT needs to make those potential coaches out there look at the program and say "this program could be so much better". I'll give you two examples of what I am talking about. Nebraska fired Frank Solich after a 9 win season because expectations were that 9 wins were not enough. They struggled to find a replacement for him because firing Solich seemed to make so little sense. Expectations exceeded reality. They wound up with Callahan and failed to even make a bowl last year. My alma mater, Florida, fired Ron Zook last year. All sorts of talking heads said that it was unfair, it was a poor decision. Florida, however, had no trouble attracting a top coach because although expectations are very high (sometimes unreasonably high) but potential coaches could also look at the strengths of the Florida program and say "this program could be so much better". I am not saying UNT needs to become Florida, but if fans would turn out for home gains and better support the program both financially and emotionally, it would be much more reasonable to raise expectations. I have to say, one of the most surprising things to me since I joined the faculty here at UNT is that there seems to be virtually no difference on campus between weeks in which there is a home football game and weeks in which there is no game. It is really hard to see that campus buzz that is so vital in getting students to turn out for games and to get them to want to come back and contribute as alumni.

I understand the frustration with Dickey. I have only followed UNT since I started working here a few years ago and the failure to win OOC games is definitely disappointing. Those who want to fire Dickey seem to naturally assume that his replacement will be an improvement. If UNT does not win the SBC and Dickey were to be fired this year, what coach is going to want to take a job at a school that fired its coach after winning 4 consecutive conference titles? That is a pretty high bar to set for a new coach coming to a program that, while showing great promise for the future, also has some real question marks in terms of funding, fan support, facilities, etc. Just my <.02

I have a really stupid question about constructing the stadium. Florida State's stadium used to look like an erector set (it really was a dive) and they faced the same restriction against using state funds for athletic facilities. When they renovated their stadium, the entire outside structure that wrapped around the erector set consisted of classrooms and administrative offices (ie; non-athletic uses). Therefore, FSU used state money for the construction and only had to raise money for the internal athletic-oriented renovations. Is something like that possible at UNT? Has it been considered?

Hoopeston Corn Jerkers

He built a team at Duke and won the ACC, something Duke has struggled to do before and after he left. Although Florida has lots of resources, we had never won an SEC title before Spurrier (and have not since). The Redskins opinion aside, the guy is a flat out winner. The best description of Spurrier was something written in the Atlanta Constitution when he played at Florida: " "Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him, Steve Spurrier would still be a two point favorite at his own execution." I look forward to the day when UNT finds its own Spurrier.

I am sorry, this is all my fault. You see, each time I have moved to a new state the area experiences their worst winter storm in decades. First winter in Illinois - 27 inches of snow in 24 hours. First winter in DFW - the metroplex turns into a gigantic skating rink. I apologize for the inconvenience!

The wife left the office in Dallas at 5 tonight. She is still on I-35 and was in Lewisville at last report. This is unbelievable!

Classes are now canceled for Tuesday. The truly sad thing is that I am still stuck on campus waiting for my wife to pick me up on her way home from working in Dallas!

I can't tell you about the CAS as a whole, but in terms of my department within the college we have not yet been led to believe that we will have to cut courses in the fall. We have consolidated some summer courses. I expect to be teaching the courses that I am currently scheduled to teach next year. Hopefully we will weather the budget cuts!