Green Dozer

Sorry, if Dodge leaves, there will not be 15,000 people watching a new no name coach.

No, a few more people helped Rick this time, and Dodge was a big reason for that. We lost the vote the last time, even though we were in a championship run. Let's see, who was in charge of the vote then? Oh, yea Rick. No, sorry Shaft, but Dodge's reputation with the students and work helped deliver the vote. And the work of course, of Derrick Murray and the support of the SGA. No, Rick can't and should not have all of the credit for the stadium

Also known as the Red Neck Super Bowl.

Thanks. Sorry, will correct.

I have been reading many posts by people who think it is time for a change. Some of you make for some very compelling arguments as to why a change should be made. A lot sound like disgruntled parents taking their pop shots here. To the guys at TY, great story, and thanks for the diligent research. It was thought provoking to say the least, and I hope if we stay our present course we can re-shape history so to speak. Yes, we have gotten some bad publicity concerning the drug tests that was exposed this past week. No program needs that kind of publicity, most especially ours at this point.We have had some good things happen recently. Most importantly, we had the athletic fee passed which has put us in a position to build the kind of facilities to have a consistently successful football program here at UNT. I have questioned how we are going to do it, and many have rightfully accused me of being negative at times. But we can all agree that we have a chance to really move forward. I have been around this program, having grown up in Denton, most of my life. I will not go into every bad decision, but will give an example of a few. Lifer and I shared a memory of a game we both attended as kids at Fouts. It was in 1976 against Florida State, and I recall more than a few inches of snow on the ground. I believe out of 55 or 60 players that Florida State brought, only 19 had ever seen snow. Anyway, two future coaching legends coached that day. One was our own Hayden Fry, and the other was Bobby Bowden (his first year). Florida State was no powerhouse at that time, and I believe were in a significant rebuilding program themselves. We lost, but by only 1 point! (21-20). But since, as Lifer pointed out to me, our programs certainly took different roads. What if we had kept Hayden Fry? I had a teacher who was the wife of Bill Brashear, the defensive coordinator at the time. I remember her saying that neither Coach Fry nor the coaching staff wanted to leave, but felt like they just could not get the support they needed here from a financial standpoint, and from the adm to build the kind of program they wanted to. Thus, they left for Iowa and we hired an assistant from Baylor named Jerry Moore. Coach Moore has won a national championship or two at App. State, and of course beat Michigan last year. Pretty good, what if he had the tools to build a program? Hayden Fry had the Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl within three years. The other example is the decision, when were Div. I sub AA, to play Nevada in a playoff game in Denton or go there. Our forward thinking decision maker( ) at the time, Walt Parker (who was also an NFL referee) was afraid we could not get enough turnout to cover the gate. So, the game was played there in a blizzard and we lost. If played here, many think we could have won, and gone on to win the championship that year. Man, that would have been a big step, given our history. I believe we are at another one of those type of decisions today. You, know, with the exception of the drug stuff, we have not been the laughing stock of the DFW media, and nothing nationally. Oh, sure, Craig Miller takes his shots, but he would even if Bob Stoops left Oklahoma for here. But, for the most part, the DFW media likes Dodge, and has a lot of confidence in his ability to get things turned around. We are not yet this great laughing stock that some of you here think. In this next point, I want to say that I am not talking about the people who post here. But I believe if a coaching change is made, it is going to drive many people away from this program, and thus the potential of them making financial contributions to this program. They are going to say they are just tired of it. Most of those people, in my opinion, do not have the expectations of Dodge at this point that many on this board have. They have heard, and believe, that there is a lot of work to do in building this program. Who can we afford to hire that would excite those folks to stay with us? We may know that the guy from say West Texas A&M has a lot of upside or this assistant from Big State U. is the next Pete Carroll, but the casual fan won't have a clue. I think a lot of these students, whether we want to admit it or not, voted for the fee because of the reputation that Dodge has from their high school days. He has certainly taken more interest in talking and meeting with the students than other coaches here in the past. I know you gentlemen that do not approve of Dodge at this point will point to what this school or that team has done with so and so as coach in 2 years. I would say each situation is different. So, my question is, do you want to take a chance on the stadium project being put off because donors grow weary of this constant rebuilding? Because, I believe that could happen. Some of you say it wouldn't effect the stadium project because the athletic fee lets us start, but their not supporting this program will limit other things we could do to make this athletic program a consistent winner. A new coach could come in, may get 2, 3, or heck, maybe 5 wins next year. But it won't make that much difference. We will stay on the path we are on now, patching things here and there. Some of you old guys know what it means to use baling wire to hold things together, and keep plowing. Well, we will at some point run out of baling wire. Can Dodge do it? I don't know because I cannot tell you what is going to happen next week, much less next year. But I do think, under all of the present circumstances, think he has as good a chance as anybody else. Regardless of how I think it has to be done, we have to get that stadium up. If we are truly serious about building this program, we have to take the good and the bad. He should be able, within reason, be given the opportunity to coach through the end of his contract, and we as a university fulfill our commitment to building this program to that point. If we have the stadium, and a few other things are in place, we will be much better off than we presently are. If it were easy, every program would be a Notre Dame, TX, OU, or Michigan. We cannot continue to hand coaches at North Texas bb guns to hunt elephants.

Kram, Norman, Stillwater, Austin, and College Station seem to support the college teams. But remember when the Denton Outlaws were first being promote and the Denton Baseball Park was going to be built? The support just was not there during their first season, and I think the last couple of years, they have played at Lake Dallas. Not sure, I do not really follow baseball. Anyway, I hope that as much money as legally possible is put toward the football program first. If that is successful, it would help other sports like baseball follow and also be successful. I just think it would stretch our resources now for baseball. That said, I hope we have it here some day, as it is exciting. And plenty of smaller schools have been successful in Omaha.

Finch, maybe you need to get a drug test!

This one is going on the wall next to the one I framed yesterday.

Finch....you have some intelligent, well thought out posts. This is not one of them. We have no idea what goes on inside the TX/OU programs, and I doubt that Mack Brown or Bob Stoops have time to think up these things as you say. It is obvious you do not like Todd Dodge, and judging by the results so far, who can blame you. But to say he would tinker with the lives of young men, kids who are his son's own age, is just ludicrous. He is not a low life like that at all, and to make those accusations in just plain wrong. Again, if a car load of players had been killed in a car wreck late one night, and drugs were found to be involved, I think you would be hear saying Dodge should have known there was a problem, but chose to ignore it because it would make him look bad. We are all frustrated by the things going on in this program. What other programs do is their business, but Dodge made the right call in this situation. If it put one life back on the right path, then it was worth all the games that we have been blown out. This program is in shambles, not because of Dickey, but because of years of an apathetic administration and alumnae. It will not be fixed in just a matter of a couple years, it will take time. You cannot hunt elephants with bb guns and until dollars, instead of pennies are put into this program, nothing will change. It will not matter who the coach is. until more donors step up and take ownership.

I know thanks, but my point is the quietness of the ADM and BOR make me a little nervous. As for the rest of my post, I was just checking to see if Lifer was awake, and he is. By the way, good post on the capital campaign. (See Lifer, I can be positive)

Yea, but I would come back as a ghost on this board just to haunt you! :lol: Check your PM.

Whatever Lifer. I knew you would stick your pompous and arrogant nose back in it. Lets see, nothing from the athletic department about a capital campaign, not even an e-mail to alumni concerning the vote, nothing. Funny, the president has not said one word about 2011. But she wouldn't know anyway since she is not a part of SGA. Again, hope what I hear and post is one big lie, that would be great. I am not posting to be malicious, and I tired of your innuendos to my posts and everybody elses. Simple, don't like it or agree with it, don't post it. Must be a great LIFE lifer to always be right and never wrong!

Good Post!

Bull! You really think the BOR is going to let this thing go up based soley on the student vote, and not know how the other half is going to be paid? The student fee can only be used for half of the stadium, right? At 60 mil, that leaves 30 mil. It is not going up until they know how that is going to be paid. And nautique is right, donors are not lining up as you say, and I recall that you put that you put something to the effect that they would on your flyer. The plans and engineering studies will eat up that 6 mil that you think is there. I have heard the same thing from a couple of sources that the athletic department is in a tough spot right now financially. You know, when Dr. Bataille announces the dates for the stadium, then I will believe it. Sorry, it is not up to just you and RV.

Well, sir, you are very close to the truth. My friend and I tailgate next to a group of parents who do nothing but gripe and moan about Dodge & Co. Some of the things this poster has posted has been mentioned in the parking lot. One parent in particular mentioned he has four aliases on this board, and what he posts depends on which one he uses. FWIW, I do not put a lot of stock in most things they say.

It is laughable that you continue to float the theory that this was done by Dodge to make himself look better or use it as an excuse for the season. He may not be having as much success as we think he should or we want, but I assure you he is not such a low life that he would use young men, possibly even their names getting out, to make himself look better.

You know, Lonnie, I feel your pain. However, I think this conspiracy theory of yours is a real reach. I just don't buy it. First, if a car load of players had been killed in a car wreck (i.e. Andrew Smith) and drugs or alcohol were found to be involved, then fans like you would be calling for Dodge's head because he must have known there was a drug problem, but chose to ignore it because of the shape his program is currently in. He would be blamed because he put the program over that of young men's lives. We can only speculate what kind of drugs were involved. Was it just weed? What if it had been meth, cocaine, or heroine? If his actions save one young man's life, whether now or in the future when he is through with football, it will make this season a success. Sorry it is not up to UT or OU standards for you. Again, I have been as frustrated as you are a lot of the time, just go through my posts. But to say he would do something like drug testing at the expense of young men is just to make himself look better or look like he is in control is just plain ridiculous.

Again, once he did this in the scope of being in the best interest of the University, it fell under Freedom of Information Act. What if it wasn't just weed? What if meth or heroine had became rampant on this team? I assure you if another Andrew Smith incident happened due to drugs, and you found out that Dodge knew of a drug problem, I guess you would be posting how Dodge put the program above a kid's life. If this turns around or saves one life, then this season has been successful. No, sorry, because of boards like this and other "sources" in the athletic department, it would have taken a miracle for Dodge or Rick V to kept this in-house. You didn't know Dodge at UT and neither did I, so what he did or did not do at UT is irrevelant. I bet he didn't use drugs. And your right, players are no choir boys. And what good would it do for another coach to slam us regarding this incident anyway? Its not like they do not have enough ammunition anyway. Not saying Dodge is perfect, but the fact that he is using something like this to his advantage is just ridiculous. And as for PHS, he has never liked Dodge, even before he got here.

I know you probably did not mean it, but I think it is interesting that a lot of people think drug use is only among the "lower class" and "hippies". I would not be surprised if it were not more prevalent in these programs that you mention.

Yea, I can hear it now. He wakes up one morning in September, realizes this team is playing poorly, and decides to drug test them to make himself look good. Please! Yes, the results would be same at any other university the results would be the same.

Rick, Student apathy, yes. Alumni apathy? Not sure on that one.

It is not very inviting forum to get up there and ask a question. Can't put my finger on it, but you just do not feel so moved when you are there. I know George has to tow the company line, but couldn't his questions be just a little more tough, instead of warm and fuzzy tales of "how were you recruited", "how was Riley recruited", the hurricane questions last year, etc. I thought just maybe George was going to go after him on the spread, why maybe ours is faltering, and others flourish. No, by the time George got through, you would think that Dodge invented it. Again, just observation, not trying to be critical of George.

They had our signal down last year. Dodge had two players blocking the ULM bench from seeing his signals. It is my understanding that the def coordinator or a defensive assistant coached with Dodge at some point years ago. Do not know where, but they did. Anyway, I guess with this offense some of the signals do not change.

Great progress is not to just win 2 or 3 games? I am not saying that to be a smart a** to your post, because I do not see more wins than that next year unless some major adjustments are made. We are not going to have a bigger, quicker offensive line. I think the defense will be improved. I do not think it is the players as much as I think it is the system as it stands today. And until that changes, it won't make any difference even if we were playing 5th year seniors at every position.

I keep thinking about this. NT 80, you are right on your post. This half-ass (it might not be that good) customer service has got to be improved if we want to get that stadium completed. I think the right moves have been made (i.e. the vote), but I question if we have the proper management team with the skills to get it done. Good attitude does not equal good skills.