SCREAMING EAGLE-66

---Five of the top ten at Christmas in 1965-66 were Missouri Valley teams. UCLA, Houston, and future national champ UTEP were three of the others. We kept several in the top ten all year but not as many once conference games started after Christmas and they started defeating each other. Until then only two MVC teams had lost games... NT and Tulsa once to UTEP, the future National Champion of that year. The SWC was nowhere to be found. (Houston was independent at that time) ---People now do not realize how things were at in the 60's and until mid 70's or until Blakely left. Dr. Phil has mentioned going to NT basketball games and enjoying them.

---I have no idea when the "Pit" or the "Snake Pit" got its name but it was refered by that name in 1964 (my first year at NT) ....which is long before NMSU became a member of the MVC. I understood that it was called that because of the rowdy crowd and the fact that fans practically sat on the opponents bench. They had very little separation from the NT crowd and teams hated to play in Denton, especially week-nights when it was always packed. It was fun and crazy and we were in the best conference in America. [ don't even say the ACC was... they were still all white teams ] The best team was UCLA but the MVC, Houston, and couple of other teams were close. The MVC made the final four most of the 60's decade or until 1972. Memphis lost to UCLA that year. Louisville, Wichita, and Bradley (maybe Drake also) had made the final four and Cincinnatii had won it all twice before UCLA began its run. Unfortunately the system was set up then so that the MVC (Mid-America region) always played the Western team first at the Final-4 which usually meant UCLA and a loss.

--I suppose the defenders of the Alamo could have advertised that they were going to eliminate a lot of the Mexican army and be famous --- but the fact is they would not live over it.... that doesn't appeal to a lot of people...now or then. No one wants to lose as much as Baylor does but since it is a free education, they accept those scholarships... Those with NFL aspirations will chose to go elsewhere for sure. I am not so sure many would chose Baylor over TCU for solely football reasons (which was the point of the comment of which conference) .... maybe for other reasons however. If we get to the point we are winning a lot and competive against good competion, we will outrecruit Baylor for many players. Players like to win and the extrememly good ones would to go where they have a better chance to play and make the NFL. A lot of NFL players come from non-BCS colleges that won a great deal. I believe the CUSA changes will begin with problems or changes in the Big East. (my opinion)

--Absolutely..... Tulsa, North Texas, Lousiville and Cinncinatti were sending a lot of players to the NFL during the late 60's and early 70's. The MVC played a more pro-style offense with a lot of passing and it got a lot of players to the NFL level. The SWC was a ground-game conference mostly and may have sent less especially on offense because their skills did not translate well to the NFL. . How many UT offensive guys made it from the old wishbone teams that were winning in college during that era... about none. .

---Cincinnati went out first.. then the rest... After West-Texas State and New Mexico State entered or was about to enter the MVC, they opted out. The difficulty and expense of travel to those Western places was an issue. From what I remember ( I am UNT-66) there were also issues in the MVC about the football/basketball situation*... some did not play football and Drake was playing at a lower level. UNT, Louisville, Memphis all left together I think and Fry had hopes of joining the SWC which had nine members and most leagues were going to 10. SMU screwed us on that deal when they convinced TCU and Baylor to vote against us... we needed one more vote to be a SWC member. They did not want competition in the Metroplex from a State School was their argument against us. Our Football teams and basketball teams (under Fry and Blakely) were much better than theirs at the time as well. The SWC had received a wake up call when Houston went in as #9 and won the SWC their first year, I think in both. I don't know if we were welcome in the Metro-conference or not which more of less became CUSA but we did not join if so because of SWC hopes... That is why we older-time grad hate SMU so much... that and all the negative comments they have made about us for years. ---The NCAA changed rules some later and forced us into I-AA along with West-Texas, UT-Arlington and Lamar. Two of those dropped football and WT is now at a low-level.... only we survived the "drop". in status. *This is why I think the Big East is unstable... that and number of members, too big..

--McCoy is not an issue really ... he would have two years left when R.Dodge is a freshman. Only R.Dodge's second year could it matter and it wouldn't as long as McCoy was getting the job done. I would expect Dodge to be a non-QB player as long as they have a large passing game. He is too short unless he is still growing which is possible at his age.

--This has got the be the most instantaneous high jack ever... I have had a couple threads locked because of a comment I ( and others) said but they were not even close to this one. --Dodge wants the best for his son --be it here or elsewhere. He will be not an NFL player (too small) so college is it. The kid may want to get away from his father ( normal for most teenage-kids) and just live his own life. I read nothing into the fact he may go elsewhere.... if he comes here it may be because no bigger programs really recruit him. ---Back to politics --- Iraq was a big mistake (only time we have invaded a country without being provoked by them) and no-- the Democrats don't have the answer either.... no one does .... Bush created this mess and someone will have to figure out some way to end it... probably not him ...although he did figure a way to stay out of Nam which Gore and Kerry did not do or decide to do... this has gone on longer than WWII did for us. My fear is the resulting government in Iraq will be much like Iran has ... a crazy Islamic republic and we will be worse off than before .... the people Saddam ( more of a Mafia-type thug than a Islamic nut) was killing for the most part were the Islamic crazies that tried to overthrow him (there was a reason, it was not just for fun) ... and yes he was a very bad brutal guy, unfortunately it may take that to control that mess of religious crazies... but it is not our job to rule every country... there are a lot of bad guys out there and we can't invade them all. Now are we going to lock this???? It deserves it more than some others did... it is not even close to the topic..

---There is a world of difference of being a fan from a winning program and a non-winning one. I grew up in a high school than won a lot (Brownwood) and attended a lot Permian games as well after moving West. Midland when I got here was awful and the fan attitude as well. They accepted losing... which I never had. The attitude here has changed a great deal but still not to Bwd standards. ---I see the same is true around UNT football.... there are a lot of fans who hope not to lose instead of "expecting" to win....They say they want to win but their attitude is not that of one who expects to win..... there is a big difference. The players do understand the attitude of the fans in the stands and it matters. I am hoping that the appearance of Dodge will change the mind-set especially on the games that are not "body-bag" games. I have seen too much poor attitude by fans in the stands and players who think the game is over when we get 10 or more points down. This is not a criticism of UNT fans really but just states the way things are. I love the fact that Dodge is signing kids from winning programs and not just good players...... THOSE KIDS DO NOT LIKE TO LOSE AND WILL DO WHATEVER POSSIBLE TO GET A WIN AND WILL NOT GIVE UP WHEN THINGS ARE GOING BAD...especially if the fans are still supporting them and giving encouragement (loud) and not heading for the exists etc. They will not always win but they will always do what they are capable of.... That is why I was a great Staubach fan... He may have not the the best techical QB of all time but he never gave up trying and he did not accept anything but the best from his teammates. Football is also a mind game.... I have seen too many opponents that realize they are supposed to lose and just throw in the towel once a few bad things happen to them or play too careful when they lead and the pressure gets to them. ---Never give up.... if things get terrible at least try to make the score more respectable...besides weird things sometimes happen.. Tech came from 31 down to win their Bowl game this year --- Manning was seemingly hopelessly behind the invincible Brady (21 points?) this year, but he won. ... I love that West-Texas attitude.... This area was settled by risk-takers and it still shows. WIN -- or go down trying. !!

---To me Memphis is a Tiger among a houseful of pussycats. They would be the obvious Big East Team for football ---if they were located closer the the rest of the league. ..Who knows what will happen. It may be better to reign in Heaven (CUSA) than serve in Hell (the Big-East) at least basketball-wise. Baylor is learning the same thing...unlike TCU which was not accepted by the Big-XII but is competing quite well in their conference.. Baylor is usually getting clobbered in their conference (excluding women's sports). You have to be careful for what you want, you may get it.....a constantly losing men's program.. Would it be better to be the doormat of the Big-XII or win elsewhere.?? ...good question. ---I am still not convinced the Big East is all that stable because it contains a lot universities that play basketball but have no football programs. It is also way too large it seems (16 basketball teams, one champion). Those two groups could get crosswise with each other because they they don't always see their future the same way....that is largely what happened to the old MVC when we were a member and many left (Louisville, Memphis, UNT, Cincinnati) . The restructuring is far from over.

--After looking at last week's results.... who knows which are the favored teams.... ??? Looks wide open with one dud, Denver ....maybe.

----Travel could be a big problem with baseball in that league (and most leagues)... Most NCAA teams play a ridiculous 60 games... Sometimes you wonder if they are students at all or just another form of a minor league system. ---It would not surprise me if the Belt and CUSA "eventually" switch a lot of teams around to become more regional.. I am not guessing when or which ones other than UNT, ULL, and even La Tech would fit well with the western CUSA group.

---I have been in Europe several times... Trains travel works well there partially because once you get to a city there are subways, trolley systems, and other good ground transportation available to go about anywhere you want to go.. That usually is not the case here.... Once to get to a city (Dallas is bad) you don't have a extremely good in-city transportation system that runs every few minutes. In Chicago, New York, and San Fran it is easy to get to basebasll/football stadiums and to museums... In Dallas that doesn't exist and many other towns are not much better.

----They do this partly to assure themselves of enough wins season to be bowl eligible. This may be ridiculious but by doing this, we and other places get money to help maintain our programs. Be careful to not bite the hand that feeds us. At one time it was very difficult to get them to schedule us at all but now they will, partially because of the current BCS rules and bowl eligible rule. With this type of schedule it is tough for them to justify a top 10 ranking when they get close to the top unless they really blow those lower teams out. It is also why lower BCS teams want no part of us, they are afraid they might lose and not be bowl elgible.... remember SMU last year... one victory short...... and we defeated them. I do think it is crazy to schedule I-AA teams at least by those BCS "powerhouses". --- Florida (#1) had Florida State, Southern Miss, plus blowouts of UCF and Western Carolina on their schedule last year. Texas (1 in 2005) had Ohio State, plus blowouts of Rice and LaLa on their schedules.

---Sometimes we tend to forget these players are students and very few will make a career of sports... Also tired and beat-up players are more injury prone. If it was no problem to us it was the best thing to do. Unfortunately there are some athletes that forget this too and don't prepare themselves very well for their future after their playing days are over. Let us hope others are sympathic to us when we ask for a break. Being a hardnose probably means they would not schedule us again either. ---This is also a reason to not being a WAC member, too much and difficult travel and the amount of class time missed because of it. Our athletes are not professionals and very few will ever be. It is a bigger problem with basketball players that have "weekday" games. --Personally I think it might be to our advantage to have our game after they have begun conference play. They would likely be more concerned about conference games and might not prepare for us as well. The weather later in September is usually better also.

---Hope we can fill Fouts this year a time or two and have more fans wanting seats and can't get one.... That will help raise money to build a new one. Navy looks like a likely one to fill up if our W-L record is still fairly reasonable by mid November. ---Jerseys... please no black ones...LOL... that was a "dark day" but a crazy one to remember for the future.

--It was the old "hidden ball play" !! ... unfortunately this version hid the ball from the QB.

--I knew several Green Jackets in the 60's and they were good people (girls) and served the university well. I knew a few Talons and was not impressed with them... one I had a minor incident with... he had a bad attitude problem... sorta of I am a Talon and you are trash attitude... He got over that one. ... at least until I was out of his sight. LOL I know nothing about the current group... I know Tech has a very active unit "the Saddle tramps". that work hard for school pride and spirit.

---Miami signs a lot of players with character issues and often not the brightest bulbs on the planet. Remember the fight this year with FIU plus all of the other things that has happened there. I would prefer bright kids that want to achieve than that type of kid on my team. They usually can be beaten. Physically and individually they may do very well but they can be had mentally and may lack the smarts and discipline to work together well. Remember if a good QB is surrounded by receivers that aren't good, or not smart enough to get open, or can't run proper routes... the QB will look bad and eventualy he may do poorly also because he just takes what throws are there... A lot of ints are the receivers fault... they quit (TO) or go the wrong way, or do something stupid. "--No game is more a team game than football--". Note: Archie Manning played on a weak team and had to run for his life half the time unlike Peyton.

---I think Tech does do it in the evening with a brief PM meeting and practice, nothing very complicated. Absolutely nothing is fool-proof nor is any age. I had a HS girl pass out at my graduation practice (could not stand that long, probably walking to the car was considered exercise by her) in fact I know of a HS band member that passed out during a football half time program when I was in HS .... The temperature had dropped during the game from about 60 to mid 20's by half-time and the kid just wasn't dessed very warm and was not tough enough to take it either. I would have hate to think how he would have done feeding cattle out here in West Texas when it was that temperature or worse... I was plus I hauled hay when it was 105 (120 in the barn). That game was about the first of November. No date is absolutely sure of good weather. People just have to know their limits and not do things they should not do plus be prepared... drink water and have on the right clothes. Nothing is fool proof... One bad incident doesn't mean the whole idea is bad. Things just happen with everything, even walking outside to get the mail then just sitting in an easy chair watching football. My friend had won a local tennis tournament the weekend before that, health did not seem to be an issue, but was.

---Oh shoot me then. ---The Wife said she got some PE credit for marching band at Tech (who knows what they do now, maybe music major get music credit, my daughter got fine arts credit when she was in a choir at a local JC) they have had the Alum band for years and THEY don't make them work all that hard. Practice a little bit so they know to start and finish the routine and march out play the school song etc. and march back... we are not talking a big halftime program. Oh yeah she was not a music major.... she was a foreign language major and just was a member of the "Going Band of Raiderland " for fun. They did not try to kill the members in the process. ---I think you are missing one of the major points ..... the Alum helps reconnects Alums with the university ,,,, a visiting HS band does nothing for that. My wife regularly gets a newsletter from the Tech band (2-3 a year).

---Oh shoot me then. ---The Wife said she got some PE credit for marching band at Tech (who knows what they do now) they have had the Alum band for years and THEY don't make them work all that hard. Practice a little bit so they know to start and finish the routine and march out play the school song etc. and march back... we are not talking a big halftime program. Oh yeah she was not a music major.... she was a foreign language major and just was a member of the "Going Band of Raiderland " for fun. They did not try to kill the members in the process.

---It is a complete travesty. Now so much time has passed that now not many people realize what he accomplished in football or what he meant in the times he played in college. He was an excellent football player in college and in the AFL plus he "broke" the color barrier at what had been all white Texas colleges. They should be ashamed that he is not a member.

--Agree.. it is not all that funny.... sounds like a post "happy-hour" post. Perhaps DD did the best he could but he finished with back to back 2-9 and 3-9 years and passed out black uniforms in his last home game..... enough said. The Dodge era has arrived.

--- He died marching onto the field and playing the school song, national anthem or whatever??? It is a complete wonder he did not die walking to the stadium from his car if he was that bad of condition. Band day did not kill him, he was in no shape to even attend a football game if that did him in. I have known of and even seen people die while attending HS football games as a result of a heart attack ( one was my hometown's fire chief) ... I don't think that means football games in general should cancelled. ---Not every ex-band member participates (especially every year) obviously . No field is large enough to hold all of the alums anyway... but it doesn't mean none would not like to do it. It still a good way for many to reconnect with their university if they would like to do it. It would improve attendance some, and let the alums know that they have not been forgotten by their university except at fund raising time ( got another call this week from NT fundraisers, I often wonder if girls call men and guys call women... because I always get calls from chit-chatsy girls...no objection from me, however ...LOL ).

Probably about 1957? --No kidding.... I remember someone posting here about their favorite basketball game (Louisville with Wes Unselt against NT in 1964 ) and commenting about someone holding sign near the basket that read [ Nobody is going to stuff our Willie (Davis) into a Basket] a buddy of mine made the sign and I was holding the other end. Unselt had made that comment to the press the previous week. You never know what will happen in the future with seemingly minor things.. ---Other goofies... My wife and I were in NY about 5-6 years ago and a woman walked up to my wife in a hotel and called her by her maiden name. She had been in her Latin class 32 years earlier in Midland, Texas. The lady now lived in Seattle and had not seen her since HS.. ---Another- I walkied into a McDonalds in Fort Smith Ark. about 11:30 at night about 4 years ago and the attendent called me by name ... I had no idea who he was plus I live in West Texas. It turns out I did not know him but he knew my son and had seen me at a church in Midland several years earlier.. ---While walking down the street of Madrid, Spain my wife met a kid from Midland HS coming from the opposite direction... It is a small world.