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The Dallas Cowboys may have no bigger fans than Mean Green nation. With every home game, with every win, the premier football franchise and its magical season bring more support and attention to the team’s exclusive new higher education partner — the University of North Texas. “Obviously we are all rooting for the Cowboys to go all the way this year,” said Neal Smatresk, president of UNT. Earlier this year, UNT officials signed a contract to pay $1.725 million over the next year and a half, and as much as $7.5 million over the next eight years, to be a “proud partner of the Dallas Cowboys.” Through this agreement, the university gains marketing and exposure on a nationwide level, as UNT is promoted everywhere from the Dallas Cowboys website and stadium to the team’s radio and TV shows on game day. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the university than now, as the Cowboys hold the best record in the NFL and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has led the team to eight consecutive wins. Officials say the goal of the partnership is not just to boost awareness of UNT, but also to bring students unique academic and athletic job opportunities with the world-renowned team. “We are like the biggest university people have never heard of,” Smatresk said. “We clearly have to change that. “And this is one of the ways we are going to do that.” UNT made the first payment of $425,000 for the sponsorship agreement and is gearing up for the second payment, which is due Dec. 1. read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article115505368.html

USAToday: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/09/02/nfl-roster-cut-tracker-releases-players/89759240/ SBNation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/9/2/12769394/nfl-cuts-2016-roster-tracker-53-man-deadline

They start talking about him at the 2:16 mark: http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2016/08/17/roundtable-camp-mvps-undrafted-rookies?sf33640595=1

Lays the smack-down on Jared Goff... leads to INT. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000685026/Rams-Jared-Goff-throws-interception-on-2nd-pass-attempt

Officials have noted that this proposal would be two-fold — one part involving advertising and promotions and another a public-private partnership. UNT board documents have shown a multi-year agreement with the Cowboys could include letting UNT use the Dallas Cowboys star and other logos; present displays in “select event exhibit space;” place radio ads on game days; participate in television commercials; and put ads on the DallasCowboys.com website. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article94633567.html#storylink=cpy Another perk is that the new Cowboys team headquarters at The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco is not far from UNT’s New College at Frisco, which opened in January. Officials said the Cowboys, particularly at the Frisco location, will be involved in a variety of activities where UNT students could benefit from internships in areas ranging from hospitality and broadcast journalism to fitness and sports medicine. “The promotional program provides UNT a significant presence at AT&T Stadium, and The Star, the Cowboys World Headquarters, along with the Ford Center at the Star,” according to the UNT statement. read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article94633567.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article94633567.html#storylink=cpy

In the five years since the University of North Texas’s Apogee Stadium opened, the $78 million home base for the Mean Green has seemed like a complete waste. UNT’s football team is about as functional as putting an orange in a keyhole to open a door. But even if UNT isn’t breaking records on the football field (last season the team won exactly one game), it is setting the curve for sustainability. Apogee Stadium is “the first newly constructed collegiate football stadium in the nation to achieve the highest level of LEED certification,” or LEED Platinum. Leading the way in sustainability, environmental research, and energy consumption is a wonderful achievement for any university. And it looks like using football as a conduit to accomplish tangible milestones (which, apparently, doesn’t include a winning team) seems to be a trend that suits UNT nicely. UNT is in the beginning stages of entering an exclusive agreement with the Dallas Cowboys, which certainly raises some eyebrows considering the game of football is bleak in Denton. Nevertheless, the collaboration looks like it could be particularly valuable for the school’s academics. Last Thursday and Friday, UNT’s Board of Regents discussed and voted on whether or not the University of North Texas System Chancellor Lee Jackson and President Neal Smatresk would be allowed to draw up a deal with the Cowboys without the board’s oversight. Unanimously, the board voted yes. The deal is in its infancy and certainly subject to change, but the potential terms see UNT paying the Cowboys $1 million or more in order to become a “Proud Partner of the Dallas Cowboys.” According to a meeting memo, this would allow UNT to use the “team’s star and other primary logos; a blend of digital in-stadium, in restaurant and concourse advertising at The Ford Center and AT&T Stadium; digital mixed-use exterior banner and highway marquee advertising; select event exhibit space; game-day radio spots; preseason network and Jason Garrett show televised commercials; and a microsite and ads on the DallasCowboys.com web site.” - See more at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/unt-cowboys-partnership/#sthash.W1O7qGAc.dpuf Here is a link to the UNT memo on this subject: http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/05.19.-20.16_Board_Book.pdf

IRVING, Texas -- The transaction was announced the day after the Dallas Cowboys' season ended; one of eight "futures" signings and barely registered. On Jan. 4, when Jason Garrett med the media for the final time, there were more important things than the signing of linebacker Derek Akunne. Akunne, a linebacker, joined the Cowboys' practice squad on Dec. 22, another move that went largely unnoticed late in a miserable season. He joined the roster in part because he was in the area and in part because he spent two months on the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad before his Oct. 27 release. But he was far from the NFL when he got the call the Cowboys wanted to sign him. He was working as a cashier at Academy Sports & Outdoors in Denton, Texas, not far from where he went to college at the University of North Texas. "I was still working out, staying in shape but I just had a lot of free time and was like, ‘I might as well work, make some money,' while I was out," Akunne said. He would work out at North Texas at different hours, depending on his work schedule, but he experienced the Christmas rush at the sporting goods store. "It was crazy," Akunne said. read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4748823/for-derek-akunne-football-interrupts-real-life

Monday marked the last time several players will walk through the halls of Valley Ranch. The Cowboys have 18 unrestricted free agents, and it’s a safe bet most of them will find new homes this off-season. Running back Lance Dunbar and defensive lineman Jack Crawford expressed an interest in returning to the team. Others, such as linebacker Rolando McClain, refused comment as they packed up their belongings. For a guy such as Dunbar, the Cowboys are the only team he has known in his professional career. The North Texas product carved out a niche as a third-down back and returner before sustaining a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in Week 4 at New Orleans. Dunbar, 25, said his rehab is going well, although he has no timetable on when he’ll be cleared for football activities. “Why wouldn’t I want to be here?” Dunbar said. “There’s not much I really can do. I got hurt. Whatever happens, happens. “I’m not really focused on that. Just trying to get back healthy before anything happens, so I can get back to playing at a high level like I was before.” Dunbar, who joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012, finished this season with 67 rushing yards on five carries, and 215 receiving yards on 21 receptions. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cowboys-corner-blog/article53007765.html#storylink=cpy

“It was like starting all over, starting my life all over, making new friends,” Dunbar said. “It was a pretty crazy experience, but I think it made me who I am today, a better person.” Dunbar ran for 3,025 yards and scored 25 rushing touchdowns in his 21/2 seasons at Haltom and earned a scholarship to North Texas. He finished his four-year college career as the Mean Green’s all-time leading rusher, with 4,224 yards, and all-time leading scorer, with 49 touchdowns. Now in his fourth NFL season, Dunbar has earned a bigger role with the Cowboys. “I feel like the game is what made it a whole lot easier for me and my family, because the [Haltom] football team was like a family,” he said. “They accepted us, took us in like their own. They made it a whole lot easier. My coaches helped out as much as they could. They felt the pain we were going through. They made it easier for us. … My coaches did a hell of a job helping us out.” read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article31724472.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article31724472.html#storylink=cpy

the backfield yet, but running back Lance Dunbar has been shining at OTAs. Per ESPN's Todd Archer, Dunbar stole the show at Wednesday's practice. "If they handed out MVP of the day trophies, then it would have gone to running back Lance Dunbar. He caught four passes from Tony Romo in the two-minute drill work to close the first-team’s work in practice and had the linebackers on skates in seven-on-seven drills. Perhaps this really is the year the Cowboys use Dunbar more." Dunbar is expected to compete for the third-string running back position, but with Darren McFadden sidelined with a hamstring injury, he got a few extra carries on Wednesday. The former UNT produced has a unique skill set that other Cowboys running backs don't have. The 5-8 scatback can get to the outside quicker than the rest and has excellent hands out of the backfield. read more: http://dal.247sports.com/Bolt/Lance-Dunbar-draws-praise-from-Cowboys-OTAs-37594830

Dunbar is even younger, and thus fresher, and coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged an impressive 5.0 yards per carry (albeit on a tiny sample size of 30 attempts). Before suffering a season-ending knee injury last November, the 24-year-old was tearing it up with 102 yards on 15 carries over a two-game stretch, twice busting free for 18-plus yards. Dunbar has only experienced 144 regular-season NFL snaps, but the Cowboys cherish the North Texas product so much right now that he was among the healthy scratches for last week's preseason opener. They're already thinking about preserving the guy. "Certainly we have a good feel for what he can do," Garrett said of the decision to hold Dunbar out, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer. We just want to be selective with certain guys in preseason. DeMarco Murray did not play in the game. We felt the same way about Dunbar." Archer concluded that "the Cowboys believe Dunbar will be a big part of their offense," and that's now impossible to dispute. Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2162274-running-back-committee-might-be-exactly-what-the-dallas-cowboys-need

OXNARD, Calif. Even the lead running back is calling for Lance Dunbar to get touches this year. Anyone whos watched Dunbar since the North Texas product came to the Cowboys in 2012 has seen that the 5-8 running back brings an added dimension of quickness, speed and agility no others possess on the roster. Theres no question DeMarco Murray is the leader and bell cow of the group, but Dunbars the back everyones waiting to break out. Dunbars a special guy, Murray said. He definitely gives a great chance to do some things. I definitely want to be in there as much as I can. But I definitely know and feel he needs to get some touches, get on the field and make some things happen, because hes definitely a spark for our team. Read more: http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Murray-Im-Lead-Guy-But-Dunbar-Needs-Touches/b19b5a2d-1a26-4d7b-8d05-bc1d33b808f5

1. Lance Dunbar is poised for a huge year... if he stays healthy. The running back out of North Texas showed flashes last season before a knee surgery shortened his 2013 campaign. Dunbar told me he was nervous going into the procedure -- "that was the first time I'd ever had surgery!" -- but is really excited to have new Cowboys play caller Scott Linehan around. Linehan was very good getting the ball to running backs in the passing game in Detroit last season (Reggie Bush, for example). Dunbar was described to me by Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown as an unbelievably gifted RB in the passing game -- "He runs routes so well; it's a natural gift. He just sees things and angles really well." Linehan told me he really likes what Dunbar can add to the passing game, though he was quick to point out DeMarco Murray is still the main guy. I've been told the two things Dunbar needs to show are that he can stay healthy, and that he needs to be better in pass-blocking (a trait that has become crucial for running backs in today's NFL). Read more: http://www.nbcdfw.com/blogs/blue-star/Six-Early-Observations-from-Cowboys-Camp-268821981.html

OXNARD, Calif. -- In some ways Lance Dunbar still carries himself as an undrafted running back from North Texas. It doesnt matter that this is his third training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. It doesnt matter that he already has a role as the third-down back. It doesnt matter that he could be a core player on special teams. I wouldnt say I like it that way better, but it kind of pushes me, made me work harder, made me the guy I am today, Dunbar said. Dunbar is not established the way DeMarco Murray is established. He had just 30 carries last season and caught just seven passes before suffering a knee injury last Thanksgiving against the Oakland Raiders. But it was what Dunbar did in that game -- 12 carries, 82 yards; one catch, 12 yards -- that has many intrigued about his role in 2014. Read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/132761/lance-dunbar-still-carries-undrafted-chip

According to running back coach Gary Brown, there’s a very good chance Dunbar gets an expanded role in an offense that didn’t really have any use for him during his first two seasons in the NFL. Well, he’s a guy that’s going to be a complete weapon. We can line him up anywhere on the team-tailback spot, at the wide receiver spot, in the slot. He has tremendous hands and he’s just not a specialty guy. He could play tailback if you need him to go out there and give you 15 or 20 carries. He’s that type of kid. He brings a whole different dimension, a whole different vibe in our room as far as what he does and we’re looking forward to using him as a weapon as well. Sometimes it takes guys, especially specialists, a few years to come into their own in this league. With the Cowboys not looking like they’ve upgraded significantly, maybe salvation and finally making it to the playoffs can be achieved only by getting even more creative on offense with the likes of Dunbar playing a bigger part. Read more: http://sportige.com/nfl-rumors-dallas-cowboys-have-big-plans-for-lance-dunbar-06-27-2014/

Read more: http://thelandryhat.com/2014/06/19/cowboys-x-factor-candidates/

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – After suffering a sprained left foot in Saturday’s preseason game, the Cowboys aren’t certain if running back Lance Dunbar will be ready for the team’s opener. That didn’t keep Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from making a lofty comparison on Tuesday. In his weekly segment on 105.3 The Fan’s New School, Jones compared the second-year running back to one of the NFC’s most dynamic backs in the past decade. “This is probably a stretch, but I know what [brian] Westbrook did to us for 100 years in Philadelphia,” said Jones. “I couldn’t figure it out, but all he did was go out there and make plays anyway he could touch the ball.” Link to article and radio interview: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/08/20/jerry-jones-likens-cowboys-dunbar-to-phillys-westbrook/

When the Cowboys drafted Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, they saw DeMarco Murray 2.0. There are some similarities between the two players, too. Both are tall, upright runners who found success in college as pass-catching backs. Randle hauled in 108 passes in his three seasons at Oklahoma State, a large number for a collegiate running back, and averaged 5.5 yards per carry (YPC) in a competitive conference. The primary difference between Randle and Murray, however, is that Randle doesnt have outstanding straight-line speed. At just 198 pounds, he ran a 4.63 40-yard dash. Meanwhile, Murray checked in at 213 pounds and ran a 4.41, putting him in elite company. Weve had this talk before, and yes, there are slower running backs who have found success some guy named Emmitt comes to mind. But when we use any stat, were not looking for perfection. Rather, we want to tilt the odds in our favor. And using the 40 time as one of the tools to grade rookie running backs is a smart move. Since 2005, the most successful backs in the NFL in terms of approximate value have been the fastest, and it isnt even close. Read more: http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-JonathanBales/RTN-Why-Lance-Dunbar-Is-the-Right-Choice-as-the-No-2-RB/3a0afc34-b849-4dfb-a35b-7e82c774942b

Position: Running back How acquired: Undrafted free agent, North Texas What he did: He spent the early portions of the season on the practice squad but was called up in October. Dunbar rushed for 75 yards on 21 carries during the season in a backup role. His value increased when DeMarco Murray missed six games with a sprained foot. Dunbar proved to be a player who can do different things -- he caught six passes out of the backfield, averaged 21.8 yards on kick returns and got work on special teams. In the second meeting with the New York Giants, on Oct. 28, Dunbar returned a kick 44 yards. Where he fits in the future: He needs more work in the passing game, especially in picking up the blitz, but it seems the Cowboys want to keep him around more than Phillip Tanner, the other backup running back. Dunbar has good speed and vision and seems to hit holes faster than Tanner. He will compete, possibly with Tanner in training camp, to be Murray's backup. The key for Dunbar, of course, is whether the new special teams coach thinks he can provide an impact on his unit. Story on ESPN Dallas by Calvin Watkins

Irving, Texas - This Sunday when the Cowboys face off against the Saints at Cowboys Stadium there will undoubtedly be a fair amount of Saints fans who travel from the city of New Orleans to witness their team play one of the most recognizable franchises in all of sports. New Orleans, Louisiana and Dallas, Texas are approximately 500 miles apart and the drive might take eight hours or so. It’s a drive that Cowboy running back Lance Dunbar has made before, however, under very different circumstances. Dunbar was a sophomore in high school when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The disaster turned the lives of thousands of people upside down, Dunbar and his family included. Fortunately, Dunbar’s family was wise enough to listen to the warnings of evacuation and made it out of the city before the hurricane hit. “We were evacuating to Mississippi,” Dunbar said. “We knew it was coming so we left and went to Mississippi.” Once in Mississippi, Dunbar and his family had left an entire life behind them and were forced to watch the news and see that very same life be flooded and torn apart. Now it was time to figure out where to go from there. They decided upon North Texas. So they made the trek to Haltom City. It might be easy to look at Dunbar as a rookie in the NFL and claim that it all worked out for the best, but the process of uprooting his entire life was anything but easy. “It was crazy,” Dunbar said. “It was like starting all over. You’ve got to meet new friends, meet new people.” Read more: http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-JonathanAuping/Dunbar%E2%80%99s-Inspiring-Story-Has--Ties-To-New-Orleans-And-Texas/c83778b3-f8bd-46eb-9766-9751408074dc

A great write-up on our very own Lance Dunbar and his path to the NFL... "So does Dunbar have the goods to stick with the Cowboys? Well, George believes that if anyone can overcome the long odds that face any undrafted free agent, it’s Dunbar, who says he loves competition. McCarney compares Dunbar to a player he coached while an assistant at Iowa, Ronnie Harmon. Harmon carved out a 12-year NFL career in which he gained nearly 9,000 yards. McCarney says Dunbar has similar strength, hands and versatility." http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Star-Practice-Squad-RB-Has-Already-Had-Amazing-Journey-/8c2c4995-8f14-457c-b7d7-e72b29e9b39b

SAN DIEGO -- Dallas Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar, a North Texas and Haltom High School product, returned to practice Monday and hopes to make his NFL debut in Saturday's preseason game at Cowboys Stadium against the St. Louis Rams. Dunbar missed the team's first two preseason games with a hamstring injury but caught the attention of coaches with a couple of explosive runs in Monday's practice at Chargers Park with the San Diego Chargers. "He's mentally into what we're doing. He has a good feel for our offense," said running backs coach Skip Peete. "He's a talented runner ... We just have to, obviously, give him the opportunity. I'm excited to see what he can do in a preseason game." Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/20/4194066/former-unt-back-dunbar-ready-for.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/20/4194066/former-unt-back-dunbar-ready-for.html#storylink=cpy

Why didn't we play him at defensive end?