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In today's DMN there is an articled referring to DeLoss Dodds and his history in hiring coaches. Dodds was the best A.,D. that U.T. ever had, and probably one of the greatest in the history of college athletics. No matter how great he was, he is still the A.D. who replaced Fred Akers with David McWilliams, fired him and hired John Mackovic, fired him and hired Mack Brown. I want to say upfront that I think Rick Villarreal is the best A.D. that North Texas has ever had. Before his arrival the only dedicated athletic building constructed since my freshman year of 1961 was the small athletic building in the parking lot across from the Super Pit that Hayden Fry built. Please don't say that the new stadium and other athletic facilities would have been realized anyway. I have been fairly close to the Athletic Department for several decades, and if they could have been built before his arrival, they would have been built. After firing Dickey, Rick took a risk and hired Todd Dodge.It blew up in his face. He then made what appeared to be a good hire, and after 2013 I think we all were drinking the cool aid. It appears now that the cool aid was just water. My point is that while we have every right to criticize his hires that he, like DeLoss Dodds, is looking for our Mack Brown. Ward White, class of 1966.

I get a little tired of members of this board ragging R.V. about his coaching hires. When D.D. left, we had a budget of about $250,000 for a head football coach. Rick took a risk with T.D., and it didn't pay off. It happens to most of us in business as well as life. With the new student athletic fee, we are now able to be competative in the market place, and I feel that Coach Mac will turn out to be a good hire, just like Johnny Jones and our previous as well as current women's basketball coaches. I admit that the verdict is out on Bedford, and now it is not positive. However,there is a lot of basketball to be played, so lets reserve judgement until seasons end. I have said before,and feels it bares repeating,that only those who have never made hiring mistakes are those who have never hired. It's not an exact science,otherwise there wouldn't be such a head coaching turnover in colleges. You need only to look at Texas Tech as a recent example.I was in health care sales and distribution from 1968 thru 2003,and using the same profile hired some of the best and worst sales reps in my industry. I am not looking at R.V.'s hires with rose colored glasses. Personally,I would have hired an experienced men's head basketball coach. However, I feel Rick's positives out weigh his mistakes in hiring. On another note,I attended NTSU from 1961 thru 1966. Until Rick arrived, the only dedicated athletic facility was a football administration building built during Hayed Fry's era. You youngsters may remember it as our old ticket office. In my opinion,and no one is perfect[ except some of us who post on this board], Rick,despite some misfires,is the best Athletic Director in our history. So lets cut him a little slack,and look at our cup as half full instead of half empty.Just an old man's opinion.