A Little Trivia for you Friday

UNTLifer · October 24, 2003

is called the "Snake Pit?" For the answer click the link below.

UNTStill · October 25, 2003

I saw this trivia answer this week in the email newlsetter from President Pohl, but I have to question it. I started going to then-NTSU games in Men's Gym in 1960, when I moved to Denton as a ninth grader, and even though I cannot pin down any exact date, I feel strongly that I was hearing it referred to as "Snake Pit" during the Sixties, before what the trivia answer indicates. I am 57, so maybe my memory is playing great tricks on me, as it usually does. Does any other oldtimer have the same recollection, or am I way off?

Buford_Julep · October 26, 2003

Thanks for posting UNT Still. I don't trust my memory either, but I also believe Men's Gym was known as the snake pit way before the Drake game.

A few years ago I read the DRC stories on the NT-Drake game on microfilm at the Denton County Library. The Drake coach was not complaining about the noise as much as he was the behaviour of NT fans. I distinctly remember him saying the fans were the worst in the nation. At the next game some fans proudly held a banner proclaiming themselves to be "The worst of the worst".

Fan behaviour was terrible, although it seemed like fun at the time. Cups of ice were often thrown at the refs, and no one ever pointed at the guilty parties. I remember rubber snakes being thrown at the opposing team when they came out for warm-ups. Rubber Snakes also were thrown at the Refs. I don't recall anyone ever assaulting a ref or an opposing player, but I do remember the refs and the visiting teams sprinting to the dressing rooms when the final gun was fired. Yes, halftime and end of game were announced by firing a blank pistol. The crowd noise was so loud the horn could not be heard.

CMJ · October 26, 2003

Yes, halftime and end of game were announced by firing a blank pistol. The crowd noise was so loud the horn could not be heard.

Now that's freaking awesome.

GrandGreen · October 27, 2003

The dates in this story have to be off. I graduated in Jan. 1970 and the Mens Gym was known as the snake pit while I was attending. In fact a live snake was let loose on the floor in a few of the games.

DeepGreen · October 28, 2003

I was there in the mid and late '60's and it was know as the "snake pit". This was due to the large crowds in such a small, confined gym. It was a lot of fun.

Greenblood94 · October 31, 2003

"North Texas played its last game in the Men's Gym in 1973."

Actually, there was a men's game played in the Men's Gym in 1990 or '91, as I recall. The concourse around the Super Pit was being used for Spring Registration (yes, kids, this was in the ancient times BEFORE tele-registration...), so the Mean Green had to play in the Snake Pit. I believe it was even a conference game against either Sam Houston State or Northwestern State, though I'm a bit fuzzy on that.

Can anyone help me out?

Green Jackal · November 4, 2003

It would be great if we could play a game in the Snake Pit every once in a while. Maybe the next big conference game there could be an unforseen "flood" in the super pit that would force us to play the big game in the snake pit.