Football: A decade of silence for UNT

untjim1995 · May 1, 2015

35-85 in the last 10 years with only 1 winning season and postseason appearance.

And yet, somehow, the AD that has presided over this still has a job.

That's the real decade of silence.

I think the reality is that is that as long as enrollment is high, the music and arts schools are in good shape financially, and the many teachers we educate are still being graduated, the status quo in Denton will hold.

We don't care about winning at revenue sports. Never have, never will. Its that simple. The culture in Denton is apathetic to hostile toward UNT athletics. It shapes the direction and funding of the operation. RV's job, McCarney's job, and Benford's job are all base on one criteria: affordability.

I still think that when the great schism occurs in college sports and the P5s go their separate ways, we are either going to hear the UNT leadership scream to anyone who will listen just how smart and strategic they were in not spending heavily on athletics, that we would just have wasted money. Sadly, to us on gmg.com, it will be true, too. The UNT Family has made it abundantly clear that they don't want it, either. Oh sure, the HoD Bowl had close to 40k MG fans and the NO Bowls regularly saw 10k or more UNT fans travel down, but the majority of those people couldn't have identified Fouts/Apogee on a campus map if they tried. Otherwise, we know that Apogee would have sold out at least once by now, or our attendance would average well over 25k for a school with a huge enrollment, huge alumni base, and is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people.

It really hasn't been a decade of silence--its been more like a century of silence, with a few roars intertwined (Fry years, Dickey's SBC golden years, and a few one-year wonders sprinkled in)...

We like music and arts here--that is what the university's culture points to as being the important and cool angle for people to get interested in. Its not even a bad thing, either. Its just completely different than every other FBS school in the region. And for guys like me, who couldn't care a bit about music and arts, its what causes so many of them to find the nearest Wal-mart and support the P5 power of your choice and follow them. Very few of us still follow UNT sports with any vigor, since the university doesn't put any more emphasis on it. If an alum or student cares more about it than the leadership does, how long before those people leave for good? Well, the answer, thru the decades, has been rather obvious...

foutsrouts · May 1, 2015

I think the reality is that is that as long as enrollment is high, the music and arts schools are in good shape financially, and the many teachers we educate are still being graduated, the status quo in Denton will hold.

Which is one of the many reasons that the powers that be should be pushing hard to raise the visibility and stature of our business school. Money generally comes from business and law grads, and we (he) clearly screwed up the law angle. When I was in school, our business programs in general seemed to be up and coming, but it now feels like they have stagnated despite the new and improved infrastructure. Music and arts are great, but we need to go where the money is if we are going to improve our overall reputation, and that reputation improvement would likely lead to more interest and financial support for our athletic programs. We're clearly STILL not exploiting our advantages, and those advantages are location and sheer human numbers. Hope the new pres. finds a way to get us going in the right direction.

DallasGreen · May 1, 2015

Which is one of the many reasons that the powers that be should be pushing hard to raise the visibility and stature of our business school. Money generally comes from business and law grads, and we (he) clearly screwed up the law angle. When I was in school, our business programs in general seemed to be up and coming, but it now feels like they have stagnated despite the new and improved infrastructure. Music and arts are great, but we need to go where the money is if we are going to improve our overall reputation, and that reputation improvement would likely lead to more interest and financial support for our athletic programs. We're clearly STILL not exploiting our advantages, and those advantages are location and sheer human numbers. Hope the new pres. finds a way to get us going in the right direction.

I just attended a President's Scholar's Luncheon at the Omni in Dallas for UNT-D that was sold out! The problem is obvious and it is and has always been little "d" . This artsy, fartsy community is sooooo different from the rest of the metroplex. The obvious is the more backward it tries to stay the more the shock of the growth North in the next decade is going to hit it between the eyes. UNT and it's admins, alums, etc. as well as the ignorant Denton townsfolk will ultimately be bailed out by location no matter how hard they try to screw up things!!

keith · May 2, 2015

I'd like to personally "thank" Vito for banging home the point three times this week about the lack of NFL draft picks coming though North Texas. It's really a non-story but he's manage to milk it for a week.

Did he use this opportunity to mention how much we miss the MVP of the Heart of Dallas Bowl?

MEANGREENCOACH2 · May 2, 2015

Do we break the streak today?

North Texas Shep · May 2, 2015

The drought does suck. It will just feel even better when we get our next draft pick. Lastly, the article was crap. Reminds me of Freshman lit papers I have graded.

FirefightnRick · May 2, 2015

Texas State with two drafted so far.

Rick

UTSA Fan · May 2, 2015

Words cannot describe how I feel knowing that...

Cooley · May 2, 2015

2nd Denton Ryan kid goes. Also, Daryl Williams of Lake Dallas.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 2, 2015

Texas Southern had a guy drafted if I'm not mistaken? Just saw a guy from William & Mary get drafted.

UNTLifer · May 2, 2015

The truth hurts and UNT fans cannot handle the truth. This 10 year draft drought is almost as bad us not being able to win back to back games for 8 seasons (I forgot the stat but its something like that), does talent have something to do with that? How about UNT only having 1 winning season in 10 years, could that have something to do with it?

Starts from the top and works it way down. AD cant hire the right head coach, thus the wrong HC cant hire good assistants, resulting into the coaches not being able to recruit and develop talent. McCarney will have zero players drafted/ playing in the NFL, while Dodge currently has 3 players playing.

Edit: Craig is not one of the 3, he was a Dickey boy; Olawale, Orr, Dunbar

I disagree and point to the article on 247Sports as reference where their recruiting expert states it doesn't matter. I think this rates way down the list of what ks important to a recruit.

Cooley · May 2, 2015

Colleges in the 2015 draft:

Hobart (2nd round)

Newberry

Central Arkansas

Tennessee St

Eastern Washington

La Lafayette

Chattanooga

N. Dakota St

Delaware St

foutsrouts · May 2, 2015

Colleges in the 2015 draft:

Hobart (2nd round)

Newberry

Central Arkansas

Tennessee St

Eastern Washington

La Lafayette

Chattanooga

N. Dakota St

Delaware St

Monmouth

Northwestern State

Mars Hill

Bill & Maria

foutsrouts · May 2, 2015

Bottom line IMO? When one of your not overly huge basketball players can easily out bench your top 300 pound O-Linemen, then you've probably got a problem in the system somewhere. We could do a better job developing these guys.

Green P1 · May 3, 2015

Anyone think we have a returning guy on next years squad that breaks the streak.... Let's make the question even more depressing.... Can anyone point to a kid on the upcoming roster that they would put any money on breaking the streak at any point?

I know my answer.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 3, 2015

Anyone think we have a returning guy on next years squad that breaks the streak.... Let's make the question even more depressing.... Can anyone point to a kid on the upcoming roster that they would put any money on breaking the streak at any point?
I know my answer.

Thinking McNulty in 1st or in the 2nd round?

Cerebus · May 3, 2015

Thinking McNulty in 1st or in the 2nd round?

Andrew · May 3, 2015

Anyone think we have a returning guy on next years squad that breaks the streak.... Let's make the question even more depressing.... Can anyone point to a kid on the upcoming roster that they would put any money on breaking the streak at any point?
I know my answer.

Maybe Carlos Harris. If Mcnulty is QB then Harris won't make it though. Mcnulty makes everyone worse.

BillySee58 · May 3, 2015

Anyone think we have a returning guy on next years squad that breaks the streak.... Let's make the question even more depressing.... Can anyone point to a kid on the upcoming roster that they would put any money on breaking the streak at any point?
I know my answer.

Marcus Smith probably has the best chance because of his size and athleticism at tight end.

greenminer · May 3, 2015

I can't watch this without an accompanying endless drone sounding off in my head. Like a tornado warning.

GMG24 · May 3, 2015

Chris Miles, oh wait, he's gotta stay for 3 years... ok I'll go with the recently moved corner, Jamal Marshall, only because he has the measurables. He is going to need to put a lot of good tape out there for him to have a shot. There are not many corners with his size at 6'3" 205 lbs. I think I read somewhere he was the fastest on the team as well??