Your Favorite Coach Since Fry?

Mean Green 93-98 · July 6, 2015

Which UNT head coach did you like the best, or maybe even wish were head coach today? Or is the guy we have now the best since Fry? Inquiring minds want to know!

greenjoe · July 6, 2015

I voted for Corky like everybody else so far. Since the Coach MaC era is still going, I don't think he should be considered. If he reels off 10 or 15 12-0 seasons, he'll be my favorite. But Corky did more with less.

Aldo · July 6, 2015

I've only been around since the Dickey days so I went with Mac.

UNTnewbie · July 6, 2015

I voted for Dodge just to see the exploding heads!

bstnsportsfan3 · July 6, 2015

Well my NT fandom started my first year at NT in 07, and since my choices are Dodge or Mac...i chose Mac for obvious reasons...

DeepGreen · July 6, 2015

Best coach Fry??? Is this a trick question?

Side Show Joe · July 6, 2015

Had to vote for Dickey. The man took teams to 4 bowls and beat Cincinnati in one.

Mac's teams have a bowl appearance with a win over UNLV, but struggled last season. Hard to judge his place when he is still on the job.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Side Show Joe

Cr1028 · July 6, 2015

I've only been around since '05 Dickey so I chose Dodge. He wasn't a great on-field coach but he did bring us: a new stadium, Brelan Chancellor, Brandin Byrd, Zach Orr, Richard Abbe, Antonio Johnson, Will Wright, Mason Y'Barbo, Derek Thompson and Lance Dunbar, McCarney won a bowl game but did it with mostly Dodge's players and I can never forgive Dickey for the uniform thing so I had to go Dodge. If he'd have let Chico do the coaching and just stuck to fundraising and recruiting, we might've won a conference title since 2004. When McCarney gets a qb that can play, I will change my vote.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Cr1028

GreenTexan13 · July 6, 2015

pardon my youngness... But whats this uniform thing you speak of with Dickey? just curious.. I agree with you on Dodge!

Dr. Seuss · July 7, 2015

They all suck

Mean Green 93-98 · July 7, 2015

pardon my youngness... But whats this uniform thing you speak of with Dickey? just curious.. I agree with you on Dodge!

http://workbench.cadenhead.org/news/3069/fired-north-texas-coach-black-mood

If I had to pick the "best," I'd probably have to go with Dickey or Corky, and Corky was a little before my time. But I'd have a hard time calling Dickey my "favorite." He never was exactly lovable, and his coaching drove me absolutely nuts the years before he started winning.

I liked Dodge as a person--he was probably the most genuine person at the helm since Dennis Parker--and his offenses were typically exciting to watch. But there is no way I could call a coach that loses that much my favorite.

I like Coach Mac overall, but his self-promotion and finger-pointing got old fast. And the jury's still out on him as UNT head coach. He needs another year like 2013, soon.

That leaves Matt Simon and Chico as my two faves. Simon was as gutsy as they come, and I would guess that he had a better winning percentage against P5 teams than any coach since (although those wins came against some mediocre P5 teams). Chico was able to take a team that had only won 6 games the previous 4 years and inject incredible enthusiasm into them, and lead them to a 2-2 record against the toughest stretch of the conference schedule, and lead them to a great performance, albeit a loss, against Kansas State.

SilverEagle · July 7, 2015

Without a doubt it was Corkey Nelson. There were many meltdowns during the Corkey Nelson era (with his 1-AA budget it's not surprising), but rarely did you get bored......especially if you liked defense. But under his watch, we saw some pretty innovative offensive performances. Two of my favorite games early in his career were the New Mexico and Tulsa games of 1982. Both of them were working on 10 win seasons (which they both got) and Tulsa was looking for a bowl invite if they beat us the last game of the season. New Mexico ran into a buzz saw of a defense and didn't lead in the game until they threw a hail mary pass the very last play of the game and completed it for a 20-18 win. Did the team fold for the rest of the year...hell no! We lost to NMSU, beat Richmond and then Tulsa came to town for the last game.

We really had nothing to lose, so Corkey threw everything but the kitchen sink at them.. We didn't have an effective running game. Our leading rusher was Bobby Daniels (455 yards), but we did have some guys who could catch the ball and our QB that year, Rusty Hill, had a pretty good arm, although he wasn't fast at all. So Corkey and his staff put together one hell of a game plan. Rusty Hill spent the whole day doing three-steps-and-throw, which resulted in a 61-42 pass/completion day. Marvin Walker (who ended up with 91 receptions that year) caught 21 of them. Tulsa won 38-20, but for 3/4 (or more) of that game they couldn't take an easy breath. It was one of the most fun games I've ever watched. I couldn't believe that Tulsa couldn't defend Marvin Walker. They got beat, but they didn't give up. Often times, Corkey was at his best when his back was to the wall.

Anyway, faced with the same situation, how does everyone think DD or Mac would handle the situation? My guess is......BORING. Hand off left, hand off right, then punt and hope for a big play on special teams.

GTWT · July 7, 2015

Really? Some of you voted for Dodge over Dickey? You folks are weird!

VideoEagle · July 7, 2015

Glad to see NO votes for Bob Tyler. He really was the worst coach ever at NT. Almost got us put on NCAA probation while losing - if you're going to give extra benefits at least have a winning team!

GrandGreen · July 7, 2015

Really? Some of you voted for Dodge over Dickey? You folks are weird!

Using favorite coach slants the poll too much. It implies you had to be around when he coached, giving the most current coach a tremendous advantage. Prince Fielder would easily out poll Babe Ruth. Who do you think is the best coach since Fry would perhaps be a better question.

The way it is phrased, I would never vote for Dickey or Tyler despite their records because I just didn't like their approach to coaching.

This poll does point out how bad it has been in NT football for a long time. If you eliminate Dickey like I would for off-field ineptness; then it down between McCarney with one winning season and Nelson who never won one 1AA playoff game and Matt Simon. Tyler should have never been hired by anyone. Parker and Dodge, high school coaches that no other FB division school in the nation would have hired. Moore inherited a great team and quickly made them less than average.

By default, I will go with Corky although his record wasn't that great against conference competition. He did get the players up for the David versus Goliath games and definitely kept it interesting between fighting with players and being very competitive against 1A opponents.

HoustonEagle · July 7, 2015

I had to vote Simon simply because I saw him run the swinging gate at least three times.

untjim1995 · July 7, 2015

I voted for Mac, just because he has sounds like a legitimate FBS coach, something we haven't had since Fry left. He has tried all he knows to do to get people interested in this place. I still believe that he thought that UNT was a USF starter-kit in the waiting, not fully understanding the history of the school's apathy toward sports, nor the view of the school's football team with Texas HS coaches, players, and their parents.

That said, Corky Nelson was probably the best coach we had here since Fry left. He knew how to motivate people and he didn't give up. At UNT, you have to have two qualities as a head coach--no give-up in you and to be a salesman. I don't know about his sales ability, since i-aa was damn near impossible to sell, but his fortitude was shown in wins and close losses against big time schools. His only problem was not being able to win SLC Championships and to do anything in the 1-aa playoffs when they got there.

After this, I suspect Jerry Moore has to be next, since he did get hired away by Texas Tech after two seasons here. Although he failed at the I-A level as a head coach, his tenure at Appalachian State shows us that he could coach college ball. He probably would've been a great hire after Bob Tyler, not before him.

Edited July 7, 2015 by untjim1995

foutsrouts · July 7, 2015

Using favorite coach slants the poll too much. It implies you had to be around when he coached, giving the most current coach a tremendous advantage. Prince Fielder would easily out poll Babe Ruth. Who do you think is the best coach since Fry would perhaps be a better question.
The way it is phrased, I would never vote for Dickey or Tyler despite their records because I just didn't like their approach to coaching.
This poll does point out how bad it has been in NT football for a long time. If you eliminate Dickey like I would for off-field ineptness; then it down between McCarney with one winning season and Nelson who never won one 1AA playoff game and Matt Simon. Tyler should have never been hired by anyone. Parker and Dodge, high school coaches that no other FB division school in the nation would have hired. Moore inherited a great team and quickly made them less than average.
By default, I will go with Corky although his record wasn't that great against conference competition. He did get the players up for the David versus Goliath games and definitely kept it interesting between fighting with players and being very competitive against 1A opponents.

Where's that Matt Tiemer video clip hiding these days (LOL)? I'll have to go with Corky too. I always thought we had a decent shot at winning no matter who we were playing. Mac will move up my list if we win half or more of our games this year and the QB situation doesn't turn into a bad joke.

UNTexas · July 7, 2015

I had to vote Simon simply because I saw him run the swinging gate at least three times.

And it failed everytime. It was very embarrassing at LSU. Simon lost it mentally quickly after the 94 season. He once called a team meeting for only black players. Bizarre.

I voted Dickey because of his bowl games. He shouldn't have been fired either.

Huff · July 7, 2015

I voted for Coach Dickey. I enjoyed being around him (one of the few on this board to make that statement), I enjoyed watching his teams play, and I loved those four trips to New Orleans.

Harry · July 7, 2015

I voted for Coach Dickey. I enjoyed being around him (one of the few on this board to make that statement), I enjoyed watching his teams play, and I loved those four trips to New Orleans.

You're absolutely right Huff. When you factor in the pi$$ poor funding and facilities Dickey had, as well as the conference affiliation he accomplished a lot.

I sometimes wonder what may have happened if we had kept him another year or two. Could he have turned it around? Would his staff have been delighted with the upgrades and parlayed that into recruiting? Certainly some "what if" items to ponder.

Cerebus · July 7, 2015

I voted for Coach Dickey. I enjoyed being around him (one of the few on this board to make that statement), I enjoyed watching his teams play, and I loved those four trips to New Orleans.

You're absolutely right Huff. When you factor in the pi$$ poor funding and facilities Dickey had, as well as the conference affiliation he accomplished a lot.
I sometimes wonder what may have happened if we had kept him another year or two. Could he have turned it around? Would his staff have been delighted with the upgrades and parlayed that into recruiting? Certainly some "what if" items to ponder.

Put me in the Dickey camp. I never got to see Corky as I only arrived on campus during Simon's era. Despite that, you just have to look at the record and see he has out recruited and and out won anybody else since we returned to 1A. I agree with Huff, I got to spend a little time with the Buick and it was always enjoyable.

Harry, I think if Dickey could have kept his assistants, instead of burning time every single off season hiring coaches, he might have really gotten us over the hill into becoming an early 2000s Marshall type of program. You have to remember the staffs do most of the actual scouting and recruiting. With that constant turnover recruiters at other schools were able to use "yeah, you may like that coach at UNT, but he'll be gone in a year or two anyway" logic and it really started to hurt us.

The fact that Dickey believed what he was told, that a new stadium was coming much sooner than it actually did, and then the staff passed that on to recruits also hurt recruiting. Other programs could point to that never happening. At least it never happened till five years after Dickey left, and we can thank student leadership for making that happen.

untcampbell · July 7, 2015

I voted Corky just based on his "victory" over Texas alone....and the Rice and Tech wins that year also.

GMG

GrandGreen · July 8, 2015

And it failed everytime. It was very embarrassing at LSU. Simon lost it mentally quickly after the 94 season. He once called a team meeting for only black players. Bizarre.
I voted Dickey because of his bowl games. He shouldn't have been fired either.

Actually, he ran it a bunch of times with great success against LSU; didn't find it embarrassing at all.

SilverEagle · July 8, 2015

Put me in the Dickey camp. I never got to see Corky as I only arrived on campus during Simon's era. Despite that, you just have to look at the record and see he has out recruited and and out won anybody else since we returned to 1A. I agree with Huff, I got to spend a little time with the Buick and it was always enjoyable.
Harry, I think if Dickey could have kept his assistants, instead of burning time every single off season hiring coaches, he might have really gotten us over the hill into becoming an early 2000s Marshall type of program. You have to remember the staffs do most of the actual scouting and recruiting. With that constant turnover recruiters at other schools were able to use "yeah, you may like that coach at UNT, but he'll be gone in a year or two anyway" logic and it really started to hurt us.
The fact that Dickey believed what he was told, that a new stadium was coming much sooner than it actually did, and then the staff passed that on to recruits also hurt recruiting. Other programs could point to that never happening. At least it never happened till five years after Dickey left, and we can thank student leadership for making that happen.

With his 1-AA (or probably less) budget, Corkey had the same problem. One of his assistants was this guy....

http://newsok.com/collected-wisdom-bobby-jack-wright-retiring-ou-assistant-coach/article/5387618

who coached here for about three years. I'm sure there were lots of others who went on to great careers.

However, one of the main differences between Corkey and DD is that on the eve of a game with Texas, Corkey would never have said to a gathering of alumni "I hope that when Dr. B. looks up at the score board at the end of the game tomorrow, she'll remember how much we're getting paid to play this game".