Sad and I'm hurting

[DeepGreen]

Watching the Cincinnati vs Memphis game, lot of offensive fireworks before a packed Liberty Bowl Stadium. 50,000 fans.  I think of where these two universities came from and where they are now.  Don't argue with me on this, the American Athletic Conference is much better than anything we have been associated with.  MVC, Big West, SBC, or CUSA.  It's just a different level of football.  Basketball too.  Those are the money generating sports.

Its just sad to think back when we had the opportunity to stay the course in D1A football.  Instead, we drop down a level and the rest is history.  Still floundering.  Bad vision by our university leaders and, save a few coaches, bad hires in most sports.  Makes me sick.

Oh well, back to the football game.

Edited September 25, 2015 by DeepGreen

[drex]

With a big thank you to Al Hurley, who set us back 20 years.

[untjim1995]

Watching the Cincinnati vs Memphis game, lot of offensive fireworks before a packed Liberty Bowl Stadium. 50,000 fans.  I think of where these two universities came from and where they are now.  Don't argue with me on this, the American Athletic Conference is much better than anything we have been associated with.  MVC, Big West, SBC, or CUSA.  It's just a different level of football.  Basketball too.  Those are the money generating sports.

Its just sad to think back when we had the opportunity to stay the course in D1A football.  Instead, we drop down a level and the rest is history.  Still floundering.  Bad vision by our university leaders and, save a few coaches, bad hires in most sports.  Makes me sick.

Oh well, back to the football game.

Well, we do have a great music and arts school, educate teachers very well, and have low cost tuition compared to other schools. Focus on those and it will make the athletics part less painful--at least that is what I've decided to try and do.

If you cannot beat 'em, join 'em...its been pretty eye-opening to see how awesome our music program is, in terms of ranking and prestige. Its everything we wished our football and basketball teams were. I never imagined I'd ever type that, but its what the BOR and RV have led me to do if I want to feel some sort of pride and connection to our alma mater. I really don't want to join the 98% of UNT alumni who never even try to connect with the university again. I always thought athletics was the way to avoid that trap, but instead, I'm realizing I have to go the school's strength and its primary window of interest to feel that connection. After 25 years of waiting, I realized it wasn't going to ever happen with athletics.

[DallasGreen]

How many people does a music concert draw? Check the records and you will find that The School of Music is actually a money loser for UNT. Being a music and education school is quickly losing ground to research, business, engineering,medicine, and law. These produce professionals who give back and that will change the ways UNT is thought of. The old J. C. Matthews days of being a teachers college are ancient history.

[UNTcrazy727]

Watching the Cincinnati vs Memphis game, lot of offensive fireworks before a packed Liberty Bowl Stadium. 50,000 fans.  I think of where these two universities came from and where they are now.  Don't argue with me on this, the American Athletic Conference is much better than anything we have been associated with.  MVC, Big West, SBC, or CUSA.  It's just a different level of football.  Basketball too.  Those are the money generating sports.

Its just sad to think back when we had the opportunity to stay the course in D1A football.  Instead, we drop down a level and the rest is history.  Still floundering.  Bad vision by our university leaders and, save a few coaches, bad hires in most sports.  Makes me sick.

Oh well, back to the football game.

Response for the AD:

 

 

[Mean Green 93-98]

Check the records and you will find that The School of Music is actually a money loser for UNT. 

Sorry, I'm calling B.S.  What records?

[MeanGreenMarine]

Hard to be excited about our music program when the band wont wear their uniforms unless its 60 degrees outside

[Travis]

With a big thank you to Al Hurley, who set us back 20 years.

Didn't Hurley bring us out of D-1AA

[Mean Green 93-98]

Hard to be excited about our music program when the band wont wear their uniforms unless its 60 degrees outside

The Green Brigade is only a minute sliver of the College of Music.  And you're right, you'll probably never be too excited about the College of Music if the Green Brigade is all you know.

[greenminer]

Hard to be excited about our music program when the band wont wear their uniforms unless its 60 degrees outside

youre missing out on a ton, based on one angry uniform sentiment.

[meanrob]

Speaking of only at UNT.....

Only at UNT is a highly ranked and world class program a detriment to the school. 

Or maybe I should say only at GMG.com

 

 

[untjim1995]

Speaking of only at UNT.....

Only at UNT is a highly ranked and world class program a detriment to the school. 

Or maybe I should say only at GMG.com

 

 

Its not at all--as I am learning, the College of Music really is the very best part of the university. As I was driving to my office today, I saw the UNT billboard on I-35 in Carrollton that listed Denton as one of Forbes' best college towns, with a photo of some of our musicians playing guitars. That is how you show off the area of the university that excels and is the best of its kind in the entire region.

The detriment to the school is that the alumni and students don't care to follow UNT Sports at any decent level. Whether that's more on the BOR, administration, the faculty, the AD, or the city, its all combined to create a culture of pure apathy. That's your detriment.

[drex]

Interestingly, it was actually the NCAA that brought us back to D-I.  The NCAA was going to eliminate the I-AA status and make all the current schools either go to D-2 or up to D-1..even Hurley could not stomach us being D-2, so we added the seats and the rest is history.  There was also talk at that time that the NCAA was going to create a D-IAA for basketball (which we'd probably be relegated to, as it was based on attendance).

[Mean Green 93-98]

The NCAA was going to eliminate the I-AA status and make all the current schools either go to D-2 or up to D-1.

Hmmm.  I don't remember that at all.

[GreenFlag]

Your facts are a little off there Drex. 

[UNTexas]

Interestingly, it was actually the NCAA that brought us back to D-I.  The NCAA was going to eliminate the I-AA status and make all the current schools either go to D-2 or up to D-1..even Hurley could not stomach us being D-2, so we added the seats and the rest is history.  There was also talk at that time that the NCAA was going to create a D-IAA for basketball (which we'd probably be relegated to, as it was based on attendance).

Sorry, you are absolutely misinformed. I was on the team that got us back to D1 and was there for the NCAA  briefing in 94 as to what was going on & what our goals were. The university decided to make the commitment to go to D1. There were details like seating, average attendance, funding and scholarships but the NCAA had zero to do with the decision to go D1. The NCAA set the standard for D1 status and the rest was history after a lot of people worked their asses off behind the scenes that the misinformed general university populous never saw.

You are the first person I've ever heard make the claim we were threatened with being relegated to D2. Where did you hear this?

Hmmm.  I don't remember that at all.

Neither do I or anyone I know.

Your facts are a little off there Drex. 

+1

 

I'd also add Hurley was a good man and I had a great deal of respect for him. He lived an enviable life. He didn't set us back 20 years back in my opinion. 

Edited September 25, 2015 by UNTexas

[NM Green]

Don't play the victim card.  We are a heartbeat  from being in the glorious AAC if that's what y'all think it is.  An smu move and we are there. Or we could carve out our own excellence.

gmg

[Green Mean]

With a big thank you to Al Hurley, who set us back 20 years.

I don't deny that some of our past administrations have not always made the right decision but at this point we've been D1/FBS for about 21 years or so and we still haven't really figured stuff out.  At some point the the anus is on the current administration wanting to fix the problem.

[DeepGreen]

Someone correct me, but I was under the impression that until the early '80's, there was one "major college" classification in college football, designated as D1A.  The NCAA said that to remain in D1A, universities had to have a minimum 30,000 capacity stadium, or drop down to a new classification D1AA(now FCS).  Rather than upgrade Fouts to 30K, our university leaders, rather than spend the money on increasing Fouts to 30K, decided to drop down to D1AA classification.  It was 1993 or 94 that the decision was made to move back up to D1A.  To move back up we had to  increase Fouts to 30K.

This is what I remember, but I could be wrong.  Someone closer to the program who lives up there can correct me.

What I do know is that that 10 or so year lapse screwed us royally and programs like Memphis, Cincy, Tulsa, etc., passed us by.

Edited September 25, 2015 by DeepGreen

[Mean Green 93-98]

I don't deny that some of our past administrations have not always made the right decision but at this point we've been D1/FBS for about 21 years or so and we still haven't really figured stuff out.  At some point the the anus is on the current administration wanting to fix the problem.

Intentional?

[GrandGreen]

Even sadder is that NT was in the best bb conference in the country and was one of the best programs in Texas.  They also were one of the strongest tennis, golf and track programs in the state.  

It was only men's sports than, but NT might have been the best overall athletic program in Texas for a few years.  An amazing accomplishment without the benefit of the all mighty SWC in Texas. 

Funny, how NT achieved all this in spite of poor resources, no state rivals, and in an obscure conference to most Texans.  Now, the NT culture is being used as an excuse for lack of success in NT athletics.  

Edited September 26, 2015 by GrandGreen

[NT91]

Al is dead.

[GrayEagle]

Nothing much to correct, Deep.  The requirements back in '82? were 30,000 seat stadium, 17,000 attendance, and 85 scholarships.  The MAC got a concession that if half of the conference had 30K stadiums that the remaining conference members could stay in the conference and attendance got reduced to 15,000 average in consecutive years.  But, we were independent after our withdrawal from the MVC so we had to have 30,000 seats.

Chancellor Hurley opted to spend the money that would've gone to athletics upgrades for academics.  To his credit he did a very good job of improving academics but athletics suffered.  Al Hurley was not much of a football fan because his university (St. Johns) was a basketball power but did not play football.  Had the old MVC held together I believe that Dr. Hurley would've found a way to meet the Division 1-A requirements because the Valley was a premier basketball league.

 

 

 

;

[Rudy]

I don't deny that some of our past administrations have not always made the right decision but at this point we've been D1/FBS for about 21 years or so and we still haven't really figured stuff out.  At some point the the anus is on the current administration wanting to fix the problem.

The ANus?

[GrayEagle]

The ANus?

Sometimes anus and onus works both ways.