DRC Monday column: UNT has tough questions to answer

Brett Vito · October 5, 2015

DRC: Steep slide since bowl win raises questions about how UNT got to this point

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20151004-brett-vito-unt-has-long-road-ahead.ece

Cerebus · October 5, 2015

DRC: Steep slide since bowl win raises questions about how UNT got to this point

Just what happened to all that momentum UNT had only 16 games ago?

It was wasted. Season tickets numbers went DOWN (4,468 to 4,285) after the bowl win.

Caw Caw · October 5, 2015

untbowler · October 5, 2015

DRC: Steep slide since bowl win raises questions about how UNT got to this point
http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20151004-brett-vito-unt-has-long-road-ahead.ece

Easy answer UNT has an AD who has only to do bare minimum, a new President dealing with other issues, and a BOR of who do not give 2 shits about winning in athletics.

BillySee58 · October 5, 2015

It was wasted. Season tickets numbers went DOWN (4,468 to 4,285) after the bowl win.

Also, same offseason, from a recruiting perspective we kept hearing during and immediately after the bowl run that the recruiting impact would not be felt until the next class (which was the class of 2015), yet we absolutely squandered a chance to capitalize and we never actually saw an uptick in recruiting.

We actually saw a worse class, from an offer list standpoint. Not just finishing the class that way in February after the team had finished with a 4-8 season, but in the summer prior to our 4-8 season when we should've been competing with better programs for recruits, we were getting commitments from players with one or no other FBS offers. That was a huge momentum killer for this program, whether you follow recruiting or not. Now we are sitting on two commits for our current class, very little recruiting effort, and potentially having to fill 23 spots while pitching a program coming off double-digit losses heading into year six of Mccarney.

Edited October 5, 2015 by BillySee58

DeepGreen · October 5, 2015

Does anyone have a list of our Board of Regents and the universities they graduated from?

Cerebus · October 5, 2015

Does anyone have a list of our Board of Regents and the universities they graduated from?

Not off the top of my head, but I looked it up and it was only 50% NT grads. No other state university had less than 75%, and most where in the 80s or higher.

Harry · October 5, 2015

Does anyone have a list of our Board of Regents and the universities they graduated from?

I posted something on this a couple of weeks back in another subject thread -- suffice it to say that I was somewhat shocked to find that the majority of our BOR did not even graduate from UNT. Obviously, being an alumnus in not a prerequisite for BOR terms here or at UT, A&M or anyplace else. However, I continue to ask how can we expect the BOR to be sensitive to our situation in athletics when most of them have not been a student here and endured the stigma in regards to athletics?

DeepGreen · October 5, 2015

Source: UNT Website

Brint Ryan — Chairman, UNT System Board of Regents - UNT

Michael R. Bradford - TCU

Courtny Haning(Student Regent) - SFA, UNT Law School

Milton B. Lee - UT Austin

Steve Mitchell - UNT

Donald Potts — Vice Chairman, UNT System Board of Regents - UNT

Rusty Reid - UNT

Gwyn Shea - UNT, Dallas Baptist

Al Silva - Texas Lutheran College, graduate studies at the University of Americas in Mexico

B. Glen Whitley - UTA

And our Chancellor??? Just sayin........

UNT90 · October 5, 2015

Even split if you factor in the student regent as not a UNT grad. I do because she goes to a law school affiliated with another university...

Harry · October 5, 2015

I found my earlier post:

The BOR and Lee Jackson isn't going to call a special session to address this thing right now. Heck, many of these BOR members did not even attend or graduate from UNT. How can we expect them to appreciate the situation? Especially after being shouldered with the accounting fiasco? Michael R. Bradford attended TCU. Courtny Haning graduated from SFA although she is currently attending UNT Law. Milton B. Lee attended UT Austin. Gwyn Shea graduated from Dallas Baptist although her bio says she attended UNT. Al Silva graduated from Texas Lutheran. B. Glen Whitley graduated from UTA. I appreciate and am grateful to all of them and do not for one minute doubt their time, commitment and efforts on behalf of UNT. However, will this board act quickly to make any changes in athletics? 6 of the 10 BOR members did not even graduate from UNT. I say no. I think they will take their time and methodically see how things play out. http://www.untsystem.edu/regents/profiles.htm

The entire thread is titled Smatresk and located here: http://www.gomeangreen.com/forums/topic/106680-smatresk/#comment-932467

Edited October 5, 2015 by Harry

UNT90 · October 5, 2015

DRC: Steep slide since bowl win raises questions about how UNT got to this point
http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20151004-brett-vito-unt-has-long-road-ahead.ece

Still no article reporting RV's firing/resignation?

Come on, Vito!!!

SilverEagle · October 5, 2015

"Does a negative perception of the program linger across the state, despite the significant investments made to upgrade it, including the opening of Apogee Stadium in 2011?"

Good queston. And one that should be posed (along with many others) to the next candidate for the AD job.

But I think most of us know the answer to that one. I've talked to UNT grads where I live here in Fort Worth, and at least two of them had no idea about the upgrades that have gone on......including the stadium. I think that most of us assume that athletes in the far reaches of our state may not have heard of our upgrades, but now I've come to realize that most of the talent in the metroplex probably don't know about it either.

But even if they did, there's that ever present lingering perception.

untjim1995 · October 5, 2015

"Does a negative perception of the program linger across the state, despite the significant investments made to upgrade it, including the opening of Apogee Stadium in 2011?"

Good queston. And one that should be posed (along with many others) to the next candidate for the AD job.
But I think most of us know the answer to that one. I've talked to UNT grads where I live here in Fort Worth, and at least two of them had no idea about the upgrades that have gone on......including the stadium. I think that most of us assume that athletes in the far reaches of our state may not have heard of our upgrades, but now I've come to realize that most of the talent in the metroplex probably don't know about it either.
But even if they did, there's that ever present lingering perception.

At this point, the Texas HS coaches, parents, and recruits are going to have to see us turn into a real winner before they will even give us the benefit of the doubt. 2014 Recruiting Class proved that--we finished dead-ass last, even after winning the HoD Bowl in our back yard. It was as if very few even cared--basically the shrugged their shoulders at us and gave us a great big "Meh" for winning 9 games. That's what 35+ years of suckitude and a drop down to I-aa for 12 years will do to you. We lost generations of potential fans, both from our students and alumni to the citizens of the Metroplex. That's all these coaches and parents have seen or heard about us--we are poor, we play nobody they care about, and we have no interest in winning. Sadly, very sadly, that is all true, based on the results of the last 35 years. Until we prove people differently and it becomes sustaining--funding a winning program, seeing it win against teams that people have actually heard of and care about, ad firing people who don't get it done--this is just how its gonna be.

You either accept it or you walk away...that's the way the leadership looks at athletics. And its why 2% of the UNT Family pays attention to our teams, while the other 98% either ignore it completely, openly deride the fact we play these sports because they cost so much, or the futility just finally caused them to give up and go away to follow another school's teams as t-shirt fans.

Travis · October 5, 2015

"Does a negative perception of the program linger across the state, despite the significant investments made to upgrade it, including the opening of Apogee Stadium in 2011?"

It would be hard for me to change perception with the current athletic department in place. The only way I could see a change is if there is a change in the top.