Darrell Dickey on ESPN All-Night.

medpilot21 · November 21, 2003

Some of you probably have already heard it, but I just browsed through the ESPN College football site. I was looking at the Sunbelt Conference page there, and stumbled onto the interview Todd did with Coach Dickey on ESPN radio. I must admit that 90% was very good for the University and great fun to listen to, but there were a couple of comments that just keep coming back when Coach Dickey does interviews.

First, DD again told Todd that EVERYONE gave up on those kids two years ago and abandoned them? That simply is not the truth. We did question how effective Darrell Dickey was as a head coach (Myself included...I admit that), but we NEVER gave up on this team? I had two very good friends on that squad (Dustin Dean and Ron Paris) and I was there for every single game to support them. As I look around at the majority of the people who post on this board, I see most of the people who are there now were also there two years ago when Dickey said we all abandoned these kids? I know he has a "humble" sense of humor, but this was said on ESPN national radio.. We questioned Dickey's ability to lead the team...not the players????

Second, I realize we are not a big time program, but to keep giving the impression we are a small program is unnecessary. If you listen to the audio clip, he tells Todd that the Alum support and money "What little there is" is an issue. He is probably right , but do you say that on ESPN radio? There are noticeable improvements this season over what there has been in the past. YES, we have a larger hill to climb, but we are moving up....not down.

Again, I like Coach Dickey....as most of us do. What he has done for this University and the football program cannot be praised enough...but please go easy on the alum support, Coach? We are there, and have been there for these kids. There are times when we have issues with the "Old Ball Coach's play calling", but that is the case everywhere. Lou Holtz said it best... "Half the people watching want me to run for President...the other half wants me to run for my life!!!"

GMG!!!

Greenblood94 · November 21, 2003

Link to Darrell Dickey interview

MedPilot, we are thinking a lot alike... I just posted a similar thread.

stebo · November 21, 2003

Dickey keeps doing that, making it sound like everyone had given up on the players. Truth be told, we were furious about the losing because we knew the players were better than his play calling. To this day, I have never seen or heard one negative post about the team players as a group being non-quality players. The play calling an stubborness of the head coach is the only thing I have ever seen come to question and just when I had moved on from being mad about it, here he comes again. It is one thing to take pot shots at our fans on KNTU, it is another to take shots at us on ESPN radio. Someone needs to put a cigarette in that boy's mouth so he will stop saying stuff like that. UGH!

Greenblood94 · November 21, 2003

In the interview, Dickey also makes reference to getting e-mails after the OU game from "fans" comparing his team to a high school team after losing to the Sooners, then getting "maybe we didn't do that bad at all" e-mails from the same "fans" after OU dismantled Texas.

I don't remember anyone on this board posting anything like the former after the OU game, though I, for one, said the latter at Copeland's in Shreveport after hearing about the dressing-down the Aggies got from Stoops & Co.

DeepGreen · November 21, 2003

Is Dickey setting us up in case he decides to move on to another program? He's a good coach and done an outstanding job with the resources he has. But he really shouldn't say things like that on national radio. KNTU is one thing, ESPN is another.

Edited November 21, 2003 by DeepGreen

eagle60 · November 22, 2003

There is no excuse for his comments on ESPN or any other radio station. It's the old "poor me" routine that frankly doesn't hold up.

There are coaches and schools around the country in the same shape and you don't hear them "crying" on the radio. For example, Steve Kragthorpe won with what he inherited over at Tulsa.

Let's give it a rest, DD. "The book hasn't been written yet on your results."

drex · November 22, 2003

Dickey is apparently unhappy here. There are a number of us who will glad to see him go. No one should be unhappy. As you know, it is always a perfect world and he deserves to be happy.

PlummMeanGreen · November 22, 2003

Dickey keeps doing that, making it sound like everyone had given up on the players. Truth be told, we were furious about the losing because we knew the players were better than his play calling. To this day, I have never seen or heard one negative post about the team players as a group being non-quality players. The play calling an stubborness of the head coach is the only thing I have ever seen come to question and just when I had moved on from being mad about it, here he comes again. It is one thing to take pot shots at our fans on KNTU, it is another to take shots at us on ESPN radio. Someone needs to put a cigarette in that boy's mouth so he will stop saying stuff like that. UGH!

medpilot21, I actually just listened to the interview and think Dickey made a fairly overall good presentation except when he reverted back to the old themes. I think he'd show even more class by not doing this in the future. It is becoming old news.

Stebo, you are right inasmuch as that "no one" I know from this board and beyond ever doubted or dissed our Mean Green football players--not one time. We did question the leadership, play calling, stubborness of a coach not wanting to open it up and utilize the talent with the right offense, etc, etc, etc,.... That we would all admit our guilt.

I think DD does not realize (or probably shouldn't care since he was not here at the time) what we as North Texas fans/alums had dealt with with this football program before he even arrived on the scene and that was not much except 1 winning season in 1994; not too many before that year. Why he would be so surprised with alumnus reaction to his first 3 1/2 years is beyond many of us. He said on ESPN radio this type of thing comes with the territory so he needs to accept that because it does come with the territory.

We had one coach at North Texas who kept complaining about facilities even though those same facilities didn't keep him from taking the job; and then in that coach's last days on payroll he started bragging in the press about all the other job offers he had, and soon after that he was told to take one of those jobs and "don't let the door hit ya' where the good Lord split ya'.

We had yet another bad athletic hire with a very congenial and gentlemanly HS coach from Marshall, Texas, namely Dennis Parker. A UNT VP to Hurley was said to have closed the deal with that hiring. So FWIW, we were all basically in a tether with this football progarm before DD ever coached his first game at North Texas.

Coach Dickey does (IMO) need to look at the idea of doing a complete 180 degrees on the "woe is us" OR "we're up against all odds at North Texas" OR "what little our alum$ give" comments. We already know all this. Why does it need to be announced to radio listeners? Why announce all this to those who listen on even the national radio air waves now?

How could any such comments possibly get us on more area Top 100 recruiting high school prospect's lists as to get our present good nucleus of players who have been successful in the Sun Belt some additional help so they can start doing like little ol' La Tech in Ruston, LA (who BTW has no more facilities than UNT); but like little ol' La Tech who pulls off the big upsets with national teams such as Michigan State, Alabama and others from time to time. Can anyone remember the last time North Texas had such upsets with national teams, not just ex SWC teams?

I know his time was limited on ESPN radio, but what a great opportunity it would have been on nationwide radio for DD to have mentioned that Phase 1 of the new Mean Green Villlage had begun; a project that will culminate with a brand new football stadium. I have yet to hear any comments on any of his radio shows on Monday night or post game shows about the beginnings of Phase 1 in Mean Green Country; you know, the very project that has all of us as alums/fans besides ourselves with sheer excitement. Have any of you heard this on the airwaves? I hope you can tell us that you have.

You remember when Jerry Jones first bought the Cowboys, most everything he said to the the media in his early years as a NFL owner came out making him look like a real bonafide Arkansas goober? Remember coments like "he even looks good in the shower" or "they are the pick of the litter" comments on the Cowboy cheerleaders, and those just the tip of the early quotable Jerry Jones iceberg; anyway, Jerry Jones was most highly advised to get a media coach to coach him with what he said to the press and how he should say it for all to hear. Well, new NFL owner/multi-millionaire Jerry Jones swallowed his pride and ego and did just that and all his awkward comments to media types pretty well came to an abrupt end.

I want our head football coach at North Texas to be successful in every phase because if he is, then our alma mater is.

Edited November 22, 2003 by PlummMeanGreen

November 22, 2003

Why should Dickey sugercoat what the situation was, and is, here at NT? Obviously many of the people that post on this board are big UNT supporters and probably have been for awhile, but that doesn't mean that the majority of the people in this area share the same beliefs or loyalty. I have no doubt that morons were emailing DD after the Oklahoma game bad mouthing him and the team, because some people are stupid like that. Getting support for this football program starts with people acknowledging that this program is on the rise and is not getting the support it deserves. Having DD lie and say that the support is there, when it is clearly not at the level it should be, would be counter productive to achieving that goal. As I said earlier, I know that there are people who do support the football program and they are a big reason that this program is on the rise, but there is so much room for improvement.

TheColonyEagle · November 22, 2003

There are a number of us who will glad to see him go.

Well, let me just say there are also a number of us that are happy he's here and hope he doesn't go. I've been as critical about DD in the past as anybody, but I was big enough to express my unhappiness with him in the past and now I hope we can be big enough to say we were wrong. I just hate to see a coach that has led this team to the longest conference win streak in the nation get so much negativity. There are 117 D1A teams in the nation and I'll bet that over half would love to have DD and the players he and his staff have recruited. If he takes an "us against the world" attitude and his players follow along with it, so be it. Look at what he has done. I don't think it's a coincidence that it took 4-5 years of he and his staff's recruiting to get us rolling. He took over a team that was going no where and literally, built it from below the ground up. Look at what the offense has done. I firmly believe, our "poor" offense would have been better last year, but injuries forced DD to manage the team and not sacrifice the big picture. Are we supposed to beat the OUs, Arkansas, and Air Forces of the world? Not yet. I just don't understand where all the expectations come from. Should we have beat Arizona last year? Maybe, the refs screwed us out of that win. South Florida? 5 turnovers by an offense led by a really young and inexperienced QB lost that game. No ones fault, it happens. We're on the verge of our first 9 win season since Hayden Fry was here and it's just not good enough for some. Why?

I don't want a coach pressing palms, kissing babies, and kissing my arse. Just win baby.

So DD brings up the negativity in the past and uses it to get a bunker mentality with his players. So what. If anyone thinks the sky wasn't fallng after the Monroe loss in 2001 they're crazy. He hasn't said anything that's not true. There was a lot of negativity!!! If you aren't one of the ones calling for his head, then he's not talking about you!

Positive vibes!!! I just wish we could get behind DD and his staff and let him know, "you know what, we were wrong, you were right, we were unfair to you 3-4 years ago, and we're here for you."

The frustration from an extreme minority comes because maybe you have said "we're sorry, you were right" and he hasn't come around yet. I remember his interview at the Rangers game last season during Mean Green night and he commented how "the Mean Green nation is growing." He's not stupid, I think he knows exactly what he's doing. That's obvious in the fact that he stuck to his guns, didn't sacrifice the ONGOING big picture of NT football and keeps on keeping on.

I think he just really rubbed a few the wrong way and pride is not letting some get passed it. That's fine. He agreed in the ESPN Radio interview that it comes with the job. Once again, he's not stupid.

Some of the frustration comes from watching other mid majors pull big upsets. How'd that work out for them? La Tech beat Michigan State and so what? They turned around and lost 3 out of 4 conference games, getting blown out by Tulsa 48-18. Nothern Illinois? They beat Maryland and an underachieving Alabama team and then lost to Bowling Green and Toledo by a combined score of 83-48. Toledo pulls the upset against Pitt and then gets drilled by Syracuse 34-7.

As far as his players coming to UNT in "tough conditions" he's right!! We've had the worst facilities in D1A, terrible alumni support and yet he and his staff finds these diamonds in the rough that probably realize in their 3rd year here when they're all conference that, "damn, I could be getting the royal treatment in Austin, or Waco, or ugh!!, Universtity Park," but they come to practice, go in our less than glamorous locker rooms and work their tales off for UNT. I see nothing wrong with giving them credit for that. We can't make up for 20 years of mediocrity in 5 years. There's not a program in the nation that has done more with less. I see nothing wrong with being proud of that. When we get PMG's "John Q Moneybags" to write that check, we'll be in heaven. I think it's gonna take longer than the average program to get this thing turned around to where we have the potential to go. We've just got more to overcome than other programs in the nation.

I really do believe DD, V V and the whole athletic staff has a plan and they've won 15 out of their last 18. We're on the right track!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we just might miss him when he's gone.

Edited November 22, 2003 by TheColonyEagle

stebo · November 22, 2003

Ok E-Bone,

I will admit, there are negative fans at evert school. Yes, even at Oklahoma there are fans that will e-mail the coach and bitch that they didn't score enough against lowly North Texas. But I have NEVER seen their coach come out on ESPN and complain about it. If anything, he brags on and on about how great their fans are. Bad example? Ok, I will give you that. Let's look at La Tech, with the lowest athletic budget in IA (roughly $5 million), they get crap for state support, crap from alumni donations, and run the entire program off of student service fees, money games, and ticket sales. Their coach is making about half of what Dickey does. Coach Dickey was given a 100% raise this year - yes that is 100%, he doubled his salary and was given job stability for 5 years. Yet, even with this commitment he still complains. I am not asking him to sugar coat anything, only to play the good employee, stop lying about fans being against the players, and finally - he should start THANKING the fans that have supported the program, sustained it, and enabled him to make well over $220K a year for a cush Sun Belt gig. Dickey will leave here someday... it is inevitable. He can either leave as a legend like Hayden Fry or as a hated enemy like Matt Simon. Simon had a better overall record than Dickey during the same time period, he took a pretty mediocre IAA team and turned them into a Southland Champ, he got the attendance up to over a 19K average for that 1994 qualifying year, and he essentually moved us up to IA through his coaching. He then lost a bunch of money games and was run out of town (only to go on to win a Super Bowl as the running backs coach at Baltimore)... it is sad because if he had just been grateful for what he had here than he could have left as a solid hero in my book, instead he started making negative comments about the school and the fans; now he is hated.

Dickey is getting cocky. His players are playing reckless. They are being penalized way too much. They are getting arrested. He is losing control of his mouth and of his team. It is not too late, he just needs to learn to let his work speak for itself. The more he complains about NT having bad fans, all that it will do is piss off the good fans. What does he expect to accomplish? Does he think it will motivate the bad fans to say, "you know what, he is right! I am a bad fan, I had better start giving more!"... Hell no. All it does is piss people like me off and make me want to tell them to shove it.

Edited November 22, 2003 by stebo

NT80 · November 22, 2003

I thought we had moved past the 2001 season, but maybe not. He needs to let it go. Many here have praised the improved playcalling and game decisions, perhaps he should praise the improved fan support. We are not like UT yet, in fans, $$, or wins, but we're getting there as fast as we can.

ElGuapo · November 22, 2003

I thought we had moved past the 2001 season, but maybe not. He needs to let it go. Many here have praised the improved playcalling and game decisions, perhaps he should praise the improved fan support. We are not like UT yet, in fans, $$, or wins, but we're getting there as fast as we can.

He needs to let it go?

El Guapo would like to point out there is another entire message board devoted to people who want Coach Dickey fired. since apperently, Mike Stoops is beating down the doors to apply.

LoveMG · November 22, 2003

El Guapo would like to point out there is another entire message board devoted to people who want Coach Dickey fired.

The doom & gloom whiner's board? There are maybe 4 total posters over there, most all banished from here. They hate everything, even themselves.

November 22, 2003

TheColonyEagle, excellent post.

stebo, a good point is brought up by TheColonyEagle. The people who have supported this program through the bad times are a minority, and DD is not talking about you and others who have stuck with this team. It would have been good for him to recognize the few who have have always been there supporting the team, but he didn't. DD is just trying to get everyone else to join those die-hards in support of this team.

GangGreen · November 22, 2003

Dickey should be thankful that he wasn't fired after going 8-25 in his first three seasons. Most schools, no matter how large or small, would not have put up with that record.

He should thank the administration and the alumni for giving him the chance to do what he has done. He hasn't done that once.

Yes, the fan support has been lackluster. But, he has to realize that he had something to do with the apathy.

Keith Fever · November 22, 2003

I complained about Dickey (never the players) as much as anyone and I feel we were justified in doing so after the 2001 Monroe loss. If you were a die hard follower of the Mean Green then, you know how much that loss hurt. That loss motivated the team to turn the corner and become a winning program. That loss was a wake up call to DD, the Athletic Department and evidently the team.

I am ecstatic that Dickey has turned around the program and I admit I was wrong. He has recruited well with what he has to work with facilities and support wise. And although the conference winning streak and bowls are great achievements for this program, we have to remember that we are in the Sunbelt conference. I cannot remember a IA conference as bad as the Sunbelt. I realize DD has no control over our conference situation and he is doing the best he can in this conference. It doesn't seem like the Belt is getting any better either. Name 1 team that improved significantly this year.

My point is, with a career losing record, I don't see any job offers for him (worth taking) for a few years and we win some big non-conference games and maybe get ranked. Major conferences (which is everyone but the WAC) will not turn over their programs to a coach with DD's resume yet.

What irks me about the "everyone gave up on us" speech is that over the years, I have defended the Athletic Department/ football team (like many others of you I presume) to my friends, co-workers, and family (many of whom are alumni). When we get beat badly or win against a bad team, the general feeling from others is that I am wasting my time. Although I am proud to answer the following questions, I do get tired of them:

You have given money to the Athletic Department?

You have season tickets?

You actually go to the games?

You've travelled to games all over the country?

You spend how many hours on gomeangreen.com? (this is more from my wife and my boss if I get caught at work)

We have a football team?

Why is that North Texas bobblehead on your desk?

How many damn North texas shirts do you own?

DD, the majority of the Mean Green fans are behind you now. Appreciate what you have and continue to win and it will get better.

GT(N)T · November 22, 2003

Some folks revel in their negativity.

God bless Texas!

Keith Fever · November 22, 2003

God bless NORTH TEXAS! GTNT, I prefer the Mean Green over the Longhorns.

Edited November 22, 2003 by Keith Fever

Eagle91Gator95 · November 22, 2003

I will grant that his comments about there being "nothing left but 100 players and 10 coaches, because everyone else had abandoned us" is a bit of a stretch. He needs to say "most" and not "all" to not offend the fans that never abandoned the players (i.e. most people on this board). His comments are MOSTLY accurate, but the inaccuracies will cause him a lot of damage with his most devoted fans. Someone (RV) should enlighten him on this.

His "what little support we have" comment, as accurate as it may be, should NEVER be made in public (on KNTU or ESPN). Call me crazy, but I don't think attempting to shame your alumni base into giving more support to an athletic department sounds like a smart idea.

I think he is a good coach, but he is not perfect. However, one would think that these recurring issues would be easily "fixable" with a chat or two from someone higher up the food chain. Just think, if it were not for these bone-headed comments, exactly what about DD would we complain about?

CaribbeanGreen · November 22, 2003

TheColonyEagle--

BEST... POST... EVER.

Says it all perfectly, IMHO.

stebo · November 22, 2003

I don't think it's a coincidence that it took 4-5 years of he and his staff's recruiting to get us rolling.

Yes, I agree. Coach Dickey did turn it around... in the Sun Belt, which is ranked below three IAA conferences. If we had stayed in the Big west playing Boise, Nevada, and the like... I am not so sure we would have had this success but there is no way to know. The improvement that I have seen the most is his ability to win some OOC games now. Three years ago we would have lost to this bad Baylor team... in fact we did, three times. Now we can not only beat them but beat the crap out of them, Baylor them if you will. We also would have lost to Troy State, but now we beat them. We also would have lost to Cinci but now we beat them.

One thing that I have noticed is his ability to call a game. He has learned on the job here, that is what we used to have to go through when we pay coaches less money. Now that our pay is raised I don't think we will ever have to go through that again. I just wish he would stop bashing the fans. I don't care if he is talking about one fan or 5,000 fans, it is totally inappropriate for him to be making those snide remarks about the fans of the school that is making him a fairly wealthy man. Dickey makes well over $200K a year, he should be thankful and courteous. I also wish that he would at least tell the truth if he wants to complain about us on UNT. Say that 3 years ago, the school had given up on him, not the players. Not one fan ever gave up on those players. But now it is a fabrication that everyone was out to get him and the players. That is a lie and an insult. I will cheer on the Mean Green until the day I die, I don't want anyone to accuse our fan base of being that bad.

Like I said the first time, Dickey will be leaving here someday to go onto bigger and better things. Probably after next year. He has two choices. He can stop all of this nonsense and complaining and leave here a hero and a legend... like Hayden Fry did. Or he can go out with guns ablazing and leave here as yet another coach that could not contain his bitterness. I want the hero, come on coach... give me the hero. Instead of looking at the bad things from three years ago, start giving props to the fans that stuck through it. Look at the positives not the negatives. In turn we will look at your positives and ignore your negatives.

GT(N)T · November 23, 2003

Stebo,

It's not as though the nabobs of negativity disappeared all of a sudden. Some people still want to portray Coach Dickey as negatively as possible.

God bless (North) Texas!

stebo · November 23, 2003

GT, that goes with the job and those select few that you mention are few and far between these days. I bet if you looked hard enouhg, you could find someone at OU that doesn't like Stoops. I know that 30% of the UT fans want to get rid of Mack and he has done nothing but win there. You don't hear him going around bashing fans on National tv or radio. As for the fans that don't support Dickey? I say, kill the with kindness, because "as is" all it does is fuel their fire every time he opens his mouth and bad mouths them. Finally, bringing the players into it is cowardly. Nobody has ever complined about the players, they have complained about the play caller. Those kids look up to him and listen to what he says like the Bible. I don't want them leaving UNT thinking that our alumni were against them at any moment. If he keeps preaching that, they will continue to believe that and probably want nothing to do with the school after they leave. Our Letermans Association is weak already, we are trying to instill PRIDE in the players and teach them to appreciate the fans and the school after graduation. You simply can't do that if you are constantly bringing up old sore spots and pouring salt into the wounds everytime a microphone is put in front of you. Surely you can see that nothing good can come out of his weekly tirades?

Cerebus · November 23, 2003

I also wish that he would at least tell the truth if he wants to complain about us on UNT. Say that 3 years ago, the school had given up on him, not the players. Not one fan ever gave up on those players.

Bwuhahaha!

Nice revisionist history there stebo.

There where people, some who post on this board to this day, who gave up on some of our players.

People still give up on players, Not a month goes by that someone doesnt bash George Marshall, even though he hasnt played a down this year.

In fact, come to think of it, someone has been posting that JaMel Branch is a failure at WR, and needs to be moved back to DB, can't remember who though.

Stebo, you don't like Dickey, thats fine, he has areas he need to get better at, and he probably does need to stop harping on the fact that this team got abandoned by all but about 800 fans against NMSU in 2000, but don't go to the extreme and rewrite history to prove your point.

We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.

--George Bernard Shaw