Exclusive RV Interview

Moobs · May 23, 2016

Editor’s Note: I contacted Rick Villarreal minutes after it was announced he and UNT mutually decided to part ways. Here is the transcript of the exclusive interview between myself and Villarreal.

From your point of view, what played into the decision to step down?

RV: I think a lot of things. The time I’ve been here and the amount of things we’ve done, all those were great. But at the end of the day, you have to do everything, and we struggled in football, we struggled in basketball, and those are the sports we have to win. Somebody’s held accountable for that, and I think that along with the fact I had been contemplating how much longer I was going to do this. With conversations between the president and myself, we came to this decision and felt like it was best.

read more: http://ntdaily.com/exclusive-rick-villarreal-discusses-resignation-as-unt-athletic-director/

I like how the interview starts with him saying that people must be held accountable for the losses in football and basketball. And then it switches to "I don't know how much longer I want to do this." And then turns to, "I don't know what I'm going to do next, but I'm not done."

ANYONE that has put that much thought into stepping down has put more thought into what's next than RV is letting on.

All that being said, I wish him well in his next endeavor. I'm just glad it won't have UNT's name attached to that endeavor anymore.

NorthTexan95 · May 23, 2016

This is not the "exclusive interview" we are looking for.

/ end jedi mind trick

SilverEagle · May 23, 2016

Quote

I’m not sure that winning solves everything, because after four straight bowl games 2001-2005, even though we were out there, we couldn’t get 10,000-12,000 to buy season tickets when we’d been to four straight bowl games. But I wish we would have won more games.

Hmmm, is he hinting that cultural changes should have taken place, along with winning. Seems like I've heard that before.

Moobs · May 23, 2016

7 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

Hmmm, is he hinting that cultural changes should have taken place, along with winning. Seems like I've heard that before.

That was also a long time ago and very early in his tenure. I'm pretty sure that if we had 4 straight bowl appearances, we'd be able to get many more butts in seats than there are currently. At least, I'd like to think so...

Edited May 23, 2016 by Moobs

SilverEagle · May 23, 2016

2 minutes ago, Moobs said:

That was also a long time ago and very early in his tenure. I'm pretty sure that if we had 4 straight bowl appearances, we'd be able to get that many butts in seats. At least, I'd like to think so

How big of a season ticket bounce did we get from the HOD bowl win?

MGNation92 · May 23, 2016

4 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

How big of a season ticket bounce did we get from the HOD bowl win?

We didn't.

Mainly because the marketing and branding efforts of the AD were pitiful. Couple that with a geriatric old fart who played boring football and I'm surprised we got what we did. The University's marketing efforts, specifically in athletics, have been God awful for quite some time and RV did nothing to fix that. In today's college football marketplace branding and differentiation is everything and we have neither.

Cerebus · May 23, 2016

1 minute ago, MGNation92 said:

We didn't.

MGC membership actually went DOWN after the HOD bowl win.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · May 23, 2016

Anyone catch this: "It just felt like the right time. I think with a new football coach coming in, with basketball in a situation where there may have to be a decision made "

So handing the reigns over for the new AD to fire Benford and hire a new coach?

Army of Dad · May 23, 2016

23 minutes ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

Anyone catch this: "It just felt like the right time. I think with a new football coach coming in, with basketball in a situation where there may have to be a decision made "

So handing the reigns over for the new AD to fire Benford and hire a new coach?

Yep, and I think he had a second comment along those lines. (I've read a few different pieces on this news so it's possible I'm misremembering that)

outoftown · May 23, 2016

It is very clear if you read that, particularly the first answer, that Smatresk kind of made him 'step down'.

Not unlikely we will see him in some other job sometime. Is Southern Miss set at AD? Who would replace Karl Benson if he were to step down as the Sun Belt Comissioner?

Dr. Seuss · May 23, 2016

3 hours ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

Anyone catch this: "It just felt like the right time. I think with a new football coach coming in, with basketball in a situation where there may have to be a decision made "

So handing the reigns over for the new AD to fire Benford and hire a new coach?

Yes, RV wasn't allowed to fire anyone after his fiasco with him firing McCarney. It's been pretty clear from that point on that RV and Smatty were on two different pages.