MGB: UNT consultant: “We have a fan base that is fractured”

Brett Vito · June 28, 2016

MGB:

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2016/06/unt-consultant-we-have-a-fan-base-that-is-fractured.html/

Got5onIt · June 28, 2016

They had to hire a consultant to figure this out? It's been obvious for damn near a decade, at least....

cdizzle86 · June 28, 2016

Lol money well spent

Mean Green 93-98 · June 28, 2016

Not sure if y'all are being serious . . . that quote is from his introductory comments. It's not the sum total of his conclusions.

untcampbell · June 28, 2016

What I acknowledged is that it took Trip and Mike (less than) 3 weeks to see what we (fans, patrons, guests) have endured for years...it, i.e. customer service, etc, is so obvious that it begs the question of why no one within the university saw it for and fixed it.

GMG

All About UNT · June 28, 2016

29 minutes ago, untcampbell said:

What I acknowledged is that it took Trip and Mike (less than) 3 weeks to see what we (fans, patrons, guests) have endured for years...it, i.e. customer service, etc, is so obvious that it begs the question of why no one within the university saw it for and fixed it.

GMG

Including all current high level AD administration

MeanGreenTexan · June 28, 2016

I was unable to make this event, but in reading this article, if there was any doubt that coach Littrell did not/does not know what he got himself into... I think it's safe to say he understands now.

oldguystudent · June 28, 2016

8 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I was unable to make this event, but in reading this article, if there was any doubt that coach Littrell did not/does not know what he got himself into... I think it's safe to say he understands now.

He didn't blame the previous coaching staff in any way shape or form. He didn't make any excuses about what he's inherited. He acknowledged the reality of the situation, spoke honestly about short and long term realities of rebuilding. And was self deprecating to a fault.

Booster: "Coach, what are you going to do to improve defense?"

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

Like this guy actually stood up there doing comic relief calling himself the worst coach in the nation who had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking about what he was actually going to do. "I'm an offensive guy. When it came to hiring defensive coaches, I went out and found the guys I hated playing against."

Translation: I'm delegating authority on aspects that aren't my forte. I went out and found the best.

He talked about keeping local kids home. Talked about the insanity of not visiting every high school in the four surrounding counties. Spoke that every member of the coaching staff is required to actively recruit at all times. Talked about the importance of weight and conditioning coaches, not only because of the workouts but also because those are the only coaches the players see in the summer. Spoke of the pitfalls of playing a freshman quarterback, not just because he's younger, but because it's not fair to the player to throw him in to a position of that responsibility when he's still trying to learn his way around campus.

He did acknowledge that he probably can't fix it in a year. Listed a few reasons why. None of them were excuses or self preservation. All of them were legitimate things that must be taken care of.

MeanGreenTexan · June 28, 2016

8 minutes ago, oldguystudent said:

He didn't blame the previous coaching staff in any way shape or form. He didn't make any excuses about what he's inherited. He acknowledged the reality of the situation, spoke honestly about short and long term realities of rebuilding. And was self deprecating to a fault.

Booster: "Coach, what are you going to do to improve defense?"

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

Like this guy actually stood up there doing comic relief calling himself the worst coach in the nation who had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking about what he was actually going to do. "I'm an offensive guy. When it came to hiring defensive coaches, I went out and found the guys I hated playing against."

Translation: I'm delegating authority on aspects that aren't my forte. I went out and found the best.

He talked about keeping local kids home. Talked about the insanity of not visiting every high school in the four surrounding counties. Spoke that every member of the coaching staff is required to actively recruit at all times. Talked about the importance of weight and conditioning coaches, not only because of the workouts but also because those are the only coaches the players see in the summer. Spoke of the pitfalls of playing a freshman quarterback, not just because he's younger, but because it's not fair to the player to throw him in to a position of that responsibility when he's still trying to learn his way around campus.

He did acknowledge that he probably can't fix it in a year. Listed a few reasons why. None of them were excuses or self preservation. All of them were legitimate things that must be taken care of.

Wag Tag · June 28, 2016

52 minutes ago, oldguystudent said:

He didn't blame the previous coaching staff in any way shape or form. He didn't make any excuses about what he's inherited. He acknowledged the reality of the situation, spoke honestly about short and long term realities of rebuilding. And was self deprecating to a fault.

Booster: "Coach, what are you going to do to improve defense?"

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

Like this guy actually stood up there doing comic relief calling himself the worst coach in the nation who had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking about what he was actually going to do. "I'm an offensive guy. When it came to hiring defensive coaches, I went out and found the guys I hated playing against."

Translation: I'm delegating authority on aspects that aren't my forte. I went out and found the best.

He talked about keeping local kids home. Talked about the insanity of not visiting every high school in the four surrounding counties. Spoke that every member of the coaching staff is required to actively recruit at all times. Talked about the importance of weight and conditioning coaches, not only because of the workouts but also because those are the only coaches the players see in the summer. Spoke of the pitfalls of playing a freshman quarterback, not just because he's younger, but because it's not fair to the player to throw him in to a position of that responsibility when he's still trying to learn his way around campus.

He did acknowledge that he probably can't fix it in a year. Listed a few reasons why. None of them were excuses or self preservation. All of them were legitimate things that must be taken care of.

How many of us would make a donation $ to have a lunch Q&A with Seth on regular basis? He was absolutely great. Straight to the point answers with that OKIE dryness. He is not a rah,rah guy ( eckler) he is a work your ass off kinda of guy.

untcampbell · June 28, 2016

Oldguy, that was a great coaches recap. Well documented. Thanks for taking time to do it.

GMG

oldguystudent · June 28, 2016

9 minutes ago, untcampbell said:

Oldguy, that was a great coaches recap. Well documented. Thanks for taking time to do it.

GMG

Thanks. I appreciated your time at the mic last night. Well spoken.

meangreendork · June 28, 2016

1 hour ago, oldguystudent said:

He didn't blame the previous coaching staff in any way shape or form. He didn't make any excuses about what he's inherited. He acknowledged the reality of the situation, spoke honestly about short and long term realities of rebuilding. And was self deprecating to a fault.

Booster: "Coach, what are you going to do to improve defense?"

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

Like this guy actually stood up there doing comic relief calling himself the worst coach in the nation who had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking about what he was actually going to do. "I'm an offensive guy. When it came to hiring defensive coaches, I went out and found the guys I hated playing against."

Translation: I'm delegating authority on aspects that aren't my forte. I went out and found the best.

He talked about keeping local kids home. Talked about the insanity of not visiting every high school in the four surrounding counties. Spoke that every member of the coaching staff is required to actively recruit at all times. Talked about the importance of weight and conditioning coaches, not only because of the workouts but also because those are the only coaches the players see in the summer. Spoke of the pitfalls of playing a freshman quarterback, not just because he's younger, but because it's not fair to the player to throw him in to a position of that responsibility when he's still trying to learn his way around campus.

He did acknowledge that he probably can't fix it in a year. Listed a few reasons why. None of them were excuses or self preservation. All of them were legitimate things that must be taken care of.

Coach Littrell said really what every good coach should in this situation. He joked a bit, then locked in on what he was doing, wanted to do, and planned to do. I like that he's aware that defense isn't his strong suit. I like that he said plainly, "I'm getting the guys I hate seeing on the other side of the field" because those can often be the ones you want on your side of the field. More importantly he was up front about rebuilding. That's solid.

Cr1028 · June 28, 2016

3 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

This may have been a statement that he hasn't been a head coach yet and hasn't proven himself better than anyone else until his team takes the field.

TreeFiddy · June 28, 2016

1 minute ago, Cr1028 said:

This may have been a statement that he hasn't been a head coach yet and hasn't proven himself better than anyone else until his team takes the field.

There was a magazine/article (Athlon?) that listed Litrrell as the 128th best coach in FBS. Maybe it wasn't Athlon, but it was a pretty recent article (just noticed Littrell ranked 123 in this Athlon article: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-all-128-college-football-head-coaches-2016)

GMG24 · June 28, 2016

4 hours ago, Wag Tag said:

How many of us would make a donation $ to have a lunch Q&A with Seth on regular basis? He was absolutely great. Straight to the point answers with that OKIE dryness. He is not a rah,rah guy ( eckler) he is a work your ass off kinda of guy.

I would in a heart beat.

oldguystudent · June 28, 2016

I replied in the wrong thread here. Move along. NM

Edited June 28, 2016 by oldguystudent

UNT90 · June 29, 2016

On June 27, 2016 at 11:45 PM, untcampbell said:

What I acknowledged is that it took Trip and Mike (less than) 3 weeks to see what we (fans, patrons, guests) have endured for years...it, i.e. customer service, etc, is so obvious that it begs the question of why no one within the university saw it for and fixed it.

GMG

No one cared. That is the obvious answer, right? Plus, if you tried to approach people, you were ostracized by the AD mafia squad and became persona non grata.

23 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

He didn't blame the previous coaching staff in any way shape or form. He didn't make any excuses about what he's inherited. He acknowledged the reality of the situation, spoke honestly about short and long term realities of rebuilding. And was self deprecating to a fault.

Booster: "Coach, what are you going to do to improve defense?"

Coach: "I don't know. We've got the 115th best defense in the country, and I'm the 128th best head football coach. "

Like this guy actually stood up there doing comic relief calling himself the worst coach in the nation who had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking about what he was actually going to do. "I'm an offensive guy. When it came to hiring defensive coaches, I went out and found the guys I hated playing against."

Translation: I'm delegating authority on aspects that aren't my forte. I went out and found the best.

He talked about keeping local kids home. Talked about the insanity of not visiting every high school in the four surrounding counties. Spoke that every member of the coaching staff is required to actively recruit at all times. Talked about the importance of weight and conditioning coaches, not only because of the workouts but also because those are the only coaches the players see in the summer. Spoke of the pitfalls of playing a freshman quarterback, not just because he's younger, but because it's not fair to the player to throw him in to a position of that responsibility when he's still trying to learn his way around campus.

He did acknowledge that he probably can't fix it in a year. Listed a few reasons why. None of them were excuses or self preservation. All of them were legitimate things that must be taken care of.

Agree with all this, but anyone can have a plan. Executing that plan is the important thing that we still don't know if Littrell can do.

Ill wait and see how the implementation of this plan goes before passing judgement.

TreeFiddy · June 29, 2016

On 6/27/2016 at 11:45 PM, untcampbell said:

What I acknowledged is that it took Trip and Mike (less than) 3 weeks to see what we (fans, patrons, guests) have endured for years...it, i.e. customer service, etc, is so obvious that it begs the question of why no one within the university saw it for and fixed it.

GMG

Evidently Hank has been working tirelessly to address these issues for years but could not allow his actions to become public until now for fear of being ostracized.

Thank you for your courage Hank...

UNT90 · June 29, 2016

19 minutes ago, TreeFiddy said:

Evidently Hank has been working tirelessly to address these issues for years but could not allow his actions to become public until now for fear of being ostracized.

Thank you for your courage Hank...

Lol.

Hank saw the writing on the wall for RV and did what all politicians do: He then, AND ONLY THEN, distanced himself from RV and started seeking support on the sly from people he considered influential. He even convinced one to openly and shamelessly campaign for him.

Allowing George in that meeting was a mistake. He talked to the media before and after the meeting as campaign spokesman for Hank. He didn't come to talk about problems or how things could be fixed, he came as a representative of Hank Dickenson. I have no doubt that Hank knows everything that was said in that meeting and has a pretty good idea who said what thanks to George Dunham. That's something people need to understand.

GreenTexan13 · June 29, 2016

"North Texas has a very passionate fan base"

For what the die hards have been through the last few years. This is such a understatement... To a fan base that sticks around after the consistent losing, lack of customer service, and the failure to acknowledge that the AD needed to go a long time ago,,, We are some GD saints to this athletic department. At least our voice is finally making it to the guys running the show.

Edited June 29, 2016 by GreenTexan13

UNT90 · June 29, 2016

8 minutes ago, GreenTexan13 said:

"North Texas has a very passionate fan base"

For what the die hards have been through the last few years. This is such a understatement... To a fan base that sticks around after the consistent losing, lack of customer service, and the failure to acknowledge that the AD needed to go a long time ago,,, We are some GD saints to this athletic department. At least our voice is finally making it to the guys running the show.

The most startling take Trip Kuene and Mr. Securo should have taken from that meeting is that North Texas has a very small fan base. There were rows of chairs set up that sat empty.

This is what I hope they got from this meeting more than any spoken word.

Look, I like all the same 100 faces I see at these events. Hell, some of them even like me. BUT IT'S THE SAME 100 PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

35,000 students, 100k (at least) grads within 100 miles, and 100 hard core fans.

Stan R · June 29, 2016

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

The most startling take Trip Kuene and Mr. Securo should have taken from that meeting is that North Texas has a very small fan base. There were rows of chairs set up that sat empty.

This is what I hope they got from this meeting more than any spoken word.

Look, I like all the same 100 faces I see at these events. Hell, some of them even like me. BUT IT'S THE SAME 100 PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

35,000 students, 100k (at least) grads within 100 miles, and 100 hard core fans.

I agree with your sentiments, I really do, and I'm getting more enraged the more I read and understand about what went on with George campaigning for Hank. However, there are some fundamental let's say "mischaracterizations" of the situation vis-a-vis this meeting.

1.) Yes, there were "only" 100 people there, for an event not widely publicized, and when it was publicized, was done so very late. It was also on a Monday night, up in Denton shortly after a workday. (WTF is up with the AD office/consultants/anything going on of importance in Denton happening on weekday nights/weekday during work hours??)

2.) Our hard core fans on the alumni side, as has been discussed at length on this site and you are well aware, number around 10-12,000. These may not be all Season ticket fans, but they are generally there at most of our home games. I'm not saying this isn't pathetic, but with all the nut kick 2-10 seasons we take regularly, in addition to pathetic AD leadership, is actually remarkable.

That is all, carry on with your regularly scheduled rants. To recap, agree with the rants mostly, slight redirection.

TreeFiddy · June 29, 2016

This event was not put on by the AD office. I don't think the intent was to have 2,000 people attend. I believe the consultants reached their target audience. The consultants, as well as a few of our key BMDs were able to see/hear first hand how the other 99% view the athletic department.

GreenTexan13 · June 29, 2016

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

The most startling take Trip Kuene and Mr. Securo should have taken from that meeting is that North Texas has a very small fan base. There were rows of chairs set up that sat empty.

This is what I hope they got from this meeting more than any spoken word.

Look, I like all the same 100 faces I see at these events. Hell, some of them even like me. BUT IT'S THE SAME 100 PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

35,000 students, 100k (at least) grads within 100 miles, and 100 hard core fans.

There are over 250K alumni in the DFW metroplex. UNT is bouncing between the 4th and 5th largest university in Texas... And you bring up the most obvious elephant in the room.... 100 fans showing the die hard passion. The most obvious thing is sticking out like a sore thumb... We need to follow the Univ. of Houston model, start getting are crap together.

There were 10,000 fans that came out to the SMU game last year....(We know the fans are out there) It's so frustrating that UNT has all the ingredients for a well followed and a stronghold program. But UNT's past leadership just can't get their ducks in a row. It's like the smart kid who showed so much potential to become a rocket scientist, yet bad decision making has left him to live struggling to get any sort of relevant minimum wage job....