NT Daily covers UNT Fan Meeting from Monday

[UNT90]

8 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Change is scary for some people.  
But I'm fairly certain the new AD will be sure to meet with George Dunham early on to get level with him.   Once they meet, and figure out that both want what's best for UNT athletics, George will jump on board.  I'm betting the same for "the 17" and any others that were chummy with RV before.

And I would guess this to be correct. Still sorry of Dunham to throw his substantial media weight around in an attempt to brother-in-law the AD job to Hank.

[MeanGreenTexan]

3 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

And I would guess this to be correct. Still sorry of Dunham to throw his substantial media weight around in an attempt to brother-in-law the AD job to Hank.

I anticipate he'll do the same, praising how awesome the new guy is once he's hired, and gets to chat with him 1-on-1.

Edited June 29, 2016 by MeanGreenTexan

[UNT90]

1 minute ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I anticipate he'll do the same, praising how awesome the new guy is once he's hired, and gets to chat with him 1-on-1.

Well, let's just hope the guy he is chatting with isn't Hank Dickenson...

[ADLER]

I fancy myself as a knee-jerk reaction, grab-the-torches-and-pitchforks kind of guy like many of you, but......

and I guess I may be alone on this, I appreciate what George had to say. Hank very well may be the person best equipped to take over this athletic department. Hank knows the fan base, is familiar with working with the university, is well connected with the financial boosters, is dedicated to participating in community activities, and has been instrumental in North Texas finding sponsors. Additionally he is a very eloquent representative for a school that desperately needs that, and his dedication cannot be questioned as he has spent more time promoting this university, including countless evenings and weekends, than many of us would ever consider. Hank also stayed with North Texas when he was offered the TAMUCC AD position because North Texas is home for him and his family. You're not going to find many with qualities like that through some reach firm.

I appreciate people like Hank. North Texas has had far too few of them, especially in higher profile positions, in the 3+ decades that I have been following this program.

Likewise, at the Monday night airing of grievances, I cannot remember a single complaint voiced that had anything to do with Hank's job performance. I heard a lot that we need change, and I will not disagree with that. North Texas on-field and on-court performance has been terrible and customer service is horrific if you are not one of the few people who sit in the cocktail suites. The ticket office is regarded as a fiasco and the promotions are functionally nonexistent. All that may be true, but how are those items under Hanks direction? 

Should Hank automatically ascend to the AD position? No, we need to see what other viable options are available and compare their abilities. But in no way should Hank be discarded as a candidate. He has sat through more crap football and basketball than anyone but still fought to promote the university in a positive light, he where the problems (and problem people) are in the department and is uniquely qualified to quickly fix them. 

Be careful what change you wish for because you might just get it. We sure got it from Steve Sloan, Richard McDuffie, and Craig Helwig at North Texas: people who accepted this AD position simply to screw off and simply advance their own interests.

 

ps - I am not personal friends with Hank, or George, or a single person that may or may not be retained in the athletic department.

 

[FirefightnRick]

55 minutes ago, ADLER said:

I fancy myself as a knee-jerk reaction, grab-the-torches-and-pitchforks kind of guy like many of you, but......

and I guess I may be alone on this, I appreciate what George had to say. Hank very well may be the person best equipped to take over this athletic department. Hank knows the fan base, is familiar with working with the university, is well connected with the financial boosters, is dedicated to participating in community activities, and has been instrumental in North Texas finding sponsors. Additionally he is a very eloquent representative for a school that desperately needs that, and his dedication cannot be questioned as he has spent more time promoting this university, including countless evenings and weekends, than many of us would ever consider. Hank also stayed with North Texas when he was offered the TAMUCC AD position because North Texas is home for him and his family. You're not going to find many with qualities like that through some reach firm.

I appreciate people like Hank. North Texas has had far too few of them, especially in higher profile positions, in the 3+ decades that I have been following this program.

Likewise, at the Monday night airing of grievances, I cannot remember a single complaint voiced that had anything to do with Hank's job performance. I heard a lot that we need change, and I will not disagree with that. North Texas on-field and on-court performance has been terrible and customer service is horrific if you are not one of the few people who sit in the cocktail suites. The ticket office is regarded as a fiasco and the promotions are functionally nonexistent. All that may be true, but how are those items under Hanks direction? 

Should Hank automatically ascend to the AD position? No, we need to see what other viable options are available and compare their abilities. But in no way should Hank be discarded as a candidate. He has sat through more crap football and basketball than anyone but still fought to promote the university in a positive light, he where the problems (and problem people) are in the department and is uniquely qualified to quickly fix them. 

Be careful what change you wish for because you might just get it. We sure got it from Steve Sloan, Richard McDuffie, and Craig Helwig at North Texas: people who accepted this AD position simply to screw off and simply advance their own interests.

 

ps - I am not personal friends with Hank, or George, or a single person that may or may not be retained in the athletic department.

 

 

...."So what if he told you that you didn't pay enough money to be in the green room after working the Green Seat Initiative Donation table all evening in the Super Pit despite being an invited guest in the green room of someone who was...Hank has always been nice to me, so he must be a great guy".....

 

Smh

 

 

Rick

Edited June 30, 2016 by FirefightnRick

[ADLER]

Man, sign the man up immediately if the worst that any detractor can say about him is "in 1997 somebody wasn't invited into an event that was reserved for certain level donors." I remember the situation well (and he did initially come out of looking like a pompous jerk) but both people involved met and talked through it. I consider that to have been a learning experience as that volunteer wound up being a very generous donor.

 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2016 by ADLER

[FirefightnRick]

3 minutes ago, ADLER said:

Man, sign the man up immediately if the worst that any detractor can say about him is "in 1997 somebody wasn't invited into an event that was reserved for certain level donors." I remember the situation well (and he did initially come out of looking like a pompous jerk) but both people involved met and talked through it. I consider that to have been a learning experience as that volunteer wound up being a very generous donor.

 

 

 

 

..."So he mocks some our most loyal fans on the weekly coach's radio show,..Hanks always smiled at me.  He's a great guy"....

 

Rick

[ADLER]

I attend most of the coaches shows, at least during football season, and I don't recall any personal attacks on any fans. I am not saying something didn't or couldn't have happened, but there was nothing that I was familiar with.

Plus, we're a goofy motley group that passionately follows a college program that is commonly regarded as one of the least significant in the land. Characters like us are gonna get chided a little bit, even by our own.

 

[TreeFiddy]

I have stated on this forum that I think he should get his chance to say his peace and be given a fair shot.  I think he does have valuable knowledge and has ties to the community that can be leveraged.  However, I also think we are in trouble if we can't find someone that will do a better job as the AD.  I hope Hank is able to stay on and continue building on the work he has built over the years.  I also hope a new AD would expect even more from him and set the bar even higher.

What I don't want is someone that can't double or triple the annual giving.  We are somewhere in the neighborhood of $2M annually and we have to get that number up to more in the $6M range.  In order to have that kind of growth it will take someone that is more than incrementally better than RV.  They will need to be hungry to build a name for themselves.  Someone that will reach out beyond the Denton borders and new BMDs.  There has to be a lot of business owners in a 50 mile radius that we can build mutually beneficial partnerships with.  Somehow use tailgating and game days to attract businesses and let them use it as networking events to build business.  Be a facilitator.  Get creative.

We also need someone that is willing to make the tough decisions regarding existing staff.  There are a few that need to be put on serious performance plans so they can either correct their sub standard performance or move on.  I am not convinced that someone currently on the inside will do that.

We could do worse than Hank, but I also believe we will find a better fit in terms of what is needed from our AD in 2016 and beyond.

Edited June 30, 2016 by TreeFiddy

[FirefightnRick]

..."Yes Mr. M----..I understand, your wanting to purchase stadium signage for your business for, what did you say...$10,000?   And can't get a return phone call from the guy in charge of that?  But be patient.  He's very busy.  Plus...he's loved by the Chamber of Commerce around here.  If I see him go by I'll tell him your looking for him"....

 

 

Rick

Edited June 30, 2016 by FirefightnRick

[NorthTexan95]

Hank also stayed with North Texas when he was offered the TAMUCC AD position because North Texas is home for him 

Hank would have been in a much better position to be our AD if he had taken this job and showed he could run a successful AD office.  If the best thing you can say about Hank is that he's a nice he's a nice guy to people in Denton then that's not good enough.  Honestly, he has a very poor resume for being an AD.  

Edited June 30, 2016 by NorthTexan95

[DentonLurker]

How is it that George is bashed for endorsing Hank? George loves UNT as much as the next guy, knows a lot about the DFW sports scene and the way sports organizations work. I don't see anything in George's character that would suggest that he would put in a plug for a friend over his loyalty to UNT and Denton. So if he feels Hank is the guy for the job, he should be able to have his opinion. If you disagree, you should be able to have your opinion. Why throw insults and bash George? I don't get it.

From what I've learned about George, he will get behind whoever gets hired. He has used his media platform to help promote UNT over the years, and I don't expect that to change one bit. He owns club seats, helped get the Bill Mercer room on the press level of Apogee come to completion and who knows what else for this university. I think his opinion deserves respect just like everyone else's.

[UNT90]

1 hour ago, DentonLurker said:

How is it that George is bashed for endorsing Hank? George loves UNT as much as the next guy, knows a lot about the DFW sports scene and the way sports organizations work. I don't see anything in George's character that would suggest that he would put in a plug for a friend over his loyalty to UNT and Denton. So if he feels Hank is the guy for the job, he should be able to have his opinion. If you disagree, you should be able to have your opinion. Why throw insults and bash George? I don't get it.

From what I've learned about George, he will get behind whoever gets hired. He has used his media platform to help promote UNT over the years, and I don't expect that to change one bit. He owns club seats, helped get the Bill Mercer room on the press level of Apogee come to completion and who knows what else for this university. I think his opinion deserves respect just like everyone else's.

George actually said that Hank spent the last 15 years making excuses for RV and tried to use that as a reason to hire an AD. Did you read what I just wrote?

George would trade 10 straight losing seasons for his buddy getting the job. George cares more about his friend than he does UNT athletic success, just like some on here that don't post anymore cared more about RV than UNT. 

Another thing that struck me was that about 85% of the 100 people that bothered to attend the meeting were 45 years old or older. Not  only do we have a small fan base, we have an old one. Old people die. So we literally have a dying fan base of about 100 strong.

Want that to continue? Hire Hank Dickenson. 

 

 

[DentonLurker]

4 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

George actually said that Hank spent the last 15 years making excuses for RV and tried to use that as a reason to hire an AD. Did you read what I just wrote?

George would trade 10 straight losing seasons for his buddy getting the job. George cares more about his friend than he does UNT athletic success, just like some on here that don't post anymore cared more about RV than UNT. 

Another thing that struck me was that about 85% of the 100 people that bothered to attend the meeting were 45 years old or older. Not  only do we have a small fan base, we have an old one. Old people die. So we literally have a dying fan base of about 100 strong.

Want that to continue? Hire Hank Dickenson. 

 

 

Or perhaps he is just making the point that Hank is a different person with different ideas than RV. Hank wasn't in position to buck his boss on everything that they ever disagreed on. Sometimes you have to go along with what your boss wants even when you disagree that it's the best way to go. I think you're very wrong about George caring more about his friend than UNT athletic success. You guys disagree about whether or not Hank could accomplish the goal of improving this place, and there's nothing wrong with that. No candidate will ever be everyone's first choice. The goal is to get behind whoever gets hired and support the student-athletes who bust their humps for this place. I think George will be on board with whoever is hired. Would he like it to be Hank? Sure. But I don't see him disappearing if it isn't Hank.

[MGNation92]

Hank blocked me on Twitter after I badmouthed McCarney. Said something about that stupid barbecue from Iowa Mac always had catered every year and I said this is Texas, we don't need Iowa barbecue, don't we have enough Iowa here already? boom. Blocked. 

15 hours ago, ADLER said:

.Likewise, at the Monday night airing of grievances, I cannot remember a single complaint voiced that had anything to do with Hank's job performance. I heard a lot that we need change, and I will not disagree with that. North Texas on-field and on-court performance has been terrible and customer service is horrific if you are not one of the few people who sit in the cocktail suites. The ticket office is regarded as a fiasco and the promotions are functionally nonexistent. All that may be true, but how are those items under Hanks direction? 

 

From His Bio:

"Dickenson has oversight of the department’s external units, including business development initiatives (marketing, sponsorship and promotions), athletics communication, and assists with certain development efforts, such as event planning and naming rights opportunities."

Marketing and promotions are pitiful, communications from the athletic department are often poorly written and contain numerous grammar and spelling errors. If you think otherwise then you're just fooling yourself. The man has direct oversight over these things, and yet these are the things that the Athletic department is notoriously bad at

Edited June 30, 2016 by MGNation92

[Wag Tag]

23 hours ago, akriesman said:

I think this all goes back to communication with alumni.    If you are not a GMG forum member, how else were you going to hear about this event ?    The only media attention that it seemed to get was after the actual meeting took place.    

I agree that our fan base is apathetic, especially now.   But, this event could have been much better attended with a little more publicity.   On the other hand, I am not sure that they wanted a lot of people to show up.   IMO, this event was probably staged in part to attempt to quell the negativity coming from this forum.    I am not being critical of anyone here.   Just making an observation.     The hardcore UNT fans are all right here.

 

Talked to a number of alums that are not GMG members but heavily involved with the UNT Alumni Assoc. They new nothing about it. Goes back to sharing info!

[UNT90]

23 minutes ago, DentonLurker said:

Or perhaps he is just making the point that Hank is a different person with different ideas than RV. Hank wasn't in position to buck his boss on everything that they ever disagreed on. Sometimes you have to go along with what your boss wants even when you disagree that it's the best way to go. I think you're very wrong about George caring more about his friend than UNT athletic success. You guys disagree about whether or not Hank could accomplish the goal of improving this place, and there's nothing wrong with that. No candidate will ever be everyone's first choice. The goal is to get behind whoever gets hired and support the student-athletes who bust their humps for this place. I think George will be on board with whoever is hired. Would he like it to be Hank? Sure. But I don't see him disappearing if it isn't Hank.

It's the brother-in-law old donor culture that has driven away alum after alum after alum and has made this the worst athletic program in college football. 

I know some things you don't about Hank. I know he was loyal to RV until he saw the writing on the wall and then, and only then, went to great lengths to distance himself from RV. Hank made contact with people that he personally had previously spurned trying to repair relationships in a calculated run at the AD job. He got his good buddy Dunham on board. Dunham couldn't wait for the funeral before trying to proclaim a new king and using his very influential position as the host of the top morning show in DFW radio to do so. He didn't quietly approach Smatresk, he and Hank made the calculated move of using THE most popular morning show to campaign the day after RV was fired.

And George said he wasn't a member of the media Monday night, but used his position as a media member to talk to the media both before and after the meeting and used his media influence inside the meeting to campaign for his brother in law. Again, an extremely calculated move by George and Hank to influence the big donors in the room. C Dan Smith was one who applauded eagerly after George's campaign speech. That's concerning. 

Hank has about a 50/50 shot at this thing. If he gets it, UNT will remain the same 100 hard core fan, losing place it has been for the past decade. 

And Lurker, I see you are 3 posts in and defending Hank. Always skeptical of new posters with an agenda. I find your posts extremely... Interesting. 

Edited June 30, 2016 by UNT90

[Wag Tag]

On June 28, 2016 at 9:56 PM, Austin.Jackson said:

This is the fan/alumni/donor forum article for you. 

http://ntdaily.com/unt-consultants-host-open-athletics-forum-as-fresh-start/

Sorry it's late. 

-AJ

I have complete confidence that Prez Smak down will make the right decision. Fire Mc, hire Seth, fire RV, hire top AD search firm, hire independent consultants. Who was the last Prez that saw the importance of college athletics?

[TreeFiddy]

On 6/28/2016 at 9:56 PM, Austin.Jackson said:

This is the fan/alumni/donor forum article for you. 

http://ntdaily.com/unt-consultants-host-open-athletics-forum-as-fresh-start/

Sorry it's late. 

-AJ

With your misspelling in the thread title you are obviously trying to impress the athletic department and get a job with them.  

[MeanGreenTexan]

18 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

George actually said that Hank spent the last 15 years making excuses for RV and tried to use that as a reason to hire an AD. Did you read what I just wrote?

George would trade 10 straight losing seasons for his buddy getting the job. George cares more about his friend than he does UNT athletic success, just like some on here that don't post anymore cared more about RV than UNT. 

Another thing that struck me was that about 85% of the 100 people that bothered to attend the meeting were 45 years old or older. Not  only do we have a small fan base, we have an old one. Old people die. So we literally have a dying fan base of about 100 strong.

Want that to continue? Hire Hank Dickenson. 

 

 

I don't think it's this...   I think George is just comfortable with Hank.   We don't even know who else is being considered, if anyone yet.   So, he's plugging who he knows.  I don't think he's putting Hank over the University.  He's just putting Hank over no-one.

"Hank is the man for the job, he has <X,Y,Z> traits that makes him a good candidate.  What's that?  You have 4 other candidates lined up that have <P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z> traits that make them good candidates?  ...and 1 or 2 of them are alumni?   Oh, OK.  I guess they'll work too."
Then, after meeting whoever is hired and chatting for a bit, which I'm sure he'll get to do...
"UNT's new Athletic Director is going to do amazing things!  Who's Hank Dickerson?"

[UNT90]

Just now, MeanGreenTexan said:

I don't think it's this...   I think George is just comfortable with Hank.   We don't even know who else is being considered, if anyone yet.   So, he's plugging who he knows.  I don't think he's putting Hank over the University.  He's just putting Hank over no-one.

"Hank is the man for the job, he has <X,Y,Z> traits that makes him a good candidate.  What's that?  You have 4 other candidates lined up that have <P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z> traits that make them good candidates?  ...and 1 or 2 of them are alumni?   Oh, OK.  I guess they'll work too."
Then, after meeting whoever is hired and chatting for a bit, which I'm sure he'll get to do...
"UNT's new Athletic Director is going to do amazing things!  Who's Hank Dickerson?"

I think you again underestimate the power of personal manipulation. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

3 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

I think you again underestimate the power of personal manipulation. 

I think you underestimate the power of friendship.  That's all it is.  I don't think Hank is manipulating George to say those things.  I think they're coming from the heart.

But, George is a friendly guy, and he can make new friends.  And, part of an Athletic Director's job description is to be friendly, so this should work out nicely.

[UNT90]

16 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I think you underestimate the power of friendship.  That's all it is.  I don't think Hank is manipulating George to say those things.  I think they're coming from the heart.

But, George is a friendly guy, and he can make new friends.  And, part of an Athletic Director's job description is to be friendly, so this should work out nicely.

Well, I hope you are right, but Hank Dickenson learned personal manipulation at the right hand of one of the best. Color me skeptical.

I also think you are ignoring the calculated tactics that have been used by George Dunham and Hank Dickenson during this process.

And what problems did George address in that meeting? I think you weren't there, correct? Well, let me tell you that the only thing he said was fans bitch too much before diving into a campaign speech for Hank. He addressed no other problems at UNT at all. His sole purpose at that meeting was to defend the old guard, downplay problems, and most importantly promote Hank Dickenson. 

It was calulated and contrived if you were there in person. 

And it was shameful.

Edited June 30, 2016 by UNT90

[EagleMBA]

1 hour ago, DentonLurker said:

Or perhaps he is just making the point that Hank is a different person with different ideas than RV. Hank wasn't in position to buck his boss on everything that they ever disagreed on. Sometimes you have to go along with what your boss wants even when you disagree that it's the best way to go. I think you're very wrong about George caring more about his friend than UNT athletic success. You guys disagree about whether or not Hank could accomplish the goal of improving this place, and there's nothing wrong with that. No candidate will ever be everyone's first choice. The goal is to get behind whoever gets hired and support the student-athletes who bust their humps for this place. I think George will be on board with whoever is hired. Would he like it to be Hank? Sure. But I don't see him disappearing if it isn't Hank.

Sometimes you have to have the cojones to stand up and do something. I would respect him more if he had taken the job at Corpus. 

[Cerebus]

1 hour ago, MGNation92 said:

From His Bio:

"Dickenson has oversight of the department’s external units, including business development initiatives (marketing, sponsorship and promotions), athletics communication, and assists with certain development efforts, such as event planning and naming rights opportunities."

Marketing and promotions are pitiful, communications from the athletic department are often poorly written and contain numerous grammar and spelling errors. If you think otherwise then you're just fooling yourself. The man has direct oversight over these things, and yet these are the things that the Athletic department is notoriously bad for

@MGNation92 leaving the stand after making this post: