Abner Haynes Sculpture

[DeepGreen]

Take a page from the UT playbook.  Name the playing field at Apogee after Abner Haynes.  Hate to copy UT, but it truly would be a great tribute to a great North Texas football player.  Better than a bust of Mr. Haynes. And a newspaper splash that clearly lays out the fact that Mr. Haynes was the first black football player to play major college football in the State of Texas.  And add his name to the actual Apogee playing field.  Sidelines, end zone, whatever.  ABNER HAYNES FIELD AT APOGEE STADIUM

I hate for this to appear like we are taking advantage of the current situation in the U.S.  Not my intent.  If UT can do it, so can we.  

Edited July 14, 2020 by DeepGreen

[MeanGreenTexan]

2 minutes ago, DeepGreen said:

Take a page from the UT playbook.  Name the playing field at Apogee after Abner Haynes.  Hate to copy UT, but it truly would be a great tribute to a great North Texas football player.  Better than a bust of Mr. Haynes. And a newspaper splash that clearly lays out the fact that Mr. Haynes was the first black football player to play major college football in the State of Texas.  And add his name to the actual Apogee playing field.  Sidelines, end zone, whatever.  ABNER HAYNES FIELD AT APOGEE STADIUM

I hate for this to appear like we are taking advantage of the current situation in the U.S.  Not my intent.  If UT can do it, so can we.  

Many of us here have been begging for Mr. Haynes' proper acknowledgements for a very long time.

If leadership would have had the foresight to do this a long time ago, it wouldn't appear 'opportunistic'.

However, NT should not just let this time completely pass without doing SOMETHING to honor not only the second greatest player to come through here, but more importantly, a trailblazer for the sport of football.... and most importantly, a hero of integration and racial equality in the State of Texas.

[SigmaGreen]

11 minutes ago, DeepGreen said:

Take a page from the UT playbook.  Name the playing field at Apogee after Abner Haynes.  Hate to copy UT, but it truly would be a great tribute to a great North Texas football player.  Better than a bust of Mr. Haynes. And a newspaper splash that clearly lays out the fact that Mr. Haynes was the first black football player to play major college football in the State of Texas.  And add his name to the actual Apogee playing field.  Sidelines, end zone, whatever.  ABNER HAYNES FIELD AT APOGEE STADIUM

I hate for this to appear like we are taking advantage of the current situation in the U.S.  Not my intent.  If UT can do it, so can we.  

So, can someone send this to Wren? I don’t have twitter or Facebook etc, otherwise I would

[DeepGreen]

I just sent an email to the Athletic Department.

[GrandGreen]

The problem is that a naming rights opportunity would be lost.

UT has more money than they can spend, not a problem for most other schools.

Sell the rights, finance a very nice sculpture which I believe is a more appropriate tribute. 

I still marvel at why NT has done so little with the Abner Haynes story.   There should have been a lasting tribute long before Apogee was even a thought.   He along with Leon King were not only the first black athletes at a predominantly white university in Texas, but also the entire South.   

That is one issue I have with naming the field after Haynes, when in fact Leon King was half of that story.  King was not a great player, but he was just as much of the integration story has Haynes.  Haynes and King Field?

[GrandGreen]

29 minutes ago, SigmaGreen said:

So, can someone send this to Wren? I don’t have twitter or Facebook etc, otherwise I would

I am sure Baker and the BOR are very aware of the story.  They and administrations before them have just chose to ignore it.   

[SigmaGreen]

You are most likely correct, however I am choosing to believe that they will do something about it

[DeepGreen]

18 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

The problem is that a naming rights opportunity would be lost.

No doubt.  What is the price for naming rights of the field?  Can all athletics donors Pony up for the naming rights and agree to call it Abner Haynes Field?  The time is right to honor Abner.

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

1 hour ago, GrandGreen said:

The problem is that a naming rights opportunity would be lost.

UT has more money than they can spend, not a problem for most other schools.

Sell the rights, finance a very nice sculpture which I believe is a more appropriate tribute. 

I still marvel at why NT has done so little with the Abner Haynes story.   There should have been a lasting tribute long before Apogee was even a thought.   He along with Leon King were not only the first black athletes at a predominantly white university in Texas, but also the entire South.   

That is one issue I have with naming the field after Haynes, when in fact Leon King was half of that story.  King was not a great player, but he was just as much of the integration story has Haynes.  Haynes and King Field?

Mainly considering whats been going on around the US

[Rudy]

Sorry, I'm a little late to the party. Regarding funding for the statue for Haynes, maybe a gofundme can help. 

[drex]

How about Abner Haynes-Odus Mitchell Field?  Odus was the coach who took all the heat for having black players.  Surely, he should also get a tribute for having done so.

 

[97and03]

Seriously it is time to make this happen

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30400264/texas-longhorns-unveil-statue-first-black-letteman

[UNTLifer]

The past administration had a list of what it would cost for naming rights to everything down to toilet paper dispensers listed on the website, but I don't see that anymore.  If memory serves me, I think the fee back then to have naming rights for the field was around $2 million.  I would love to see the field named after Coach Mitchell and a statue of Abner Haynes needs to be erected next to the Greene statue.  

While I am spending someone else's money I would love to see an area at Apogee dedicated to our football HOF'ers and those with their numbers retired.  Put plaques on the wall or busts of the players along the wall with a bio of each.  Kind of like they do at Yankee Stadium, but this would be an area were fans could walk through.  Maybe the Northeast corner of the stadium where their is a large wall exposure or under the tailsection/wingzone.

Here:

or here:

[UNT 90 Grad]

Careful what you stir up or we may be looking Peterbilt Field at Apogee Stadium square in the face. 

[El Paso Eagle]

We should have done this earlier on because it was the right thing to do to honor him. Texas did what they did out of pressure. 

[UNTLifer]

Abner Haynes gets the credit, well deserved, because of the success he experienced here and in the AFL, but Leon King deserves just as much recognition for going through the same crap that Haynes had to. 

[GrandGreen]

3 hours ago, UNT 90 Grad said:

Careful what you stir up or we may be looking Peterbilt Field at Apogee Stadium square in the face. 

And what is wrong with that?

Apogee is a company that is paying for the stadium to carry that name.  I couldn't care less what company come up with millions to name the field.  Unless it is something vile like Mustang field.