Is it time to drop "North Texas" and become UNT?

HoustonEagle · March 31, 2017

The name does not make you. You make the name. Southern Cal is not called a directional school because they are an elite institution. If we improve our academics and athletics we will not be called a directional school as well.

Edited March 31, 2017 by HoustonEagle

forevereagle · March 31, 2017

30 minutes ago, HoustonEagle said:

The name does not make you. You make the name. Southern Cal is not called a directional school because they are an elite institution. If we improve our academics and athletics we will not be called a directional school as well.

USC is not called a directional school because that is a pejorative term reserved for schools not in the P5. The designation is used against a lot of schools and has absolutely nothing to do with academic performance because those using it have no idea what the academic performance of any of the schools actually is.

Quoner · March 31, 2017

Has anyone under 30 answered yet?

Tyler Maryak · March 31, 2017

15 minutes ago, Quoner said:

Has anyone under 30 answered yet?

Yep

Ryan Munthe · March 31, 2017

When people ask me where I went to school, I say "North Texas."

All of our alums have a degree from North Texas. Not all of them have a degree from UNT

meangreenlax · March 31, 2017

Recent grad here. In the metroplex, UNT is the default. With all the school abbreviations it's easy: UNT, SMU, TCU, UTD... But when I go back to the east coast, North Texas has much more recognition; a lot of people know of someone who lives in or near DFW.

I mean, I live in the next state over now, and nobody knows what the hell UNT is. Except for those salty Arkansas State fans...

MeanGreenTexan · March 31, 2017

3 hours ago, SilverEagle said:

It'll be interesting to hear the thoughts of some of the younger alums on this matter. I don't understand how going exclusively with UNT somehow eliminates the "directional" issue, since one of the letters in UNT represents a direction. I don't ever hear anyone associated with Southern Methodist University being concerned about their name being too directional. Especially since their name is somewhat inaccurate, since Dallas is located more in the Southwest than in the South.

Same for Southern Cal. They don't seem to worry about the generic direction in their name.

In both of my examples neither of the schools have the letters of their school on their helmets, as well as not having their generic names. And now, the same goes for North Texas. We have the SOW.

North Texas has always been what we've called ourselves......much like Southern Methodist, and Southern Cal.

I don't see any advantage in changing it.

Those two schools are not very good citations as they both go by the shortened monikers (SMU & USC, respectively).

Quoner · March 31, 2017

27 minutes ago, Tyler Maryak said:

Yep

Noted. Updated question:

Has anyone under 30 besides @meangreenlax who has not worked for the RV AD weighed in?

Harry · March 31, 2017

10 minutes ago, meangreenlax said:

Recent grad here. In the metroplex, UNT is the default. With all the school abbreviations it's easy: UNT, SMU, TCU, UTD... But when I go back to the east coast, North Texas has much more recognition; a lot of people know of someone who lives in or near DFW.

I mean, I live in the next state over now, and nobody knows what the hell UNT is. Except for those salty Arkansas State fans...

Welcome to the site!

ChristopherRyanWilkes · March 31, 2017

UNT sounds cheap to me, I always like saying North Texas. To me it's not like Western Kentucky or Eastern Michigan or something. People know North Texas and how huge it is. Plus if you say UNT fast people think you went to North Carolina.

Tyler Maryak · March 31, 2017

30 minutes ago, Quoner said:

Noted. Updated question:

Has anyone under 30 besides @meangreenlax who has not worked for the RV AD weighed in?

Lol, still yep.

Quoner · March 31, 2017

4 minutes ago, Tyler Maryak said:

Lol, still yep.

Dang it - it was your wife, wasn't it? It's not a criticism either - just more you get used to hearing something presented to you long enough and it sounds right.

Moobs · March 31, 2017

Maybe I just like what I know... or maybe RV was right???

NOPE!! I just like what I know. Damn you RV!!!!

97and03 · March 31, 2017

North Texas, duh.

3XL · March 31, 2017

Just do what the big boys do...use the best logo or brand for certain situations. Two P5 schools that are similar to us in name are:

1. University of North Carolina: (UNC), (North Carolina), ram & interlocked NC for spirit/sports branding

2. University of Southern California: (USC), (Southern Cal), Trojan & interlocked SC for spirit/sports branding

University of North Texas: (UNT), (North Texas), eagle & interlocked NT for spirit/sports branding

Quoner · March 31, 2017

20 minutes ago, Moobs said:

Maybe I just like what I know... or maybe RV was right???

NOPE!! I just like what I know. Damn you RV!!!!

We call that paradox Schrodinger's Noid.

emmitt01 · March 31, 2017

"North Texas" has been a part of who we are since Joshua Crittendon Chilton was the first President of North Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute back in 1890.

Regardless of what year you graduated, North Texas is on your degree.

We are not comparable to an SMU or a USC because their current abbreviations have always stood for the full name of the school. UNT does not abbreviate the school that every generation of our alumni attended. Tradition is about shared history, ties that bind us all together...not about whether people from outside our family gravitate towards our moniker.

We are who we tell people we are. If they don't recognize North Texas it's because we have done a piss poor job of championing our brand. That isn't going to change because we give them the mental shortcut of memorizing three letters.