DRC: A look back on the top five coaches in UNT history

[Brett Vito]

DRC: Fry tops the list

http://beta.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/06/09/looking-back-top-five-coaches-unt-history

[Matt Turney]

Sad to say we lost to ULM in 2001 17-19. Then beat at 5-0 MUTS team 24-21. This starting the conference winning streak. I vividly remember getting on the bus to the air port and hearing rumors Coach Dickey would be fired. That's when he rallied the troops. 

[UNT 90 Grad]

I'm glad to have seen 2 of them coach in person.  Unfortunately I never saw Fry coach at NT.  

[Cerebus]

16 minutes ago, Matt Turney said:

 I vividly remember getting on the bus to the air port and hearing rumors Coach Dickey would be fired.

Well he was... then he wasn't... 

[VideoEagle]

I'll try not to think about two of our five "best" coaches have overall losing records. 

[GrandGreen]

My 5 in order:

Mitchell

Fry

Sisco

Rust 

Nelson

Mitchell over Fry because of longevity and his place in NT history.

Rust is always overlooked, because some think he did it all based on Mitchell recruiting and he was followed by Fry.    Rust coached the best teams in NT history and is given almost zero credit.   He also sent a lot more players to the pros.   Had a much better winning percentage than DD.   Those that defend DD based on his lack of resources should give Rust the same benefit.   His last couple of years were marked by massive budget cuts and he lost almost an entire class because of a change in the eligibility standards of juco transfers.   He seems to be a lot more remembered for his last two very poor years, then his first three years that was the best era in NT football history.  

How you can leave the head coach of the best teams in NT history and include two coaches with worst records and a lot lesser teams is beyond me.  

 

[letsgiveacheer]

9 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

My 5 in order:

Mitchell

Fry

Sisco

Rust 

Nelson

Mitchell over Fry because of longevity and his place in NT history.

Rust is always overlooked, because some think he did it all based on Mitchell recruiting and he was followed by Fry.    Rust coached the best teams in NT history and is given almost zero credit.   He also sent a lot more players to the pros.   Had a much better winning percentage than DD.   Those that defend DD based on his lack of resources should give Rust the same benefit.   His last couple of years were marked by massive budget cuts and he lost almost an entire class because of a change in the eligibility standards of juco transfers.   He seems to be a lot more remembered for his last two very poor years, then his first three years that was the best era in NT football history.  

How you can leave the head coach of the best teams in NT history and include two coaches with worst records and a lot lesser teams is beyond me.  

 

I agree about Rust although he also finished with a losing record. Besides, he was the only North Texas coach to be named a head coach of a NFL team...although that could have gone a bit better for him!

[drex]

Agree with you about Rust, although he ran out of steam in the end of his tenure.

[UNT86]

1) Mitchell

2) Fry

3) Nelson

4) Sisco

5) Rust

Top two in either order.

Last 3 in any order.

Edited June 9, 2017 by UNT86

[Cooley]

Too bad many of the earlier coaches didn't have 50 bowls to choose from like they have now

[UNTLifer]

Sorry Vito, but how do you pick Fry over the All-Century Coach?

1. Mitchell

2. Fry

3. Sisco

4. Rust

5. Nelson

 

[Huff]

• I'll go with Mitchell
•                  Fry
•                 Dickey
•                Rust
•                Nelson

I missed the Rod Rust years but was lucky enough to see the teams coached by the others.

[ttunt1970]

I would put

1A MITCHELL

1B FRY

3 NELSON

4 RUST

5 DICKEY

The only reason I put Nelson at 3 as he did more with less than any coach we've had. Rust was a good X's & O's guy that couldn't recruit.

Dickey had one class and never wanted to be at NT!

[emmitt01]

I think it's ridiculous that many want to write off the coach that took us to 4 of the, what is it 7, bowls that we have ever been to....for spite?  Bitch about the strength of the Sun Belt if you want, bitch about the number of bowls if you want...just know that 4 conference title banners and over half of the bowl trips IN OUR HISTORY were with Dickey at the helm.  If the others were so superior then where is the hardware???

[ttunt1970]

Emmitt a start up league and very few bowls in the past and  Dickey couldn't carry the ones I put above  jockey strap!

I watched North Texas football since Mitchell era.

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, ttunt1970 said:

Emmitt a start up league and very few bowls in the past and  Dickey couldn't carry the ones I put above  jockey strap!

I watched North Texas football since Mitchell era.

I second that. DD was good against the Sun Belt and only the Sun Belt. 

[NorthTexan95]

I agree with most that Mitchell should be #1.  

[UNT 90 Grad]

20 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I second that. DD was good against the Sun Belt and only the Sun Belt. 

[GrandGreen]

1 hour ago, UNT 90 Grad said:

You know that was a horrible Baylor team.  Great win anyway. 

 

3 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

I think it's ridiculous that many want to write off the coach that took us to 4 of the, what is it 7, bowls that we have ever been to....for spite?  Bitch about the strength of the Sun Belt if you want, bitch about the number of bowls if you want...just know that 4 conference title banners and over half of the bowl trips IN OUR HISTORY were with Dickey at the helm.  If the others were so superior then where is the hardware???

I am not sure that not including a coach in the top 5 all time is writing him off.   I was not a big fan of DD because of primarily his off field actions, however I have always wondered about those that down play his run in the Belt.  It was only the Belt blah blah, ignoring the fact that no NT team has come remotely close to the domination NT had in the first four years of the Belt.  

I would definitely rate my first 4 above DD.  Nelson and DD were very close.  Corky was in 1aa and never really dominated anywhere close to what DD did.  However, his teams were fun to watch and played a great David to the higher classification's Golitahs.  Maybe it did just come down to Nelson being a much better representative for the University, which should be a very important factor.   

[Eagleisland]

I liked Rust. He was an excellent coach. His major problem is that he had no real Texas ties and this handicap finally showed up in his recruiting.

[SilverEagle]

17 hours ago, UNT86 said:

1) Mitchell

2) Fry

3) Nelson

4) Sisco

5) Rust

Top two in either order.

Last 3 in any order.

Damn 86 this is getting a bit scary. I agree with your list including the order.  Odus Mitchell took over a program in 1946 that had not played a game in three years and his first two teams went to a bowl game. He didn't have his first losing season until 1953, and during that run besides the bowl games, he had four wins over Houston, and one each over Florida and Texas Tech.

Someone mentioned the lack of resources that DD had to work with, but by comparison Nelson was operating on food stamps. AND not once did he ever make any pre-game comments like "I hope the President remembers how much money we are making off this game (Texas) when they look up at the score board at the end of the game."

Edited June 10, 2017 by SilverEagle

[GrandGreen]

6 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

Damn 86 this is getting a bit scary. I agree with your list including the order.  Odus Mitchell took over a program in 1946 that had not played a game in three years and his first two teams went to a bowl game. He didn't have his first losing season until 1953, and during that run besides the bowl games, he had four wins over Houston, and one each over Florida and Texas Tech.

Someone mentioned the lack of resources that DD had to work with, but by comparison Nelson was operating on food stamps. AND not once did he ever make any pre-game comments like "I hope the President remembers how much money we are making off this game (Texas) when they look up at the score board at the end of the game."

 Nelson's budgets were among the highest in the Southland.    Nelson's problem was academic standards, most of the Southland teams had next to done.   The NCAA clearing house ended a lot of that, but before that it was brutal for NT.   I was told often by coaches at that time that it was rare they ever lost a recruit to any of the Southland schools that could get into NT and also stated that has many as 80% of the top teams' roster in the league couldn't get into NT.   I am sure that these statements were exaggerated, but this was a much bigger hurdle for NT than the resources.  Hurley to his benefit or detriment just would not allow a lower standard for athletes.   

Nelson was obviously the best at getting the team ready for the big game against upper division foes.  He took those games as challenges not a money raising activity.   

 I have never heard any hc at NT complain as much as Dickey including a softball coach with no home field and a soccer coach who is properly the best hc in NT history playing in an open field.      Even the disparity in entrance standards during the Southland days were seldom publicly mentioned.  

[greenminer]

Purely hypothetical: if we beat LaMo in 2001, does Dickey need to rally the troops? Do we go on a 4 year run?

@Cooley's reply in this thread made me laugh a little.  Very true.

[UNTLifer]

14 hours ago, UNT 90 Grad said:

Thought of that and then figured that Baylor team would have been middle to back of the pack in the Sun Belt.  I was at that game and loved every minute of it, but that was a bad Baylor team.

[GrandGreen]

17 hours ago, ttunt1970 said:

I would put

1A MITCHELL

1B FRY

3 NELSON

4 RUST

5 DICKEY

The only reason I put Nelson at 3 as he did more with less than any coach we've had. Rust was a good X's & O's guy that couldn't recruit.

Dickey had one class and never wanted to be at NT!

Rust couldn't recruit?  Joe Greene and Chuck Beatty were recruited by Mitchell and played one year under him.    Ron Shanklin, Steve Ramsey and Glen Holloway were probably  recruited by Mitchell, but never played for him.   Rust still did ok on the recruiting trial:  Two first round draft choices; Lenard Dunlap and Cedick Hardman, one of NT's greatest receivers Barry Moore, Leo Taylor etc.   

The only time DD acted like he wanted to be at NT, was when he was hired and after he was fired.