Future Schedule. Baylor & Tulane

[Harry]

There's a saying I'd rather be lucky than good...

RV had impeccable timing.  He shows up as AD at a time when we clearly needed to fundraise and had a background of fundraising at Southern Miss.

It seems like almost immediately Darrell Dickey's football program explodes and takes us to our first bowl game in the modern era...

He hires Johnny Jones who could recruit and despite a slow start ends up turning around the program taking UNT to the NCAA's.  This built so much goodwill at a place that had not ever seen so much success he was going to be around for awhile.

Mistakes were certainly made as well.  The premature Dickey firing and Dodge/Benford/McCarney hires being paramount.   RV would tell you himself that an AD is judged on his major sports hires.

But RV's impeccable timing shielded him when the magnifying glass finally turned his way.  He was hired by Pohl who ended up getting run out of town.  Next, Prez Bataille and more importantly the donors started to look at him closely and then she was let go... Rawlings was interim and not looking to make any waves heading toward his retirement... Smatresk had to get his feet on the ground and gain the support of the donors before he was able to make a change. 

I think the poster who stated it was our leadership that led us to have RV for 15 years was spot on.  I also think McCarney getting to the bowl game in 2013 really reset some of the changes that appeared to be coming down the pike and extended his tenure even longer.

You can debate on whether or not RV was directly responsible for some of the major improvements that have occurred in UNT athletics over the past 15 years but the bottom line is things like the conference championships, bowl games,  new athletic center, Apogee stadium, C-USA all came under his tenure and he deserves some credit for that.  Could we have accomplished more in that time span?  It's certainly possible.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

19 minutes ago, Harry said:

There's a saying I'd rather be lucky than good...

RV had impeccable timing.  He shows up as AD at a time when we clearly needed to fundraise and had a background of fundraising at Southern Miss.

It seems like almost immediately Darrell Dickey's football program explodes and takes us to our first bowl game in the modern era...

He hires Johnny Jones who could recruit and despite a slow start ends up turning around the program taking UNT to the NCAA's.  This built so much goodwill at a place that had not ever seen so much success he was going to be around for awhile.

Mistakes were certainly made as well.  The premature Dickey firing and Dodge/Benford/McCarney hires being paramount.   RV would tell you himself that an AD is judged on his major sports hires.

But RV's impeccable timing shielded him when the magnifying glass finally turned his way.  He was hired by Pohl who ended up getting run out of town.  Next, Prez Bataille and more importantly the donors started to look at him closely and then she was let go... Rawlings was interim and not looking to make any waves heading toward his retirement... Smatresk had to get his feet on the ground and gain the support of the donors before he was able to make a change. 

I think the poster who stated it was our leadership that led us to have RV for 15 years was spot on.  I also think McCarney getting to the bowl game in 2013 really reset some of the changes that appeared to be coming down the pike and extended his tenure even longer.

You can debate on whether or not RV was directly responsible for some of the major improvements that have occurred in UNT athletics over the past 15 years but the bottom line is things like the conference championships, bowl games,  new athletic center, Apogee stadium, C-USA all came under his tenure and he deserves some credit for that.  Could we have accomplished more in that time span?  It's certainly possible.

The answer to your question is a resounding yes. 

I understand you probably had an at least in passing relationship with RV. And that for whatever reason or another compels you to sort of run to his defense. But the OVERALL job RV did here fell nothing short of absolutely motherfu**ing horrible. And the fault doesn't lie directly at his feet...I mean his piss poor performance certainly does, but the true fault are the people or person that hired an absolute unqualified person to run a job he had no business running. Then keeping him there for almost 2 decades. Do you think it's a coincidence athletic success started almost the instant he was fired? From a perception alone standpoint, WB has done more for this athletic department in 2 years than RV did in 16. Just think about that. 

As for the timing, you're right. But that same timing donkey punched this University and Ath Department in the throat. Since 2000, collegeiate athletics exploded onto the map. And we were trapped with a guy on his gravy train driving us into the dark depths of irrelevance. And when his job started to be questioned, the excuses started flying into the wall like baby shit hoping anything would stick as legitimacy. 

He tricked people. People fell for his BS. No one fan or donor wanted to admit being swindled and pimped. So chances after chances after chances were given to him. The same people that he swindled still runs to his defense to this day and it's unfathomable in my eyes. 

I'm off my platform. But when people still blindly defend the lunacy that was, my bones cringe. 

Edited January 24, 2019 by NorthTexasWeLove

[Quoner]

43 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

As for the timing, you're right. But that same timing donkey punched this University and Ath Department in the throat.

Every time you attempt to use a sex phrase in your posts, you somehow land it and butcher it simultaneously. May it never stop, because I enjoy every chance to peel back another layer of the weird onion that is Ben Gooding. 

 

Oh, and solid point with the rest of it

[NorthTexasWeLove]

51 minutes ago, Quoner said:

Every time you attempt to use a sex phrase in your posts, you somehow land it and butcher it simultaneously. May it never stop, because I enjoy every chance to peel back another layer of the weird onion that is Ben Gooding. 

 

Oh, and solid point with the rest of it

Get your mind out the gutter. I'm not referencing sex in any form, or at least not intending to. 

[UNTLifer]

I agree with Harry's post outside of the premature DD firing. He needed to go. 

[Quoner]

1 hour ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Get your mind out the gutter. I'm not referencing sex in any form, or at least not intending to. 

You might want to flip on safe search and double check that term when you have a moment then. Don't let @Lydia Gooding see...

[TheTastyGreek]

56 minutes ago, Quoner said:

You might want to flip on safe search and double check that term when you have a moment then. Don't let @Lydia Gooding see...

Good advice. 

You definitely don't want the Mrs. pegging you as a dirty Sanchez if she goes perusing the browser history. 

But Ben's right, Quoner. Just like I used to suggest to my old tromboner friend, Rusty, I'll tell you the same thing: If you can't keep your mind out of the gutter, send it to a Cleveland steamer to get it cleaned up. 

[southsideguy]

Some of dates are so far out there I wonder if I will be alive to see them.  After all I am start thinking this maybe the last  one of these I buy  ...lol.

[drycreek]

On 1/22/2019 at 10:59 AM, Jason Howeth said:

I hate Baylor with every fiber in my being, and I'm ready to beat them down. At both venues. By 30. 

SAME HERE!!!  AND SMU---AND TCU    AND UTA AT AUSTIN----CAN NOT THINK OF ANY SCHOOL I LIKE ---NOW I LOVE UNT

[TheTastyGreek]

On 1/22/2019 at 10:25 AM, 9299 said:

This is great news and things at Athletics are going great in many areas. Not sure however why we can't let RV stay out of these conversations. He did many good things over his time at UNT and some that some disagreed with. That being said there is no need to continue to bash someone over disagreements we had in the past.  RV moved on but is still active and supporting and a real fan of UNT.  Move on Guys!!!!!

 

I don't want to put anything in @NorthTexasWeLove's mouth without proper consent, but I do have some thoughts to share that might be relevant. 

I think that a lot of people get frustrated because, like it or not, our Sun Belt affiliation during most of RV's tenure clearly branded us as the bottom of D-1 sports. Now, we were actually pretty fortunate... Between the crazy run of conference wins and bowl games under Dickey and a string of 20+ win seasons and not one but TWO NCAA tournament appearances under Johnny Jones, I'd say we could credibly claim to be quite a power-bottom. And that's nothing to be ashamed of!

But... I think a lot of the guys here felt ashamed of potentially being happy in that role. We had a lot of fun for a long time, but some people just couldn't accept our identity. They'd get to work and talk to their officemates, or just hang around with the other guys at the gym, and they want everyone to look at their school sports affiliation and think: "top", not bottom level athletics. And when they were confused or unhappy about our identity, they needed a scapegoat. 

I think that's why RV gets so much negativity, even now that he's been gone a long time. Because at first, we were happy with what he brought to the situation. He solved some of the easy issues, he even pitched in at concessions or custodial roles! Grinding it out in whatever way he could to improve our program... And who doesn't appreciate a grinder match with an energetic, enthusiastic, and game guy like that?

But, eventually, I think we all realized RV wasn't versatile. His limitations became clear. We hit wall after wall in growing our program, and those walls closed in so tight that it seemed we were stuck in a tiny closet we'd never escape. And I think that a lot of our fans have internalized self-loathing and identity issues that they can't quite accept, so they lash out and place all the blame with him. 

It doesn't help that, in Wren Baker, we've found a guy who seems perfectly suited to reach around those walls that stymied RV for many years. Higher profile OOC opponents, no money games, ludicrously expensive coaches... Baker is pulling off reach arounds that RV never could have dreamed of, and I think we're all really enjoying the results. 

I will say that if RV hadn't been here to help get the department cleaned up and in position, we wouldn't be enjoying the vigorous forward thrust that Baker has overseen to push us even further towards the promised land. None of this works without being a part of CUSA (or, as it was known back in the 90s, "the Metro Conference"). Us redefining ourselves as Metro was a critical first step in acceptance, and, hopefully, true growth. I'll always appreciate that about RV's time here, even if there's not much else positive we can agree on. 

 

[97and03]

So I should stop hoping grinder will solve my problems? 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

6 hours ago, TheTastyGreek said:

I don't want to put anything in @NorthTexasWeLove's mouth without proper consent, but I do have some thoughts to share that might be relevant. 

I think that a lot of people get frustrated because, like it or not, our Sun Belt affiliation during most of RV's tenure clearly branded us as the bottom of D-1 sports. Now, we were actually pretty fortunate... Between the crazy run of conference wins and bowl games under Dickey and a string of 20+ win seasons and not one but TWO NCAA tournament appearances under Johnny Jones, I'd say we could credibly claim to be quite a power-bottom. And that's nothing to be ashamed of!

But... I think a lot of the guys here felt ashamed of potentially being happy in that role. We had a lot of fun for a long time, but some people just couldn't accept our identity. They'd get to work and talk to their officemates, or just hang around with the other guys at the gym, and they want everyone to look at their school sports affiliation and think: "top", not bottom level athletics. And when they were confused or unhappy about our identity, they needed a scapegoat. 

I think that's why RV gets so much negativity, even now that he's been gone a long time. Because at first, we were happy with what he brought to the situation. He solved some of the easy issues, he even pitched in at concessions or custodial roles! Grinding it out in whatever way he could to improve our program... And who doesn't appreciate a grinder match with an energetic, enthusiastic, and game guy like that?

But, eventually, I think we all realized RV wasn't versatile. His limitations became clear. We hit wall after wall in growing our program, and those walls closed in so tight that it seemed we were stuck in a tiny closet we'd never escape. And I think that a lot of our fans have internalized self-loathing and identity issues that they can't quite accept, so they lash out and place all the blame with him. 

It doesn't help that, in Wren Baker, we've found a guy who seems perfectly suited to reach around those walls that stymied RV for many years. Higher profile OOC opponents, no money games, ludicrously expensive coaches... Baker is pulling off reach arounds that RV never could have dreamed of, and I think we're all really enjoying the results. 

I will say that if RV hadn't been here to help get the department cleaned up and in position, we wouldn't be enjoying the vigorous forward thrust that Baker has overseen to push us even further towards the promised land. None of this works without being a part of CUSA (or, as it was known back in the 90s, "the Metro Conference"). Us redefining ourselves as Metro was a critical first step in acceptance, and, hopefully, true growth. I'll always appreciate that about RV's time here, even if there's not much else positive we can agree on. 

 

A lot of typing. 

[Quoner]

@TheTastyGreek You can try and try to convert someone, but I think we have all found that a forced conversion is more harmful than good. In fact, I don't think there's a person here who been honest with themselves and accepted a new position as a result of these discussions.

Whether you're a fan who stays close to Denton or one who is stonewalled away from the action with a fancy job somewhere like New Haven or Cincinnati, we all unique perspectices. Those Cincinnati fans may have a different perspectice not seeing all the changes under Wren. They fly in for high level events, put on their bowties and only enjoy the major and whole glories around athletics.

So yes, Mr. Greek, you can try to convert with words, but people believe what they believe. Your oral prowess is not going to change things if someone is born a certain way and I wish you would get off your DSL and start accepting that the bye RV crowd has some valid thrust here.

[Green Lantern]

13 hours ago, TheTastyGreek said:

I don't want to put anything in @NorthTexasWeLove's mouth without proper consent, but I do have some thoughts to share that might be relevant. 

I think that a lot of people get frustrated because, like it or not, our Sun Belt affiliation during most of RV's tenure clearly branded us as the bottom of D-1 sports. Now, we were actually pretty fortunate... Between the crazy run of conference wins and bowl games under Dickey and a string of 20+ win seasons and not one but TWO NCAA tournament appearances under Johnny Jones, I'd say we could credibly claim to be quite a power-bottom. And that's nothing to be ashamed of!

But... I think a lot of the guys here felt ashamed of potentially being happy in that role. We had a lot of fun for a long time, but some people just couldn't accept our identity. They'd get to work and talk to their officemates, or just hang around with the other guys at the gym, and they want everyone to look at their school sports affiliation and think: "top", not bottom level athletics. And when they were confused or unhappy about our identity, they needed a scapegoat. 

I think that's why RV gets so much negativity, even now that he's been gone a long time. Because at first, we were happy with what he brought to the situation. He solved some of the easy issues, he even pitched in at concessions or custodial roles! Grinding it out in whatever way he could to improve our program... And who doesn't appreciate a grinder match with an energetic, enthusiastic, and game guy like that?

But, eventually, I think we all realized RV wasn't versatile. His limitations became clear. We hit wall after wall in growing our program, and those walls closed in so tight that it seemed we were stuck in a tiny closet we'd never escape. And I think that a lot of our fans have internalized self-loathing and identity issues that they can't quite accept, so they lash out and place all the blame with him. 

It doesn't help that, in Wren Baker, we've found a guy who seems perfectly suited to reach around those walls that stymied RV for many years. Higher profile OOC opponents, no money games, ludicrously expensive coaches... Baker is pulling off reach arounds that RV never could have dreamed of, and I think we're all really enjoying the results. 

I will say that if RV hadn't been here to help get the department cleaned up and in position, we wouldn't be enjoying the vigorous forward thrust that Baker has overseen to push us even further towards the promised land. None of this works without being a part of CUSA (or, as it was known back in the 90s, "the Metro Conference"). Us redefining ourselves as Metro was a critical first step in acceptance, and, hopefully, true growth. I'll always appreciate that about RV's time here, even if there's not much else positive we can agree on. 

 

 

[Cooke County Kid]

Instead of dwelling on the past let us look at a bright future.  Yes it could and should have been brighter and there are a lot of reasons why it may not be as bright as we believe it should be, so what can WE do now?  Show up to games and events, give more money to the school, not just athletics, wear your green and be loud and proud.  Give our players and the students the best education they can get, the tools they need to succeed in life and in their sport and the best opportunities we can afford them and that includes conference affiliations.  We are climbing back into relevance in our conference and we are being talked about on the national scene in a positive manner.  It will take time, money and effort on all our parts.  WB is just what we needed when we needed him, now we need to do our part.

WIN GAMES!!!
GO MEAN GREEN!!!

[Cerebus]

Sometimes, when I'm in a good mood, I like to sit around and imagine a world where @TheTastyGreek used his powers for good, instead of evil.

 

[TheTastyGreek]

55 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

Sometimes, when I'm in a good mood, I like to sit around and imagine a world where @TheTastyGreek used his powers for good, instead of evil.

 

I'm the hero this forum both needs AND deserves. 

[All About UNT]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:11 PM, TheTastyGreek said:

Good advice. 

You definitely don't want the Mrs. pegging you as a dirty Sanchez if she goes perusing the browser history. 

But Ben's right, Quoner. Just like I used to suggest to my old tromboner friend, Rusty, I'll tell you the same thing: If you can't keep your mind out of the gutter, send it to a Cleveland steamer to get it cleaned up. 

So um.