Darrell Dickey update

meangreen11 · June 22, 2021

Quote

Darrell Dickey - Offensive Coordinator: As mentioned in the North Texas preview, Dickey was the architect of one of the most successful runs of Mean Green football since the turn of the century, winning multiple Sun Belt championships in a four-year span. He’s bounced around to Utah State, New Mexico, and Texas State since then, and teamed up with Barry Odom to help turn Memphis into the current G5 powerhouse it is today. His offensive prowess with the blue Tigers was enough to impress Fisher and he’s been OC of the Aggies since 2018. His Memphis teams moved a lot faster, mind you, but the concepts are similar to Fisher: find a stud running back, get him the ball in every facet possible, and find a quarterback that can reliably connect on down-field shots. Regardless of pace, Dickey and Fisher know how to coach quality offense.

Darrell Dickey 2018

read more: https://www.rockmnation.com/2021/6/22/22543003/2021-football-opponent-previews-texas-a-m-aggies

DeepGreen · June 22, 2021

Who on this board would take Dickey back as our head coach should Seth fail this season? I would. Dickey would have the facilities and the backing at UNT.

UNTLifer · June 22, 2021

I will respectfully pass.

Mean Green 93-98 · June 22, 2021

I'm confused...what's the update? That he's beginning his 4th season at the same school?

untjim1995 · June 22, 2021

1 hour ago, DeepGreen said:

Who on this board would take Dickey back as our head coach should Seth fail this season? I would. Dickey would have the facilities and the backing at UNT.

Would that Mfer even come back here, even with the major improvements? I mean, he could have PTSD from his days here--"this is the hardest place to coach in America...I know, I work here EVERYDAY..."

The Dickster did his best to build us up, but in the end, his offense here was as boring as it gets and his personality was even worse. He just never got that job up the foodchain and it drove him crazy, to the point where he decided to go out in style here with the famous Hutch Black Jersey finale at Fouts in 2006.

What followed Dickey was much worse, but that had so much more to do with the arrogance of Todd Dodge thinking HS coaches could do the exact same thing at the FBS level, the idiocy of RV to not say to him that he needed actual college football coaches with experience, and Gretchen Bataille's close-mindedness about how much a college coach should make and it should not be more than the President of the university. Thank God we have moved forward from all of that. Thank God for UNTFlyer, who basically got the Student Government to allow a vote, almost steathily, to get the replacement of Fouts. And thank God for Wren Baker, who has run an athletic department so well, that we have more than 17 donors to help fund things around here.

So, no, we don't need to go backwards in hiring anyone who has a losing record as a head coach. We are well ahead of those days...

TheColonyEagle · June 22, 2021

1 hour ago, DeepGreen said:

Who on this board would take Dickey back as our head coach should Seth fail this season? I would. Dickey would have the facilities and the backing at UNT.

I would.

Besides the location, there’s nothing about this program that resembles what Dickey had to work with. It would basically be like him taking a job at a new program. One he’s never seen before.

Edited June 22, 2021 by TheColonyEagle

GrandGreen · June 22, 2021

No way, he was a good coach, but with loads of issues.

I think it was abhorrent that he was put into the NT HOF. Character should count. He basically fired himself at NT.

He IMO is a great example of a good assistant coach that just couldn't cut it as the head coach.

Edited June 22, 2021 by GrandGreen

El Paso Eagle · June 22, 2021

3 hours ago, meangreen11 said:

read more: https://www.rockmnation.com/2021/6/22/22543003/2021-football-opponent-previews-texas-a-m-aggies

Fairly sure this was the bridge after the Black Jersey Game (Think this might also be why he has not been a HC anywhere)

Edited June 22, 2021 by El Paso Eagle

UNT86 · June 22, 2021

I'll pass.

I thank him for what he did here.

I thank him for leaving too.

GrandGreen · June 22, 2021

22 minutes ago, TheColonyEagle said:

I would.

Besides the location, there’s nothing about this program that resembles what Dickey had to work with. It would basically be like him taking a job at a new program. One he’s never seen before.

DD is frequently given credit for winning with a lot less resources than NT currently has. The problem with that analysis, is that nearly all his wins and all his conference wins were against teams that even had less resources. As Belt teams matured, NT and DD lost their early edge.

Having said that, he still deserves a lot of credit for the conference winning streak. It is hard to win that many straight games in any conference.

Mo Green · June 22, 2021

Looks like an Ex-Lax model.

Anyway I wonder who cares anyway (i.e. Portland SU game).

Darrell Dickey 2018

PlummMeanGreen · June 22, 2021

2 minutes ago, Mo Green said:

Looks like an Ex-Lax model.

Anyway I wonder who cares anyway (i.e. Portland SU game).

Hey Mo, he actually favors a young Andy Everest?

❇️🦅❇️GMG

Mean Green 93-98 · June 22, 2021

With regard to the separate question of whether he should be considered as our next HC should SL leave soon . . .

He clearly reinvented himself as a coach after he left here. Any talk about our "Buick" offense needs to be put to rest. He led some incredibly potent offenses, particularly during his time at Memphis. When Jimbo Fisher was hiring his OC when he came over to A&M, he pretty much had his pick of the litter, and he chose DD...that says something. He's had one of the better offenses in the SEC every year he's been there. And I don't think, as a HC, he would abandon the defensive priority he had when he was at UNT previously. I would imagine that he's matured in his ability to manage and deal with people.

But he is now over 60. Would he still have the fire in his belly to begin a new stint as HC? How would he recruit? I'm sure he has developed many new connections over the years, and I think he could bring in a great staff.

If Wren wanted to include DD in candidates to be interviewed, I would respect that decision, even though I think better candidates would be available. If he actually hired him? I have such a hard time envisioning that, I'm not sure what my response would be.

El Paso Eagle · June 22, 2021

19 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

With regard to the separate question of whether he should be considered as our next HC should SL leave soon . . .

He clearly reinvented himself as a coach after he left here. Any talk about our "Buick" offense needs to be put to rest. He led some incredibly potent offenses, particularly during his time at Memphis. When Jimbo Fisher was hiring his OC when he came over to A&M, he pretty much had his pick of the litter, and he chose DD...that says something. He's had one of the better offenses in the SEC every year he's been there. And I don't think, as a HC, he would abandon the defensive priority he had when he was at UNT previously. I would imagine that he's matured in his ability to manage and deal with people.

But he is now over 60. Would he still have the fire in his belly to begin a new stint as HC? How would he recruit? I'm sure he has developed many new connections over the years, and I think he could bring in a great staff.

If Wren wanted to include DD in candidates to be interviewed, I would respect that decision, even though I think better candidates would be available. If he actually hired him? I have such a hard time envisioning that, I'm not sure what my response would be.

Not to diminish DDs OC contributions, but Jimbo is the OC and makes the decisions.

I have always found the difference in A&M's pay for the DC and OC curious

$2,100,000 - defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mike Elko

$800,000 - offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Darrell Dickey

greenminer · June 22, 2021

Any animosity DD made public (black jerseys being the big one) was IMO towards RV, and not the fans or our program.

Having said that, some fans took it personally anyways and wish he never comes back.

I liked the guy. If the opportunity was there to rebuild whatever bridges necessary, I'd be okay with it.

Final thought: there are plenty of coaches out there. This is about as likely as a gorilla with a pen accidentally writing Shakespeare's Hamlet.

greenminer · June 22, 2021

10 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Not to diminish DDs OC contributions, but Jimbo is the OC and makes the decisions.

I have always found the difference in A&M's pay for the DC and OC curious

$2,100,000 - defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mike Elko

$800,000 - offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Darrell Dickey

I think between what has happened there, plus his time at Memphis, we have plenty of evidence to confidently say DD is a really good OC.

UNTLifer · June 22, 2021

52 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Not to diminish DDs OC contributions, but Jimbo is the OC and makes the decisions.

I have always found the difference in A&M's pay for the DC and OC curious

$2,100,000 - defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mike Elko

$800,000 - offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Darrell Dickey

Elko is considered the best DC in the SEC and in high demand.

TheColonyEagle · June 22, 2021

2 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

nearly all his wins and all his conference wins were against teams that even had less resources. As Sunbelt teams matured, NT and DD lost their early edge.

Exact Same can be said for Seth Littrell.

different scale but we have more resources than most CUSA teams. We left the sunbelt and joined a worse conference (talent wise)

TheColonyEagle · June 22, 2021

1 hour ago, greenminer said:

Any animosity DD made public (black jerseys being the big one) was IMO towards RV, and not the fans or our program.

Having said that, some fans took it personally anyways and wish he never comes back.

I liked the guy. If the opportunity was there to rebuild whatever bridges necessary, I'd be okay with it.

Final thought: there are plenty of coaches out there. This is about as likely as a gorilla with a pen accidentally writing Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Agree with all the above

emmitt01 · June 22, 2021

I would take him back.

Name a coach that has done more (or even as much) since he left...don't worry, I'll wait.

And let's not forget that, when he rattled off four straight conference titles, North Texas was BEYOND the bottom of the barrel when it came to D1 football. Apogee doesn't get built without that run, period. When those who are less than 60 years old think of their favorite players the list goes something like this: Brandon Kennedy, Jamario Thomas, Cody Spencer, Patrick Cobbs, Johnny Quinn, Jonas Buckles...remind me, who was their coach???

If we want to keep playing the "well, his accomplishments aren't impressive when compared with the rest of the college football world" game, while conveniently forgetting that everyone outside of the University of Idaho (including most high schools), could boast better financial support and facilities please spare me. Have we forgotten that game days required generator rentals just to turn the lights on? Anyone wanna pee in a trough or step over the armies of crickets again? Remember when the FRONT row of our stadium was 30 yards from the field...I do, and my eyes aren't what they used to be so luckily we have upgraded. How about the athletic center with the decent weight room and training room...oh wait, he didn't have that to use as a recruiting tool.

All that MF'er has done since he left is show that he is fully capable of "exciting" offense when he has the horses to run it and kept an OC job in the SEC. You know, the same SEC that can literally pick ANY coach they want, from pretty much any other conference, and money whip them into jumping ship.

Oh, and we wear quite a few black jerseys these days.

Edited June 22, 2021 by emmitt01

Hunter Green · June 22, 2021

3 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

No way, he was a good coach, but with loads of issues.

I think it was abhorrent that he was put into the NT HOF. Character should count. He basically fired himself at NT.

He IMO is a great example of a good assistant coach that just couldn't cut it as the head coach.

This