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untjim1995 · November 6, 2023

Wanting people to care about football or athletics when they absolutely don't want to is just something we all have to accept. For decades and decades here, the viewpoint of the university's leadership has been to offer athletics to those who want it, but to also make sure that the focus of our pride will always be to educate a lot of people and to celebrate the arts and music. It's what we are overwhelmingly known for.

What we need to do so badly here is to hire a big name football coach that would bring in some new fans in the region, as well as alumni who want to see how a Gary Patterson/Bob Stoops type name would do at a place like this. The only hire we have ever had that worked here since the Vietnam War broke out was Hayden Fry. Well, he fit everything I listed above as an example. And it worked amazingly during his tenure here...until the lack of support from the university and its fans and the lack of attention from the SWC and Texas media finally did him in. Since he left, we hired an OC from Nebraska in Jerry Moore who got hired away by Tech in a few years, a retread bad hire in Bob Tyler who almost go the program on probation, a DC from Baylor in Corky Nelson to run a program that was nuked by the administration, a Texas HS coach who never coached a down of college football in Dennis Parker, the OC from New Mexico in Matt Simon who was crazy and never became a head coach anywhere again, the OC from SMU in Darrell Dickey who was as bland as dishwater with everything, TX HS Coach Todd Dodge that also had never been a head coach at a college before, then we hired a former head coach at Iowa State who was older and more frustrated the longer he was here, the OC from North Carolina in Seth Littrell who started off incredibly well and then grew complacent. And now, the OC from Washington State and former FCS head coach at Incarnate Word in Eric Morris.

All of those names have been usually cheap hires, easy to get to come here. But the one way that has worked here big time is the one we haven't tried again...but amazingly, we could have that chance again IF we dreamed big enough to find a way to convince a guy whose statue is in front of a local stadium in FW, where the guy lives. Yes, it would cost a lot. Yes, it would be tough to convince him. And yet it could be done with the right vision.

Or we can just keep on this same track of hiring mostly unknown dudes that have no connection to the university or the region.

Meangreen Fight · November 7, 2023

10 hours ago, Mogambo said:

UNT has 110 years of football history with a 47K in student body in 2023. Hundred thousands in alumni and we only came up with 17,354 at out home game with a instate rival on a perfect football weather day.

And 50 years of mismanagement that makes us the but of jokes for most not already invested in UNT Football. I see random shots at North Texas Football frequently. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Meangreen Fight · November 7, 2023

7 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

All of those names have been usually cheap hires, easy to get to come here. But the one way that has worked here big time is the one we haven't tried again...but amazingly, we could have that chance again IF we dreamed big enough to find a way to convince a guy whose statue is in front of a local stadium in FW, where the guy lives. Yes, it would cost a lot. Yes, it would be tough to convince him. And yet it could be done with the right vision.

Or we can just keep on this same track of hiring mostly unknown dudes that have no connection to the university or the region

Man this right here exactly my thoughts. That is why I found it so disappointing the leadership wouldn't even flirt with hiring Deion Sanders away from Jackson State. Maybe secretly you aren't really interest in paying him what it would take to get him here but throw out numbers publicly. And maybe numbers half the size you advertise for a Sanders led staff gets you the higher profile coach here after the publicity gets him to take this opportunity seriously.

And I still say Sanders here hired shortly after the first loss to UTSA last season get a class here around his son and Travis that is bowl eligible, maybe undefeated at this point, and flirting with a ranking in the bottom of the top 25. Not to mention it instantly blows away the perception that UNT only half ass cares about football. We enter the AAC with a ton of hype. Many here crapped on the notion of even flirting with Coach Sanders. 🤷🏽‍♂️

NorthTexasWeLove · November 7, 2023

No one cares about UNT Football. We recruit students who don't care about UNT football (athletics in general). They turn into alum that don't care about UNT football. And we expect the community to get behind UNT football? Nevermind the mismanagement of UNT football for running decades.

I wonder if Mosley has started chicken peeking around the country for another job.

NT80 · November 7, 2023

11 hours ago, meangreenbob said:

Marshall at Appalachian St.

Game sold out last July.

Two Sun Belt teams.

North Texas is not a DI football program.

Then you should move to Appalachia and cheer for them....Please!

dodgefan · November 7, 2023

19 hours ago, Mogambo said:

UNT has 110 years of football history with a 47K in student body in 2023. Hundred thousands in alumni and we only came up with 17,354 at out home game with a instate rival on a perfect football weather day.

That's why it's embarrassing, to keep talking about attendance at SMU or any school for that matter. Schools announce tickets distributed, and there is absolutley NO WAY, we had 17,354 on Saturday.

meangreenbob · November 7, 2023

47 minutes ago, dodgefan said:

That's why it's embarrassing, to keep talking about attendance at SMU or any school for that matter. Schools announce tickets distributed, and there is absolutley NO WAY, we had 17,354 on Saturday.

You know I have never witnessed espn pan our stadium as much as they did last Saturday. I mean the “whole” stadium. I kept thinking they were mocking us (yeah sure this is D1 football) because that facility was empty.

Now, I will say the stadium though empty did look really impressive on TV.

Edited November 7, 2023 by meangreenbob

rcade · November 7, 2023

17 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

... the OC from SMU in Darrell Dickey who was as bland as dishwater with everything ...

The 26-game conference winning streak and first bowl win in 56 years were not bland.

Excellent summary of our coaching history overall, but Dickey deserved a more positive description than "bland as dishwater." He lifted the program up higher than we had been in a long time, even though it all ended in embarrassment, a coach fistfight at halftime and rec league jerseys.

rcade · November 7, 2023

21 hours ago, meangreenbob said:

Two Sun Belt teams.

Is anyone surprised the Sun Belt is putting butts in seats, given the way its teams have played in recent years and the quality of some of its newest members? The conference got a lot better after we left, which is as disappointing as seeing your ex living their best life, but it is what it is. We got Judy McLeod and they got App State, which sells out games because they win consistently, not just because Boone has fewer entertainment options.

MeanGreen_MBA · November 7, 2023

11 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

Man this right here exactly my thoughts. That is why I found it so disappointing the leadership wouldn't even flirt with hiring Deion Sanders away from Jackson State. Maybe secretly you aren't really interest in paying him what it would take to get him here but throw out numbers publicly. And maybe numbers half the size you advertise for a Sanders led staff gets you the higher profile coach here after the publicity gets him to take this opportunity seriously.

And I still say Sanders here hired shortly after the first loss to UTSA last season get a class here around his son and Travis that is bowl eligible, maybe undefeated at this point, and flirting with a ranking in the bottom of the top 25. Not to mention it instantly blows away the perception that UNT only half ass cares about football. We enter the AAC with a ton of hype. Many here crapped on the notion of even flirting with Coach Sanders. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The Sanders experiment will blow-up within 2 years….maybe next year. He is all hype and is going to kill his son trying to get him drafted. It is going to get ugly….IMHO

Meangreen Fight · November 8, 2023

9 hours ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

The Sanders experiment will blow-up within 2 years….maybe next year. He is all hype and is going to kill his son trying to get him drafted. It is going to get ugly….IMHO

Maybe but the influx of talent he would have brought to North Texas would covered up all the flaws the best P5 conference from top to bottom are exposing now.

Meangreen Fight · November 8, 2023

On 11/6/2023 at 11:01 AM, Runner said:

In all fairness there is not much else to do in Boone. UNT has to compete with the metroplex for the entertainment dollar. Same thing here with UTSA we have to compete with the Spurs and Longhorns.

TCU long before they got into a P5 conference, regularly had way more than 30k per game. They won consistently it is just that simple. When was the last time App State was 3-6? In their short history at the FBS level they average over 8 wins a season Give me a break it isn’t that complicated. I don’t care where you are a team with no National Championships FBS or FCS ever, no conference championships or bowl wins in over a decade isn’t going to draw well.

untjim1995 · November 8, 2023

On 11/7/2023 at 7:16 PM, Meangreen Fight said:

TCU long before they got into a P5 conference, regularly had way more than 30k per game. They won consistently it is just that simple. When was the last time App State was 3-6? In their short history at the FBS level they average over 8 wins a season Give me a break it isn’t that complicated. I don’t care where you are a team with no National Championships FBS or FCS ever, no conference championships or bowl wins in over a decade isn’t going to draw well.

When the SWC fell apart, TCU was really a bad program. But the City leaders in FW, knowing that TCU was central to their city, came up with a plan for making them the Hometown Team. TCU used their best asset at the time, money, to buy away Franchione from New Mexico and bring him to FW. And it worked. He got them turned around and when he left for Alabama, his Defensive Coordinator was ready to move up. And Gary Patterson did just that. And the next thing you know, FW goes crazy for them, that leads to a Rose Bowl win and top 5 finish, then getting into the Big 12, which led to another top 5 finish, and then making a hire in Sonny Dykes to pump life into the program and he immediately leads them to a national championship game.

What Fort Worth has done for TCU is what Denton has not done or will ever do for UNT. Dentin’s citizenry either ignores or openly loathes our program’s existence. We have yet to ever have one sellout at our stadium—that seats a little over 30k. It is what it is.

Edited November 10, 2023 by untjim1995

DentonLurker · November 8, 2023

42 minutes ago, Meangreen Fight said:

Maybe but the influx of talent he would have brought to North Texas would covered up all the flaws the best P5 conference from top to bottom are exposing now.

Wait… the Pac12 is the best conference?

rcade · November 8, 2023

3 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

When was the last time App State was 3-6?

App State has only been 3-6 once in the last 30 years -- the 2013 season. They've been a consistent winner since the 1980s.

wardly · November 10, 2023

On 11/6/2023 at 11:01 AM, Runner said:

In all fairness there is not much else to do in Boone. UNT has to compete with the metroplex for the entertainment dollar. Same thing here with UTSA we have to compete with the Spurs and Longhorns.

So that's the problem for poor attendance to UNT sporting events. We are just too close to DFW. Wait, I thought we had 100,000 alumni in DFW.

Pavlovs Eagle · November 10, 2023

On 11/7/2023 at 7:16 PM, Meangreen Fight said:

TCU long before they got into a P5 conference, regularly had way more than 30k per game. They won consistently it is just that simple

Fort Worth made TCU into THEIR team.

SMU has attempted to do that with some, but less success. But there is intent, and the success will probably come with their ACC admission.

Denton, on the other hand, is too busy worrying about offending TWU, like there's some sort of risk they pick up their skirt and move to another city.

rojomojo · November 10, 2023

1 hour ago, wardly said:

So that's the problem for poor attendance to UNT sporting events. We are just too close to DFW. Wait, I thought we had 100,000 alumni in DFW.

I thought basically ALL of our alumni were based in DFW?

rojomojo · November 10, 2023

On 11/7/2023 at 9:09 AM, MeanGreen_MBA said:

The Sanders experiment will blow-up within 2 years….maybe next year. He is all hype and is going to kill his son trying to get him drafted. It is going to get ugly….IMHO

6 years ago it would've blown up. Now with the transfer portal and NIL, I am not so sure

Meangreen Fight · November 11, 2023

18 hours ago, Pavlovs Eagle said:

Fort Worth made TCU into THEIR team.

SMU has attempted to do that with some, but less success. But there is intent, and the success will probably come with their ACC admission.

Denton, on the other hand, is too busy worrying about offending TWU, like there's some sort of risk they pick up their skirt and move to another city.

I think that is plain nonsense. I am Denton native this just isn't a thing all. Fort Worth nor any other community in the world is just waiting for the opportunity to embrace an underachieving sports franchise in a stadium that is falling down like Fouts was. The most valuable sports franchise in the world is 40 miles south. In the late 80s they were losing money. They were losing money because vasilated between being mediocre and just plain bad. And it looked like they were continue to be that way under the leadership at the time. Games were blacked out on local TV. It is beyond ridiculous to look at any other factors effecting attendance when the team has not won a meger G5 conference title in 20 years. We have 4 winning season during that 20 year period also. And most of those losing season were worse than 5-7.

Edited November 11, 2023 by Meangreen Fight