Pit Crew

[Gakusei]

UNT_92_Fan and MrStrange were throwing around some ideas at the end of last season for an org. that's related to basketball. Things have come up since and they haven't had the time to do anything official. At the risk of absolutely nothing, I'm gonna throw out some ideas and approach some local businesses (some that might even read this board) about helping us to offset some costs in return for advertising.

How did the North Texas Pit Crew come to be?

During the 2003-2004 season, a group of guys and gals came together for tailgating before men's and women's basketball games, and once inside, made a lot of noise for the Mean Green and Lady Eagles. We received t-shirts from North Texas head coach Johnny Jones and staked out sections 123 and 124 as our own.

What will the Pit Crew do?

If you've ever seen a Duke game, Georgia Tech game, etc with a group of students all wearing the same shirts and cheering for their team, you'll know exactly what we do.

What's the point?

Increasing student and alumni participation in basketball; generally having a good time before, during, and after the games. For a more detailed look at why this type of organization makes sense, please read from the experiences of the Utah Utes football organization (may require free registration).

Who can "join" and what are the qualifications?

Anybody can join and there are only three qualifications:

• Buy a T-shirt (price and availibility to be announced)

• Go to the game and sit with us. (see below for more info on seating)

• Be a fan of the Mean Green!

But it sounds hard, and I'm lazy. Is this really for me?

Unlike other "organizations", there is no formality to the Pit Crew. There are no meetings. There is no required attendance. The only two things that are required are to buy a T-shirt, and sit with us at the games you come to so we can make lots of noise.

Ok, where do I sit?

We'll be sitting in the highlighted sections, filling them from 123 over to 101, and then up into the upper bowl if needed. Please leave section 123 row 1 empty for the organizers of the Pit Crew and tailgate.

Is the Pit Crew an official school organization?

Yes. (contact info coming)

You mentioned before and after game activities, what are these?

Before the games we tailgate in the Fouts Field parking lot, close to North Texas blvd. and the Super Pit. Depending on the circumstances, food may be provided by a local business either by catering or monetarily. In the event that we're unable to secure a sponsor that will offset the full amount of tailgating, you will have the option to purchase a tailgating pass via a small donation, which will allow you to take part in free food and drinks at Pit Crew sponsored tailgating events throughout the season.

After the game (Thursday, Friday, Saturday games), we tend to make our way to Fry Street and/or RBar and celebrate our victory the college way.

What can I do to help (local businesses and alumni)?

We're looking for someone to sponsor us for T-shirts. There are two reasons for this. The first is that we need to make an initial run of shirts and need some money for the first batch of them (50-100). The second is that we would like to produce a high quality shirt that will look good and last through the season. Any businesses wishing to sponsor have the option of having their logo placed on the back of the shirt. More options might be available, please PM me or email me at kevin@unt.edu. We're currently looking at a $500-1000 sponsorship for the 04-05 basketball season. Please make sure to contact me on either of these opportunities if you would like to help, even if you can't completely take care of either of the sponsorships.

I will be approaching local businesses to sponsor the tailgate as well. We're currently looking at a $500-2000 sponsorship for tailgating activities, and/or sponsorship through catering. If the business could provide us with a telescoping flag poll for tailgating use (under wheel) and their business flag, we would fly that during tailgating activities. The other option is hanging business memorabilia from a car or table, but it cannot be guaranteed that it will be highly visible. Of course, the business' logo would also be placed on the back of the shirt.

Of course all of this will be pending approval from the North Texas athletic department.

Will you have a website available?

It is planned pending sponsorships. For now, we will operate from the gomeangreen.com basketball forum.

All of this sounds great, but when will we see anything?

We intend to have a limited production run of shirts and official signups available at the October 23rd New Mexico State football game (practice field). We will be back again at the November 13th Idaho football game to deliver shirts ordered at the NMSU game and to take new signups.

The org. will be taking new signups throughout the basketball season via the tailgating area in the Fouts Field parking lot. Please look for an official list of tailgating events which should be posted within the next month. You can also send a PM or email to me for early signup with no liability (you can change your mind).

And that's it. If you have any ideas or questions, post em. If you're interested in joining, send me an email and I'll mark you down on the list so we can get a good feel of where we'll be at the beginning of the season. If you are interested in sponsoring, or know someone who might be, email me at kevin@unt.edu .

Edited October 15, 2004 by Gakusei

[UNT_92_Fan]

Dang Kev....you said everything me and the others have bene trying to figure out for the last month or so! Honestly folks Pit Crew was just some friends and Myself going and yelling and being nuts at the games...The women coaches approached us and asked us to come up with a name for our group and they would more than likely find a way to make the seats ours and get us a banner to hang. I have met some kickass friends in that section and done some stupid antics there....

Come out and join us...if u love hoops or love the MG....you need to come...the guys team looks good this year and the girls are stronger! THE SBC TOURNEY IS HERE THIS YEAR...there is no reason why we can't be loud as hell and proud as hell!

[Gakusei]

Just wanted to get my ideas down on paper (sorta). I've gotta talk to the guy from Chuggy Bear's as he mentioned last year that he might be interested in helping with the tailgating stuff. I'm also gonna try to contact the ath. dept. this week about any help or information they might have on getting someone to help with the T-shirt run (Wendy's, Acme Brick, Rudy's, etc). I don't think it should be all that complicated to get the main part of it going, organized tailgating will be a bit rougher.

Also it'd be great if anyone out there could think of something for the shirt (or draw it up). I'm thinking a green shirt with the "North Texas" or "Mean Green" block logo across the left chest, with a wavy battle flag on the back and lettering that says "Pit Crew '04-05".

UNT_92: if the women's coaches would still do a banner and reserved seating, that'd be awesome. I hope I'm not stepping on any toes, I just wanted to give this thing a kick in the ass. I'd love to see a hundred or more people at the games as the Pit Crew, so that's why I'm laying down some dates and other info.

[Stan R]

well, as you said, I am lazy , but I most likely will buy a shirt and tailgating sounds like fun. Count me in.

[Mad Hatter]

I got to go to the Big 12 Tournament at the AAC, and the Kansas students had a section of kids wearing what lookind like blue and white striped Rugby shirts with KU on the front. It looked pretty cool, and I thought that I ought to find a shirt like that with green and white for game day.........still looking.

GMG!!

[NTEagle08]

I got to go to the Big 12 Tournament at the AAC, and the Kansas students had a section of kids wearing what lookind like blue and white striped Rugby shirts with KU on the front.  It looked pretty cool, and I thought that I ought to find a shirt like that with green and white for game day.........still looking.

GMG!!

The Bench at UC-Berkeley does the same thing at their games

Edited September 23, 2004 by NTEagle08

[Gakusei]

Here's along the lines of what I was thinking for a T-shirt. The sponsors, at least right now, are fictional so don't read too much into that. Maybe some of you with some better design skills could give some pointers or redo it totally if you have a better idea...Also opinions either way would be nice.

Edited September 23, 2004 by Gakusei

[Zeke]

Would those shirts be Green?

[Gakusei]

Yes. It's a slightly darker green than the standard green color, because the standard green and the flag kind of clash together. Also I'm doing this on a Mac, and they generally run brighter than PC's do. Maybe up the brightness or contrast to get a better idea of what it would look like.

[Gakusei]

Just an update real quick...I spoke with the appropriate personnel in the athletic department. It looks like we're clear to use the Mean Green logo on the front of the shirt, and we're currently working together to find a sponsor for the shirts and to have a small tent and table on the practice field at the New Mexico State football game. Another member is also speaking with a contact in the basketball organization about the possibility of a banner and reserved seating for the group.

Also, if you don't like the shirt idea, or have something you think is better, put your ideas up. If this sample is what we go with, I'll need to talk with Rick about the flag as I'm not sure if they drew it or what, and if they did, I'll need to get his permission to use it.

Information about signups, shirts, etc should start flowing within the next week or two. Tailgating information may not be available until a little bit into November.

Edited September 23, 2004 by Gakusei

[UNT_92_Fan]

Lets see....For those people that were hardcore involved last semester....remember a little thing we used to discuss stuff on....Yeah i opened her back up....

INTERESTED IN PIT CREW....WANT TO SEE SOME PICS FROM LAST YEAR????

NT Pit Crew

[JayDub]

Kevin, everything looks AWESOME! Though, I'd like to see the same shirt with the script logo on the front.

[Gakusei]

Thanks Dub. Here's the shirt with the script on front instead. I personally like the block Mean Green more, especially since it's on the court itself, but you know...majority rules and all that stuff.

[JayDub]

Kevin, you've always been a man of the people. Looks kickin'!

[UNTFan23]

I'd like to add that I think the shirts are sweet lookin'. I'm also looking forward to another exciting and fun season as a Mean Green fan this bball season.

[Eagle since birth]

Those shirts look great. I didn't get to make it to many games last year, but I definitely will be there this year.

[Harry]

This is really cool, Gaz you outdid yourself on this. Thanks for your dedication.

[meangreendork]

*wants a pit crew shirt*

[Gakusei]

Thanks Harry, and everyone for the props on the shirt. I'm gonna lock down the design pending all the necessary permissions.

I'm gonna talk with Rick M. down in Waco tomorrow and see about using the flag on the shirt. As soon as I can get the flag and logo stuff in order, I'm gonna take the images to a local shirt shop (any suggestions for a shop that does screen printing?) and have a couple made up for visual aid for the AD.

I'll also be putting up a website by the end of this next week that'll have pics of the shirt, and will allow people to make an early order for their shirts via PayPal. I'm expecting them to run anywhere from $10-15; I'll know more once I talk with the shirt shop.

So in short...t-shirts should be available for order by October 3, and will be delivered at the Mean Green Village on October 23rd (or November 13th, depending on order date). Dates are subject to change, because this is a large undertaking that involves more bureaucracy than I thought it would.

Edited September 25, 2004 by Gakusei

[Gakusei]

Thought I'd throw out a status update for everyone.

I talked with Rick and we have full permission to use the flag on the back of the shirt. I got in contact with AustinTalon there who (I believe) will be sending me the file very soon.

I've decided that this whole affair would be a lot easier to handle if the group were registered as a school organization, so I'll be stopping by the Union Thursday to grab that paperwork and to get it filled out hopefully by COB Monday. Once this is done, I think it'll be a lot easier to work with the athletic department folks, and maybe even get some help from the basketball org.

I've registered http://www.ntpitcrew.com . That should be up and pointing to my personal website any day now, and I'll proceed to make up a quick site, correct the pointer so it always says ntpitcrew.com instead of my personal site's name, and will also add a Pit Crew forum to that page.

As soon as I get the art from AustinTalon, I'm going to take the design to some shirt shops here in Denton and see if I can get one to make a sample for me (paid of course), without having to do a run of 25-100 right off the bat. I'm going to look for the cheapest price possible, while still offering a quality shirt.

I'm going to work with the AD to lock up the table and the tent at the NMSU game (as has been pseudo-promised so far), as well as at the Idaho game. I'll also be requesting a table at least once a week at the rec center as soon as the organization is registered and we've got some shirts printed (probably early November).

Again, we're looking for about $500-1000 for the first run of shirts. If you feel that you can help in any way, please don't be afraid to contact me. If you want to promote your business, we can do that on the shirt. Even if you're an alumni who's feeling generous, contact me via PM or email me at kevin@unt.edu. $50, $200, $1000...it all helps to get us off the ground. If you want to see North Texas with more fan support, in a better conference, or even in the Final Four, it starts here.

I and the rest of the guys involved in this are doing what we can to begin the change from 2,000 average attendance to 9-10,000+ average attendance. It won't be overnight, but everything has to start somewhere.

I should have a decent sized update by a week from Friday.

Some reference reading in the meantime:

Reed Rowdies (Texas A&M)

The Jungle (Princeton)

Team Cavalier (Virginia)

Update: A very crude looking splash page is up at http://www.ntpitcrew.com now. If you can't access the site, you should be able to within the next couple of days. It does connect from Charter here in Denton, so far, but sometimes it takes a couple days for new website addresses to proliferate. I should have a forum up by the end of the day.

Edited September 30, 2004 by Gakusei

[Gakusei]

Going to go ahead and post again to let everyone know that if not today, you should be able to access http://www.ntpitcrew.com by Saturday. Several people have already tried it and it's gone through, so give it a try.

The crude front page is up with a link to the forums, which are also under construction (colors, icons, size, etc). The org is moving forward very quickly, and the website is just the start. I hope to have a general site design, some pictures up from last year, the forum modified for colors and all, and several other things done by the end of the weekend or Monday at the latest. Come on over and ask your questions or discuss.

[gruu]

Great idea guys... just make the UNT/North Texas Script or what ever logo on the front BIGGER!

Keep the shirt designs simple like the examples you have here... this sounds great now... will sound better at the games!

[untangel4]

Hey Gak... Lemmie know if you need some more pics from last year... I still have all of mine from saved on my computer...

Oh, and if you need any other help, just lemmie know

[Gakusei]

For anyone who's interested in being a part of the group this year, please take a look at this link:

http://www.ntpitcrew.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21

Registration for the board is fast and easy, and you'll be able to get your say in what the shirt looks like for the inaugural season as well as talk about Pit Crew and basketball related topics. See ya there.

[Lovesto Pumpfake]

Whoever y'all are that are putting this together, know that the players and their families really do appreciate your efforts. Last year the sight of the large group of students in the corner going NUTS during the games was truly inspiring. Now if we could just organize the UNT band to help you.... First things first, y'all are doing a great thing.

One thing I hope for is that the UNT Pit Crew show a lot of class and to take it easy on the foul language, unlike the SMU Mustang Maniacs fan group. I have attended SMU games against even D2 schools and they are absolutely crude & vile, and actually lost the support of the alums and season ticket holders near them. Imagine what it was like when Bobby Knight was there! The Cameron Crazies of Duke and Stanford 6th Man groups show their support and use their wit by doing their research on the opposition and use that info and their humor , plus lots of noise and movement, to distract the opposition and to display their displeasure at various a referee's calls. Hopefully the UNT Pit Crew can rival their support and show class and restrain unseen in Big D.

Go Mean Green, and Go Pit Crew!

PS - Anybody talk to the guys that run Rudy's BBQ? They seem loke good guys with lots of UNT spirit, maybe they'd contribute on the shirts and also the pre-game spread.