Alumni Award Nominations - important post!

[UNT96]

Well, each year we nominate several people for all of these awards and each year they give them out to the highest bidder. One exception being made.. Mean Rob somehow was able to break the mold for one year and win the Ulys Spirit Award (what most refer to as the Ulysses S. Grant Award as a joke.) Ithink Plummer won it back in the late 20's, too.

Anyhow.. I got my formas in the mail today so I imagine most of you will be getting yours, too. I suggest we stick with the power in numbers theory. Don't go fill that thing out right away... We have until December to get them in. If you don't have one, than call 940-565-2000 and refer requests to the Office of Development and please ask them for it to be sent out immediately, maybe even faxed to your work.. if they catchwind that someorganized vote is going on they will suddenly be all all. We need to get one scanned and on this board in printable format, too. The annual awards to be awarded in March are as follows:

Now most of these awards have been given out to two and even three recipients each year, there is not always just one winner. When Plummer one his Ulys, he shared the title with George Dunham (not bad company there Plummer..)

What I suggest is a nomination system on this board for the different awards. and then if you agree with the nominations than you request the app (if haven't got it in the mail) and you make a copy of it for as many times as needed. Then nominate the top 5 for each category.

Now there are several awards and several criterium for each award, if Cerecrus were to link this and maybe a printable online app. that would be great. Than we can ALL send our applications to a central location. To an honest person like Plummer or even better Rob (if he will do it) and have him hand deliver them all at once. This shows our unitarian structure. We will know the gomeangreen count going into it and we will know if we have simply been shafted for a donation or a judge that is about to be appointed chancellor!

So first things first.. I would like to nominate Steven West "Screaming Eagle Fan" (Tarrant County NT Exes President) for the Outstanding Alumnus SERVICE Award. We all know the great job that he has done in establishing that chapter and improving communication between the Exes and the fans. (past winners include George Derr and Chuck Beatty as well as Ken Murphy.. I don't recognize any of the other 200 or so names o the list). Nominations in this category would also have to go to Jeff Roeling, Al Winder, Brad and Vcki Olson, and Denny Kalk. Some of these may have goteen an award in the past and if so I apologize. I now Rick Herold has so I did not include him along with some other names I saw on the list. But I want evryone's opinions.

For the Ulys Spirit Award, I have to say that once again I nominate harry. I have done it I think four years in a row now.. but he hasn't come up a winner yet. This is the award that I hope to win someday and maybe if this is a "double award" type year than I have some sort of crazy outside chance; but Harry is by FAR heads and above me in terms of overall commitment to not just football, basketball, but also to the big picture of our program. This should be a no brainer really. But I want to hear evreryone's opinions and the don't need to be posters on this board. Of course FFRick should be nominated. That is also a no brainer in my opinion. Other fans to consider - LoRo (Cerebrus) and of course anytime we are taking names... Turner Gill. Now he never went to school here or played here or even is a fan, but he is always a good name to have in the hunt.

By the way, the Ulys spirit award can be given to group, too.  It has been given to the band, NT40, The Green Jeckets, and the Cheerleaders.  So the Greenbackers could be an actual nomination.

Something to consider!

There is also an honorary Alumnus Awatd.. no suggestion here. Maybe ip Eagle (just playing) Maybe Ski Slurarski of The Tomato - seriously.

A Green Glory Award. Seems to be very similiar to Ulys Spirit.

and a Distiguished Alumnus/Alumnae of which they have probably already decided on or has been bought... but if you have a suggestion on a an alumnus that has distingued himself in his career path while still being active in North Texas than this is the place for a nomination. If it is true that old Mattress Mac is converting his bowl dollars to UNT dollars than he might be the guy. But let's not pull a "Lupe" where we award her the award, name a damn music center after her, only to get STIFFED by her will. Now we have a music center called the Lupe and she got it for the bargain price of NADA (thanks to Steamin Willie for that story!)

Final Deadline is Dec 2 but we need to make our deadline Nov 15, sometime before Thanksgiving so they have no excuses. And I emphasize, we send to an agreed upon... honest ...former award winner that will agree to hand deliver this mammoth stack already counted... and slam dunk one of these awards for one of our deserving Greenbacker boys (or girls if worthy). I am pulling for Harry this year for SOMETHING. We should nominate him for everything and hope for one!

So is anyone else up for this group effort or am I just "wishing upon a star" for you guys to be orgaized for a few weeks.

Cerebrus, can you do somethingto help organize this goofy proposition as far as making it web friendly?

Good luck everyone.

[UNT96]

One quick thing.. current staff members cannot win I believe or else I might want to nominate Hank for the award for one of the non-alumnus genre.

* If it has not already been done, serious consideration should be looked at for GA Moore for a Lifetime Achievement Alumnus Award. Just a thought. At the end of this year he wll be the winninest coach in all of Texas Football History (high shool, college, or NFL) and was recently on the cover if the anual Dave Campbells for this achievement. The alumni and the fans should recongizie his greatness, too. He is being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year but the guy will mos likely retire after this year and we can let him go out with a BANG! Let him know that we appreciate him representing the excellence that we strive for, etc...

By the way, your voting should eventually be a private thing and the envelopes can stay sealeed if you like. This thread is to nearly introdude some of us to people we might not know about or think about (like GA Moore) and to re-inforce the ones that have been passed over before like Harry and the like. It is also to make sure that you are informed that nominations are now going on and that if we want a Greenbacker (or the Greenbacker's group as a whole - my hope!) to win an award, NOW is the time to be getting the application for nomination ready. The clock is ticking. The awards aren't until April so most would think that the nominations and voting would be around a month before that date but they are actually 5 months ahead of time. I suggest that we get them in as a uniform group only to show that we mean business and that we know how many of our own have been put up for nomination. If noboday gets anything than obviously the picking system will be shown as nothing more than a popularity contest and those that want to win eventually can start their political butt kissing up for the next year!

Do not worry about nominating people that might not have the most popular athletic dept. ideas.. look at the fan's comitment regardless of their personal feelings and whether or not you agree with it (let's face it, we are all pretty frustrated at some times!) The Office for Advancement votes on this, not the athletic dept so do not worry about an old conversation or e-mail coming back to bite you in the butt. The two groups are separate and for this case this is pobably a good thing. One thing that will surely get you blacklisted from the dept and that is freely posting your opinions on this website. I have yet to get my letter answered, to give RV the benefiit of the doubt he may be out of town or working on this big secret stadium deal.

And by all means, let the board know if YOU are interested, my hope is to see not one but possibly two of us get awards. There are only 5 awards but most are given to two or even three recipients each year so there are potentially 15 awards to win. This raises everyone's chances. Wouldn't it be great to see the Greenbackers Booster Group win the Ulys Spirit Award?! Althought there might only be one plaque or whatever, we could arrange for all active members to get their own for a small monetary gift to a friend. It is tough to buy a plaque for yourself but if something like this were to come to pass, I would be happy .. no, I would be THRILLED ... to buy Al Winder or Jeff Roeling a plaque celebrating his (our) groups' achievement and I would hope someone would volunteer to do the same for me

So take this serious, people on the outside looking in blame us for not talking enough NT stuff on here and being too much like the Ticket by drooling over Kelly Clarkson (just one example... mmmmmmm Kelly Clarkson.. DOH!) on here. This is a valid discussion that could break down an old barrier that should not be there. We have the powe to make it hapen if we work together. There is strenght in numbers and power in diversity. Let's capitalize on this! So any suggestions? How do we start?

[Brian]

I agree, Steven West "ScreamingEaglesFan" has worked very hard trying to get the Tarrant County Exes going, it will be one of the largest chapters in a couple of years.

Harry has spent more of his free time working to make a stronger community than anyone else, IMO.

[UNT96]

Damnit - For OVER 7 years, Harry has has put his blood sweat and tears into 4 diferent Mean Green Sites (paradise board, some board I can't remember, the Rivals site, and now the Go Mean Green Site.) He has spend literally Tens od thousdands of hours and money all to give us a place to meet one another.

I know that we are all procastrinators as a norm; but dangit. Harry desrves an alumnus award. I will personally copy the applications and send them to you for free in a self addressed stamped envleope and deliver them myself. Harry deserves this award this year. This is his year. I think he desrves the Alumni Sevice Award, considered even more prestigious than the Ulys in that students are not elgible. I have gotten a few e-mails and calls about this but NOT what I expected.

We all know each other because of this site; and don't get me wrong.. Harry has a great surranding cast that make it easier on him to get things done including Cerebrus, ArkStFan, and Scottie did a heck of a job stting up the premoier service. But it takes leadership and passion to make it survive and GROW over the last 7+ years. Think about the records of our school during that time in both money sports, think about the quality of this site as oopsed to the other sites of "big name" sites you have been to, and finally think about the ONE LINK holding the chain together for all this time.

There are tons of guys on this board deserving on awards but the awards can have multiple winners and they should look at LONGEVITY through ADVERSITY and losing seasons.

How many friends do you have because of Harry (this site), how much more fun is your tailgating because of him, how many time do you read this site a day, how much are you excited to jump on the board after a good or bad game????? All of these things are due to one person (with an outstanding surrounding cast).

I will drop it now but if I am the only one nominating him again this year because you were too lazy to pick up the phone or send me an e-mail than shame on you. Damn, I am gonna have to eat crow! You can fill out a one page form!

steve boedeker

214-942-1992

steve@TheNightVisionStore.com