Dickey Last Of Original Seven

MeanGreen61 · November 22, 2005

Football: UNT’s Dickey last of original seven

MTSU’s McCollum sacked, Mean Green’s field boss only SBC football coach leading same team

08:22 AM CST on Tuesday, November 22, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey officially became the last of a dying breed on Monday.

Dickey was one of the original seven head coaches in the Sun Belt when the league was formed back in 2001. He is now the last one still in his original post after Middle Tennessee fired Andy McCollum with two years left on his contract.

“I have great respect for Andy as a person and football coach,” Dickey said on Monday during the league’s weekly press call. “I was sorry to see that things didn’t work out.”

UNT and MTSU developed one of the Sun Belt’s top rivalries during McCollum’s tenure, one the Mean Green dominated. UNT won all five games in the series, including a pair of victories that proved costly for McCollum.

The Mean Green beat MTSU 30-20 in the 2001 season and went on to finish in a tie with the Blue Raiders for the Sun Belt title. UNT advanced to the New Orleans Bowl by virtue of its win over MTSU.

The Mean Green also edged MTSU in both teams’ conference opener this year. The loss sent the Blue Raiders on a slide that has them sitting at 3-6 heading into the last two games of the season.

McCollum will stay on to coach the Blue Raiders the remainder of the year.

“Right now my only focus is on these last two games and our players,” McCollum said in a statement released by MTSU. “I will not comment on this situation until the season is complete. All of my energy and this staff’s energy will be spent trying to win these last two games.”

Several of the league’s coaches expressed their admiration for McCollum. Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters echoed those sentiments.

“I am very fond of Andy as a lot of people are,” Waters said. “I have a lot of respect for his professional abilities. He had a tough road at Middle. He was hired by one athletic director and has been through three ADs. That would have been tough under ideal circumstances. Andy’s legacy at Middle Tennessee will be fine. He guided them from I-AA to Division I.”

MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said in a statement that the school will begin a search for a new coach immediately.

“Middle Tennessee has the right situation,” Waters said. “They can go out now and look for the person who can take them the next step.”

Dickey and the Mean Green helped prevent the Blue Raiders from taking that step, leaving UNT as the last team in the league with its original coach.

“We are all in tough jobs and are fighting to keep our heads above water,” Dickey said. “I just hope to keep mine above water.”

Dickey: Pegram interested in UNT opening

Former UNT running back Erric Pegram has expressed interest in the Mean Green’s opening for a running backs coach, head coach Darrell Dickey said Monday.

Pegram led UNT in rushing in the 1989 and 1990 seasons and ranks 14th on the Mean Green’s career rushing leaders list with 1,613 yards. He went on to play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers.

Current UNT running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Bruce Bell is retiring after national signing day in February.

“He would be a good candidate, but we are going to research a lot of things,” Dickey said.

Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas won national rushing titles under Bell’s direction in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, respectively.

UNT to make decision on QB this week

UNT will make a decision on whether to start Matt Phillips or Daniel Meager at quarterback during practice this week, head coach Darrell Dickey said Monday.

Meager has started each of the Mean Green’s games, but has given way to Phillips the last two weeks. Phillips threw for 217 yards last week in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe, the top total for a freshman quarterback during Dickey’s tenure.

Phillips also threw for 138 yards in the fourth quarter of a loss to Florida Atlantic two weeks ago.

Meager has led UNT to its only two wins this season and leads the team with 789 passing yards.

SBC to have bowl eligible team

After a few nervous weeks of waiting, the Sun Belt Conference entered the final week of the regular season assured of having at least one bowl eligible team.

Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette are all 5-5 on the year. ULM is 5-1 in league play, while ASU and ULL are both 4-2.

ULM can secure the league title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl with a win against ULL on Saturday. ASU would clinch the bowl bid with a win over UNT and a ULM loss, while ULL needs a win over ULM and a UNT win over ASU.

No matter how the scenario plays out, the Sun Belt will have a six-win team that is bowl eligible.

“It was critical that we not have to go back to the NCAA to ask for an exception,” Waters said. “The rules have sometimes changed on us as we have gone through it and we have had to ask for an exemption. We are a member of Division I-A and need to play by the same rulebook.”

Edited November 22, 2005 by MeanGreen61

Stan R · November 22, 2005

I'm such a consipracy theorist... Anyone think WW gave DD a little suggestion- hey buddy- we REALLY need a 6-5 team... mkay? Go easy on ole ULM...

I know, ridiculous.

UNTFan23 · November 22, 2005

The Mean Green beat MTSU 30-20 in the 2001 season and went on to finish in a tie with the Blue Raiders for the Sun Belt title. UNT advanced to the New Orleans Bowl by virtue of its win over MTSU.
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The final score was 24-21 in 2001. I think it was 30-20 in 2002.