I-30/I-40 Stream Of Consciousness Blues

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

***If you think Plumm's posts are long, try this. If you make it through this, you are SERIOUS in your support for North Texas.***

It was a long drive back to Memphis. It has been a long season. I thank our players for their effort, though it came up short. I went over to the sunny side of the stadium for a while and stayed on the south end so not to look into the sun. Was over there when Meager got sandwiched. As terrible as that looked, it SOUNDED a lot worse. I would bet that none of us on the board has made THAT kind of commitment to NT athletics.

Now I want to talk about the school's commitment. I have tried to understand how North Texas can stay in the doldrums sportswise for so many decades. Even during the relative glory of The Sun Belt Run, the fact is we have been way down on the Division 1 totem pole. And basketball has been the same.

In 2002 I thought maybe NT as an institution had finally changed its attitude, but I don't think so now. I think we saw a small peak in a relatively very low land.

Let me provide an analogy from the world of youth sports. For many parents and their kids, they are not willing to make the commitment of playing in the 'competitive league' teams. Accordingly, there are 'recreational' leagues. You still have players who want to win, but it is more about fun and allows more to commit to other pursuits. I believe that NT as an institution has reached the same sort of decision that the recreational league families reach. They do not want to make the commitment to sports that the competitive league families make. For those families, there is nothing wrong with that decision.

We do not have baseball or men's soccer. These are programs I associate with a 'competitive league' school. We spend one fourth of what competitive league schools spend on coaches, at a minimum. Now there are some teams, that play in better conferences than we are in, that I would not refer to in this sense as a 'competitive league' school in this analogy. I am just saying that there are those who are making the commitment and those who are not, and our school has decided not to. It really doesn't have that much to do with what conference you are in. If you make the commitment, the rest will take care of itself.

So then I am driving and driving and driving and wondering if NT actually made the right decision. Surely it was a competitive game between the two teams, just as many recreational league youth sports games are competitive. And there clearly is a place and need for recreational level teams. They serve a valid mission, and allow for PEOPLE to do other things that they could not do if they were committed to a 'competitive' program.

One downside to the decision to make this lesser commitment is that the competitive league players and their families don't think you're 'for real'. In fact, there is another thread talking about the UT dope going on about exactly that. Do we care? Well, some of us obviously do. I'm sure the rec league 12-year old has second thoughts occasionally because the big dogs wouldn't take him seriously. On the other hand, he's not got his whole life wrapped up around some sport, and there are a lot of advantages to that.

There is a flaw in the analogy though. Let's look at grand ol' UT. They are not making sacrifices. They clearly have a 'competitive' level program and just about everything else you could imagine. Why do they have that? Well one reason is they are stealing our state money. The other reason is that unlike a family, an institution is not bound by time. The kid and his parents have to divide up the precious TIME of their daily lives. If they commit time to the competitive league team, they can't devote that time to something else.

Of course, both the family and the university have the challenge of money. That is a seondary consideration in this decision though. If it matters enough, both the family and the institution can find money for it. It is the commitment of time that primarily makes the decision.

The university, though, is not precluded from doing something else just because it allocated TIME to a competitive league sport. It will have RESOURCE challenges, but those can be dealt with. It all starts with the commitment, then you find ways to get the resources, then execute on those ways.

Thus, I conclude that there is no reason for NT to make this recreational level choice. There is no unyielding aspect of the universe, such as the marching of time, that requires NT to sacrifice other things to have a competitive level athletic program.

So then you have to ask the question, why does NT make this choice to stay at this modest level? The only answer I can come up with is sheer laziness and poorly thought out excuses. That's unacceptable.

So then, why would we propose for NT to make a different choice? Well, I think it goes back to laziness. We don't want to be perceived as lazy. Everyone else knows that if North Texas WANTED to, they could have a competitive program. And no one can see why North Texas would choose anything less. It doesn't make any sense. So what you have is a bunch of people thinking of North Texas as a lazy institution that CHOOSES to be out of it. Certainly we have always had our share of students who fit that model. However, I think that is a poor representation, and it is not fair to the many students and alumni who have striven and achieved.

To those who contemplate withdrawing their support, I am with you in part. Perhaps there are those willing to seriously support a recreational (again, in the sense of this analogy, as compared to the big-time schools I'm referring to as the 'competitive' level schools) level program. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but there won't be too many. I am not one of them. On the other hand, I am willing to even increase support, but only if the university demonstrates a commitment to become, in the near term, a 'competitive league' school. Now my little bit of support, of course is not going to sway the school's decision. However, it is indicative. I think there are a LOT of other people out there who would get behind North Texas if North Texas articulated a good near-term plan to achieve competitive level status. Ironically (or synergistically), one of the steps that would demonstrate such a commitment would be to state clearly the intention to reach out to such people.

I have thought before of the whole university sports development issue as a 'chicken and egg' problem. But now I realize it is not that way at all. In our world, there are opportunities to create something starting with nothing; where something intangible can start the production of something tangible. I think this realization has evaded our school's succession of leaders. If they started with an expectation and then developed a plan and then started making some communications, a process could be set in motion that would ultimately build a competitive level program within a few years. I am quite confident the pieces would fall into place. It starts with ideas. In fact, it also ends with ideas, because it is ideas that we are ultimately trying to place in peoples' heads: that North Texas strives and achieves and is up to the challenge. It is not about one big donor. It is about reaching out to, and appealing to, many. Nothing has to be sacrificed. When they start talking about something like that, then I will offer continued support. Anything else is misguided, and I will not support that.

I've alluded here to the unique opportunity for North Texas. There are some things in this world that feed themselves. They just have to be properly set in motion. I would like to help start that and so would many on this board. However it takes a proper plan and articulated vision. I think that in order to dramatically increase support, the university will need to show a plan of how it will even further increase support. There is no valid excuse for not doing this, because it will feed itself and will not take from the university's other programs. In fact, the end result is it will increase support for the university's other program. Our universe presents occasionally these sort of 'strange loops', and incredible power comes from them when they are employed. It is once again ironic that an academic institution has failed for so long to recognize one.

[H-towngreen]

Only a few paragraphs in but we have baseball on the way. And a little thing called Title 9 keeps us from having such sports as mens soccer.

[KingDL1]

WOW Plumm has got some solid competition now!

I think I need the Cliff Notes for that one!

I got kind of lost on the point, is it that we are only half or half-a$$ committed to sports at UNT??

Edited November 29, 2005 by KingDL1

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

I got kind of lost on the point, is it that we are only half or half-a$$ committed to sports at UNT??

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The point is, I believe the school has made a conscious choice to remain at a secondary level in athletics. I elaborate on why I believe that, and also why I believe it is the wrong choice. I argue that instead the school should choose to invest, and I point out that all investment starts with a plan.

As always, the Cliff's Notes should only serve as a helpful frame of reference for exploring the actual work. In particular, please don't miss my reference to the 'strange loop' concept, which you should further explore through your studies.

Like I said, it's a long drive!

[PlummMeanGreen]

The point is, I believe the school has made a conscious choice to remain at a secondary level in athletics.  I elaborate on why I believe that, and also why I believe it is the wrong choice. I argue that instead the school should choose to invest, and I point out that all investment starts with a plan.

As always, the Cliff's Notes should only serve as a helpful frame of reference for exploring the actual work. In particular, please don't miss my reference to the 'strange loop' concept, which you should further explore through your studies.

Like I said, it's a long drive!

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IT'S GOTTEN DOWN TO DIRTY CAMPUS POLITICS, FOLKS!

Honest to goodness, I know this sounds like a broken record here, but I really do think the problem starts at the top in Denton and that is an NT Board of Regents Chairman who has lost all of his abilties to have any kind of unbias when it comes to Darrell Dickey. I mean word got out only a few months ago that the Bobby Ray and Darrell Dickie families even go vacationing together for crissakes'. Well, nothing wrong with that really, until you start to focus on the realization that Bobby Ray has committed the cardinal sin of an employer getting too close to an employee. Those kinds of things usually happen in small businesses across our land but surely this should not be happening at the 4'th largest univesity in the sovereign state of almighty Texas, should it?

AND............If Mattress "Jim McIngvale" Mac doesn''t want to give to UNT anymore because we will have to fire his golfing buddy DD next year (which should have really been this year), then so be it, but I'll be damned that if our small stinkin' thinkin' decision-makers at our alma mater allows Jim McIngvale to hold UNT hostage over such a stupid comment that " I'll support UNT as long as DD is there" I am afraid ol' Mattress Mac is going to be a little pissed when his buddy after 9 years of what is basically the kind of job a college football assistant coach trying to be a head football coach would do (even in the SBC/Bottom 10) gets his butt replaced by someone with real aunthentic NCAA D1-A head football coaching credentials. The coach who takes NORTH TEXAS to the Top 60 level of NCAA D1-A is being temporarily kept off the NT payroll because of our present NT Board of Regents lack of understanding of the horse shit league we are in that has made DD look like Vince Lombardy. If you are not pissed about all this now, you will be in due time.

I am talking about a coach (we've had them before at UNT to all you young gun alums who Dickey even has you thinking as small time as he has to hope UNT stays so he can be successful at the SBC/Bottom 10 level). I think UNT has all the characteristics of a school that can exceed a UTEP/Price scenario based on where we are located and our growth. Again, UNT hold a football series W/L over UTEP by many more wins than losses over the Miners. UTEP is not Notre Dame, folks, we have been better than them in football more times than worst. (Check your NT football media guide for proof).

Yet I wish everyone of the DD huggers could look past their noses and beyond the league DD has to be a head coach in to be a success even as disguised as that has been with UNT bascially backing into those 4 bowl games because of the patheticness of the Sun Belt Conference. What humors many is how so many have bought into this veiled success; that is, all except the rest of the American college sports public.

BACK TO THE MATTRESS MAN: Yet the gall for an NT Letterman and 1973 NT grad to have not been supporting the school who gave him a scholarship in the first place all those years and his should have been giving to UNT based on that long before he knew there was someone out there named Darrell Dickey.

Jeez! Are the inmates running the aslyum at UNT any more? I don't think our NT Board of Regents have any clue as to what UNT needs to the football program above SBC/Bottom 10 competition and if they do, they are being a bit stubborn in doing something this year that they will be forced to do after the 2006 football season (with the schedule we've already seen) when DD stumbles after his 9'th year at UNT; a at that time when he will be about 25 or more games under .500. ARE YALL JUST REALLY ON BOARD WITH ALL THAT MEDIOCRE BULLSHIT, NT EXES?

Yet when the time comes, our NT BOR's don't do what 99.9 % of other NCAA D1-A similar boards would do with a head football coach with no chance of succeeding because of himself being his worst enemy and no speciall skills to be a head football coach, then there is going to be some real gnashing of teeth and teeth flying all over the place in Denton (and of course, I don't mean that literally) but strategic well places letters, conversation among alums who see thur this charade of medicrity and then letters to the Governor of Texas can cut thru bone marrow with even the kind of folks on the NT Board of Regents of whom some have not a clue about any of this we have been posting on about DD at all.

THE REAL CULPRIT OF ALL THIS BEHEND THE SCENES--THINK ABOUT IT.

The part I fear the most in all this is that all this with Dickey mediOcrity is falling right into our SMU-graduated Chancellor's plans to see football de-emphasied at UNT. Why do I say that? How the hell else is he going to get more focus on the UNT System's pink elephanT UNT-Dallas project if too many have their minds (and money) on Mean Green athletics (football specifically) AND.........a new football stadium out at Eagle Point Campus?

Keep your eyes on this Lee Jackson character because I gurarante you he has an agenda that is hardly going to be in the best interest of our main campus in Denton. Do you think that SMU graduated geek-lookin' fella wants there to be a new football stadium in Denton, Texas, America, while Bobby Ray has given him the charge of building a freakin' (un-needed) campus in south Dallas County? Folks, most of the ones who woud attend a UNT-Dallas campus could have more than afforded the 15-20 mile drive over to UT-Arlington. UNT does not have the endowment to have ever taken on that UNT-Dallas campus on as a project and the quicker they admit that to the Texas Higher Educatioin Coordinating Board the better. UNT should just quietly let that project be shifted over to 2 systems who do have the resources to be successful with the south Dallas university and that is the TAMU or Texas Tech Systems.

Long story short: Maybe UNT wants to keep Darrell Dickey as to keep UNT football in the present SBC/Bottom 10 mode its in. Funny how Norval Pohl had Big Time aspirations for our football program and I really think beyond what Dickey could ever eventually give us, but then enter "non Phd" Lee Jackson as our new UNT Chancellor and then Norval in due time resigns? I know there were things that went on on campus, but most college presidents would have stuck it out and worked such problems out. I mean that is what educated people do, isnt' it? Pohl has never said to this day what he's going to do after he leaves UNT, right?

Keep your eyes open, fellow alums, we may be in for a bumpy ride with this group we have on campus as of now.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Edited November 29, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[H-towngreen]

Yes Plumm, lets knock the man who just gave us $1,000,000. Count it thats six zeros which is a MILLION. When was he supposed to donate that money? When we were in AA. Oh yeah, the arrogent "Matress Man" who does not care about NT, but yet flew the entire team down for a teamates funeral. Maybe you should check out the thread stating how we should be donating now more than ever not knocking those who do. How do you know that he hasnt given money before now. It may not have been a mill, but I will go ahead and guess that he has thrown a few dollars this way.

Edited November 29, 2005 by H-towngreen

[PlummMeanGreen]

Yes Plumm, lets knock the man who just gave us $1,000,000. Count it thats six zeros which is a MILLION.  When was he supposed to donate that money? When we were in AA.  Oh yeah, the arrogent "Matress Man" who does not care about NT, but yet flew the entire team down for a teamates funeral. Maybe you should check out the thread stating how we should be donating now more than ever not knocking those who do. How do you know that he hasnt given money before now. It may not have been a mill, but I will go ahead and guess that he has thrown a few dollars this way.

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You will let that man threaten and take your alma mater hostage by saying he'll take all his toys (or mattresses) and go home if we ever get rid of Darrell Dickey?

Your also OK that this gent who NTSU gave a scholarship to play football had not been giving all the time to his alma mater before DD started his long running under .500 career at NT?

I think all this with DD reeks to high heaven, its reeked with the way he got the NT job in the first place and its going to get really stinky if that man doesn't soon get off the UNT payroll. We all know how he feels about UNT fans and alums. Do yall like that kind of treatment?

The fact that his 8 year record with "backed into bowl games" successes because of a lousy conference has so many blinded is almost as sad as DD's 8 year record at UNT (and with the fact that he is going to be given a 9'th to add to that record is beyond ludicrous).

You and I are made of different stuff, fellow alum.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Edited November 29, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[H-towngreen]

Once again, how do you know that he has not given money to NT in the past?

It is his money and he can do with it as he pleases. If he wants to give it because DD is here, fine by me. If DD is forced out by fans like you, and he pulls the money back, hey were not losing anything cause we didn't have it to begin.

I just don't see the need to bash the man who is willing to donate money. Any man for that reason. Whether $5 or 5 mill. We should be grateful. I'm sure that there are plenty of other former NT football players who are doing pretty darn good for themselves. I nominate Plumm to hunt them down and bash them for not giving money. And then once they do bash them some more for not giving enough, and then some more for not doing it earlier.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Once again, how do you know that he has not given money to NT in the past?

It is his money and he can do with it as he pleases. If he wants to give it because DD is here, fine by me. If DD is forced out by fans like you, and he pulls the money back, hey were not losing anything cause we didn't have it to begin.

I just don't see the need to bash the man who is willing to donate money. Any man for that reason. Whether $5 or 5 mill. We should be grateful. I'm sure that there are plenty of other former NT football players who are doing pretty darn good for themselves. I nominate Plumm to hunt them down and bash them for not giving money. And then once they do bash them some more for not giving enough, and then some more for not doing it earlier.

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First of all, are you related to Darrell Dickey or Mattress Mac?

I have never seen the man's name listed as a donor on about 25 plus years of NT Mean Green football souvenir programs because myself (and other older fellow NT Exes who already pointed out the same concerning not seeing his name in the past) would remember a name (in print) like: Jim McIngvale

So you are going to lose your temper over DD mediocrity, H-towngreen? How sad that is. You, too, have been duped by the Kansas Konnection boys. This 6'th generation Texan finally took his head out of the sand on all this, though.

Wait till next year when a helluva bunch of us who could tell some of you: "We told you so" probaby won't choose to do that at all but will be more excited about who will be the one to be hired who will take us out of one of the most (to say the least) interesting coaching jobs (inundated with disguised and fake success) in NCAA history. Again lets all say this together in unison: "Backed into 4 bowl games due to a lousy SBC/Bottom 10 football conference and almost didn't even make it 4." REMEMBER THIS? If Troy U would have been in the SBC in 2001, they would have most likely been the NO's Bowl's first host team because they beat us (cough, cough) as a 1-AA transitional school in that same year of 2001. Sorry to bring up that small fact to a few of you huggers out there.

A question H-towngreen: After 4 bowl games, why can't DD get on any serious future head coach's lists of NCAA D1-A schools trying to fill their positions of head coach? If that is not further down and out blatant proof of what the rest of NCAA D1-A administrators (& hiring authorities) think of DD's 4 bowl games, then what is? They, too, would tell many on this board that the man is simply not NCAA D1-A head football coaching material, except at--North Texas.

I just wish another "Board" at North Texas would soon start realizing some of these glaring realities, facts and red flags now.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

PS: Yes, an insomnia morning this is.

Edited November 29, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[jjpfootball]

In the last 3 years I have not seen your name on the LIST....????

[IslandEagle]

You will let that man threaten and take your alma mater hostage by saying he'll take all his toys (or mattresses) and go home if we ever get rid of Darrell Dickey? 

Your also OK that this gent who NTSU gave a scholarship to play football had not been giving all the time to his alma mater before DD started his long running under .500 career at NT?

I think all this with DD reeks to high heaven, its reeked with the way he got the NT job in the first place and its going to get really stinky if that man doesn't soon get off the UNT payroll.  We all know how he feels about UNT fans and alums.  Do yall like that kind of treatment? 

The fact that his 8 year record with "backed into bowl games" successes because of a lousy conference has so many blinded is almost as sad as DD's 8 year record at UNT (and with the fact that he is going to be given a 9'th to add to that record is beyond ludicrous).

You and I are made of different stuff, fellow alum.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

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Plumm, I understand your frustration with this year, but get real. As both a UT and UNT alumnus, I can assure you that the big buck guys sway the program. If Jim is the big buck guy then he is going to have a pretty big say, at least until someone bigger comes along. That is 1-A collegiate athletics. If you, or your chums can kick in a few million, then you can have RV and the Board of Regents ears, I'm sure. Until then, you may have to live with the fact that JM is going to let his opinions be heard by RV and company. Facts of life.

[SilverEagle]

Plumm, I understand your frustration with this year, but get real. As both a UT and UNT alumnus, I can assure you that the big buck guys sway the program. If Jim is the big buck guy then he is going to have a pretty big say, at least until someone bigger comes along. That is 1-A collegiate athletics. If you, or your chums can kick in a few million, then you can have RV and the Board of Regents ears, I'm sure. Until then, you may have to live with the fact that JM is going to let his opinions be heard by RV and company. Facts of life.

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Well then, let me move my comments from another thread to this one.

Just some thoughts about some points being made in various threads.

"Dickey has earned the right, by virtue of the four SBC championships, to have more time to right the ship"

Right the ship to where? Back to being "King of the dip$hits" and losing most of our OCC games?

"Jim McIngvale(sp?) will withdraw his support if Dickey is Fired."

I'm curious. Would "Mattress Mac" tolerate his sales manager having the same sales record as Dickey's overall win/loss record? I tend to think not. So, I have to wonder why such a successful man is so enamoured with a Coach that has such a ordinary football record. I really am curious about this, because Mr. M. played under a very dynamic coach, and Mr. M. himself is a very dynamic business man.

Also, one of the things that often happens when someone steps forward to make a big donation to a program is that other "big doners" will often follow suit. Has Mr. M. noticed by now that he seems to be the only person in the "big donor" parade? I make this last observation because of Bobby Ray's comment to "Huff's" question regarding the progress of getting a new stadium built. His answer? "nowhere".

So obviously other potential "big donors" don't have the same assessment of Dickey's football program (or it's potential) that Mr. M. seems to have.

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

I would like to relate a key theme of Plumm's back to one of my themes. A second-tier program can be sustained by a few substantial donors. The thinking that a single donor giving a million can sway the entire direction of the program is very very small-time. Big-time programs are getting several million PER GAME from attendance. We need the money from the many. Our school has elected not to pursue the many in any effective way. We should be urging them to change that thinking. I am not interested in the program if the direction of the program is beholden to a few individuals who have minor-league visions or fundamentally flawed thinking about how to grow the program.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Well then, let me move my comments from another thread to this one.

Just some thoughts about some points being made in various threads.

"Dickey has earned the right, by virtue of the four SBC championships, to have more time to right the ship"

Right the ship to where? Back to being "King of the dip$hits" and losing most of our OCC games?

"Jim McIngvale(sp?) will withdraw his support if Dickey is Fired."

I'm curious. Would "Mattress Mac" tolerate his sales manager having the same sales record as Dickey's overall win/loss record? I tend to think not. So, I have to wonder why such a successful man is so enamoured with a Coach that has such a ordinary football record. I really am curious about this, because Mr. M. played under a very dynamic coach, and Mr. M. himself is a very dynamic business man.

Also, one of the things that often happens when someone steps forward to make a big donation to a program is that other "big doners" will often follow suit. Has Mr. M. noticed by now that he seems to be the only person in the "big donor" parade? I make this last observation because of Bobby Ray's comment to "Huff's" question regarding the progress of getting a new stadium built. His answer? "nowhere".

So obviously other potential "big donors" don't have the same assessment of Dickey's football program (or it's potential) that Mr. M. seems to have.

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Good gosh, Bill!

On the stadium subject, Bobby Ray's leadership will delay any eventual Big Donor as he gives yet another bonus year for DD's W/L record to become even more average because of his obvious Dickey-Worship.

Anyone else feel Chancellor Lee Jackson might even have other plans or ideas on how UNT-Dallas construction needs could use monies that might ordinarily be earmarked for a new football stadium at, uh, UNT-Denton?!?!

Folks, IMO we have a freakin' mess brewing at UNT and I don't think we have any real progressive, pro-active problem-solvers on our main campus anymore. The one we had I feel was pressured to resign by Lee Jackson and once his lame duck presidency ends he will be gone.

BTW, how many SMU grads that UNT has ever hired for high profile positions just really did us a bang up job at dear ol' UNT-Denton? Anyone want to volunteer some candidates? To quote former presidential candidate Ross Perot: "I'm all ears!"

Don't forget, Hadyen Fry was a Baylor grad.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Edited November 30, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[KingDL1]

We may be selling Bobby Ray short!

I don't know that we can expect DD and staff back next year.

I believe several on DD's staff will be leaving this year and not by choice or by DD's choice for that matter. I would even go as far as saying that DD is on thin ice now.

Per Bobby Ray what is he supposed to say to a fan and backer if asked in public on the subject? Could he really say, "well we are unpleased and currently looking for someone better, but until we get it locked up we are not ready to fire DD." Some will always walk the company line.

Keep in mind anything can happen when it comes to UNT and politics.

[bison]

IMHO there are those that would like to see us back in IAA and are working hard to insure it happens -- remember this is a music school and athletics have never been that big on the overall agenda.

[ipEAGLE]

IMHO there are those that would like to see us back in IAA and are working hard to insure it happens -- remember this is a music school and athletics have never been that big on the overall agenda.

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And you also have to remember UNT was only in D1AA for a short time.

[Cerebus]

On the stadium subject, Bobby Ray's leadership will delay any eventual Big Donor as he gives yet another bonus year for DD's W/L record to become even more average because of his obvious Dickey-Worship. 

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Tap the brakes their Plumm, in fact, stand up on them. Bobby Ray's leadership is why we have a shiny new AC instead of a half built embarrassment. Bobby Ray's leadership is why athletics gets a nice check from fees every year instread of zero.

Bobby Ray will fight tooth and nail to get a pro-athletics president at the head of NT, and that is what I consider to be the most important thing for the future of athletics, if not of the entire school.

Anyone else feel Chancellor Lee Jackson might even have other plans or ideas on how UNT-Dallas construction needs could use monies that might ordinarily be earmarked for a new football stadium at, uh, UNT-Denton?!?!

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Plumm about the only way this stadium is going to be built is if we can raise 20 million dollars in donations, and then we can get the BOR (thanks to pro-athletics regents) to bond out the balance.

Lee Jackson won't be able to touch it, because we cant use any of the general fund money to build it.

[MeanMag]

Tap the brakes their Plumm, in fact, stand up on them.  Bobby Ray's leadership is why we have a shiny new AC instead of a half built embarrassment.  Bobby Ray's leadership is why athletics gets a nice check from fees every year instread of zero.

Bobby Ray will fight tooth and nail to get a pro-athletics president at the head of NT, and that is what I consider to be the most important thing for the future of athletics, if not of the entire school.

Plumm about the only way this stadium is going to be built is if we can raise 20 million dollars in donations, and then we can get the BOR (thanks to pro-athletics regents) to bond out the balance.

Lee Jackson won't be able to touch it, because we cant use any of the general fund money to build it.

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It really is important for the next President to need to be a pro athlete, and I didn't know the BoR were already pro athletes...

[Stan R]

Bobby Ray will fight tooth and nail to get a pro-athletics president at the head of NT, and that is what I consider to be the most important thing for the future of athletics, if not of the entire school.

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Well, I agree it is the most important thing for the school and I sure as hell hope you're right about Bobby Ray fighting for a pro-athletics president. I guess I'll weigh in as well that I could care less if Ray and Dickey are buddies. As long as the money that Ray brings in or gives is substantial and I see tangible results (see AC). Facilities continue to be the biggest concern, well, maybe secondary to attendance... As someone else said- this business of D1A is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, PERIOD!!!!!

[meanrob]

All I know is that if I gave a million dollars to UNT I'd have some strings attached as well. You think I'm just throwing that kind of money at this Athletic Department without some concrete assurances you are crazy.

It's JM's money, if UNT didn't like the terms they could have turned it down.