appears Dennis Erickson will be hired at Idaho

[NTEagle08]

I know that they aren't in the Sun Belt anymore, but this would be a pretty big deal for a former Belt team.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2323160

[Coffee and TV]

Great hire for them, and really smart to. He's never proven much in the NFL but has done great turnarounds for NCAA teams. Wish we could do this same sort of hire.

[GangGreen]

Not only have they moved into a better conference (which we were invited to join), but they have hired a 1st class coach.

[UNT_playmaker]

Not only have they moved into a better conference (which we were invited to join), but they have hired a 1st class coach.

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wow and we have done neither.....

[El Paso Eagle]

Might want to save this one for the archives; that way the next time someone comments “what type of coach could we get ……” we can reference this along with Mike Price.

[GangGreen]

Might want to save this one for the archives; that way the next time someone comments “what type of coach could we get ……” we can reference this along with Mike Price.

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Frank Solich, Howard Drunkenberger, etc.

[GreenEddieNT]

Frank Solich, Howard Drunkenberger, etc.

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George O'Leary, June Jones, Tommy West, etc..It seems we're the only non-bcs school who can't hire a big name coach in either football or basketball these days. Oh but wait everyone is supposed to be envious of us what with DD and JJ running our programs and of course being members of the Sun Belt.

[GreenEddieNT]

I know that they aren't in the Sun Belt anymore, but this would be a pretty big deal for a former Belt team.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2323160

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See that proves we're just not trying. I can grant you that UTEP would have some natural advantages over us but when a school like friggin' Idaho can pull this off it there is no excuse for us not to do better. I mean if THEY can get someone like Erickson why are we still stuck with Dickey?

Edited February 8, 2006 by GreenEddieNT

[Cowtown]

He has coached there before, it not like they lured a stranger to that outpost in Idaho.

[MeanGreen61]

See that proves we're just not trying.  I can grant you that UTEP would have some natural advantages over us but when a school like friggin' Idaho can pull this off it there is no excuse for us not to do better.  I mean if THEY can get someone like Erickson why are we still stuck with Dickey?

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All this proves is that Erickson may want to RETURN to Idaho.

[GangGreen]

All this proves is that Erickson may want to RETURN to Idaho.

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He said he wants to return to coaching.

"You can be successful at Idaho," Erickson told Schad. "I coached there more than 20 years ago and things have changed. We were Division I-AA then. So things are different, but good. I'm excited about getting back into coaching. It was so hard for us to be out of it this past year. I wanted to get back into this so badly."

Edited February 8, 2006 by GangGreen

[NT80]

I admit I now have Idaho-envy. Better conference and better coach.

[stebo]

I admit I now have Idaho-envy.  Better conference and better coach. 

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Same crapy record, still playing in a big space equipped for an airplane, not a football or basketball team, still averaging under 10K in attendance despite having these "high prestige" WAC teams coming to Moscow, still playing in a crappy conference.... the WAC is just as crappy as the belt with the exception of Boise and Fresno; two teams - that regardless of their talent level, would draw flies in terms of attendance at Fouts Field. The WAC has New Mexico State, Idaho, San Jose State, Nevada @ Reno, Utah State, Hawaii, La Tech, Boise, and Fresno... Sans New Mexico State - which one of those teams would the DFW fan flock to Fouts to go see? I guess we will see with La Tech this year - but I imagine that it won't be much more then a normal Sun Belt game as far as attendance. The Belt has Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana @ Monroe, Middle Tennessee, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, and Troy. I just don't see that big of a difference - especially when you consider all that you have to give up in order to be a member of that conference. It is simply too expensive and we can't afford it, even if it makes you feel better about yourself.

Any school can recruit a coach that is trying to start over - Florida Atlantic got Scnellenberger, Florida International got Don Strock (might not be a familiar name around here - but in Florida he is the man... it would be the equivalent of North Texas hiring a popular local guy like Babe Laufenburg to be our coach). In basketball, the Belt has a rich history of success and is ranked above CUSA right now - in fact, we have been ranked above CUSA all year long. Florida Atlantic went out and hired another famous name to revitalize their basketball program and I believe that it is working - they are sitting a couple of games over .500 right now and he has yet to get even one recruit under his belt on the team - perhaps you might have heard of him - he was on the University of North Carolina Tarheel's team that won the the big dance along with players like Michael Jordan and James Worthy - Matt Doherty was a coup for a team like FAU, who joins the Belt for all sports next year. I am not going to type it all out - but read a little bit about Doherty on the FAU website - he is a coaching legend and he is right here in the "lowly" Sun Belt:

http://fausports.collegesports.com/sports/...rty_matt00.html

You wanna know where we would have been last year if we had accepted that WAC invitation? We would have been 1-11 or 0-12, like NMSU - we would have had to put all facility improvements on hold indefinitely, and worst of all - we would have suffered at the gate - our fans are getting used to playing Arkansas State and the Ragin Cajuns. Those are our conference rivals now and our fans are starting to learn more and more about those schools. Their plights are very similar to ours so we have a level playing field when it comes to budgets and recruiting - and we have a legitimate chance of winning. Yes, we went 2-9 last year; but it was a rebuilding year and we lost 5 of those games by under a touchdown.

I don't want to get into another arguement about the direction of the program - but basically we are a quarterback away from returning to power... I think that we will solve that problem between now and SMU - which to me is the biggest game of next year's schedule.

I just don't understand the fascination of the WAC with our fans - it is a joke to the rest of the football world, just as much as the Belt is... the three top teams would JUMP at the opportunity to leave it if they ever get another invite... and the rest of it is filled with teams that were in the Big West with us. That is just not attractive to me at all for our future... I think we have really started to build something with the Belt and maybe it will pay off - maybe it won't... but for the short term - it has been VERy good for our program, I don't think anyone can argue that.

[eagle60]

Been copying PMG's style of mini-series with every post?

WAC vs. Sunbelt can be argued every day but I find that trips to Reno and Fresno are more entertaining than visiting the 1-AA upstarts in the Sunbelt.

[good_ken]

WAC vs. Sunbelt can be argued every day but I find that trips to Reno and Fresno are more entertaining than visiting the 1-AA upstarts in the Sunbelt.

That has nothing to do with the WAC as a football conference. I would think that some of the Florida 'belt schools would make for a pretty good trip.

[NT80]

still averaging under 10K in attendance despite having these "high prestige" WAC teams coming to Moscow

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No. NT was ranked #97 in attendance at 16,400. Idaho (2-9) was ranked #101 in attendance with an average of 15,200. Way up for them over SBC years attendance.

[NT80]

That has nothing to do with the WAC as a football conference. 

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Final 2005 1-A rankings:

30 Boise State

43 Fresno State

58 Louisiana Tech

80 Hawaii

102 San Jose State

104 Utah State

111 Idaho

118 New Mexico State

74 Louisiana-Lafayette

88 Arkansas State

94 Florida International

95 Louisiana-Monroe

96 Troy State

98 Middle Tennessee State

107 North Texas

109 Florida Atlantic

Edited February 10, 2006 by NT80

[PlummMeanGreen]

WITH SATURDAY (1-11-06) REVISIONS:

NOTE: For you who worship Dickey Ball, SBC/Bottom 10 success and don't seem to think Top 25 rankings are intended for schools like NORTH TEXAS..........you probably don't want to read this manifesto, either).

First of all, I think many of us would agree that a school like NORTH TEXAS could do much more short-term and long-term with a hire like a Dennis Erickson than what Idaho U will ever be able to do.

Many of us on this forum are extremely indebted to and very glad that ex SBC member U of Idaho pulled this hiring of Dennis Coach Erickson off which was the very thing many on this board have been saying in recent weeks, months and years would be "The Impossible Dream" for UNT to pull off, you know, as in the high profile hire?

And as another North Texas Ex reminded me just tonight, new Idaho Vandals Coach Dennis Erickson did win an NCAA D1-A national championship at Miami and not every NCAA D1-A school has a head football coach with such an accomplishment on their resume.

WHAT DENNIS ERICKSON CAN DO AND DO IT FAIRLY FAST AS THE IDAHO HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: Interrpretation: Sure as hell won't take him 9 years to stay under .500 in wins/losses because that is only a feat that happens at the University of North Texas with its leadership who wouldn't know a good athletic hire if it came up and bit them in the A$$! (Once again, "WE" are the school who chose Dennis Parker over Dennis Francione as our head footbal coach--we have one helluva' poor track record in athletic hiring at UNT the last couple decades.

YET............Coach Dennis Erickson will give U of Idaho, ie, the former Sun Belt Conference member instant credibility with:

(1) potential recruits,

(2 the local, regional and national media

(3) their fan base,

(4) their alumnus base,

(5) both their large and small donors base,

(6) their on-campus academic community base and...

(7) ..............come this summer, just watch Coach Erickson give instant credibility (and probably he himself being most visible) during the Vandals 2006 football season tickets campaign while also giving his new employer instant credibility among the Vandal's curious, casual and borderline fan base of whom (IMHO) will make a significant difference at the Vandal's turnstiles this Fall.

(8) __________________________________________(What did I leave out)?

And after the results of this next Fall not neccesarily in wins/losses his 1'st year, but will be measured with a school that will start showing momentum with potential recruits PLUS record-setting attendance this next Fall on the Vandal's Game Day; also, just watch the University of Idaho start making preliminary plans for their own new on-campus stadium or stadium expansion.

And just watch Idaho U emulate the Sun Belt Conference's Troy University as weell, that is, to be a school that doesn't sit around theorizing or talking about a new footbal stadium, but rather a school that will gets one built (while yet another SBC/Bottome 10 school located in the Texas rich "Land of Fortune 500 Corporate Headquarters" (DFW) still "talks" about what they are going to do. And every bit of the first sentence of this paragraph because of.................one......... simple........... high........... profile......... hire who will make less salary in 2006 as Idaho's head football coach than Darrell "Dickey Ball" Dickey does at UNT.

***** Now those of you who think DD will turn all this around in 1 year (or however many more Bobby Ray chooses to continue to give him to even reach .500); anyway, for you have suddenly become believers of SBC/Bottom 10 Dickey Ball style of inter-collegiate football at UNT; those of you who feel DD will take us back to the top of the Big 12, whoops, I mean't SBC/Bottom 10 and get us to a level that the term "Top 25" even becomes part of our vocabulary in Denton in only his 9'th year in Denton; anyway, are we talking about some of the same group who have been saying forever UNT couldn't afford a high profile hire in Denton....................................?

Have some forgotten that we've done this before in Denton. Also, have some forgotten that that particular talent and UNT/Denton resident is now in the College Football Hall of Fame, too? Fact is, the right UNT leadership (who can see beyond today and past their noses) could probably find even more monies to budget a hire similar to Dennis Erickson's and do so much easier than Idaho U could ever have dreamed of doing. Don't forget, though, we are the UNT System and one that is building a complete new campus in south Dallas County (sometimes this century) with money to spare! (Sorry, couldn't resist that and that is all I will say on "THAT" subject)! LOL!

Of course, all this going on in Moscow, Idaho, while we at UNT still have all our nice people on the NT athletics payroll who are still trying to reach that vaunted .500 plateau of wins over losses with a large number of years under their belts to have done so.

GET THIS, SHORTY>>>>>>>>>>>I told a Baylor alum and Bear enthusiast recently how long we've given one of our NT coaches to try to reach .500 (like, uh, 17 years) and how this season of beating a bunch of non-notables will probably land her a contract extension and permament retirement in Denton with still...........an under .500 W/L record in Denton. The Baylor ex shook his head and while laughing said: "Well, good, we now know we don't have to worry about recruiting against NORTH TEXAS in girls basketball if that is going to be the best your school can come up with."

AND...............to quote this oft' used phrase heard countless times on the Mean Green Radio Network in recent years, but (this time) with a different variation of sourts and that is: "We, the NT Exes/MG fans really do have our backs against the wall in Denton and you know how we know this? The reason we know this is because we go to football games at Fouts Field and witness what those who work there are delivering to us firsthand in the Bottom Quadrant of NCAA D1-A athletics." (You all really want to increase the MG Club membership this summer which will merely enable those at the top who seem to have no problem persevering all this at our UNT Athletics Retirement Home, folks)?

** Do we sacrifice the next 3, 4 or 5 years of MG football over just one more year of Dickey Ball over the whims of one particular NT official who (apparently) refuses to look at an NT FB Media Guide and what it would show him to be the real truth or reality of what has happened at UNT the last 8 years? (If he happens to pick such a guide up to read, he especially needs to focus on 1-AA losses during bowl years).

** Do we sacrifice the next several seasons over just one more season when trends show those who have the ability to recognize trends that we will never rise above the SBC/Bottom 10 (and for damn sure we can all ever forget a Top 25 consideration because of those now in charge at UNT)?

** Isn't 15K per home game averages after 4 bowl games somewhat a "tell tell" sign of what we have in spite of the following impressive numbers; that is, UNT's home county of (now) almost 600,000 population; Greater Denton now at 100,000+/- (and growing), UNT's enrollment now at 32,000 (and growing) and DFW NT Exes at around 100,000+/- (and growing)? And some of you still want to hire from within the NT Athletic Dept. if Rick V decides to get the hell out of Dodge before he gets any more of all this UNT athletic sludge and residue all over his own resume'?

** Do NT leaders know the difference when an athletic program has caught the imagination and attention of its constituency OR........... when it hasn't caught the imagination of its constituency?

** Do we really have to change our school song in 2006 to "Turn Out The Lights, The Parties Over" because we have a most benevolent and very giving group on campus who have no problem when it comes to persevering mediocrity with extended contracts? &&&&&&&&&& Folks, we really do have an amazing NCAA D1-A athletic management modus operendi or most unique style of leadership occuring at our alma mater with this present group of NT leaders.

...........Change is good when its time to make changes (like many think is the case at UNT right now), but then you make changes with better personnel; you know, kind of like the Idaho Vandals did when they hired Coach Dennis Erickson in the 2'nd week of February, 2006?

............................................................................

Nevertheless, a big Texas-sized congratulations to the Idaho Vandals on their huge hire and thanks for showing many (north) Texans who (some of us presume) think like someone from Rhode Island might (sorta' smallish?) that this kind of hire at a non-BCS mid major school can actually be pulled off.

.............................................................................

Edited February 11, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

[good_ken]

QUOTE(good_ken @ Feb 9 2006, 06:57 PM)

That has nothing to do with the WAC as a football conference.

[\quote]

That's an excellent way of taking my comment out of context. If you re-read my post, you will see that I am commenting on the "analysis" of the WAC as a series of roadtrip destinations. I merely commented that point had noting to do with football prestige.

And now that you have me thinking about the WAC as a fotoball conference: it's not just about Sagarin ratings, you also have to take into account the finances of D-1 football.

Can someone please explain to me how in the hell UNT would pay for the travel costs associated with WAC conference play? The every other year trip to Hawaii would bankrupt the department. No one on this board seems to like the money game to open the year. The entire OOC schedule would have to be money games to pay for the budget increases associated with moving to the WAC.

I wonder how many San Jose St fans would make the trip to Denton? I wonder how many Hawaii fans would tailgate for that game? you'd be able to he4ar crickets in Fouts.

Moving to the WAC is about as smart as financing your house with a 50 year home laon, seems really good on the front end...but has serious consequences down the road.

[Coffee and TV]

No.  NT was ranked #97 in attendance at 16,400.  Idaho (2-9) was ranked #101 in attendance with an average of 15,200.  Way up for them over SBC years attendance.

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Was the game against Washington State in Pullman considered a home game though?

[VideoEagle]

Was the game against Washington State in Pullman considered a home game though?

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I think it was, but I might be wrong on that. Since the attendance rules were changed back, it is not as important to being 1A.

[NT80]

I think it was, but I might be wrong on that. Since the attendance rules were changed back, it is not as important to being 1A.

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Idaho was only showing as having 4 home games for their average and I think all 4 were at Kibbie.

[NT80]

That's an excellent way of taking my comment out of context.  If you re-read my post, you will see that I am commenting on the "analysis" of the WAC as a series of roadtrip destinations.  I merely commented that point had noting to do with football prestige.

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"good_ken Yesterday, 06:57 PM Post

QUOTE

WAC vs. Sunbelt can be argued every day but I find that trips to Reno and Fresno are more entertaining than visiting the 1-AA upstarts in the Sunbelt.

.........................................................................................................

That has nothing to do with the WAC as a football conference. I would think that some of the Florida 'belt schools would make for a pretty good trip."

You commented like we should be talking about the WAC as a football conference, power vs. sightseeing, but then throw in your own fun destinations to go along. I was giving you the power facts for your comparison. Sorry if it wasn't the facts you wanted.

[Coffee and TV]

Idaho was only showing as having 4 home games for their average and I think all 4 were at Kibbie.

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I want to say they get an exception for "home" games being played in pullman since its only 8 miles away. Generally that wouldn't matter if they were hosting Colorado or Memphis, but i think they can technically get a home game against Washington state in WSU's home stadium.

[SUMG]

Final 2005 1-A rankings:

30 Boise State

43 Fresno State

58 Louisiana Tech

80 Hawaii

102 San Jose State

104 Utah State

111 Idaho

118 New Mexico State

74 Louisiana-Lafayette

88 Arkansas State

94 Florida International

95 Louisiana-Monroe

96 Troy State

98 Middle Tennessee State

107 North Texas

109 Florida Atlantic

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Jeff....your list doesn't include Nevada....which would be another school ranked ahead of all of the Belt schools. (this past season).