NT Enjoying Bright Days In The Sun Belt

[MeanGreen61]

Editor's Note: This story is part of a series. The News-Star is profiling all 12 members of the Sun Belt conference as Louisiana-Monroe completes its transition from the Southland Conference this summer.

North Texas enjoying bright days in the Sun Belt Conference

By Keith Prince

kprince@thenewsstar.com

Located in a part of Texas (35 miles north of Dallas-Forth Worth) where it would be awfully easy to get a "lack of exposure complex" what with the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers lurking, the University of North Texas is doing just fine, thank you.

Maybe that's because it has over 31,000 students, a ton of famous alumni and has been winning Sun Belt Conference championships by the bushel basket recently (11 in the past five years).

Although it's football title train finally got derailed last fall, prior to that the Mean Green had won four straight conference championships under coach Darrell Dickey and boasted the nation's Division 1A rushing leaders in both 2003 (Patrick Cobbs) and 2004 (Jamario Thomas).

With that record, the Mean Green earned the host slot in the first three New Orleans Bowl games hosted by the Sun Belt Conference champ.

As for the university overall, North Texas is the fourth-largest university in Texas and offers 93 bachelor's, 114 master's and 49 doctoral degree programs, many of which are nationally recognized.

It also has an alumni base that starts with NFL Hall of Famer "Mean" Joe Greene of Pittsburgh Steelers fame, includes top PGA Tour golfer Don January and reads like a Who's Who in the entertainment business.

Among its former students are musical giants Pat Boone, Don Henley, Roy Orbison and current sensation Norah Jones as well as famed author Larry McMurty ("Lonesome Dove", "Terms of Endearment"), plus former Miss America Phyllis George and famed television journalist Bill Moyers, former chief correspondent and senior news analyst for CBS News.

The Mean Green were also coached by Hayden Fry (1973-78) before he eventually carved out a Hall of Fame record at the University of Iowa.

North Texas' current stint of athletic success has come under Director of Athletics Rick Villarreal who arrived in 2001 and has not only overseen championship row, but also organized a giant fund raising success story.

Villarreal has directed the building of an $8 million athletic facility (training suite, locker rooms, and administration and football offices) at North Texas that compares favorably to the elite collegiate athletic programs in the nation.

[DeepGreen]

Damn! I could have sworn we went to the New Orleans Bowl four out of the first four years.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe year 1 was not hosted by the Sun Belt Champ but by Colorado State and the MWC, so the next 3 years NT and the Sun Belt hosted the Bowl Game.

[pollock]

Hey, nice article. The only thing I would take issue with is calling Pat Boone a musical giant.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Hey, nice article.  The only thing I would take issue with is calling Pat Boone a musical giant.

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You've got to be kiddin', right?

In the late 50s-early 60s, Pat Boone was number two in record sales behind Elvis Presley. He was so big that he had his own TV show for three years. In fact, that is the reason that he left North Texas.

When his smooth singing style became less vogue, he switched and did some country and later, gospel and sold thousands of those records and albums as well.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Hey, nice article.  The only thing I would take issue with is calling Pat Boone a musical giant.

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---This article is very kind to us. It demonstrates what SunBelt teams should do..... support each other except when competing against one another instead of tearing each other apart or undercutting them. Publicly we should not speak bad of fellow conference members. Our conference gots enough of "potshots" from ourside the conference, we don't need to contribute to it. What other universities in our conference accomplish is a reflection on us as well.

---I am not sure how old you (Pollock) are but Pat Boone was probably the "hottest" pop musical person during the mid-50's until Elvis appeared and the style of pop music changed, then the Beatles appeared about 64 and really changed things . He also appeared in several movies including "State Fair" as late as 1962 with Ann-Margaret. He currently holds the record for having the longest period between #1 hits when he recorded a heavy metal song about 1990. He had a squeaky clean image and was very religious and that song turned a lot of people against him. Giant may be a slight exageration but at one time "everyone" knew who Pat Boone was. At his peak I would say he was better known than Roy Orbison ever was but Orbison's fame has lasted better. He was more like Perry Como, Bennett, and Sinatra, than Elvis, Beachboys or Beatles which came later.

Edited July 14, 2006 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66