article on mean green night in grand prairie

LoveMG · July 31, 2006

It's nice for the alumni on Mean Green Night

Grand Prairie: UNT has special event for fans to meet athletes

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, July 30, 2006

By COURTNEY FLATT / The Dallas Morning News

As tried and true Mean Green fans, Al and Jo Ann Miller never miss a football game at the University of North Texas.

Photos by JOHN F. RHODES/DMN

Scrappy, UNT's mascot, got a wide view of the inaugural Mean Green Night festivities in Grand Prairie on Thursday. Both earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the university. The couple met at North Texas, regularly attend the school's basketball games and are on the UNT Athletic Advisory Board.

So when the Arlington residents received an invite for UNT's Mean Green Night in Grand Prairie, a program designed to reach out to UNT alumni, they readily accepted.

More than 100 other loyal fans turned up for the inaugural university program Thursday at the Ruthe Jackson Center.

"We've always had a strong alumni presence in Denton," said UNT Athletic Director Rick Villarreal. "We want to make it easier for fans and alumni who aren't able to drive up to the university all the time, so we're bringing the programs to them to let them know what's going on."

UNT Mean Green Club coordinator Mandy McKinley said the program aims to familiarize fans and alumni with current coaches and athletes. The meet-and-greet also included cheerleaders, the dance team, a local band and the university's mascot, Scrappy.

Players said they enjoyed connecting faces with the names of those who supported them over the years.

"It's cool because we're able to show ourselves to them," said Maureen Kelley, who plays first base and is the designated hitter for the softball team. "For a long time, North Texas hasn't had a softball team. Now we get to present ourselves to them and say, 'Come see us. Come support us.' "

The program, which Mean Green coordinators hope will branch out to other areas and UNT's 90,000 area alumni, also is intended to create more of a family atmosphere, with alumni feeling like they know the athletes instead of just seeing a number on a jersey.

Grand Prairie city parks director and alumnus Rick Herold, who helped develop the idea for Mean Green Night, said he's proud of how hard UNT works at getting its athletes and coaches to outreach events.

Mr. Villarreal said that four years ago, the Mean Green Club had only 52 members. Today, it boasts nearly 1,000. With membership expanding, he said, UNT will host Mean Green Night next year.

"We will build this thing one step at a time," Mr. Villarreal said. "It's not going to happen overnight. This is not your daddy's North Texas. We're going to stand tall with every university in the country."