Willful Foolishness!

[Eagle Man]

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." Zig Ziglar.

Why does UNT wallow in the muck of mediocrity when it comes to athletics? To put it simply, because we choose to!

This University lacks the most important feature needed to excell in athletics...MOTIVATION! There is a lack of commitment and confidence and every investor and quality recruit can smell the stench from one coast to the other.

Horrendous mistakes, past and present.

1) Demoting the football program from 1A to 1AA. Lack of commitment.

2) Buying into the flaws of Gene Stalling's erroneous suggestions concerning Fout's Field and Sun Belt play. Stallings cost this University tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, construction cost and conference affliation by advising UNT to delay building a new stadium. This tells the world that UNT lacks the confidence, commitment and motivation when it comes to really building a nationally respected athletic program. We have fooled no one.

3) The hiring of Lee Jackson. I have yet to personally read in print or hear with my own ears any strong commitment and endorsement from Mr. Jackson when it comes to UNT athletics. Since when do you hire someone for your top position with ties to your known adversary? Trojan Horse Theory. The day I see Lee Jackson or any other chancellor carrying the UNT flag while leading the team onto the field will be the day I know my University means business when it comes to athletics.

4) The hiring of Darrall Dickey. The only thing worse than the hiring of Dickey was not firing this guy and his OC years ago. Tell us all you want that you are committed to building a nationally respected program but remember your actions speak louder than your words. This screams out to the world that we are not committed to reaching a higher level. It shows we lack the confidence and motivation necessary to pull ourselves up out of the muck.

Is it any wonder why our season ticket sales and attendance figures are what they are? Can you not see why other schools are succeeding in athletics while we, a 32,000 student university, play in the SBC?

WE ARE WHERE WE ARE ON THE LADDER OF SUCCESS BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE WE CHOOSE TO BE!

[FirefightnRick]

Horrendous mistakes, past and present.

2) Buying into the flaws of Gene Stalling's erroneous suggestions concerning Fout's Field and Sun Belt play. Stallings cost this University tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, construction cost and conference affliation  by advising UNT to delay building a new stadium.  This tells the world that UNT lacks the confidence, commitment and motivation when it comes to really building a nationally respected athletic program.  We have fooled no one. 

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In regards to #2 I believe your giving what Coach Stallings said about the stadium too much merit. As we know he was brought in by Dr. Pohl, the man that jumpstarted much of the increase in school spirit we have seen the past several years. Pohl bringing in Stallings followed up his first great move of firing Helwig and many felt we were starting all over again. Stallings pointed out a ton of things that needed to be addressed immediately much of it was embarrasing like simply having a team meeting room. The university did not put off building a stadium simply because Stallings said not to. Then more than ever we didn't have a pot to piss in to build one in the first place. Stallings was simply quieting the voices of concern over our stadium by saying, "don't worry about that now, it's the least of your worries. Go 6-0, get bowl eligible and fill the stadium you currently have before you build". At the time we had no A.D., no athletic fundraising program nor was there more than a hand full of Mean Green Club/Eagle Club members to raise money from. Our last game that previous season saw roughly 900 people in the stadium. Building a new one at the time was truly at the back burner of most peoples concern in my oppinion.

There was no way in which we were ready to jump at the chance to do so, then simply put it off because Stallings said so, as you suggest.

Rick

[good_ken]

I simply don't know where to start. Though you did get one right: the hiring of Leee Jackson. Personally I was hoping that UNT would hire Dick Armey; who at the time could have been the most powerful man this side of the president. Rumor had it that the faculty was scared as Armey wasn't too thrilled about the concept of tenuring profs; and intended to clean some of the dead wood out of UNT.

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

Heaven only knows what their market studies tell them. To me it seems they should take what little money there is and use it to do things like place ads and then use the rest of it to have a campaign to go out and aggressively beg for more money from everyone. The primary use of the investments garnered should be to pony up a few million a year for a badass recruiting and coaching staff. Maybe their data tells them it's no use? Maybe they haven't considered it at all. Who knows? Did they miss the part where these big-time football programs are bringing in millions per year profit. It's an investment. Where's the business plan?

Edited September 19, 2006 by Aquila_Viridis