I think the thing that scares me the most

stebo · September 24, 2006

Boy howdy, we had a nice little ride there Mean Greeners. For 4 years we had a President that was OPENLY VOCAL about Athletics being the "window" through which the rest of the country would see little old NT. It couldn't be more evident then watching that stadium campaign video. Well, somehow a new Chancellor snuck in on us and that Chancellor started off by ripping our logo situation apart. The end result looks terrible on TV. It looks terrible on the uniforms, it looks terrible on the helmets, and it looks terrible on all of those toothpaste green t-shirts that they keep giving out for free. We fought to be included. We were turned away.

I think that was the knock-out punch for Pohl, having to answer to Lee Jackson - that is. The day that I heard that Pohl was leaving for no particular reason at all - I knew why he was really leaving... His baby was no longer his baby. With Bobby Ray and the BOR (in combination with RV, Pohl, and some winning seasons) - we were able to build some stuff and get some stuff remodeled. We just weren't done yet. And sadly - the new administration doesn't give a rat's ass whether we finish the job or not. I say this only because none of them have come out PUBLICLY and stated that we would not tolerate going backwards or even sitting in neutral. Pohl made statements like that... they always brought a tear to my eyes. I couldn't believe our good fortune.

Say what you want about Dickey. I really don't give a damn. Dickey and I started off on neutral ground and I was probably the most vocal opponent of "Dickey Ball" up until he started winning. I used to rant and rant and rant about it. Then Dickey got us to some bowl games, and I bought him a nice bottle of champagne the night before I ate actual crow in his honor. Dickey was gracious in person - I think that I ended up drinking the champagne and he just wanted a few longnecks (New Orleans is usually a blurr - as you can see from those photos, hehe)... So while Dickey and I didn't really like each other at this point, I think he understood where I was coming from and I definitely understood that he was just a dad trying to put food on the table for his family like most of us.

Last year, the losing came back... and I held my tongue. I told everyone that the man deserved a year to rebuild and then we would have something to REALLY bitch about. Well, the bitchfest has come a little premature in my opinion; but I don't want to argue it on here. I think that we could possibly go winless from here out. But what good will the bitching do? We have a crappy ass Chancellor and a crappy ass new President. If you are expecting Dickey to get fired; you should turn in your Mean Green card today. Mail back all those season tickets that you claim to be ripping up. Hell, mail them to me - I will find someone to use them. I will be at the games with my friends - enjoying the weekend... enjoying the tailgating, enjoying the deck, and enjoying making fun of the playcalling. These things will cycle around - but not until we have new leadership at the top. Pohl was the Jesus that we needed; we just couldn't hold onto him. ASU will be lucky to have him.

Peace out and see ya at the game.

UNT_playmaker · September 24, 2006

Great post Steve.....

Im really worried about our new president, she doesnt want to have anything to do with athletics

UNTX · September 24, 2006

Im really worried about our new president, she doesnt want to have anything to do with athletics

Based on what? There were posts on here around the time of the SMU game where she was being lauded as supportive of athletics. What's changed? The new president has been associated with universities where athletics are a central part of campus life. I doubt she's going to try to derail anything here.

However, if those who are supposedly in the know about Dr. B (not going to try to spell her name right now) and Lee Jackson and their desire to destroy athletics and alumni involvement at NT - then I wish they would go ahead and name specifics for those of us not quite so connected. Besides logo-gate, what has Jackson ACTUALLY done to set back athletics? What specific actions has he taken and what comments has he made that would indicate that he wants to kill athletics at NT, or at least turn back what little progress has been made? Seriously, I want to know.

stebo · September 24, 2006

Based on what? There were posts on here around the time of the SMU game where she was being lauded as supportive of athletics. What's changed? The new president has been associated with universities where athletics are a central part of campus life. I doubt she's going to try to derail anything here.
However, if those who are supposedly in the know about Dr. B (not going to try to spell her name right now) and Lee Jackson and their desire to destroy athletics and alumni involvement at NT - then I wish they would go ahead and name specifics for those of us not quite so connected. Besides logo-gate, what has Jackson ACTUALLY done to set back athletics? What specific actions has he taken and what comments has he made that would indicate that he wants to kill athletics at NT, or at least turn back what little progress has been made? Seriously, I want to know.
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He ran off Pohl and got that chick hired. And if you think that she is "pro-athletics" because she came from a program that had Div IA athletics then you are sorely mistaken. Her wavering comments down in Austin were enough for me to rush to judgement. When you are making your FIRST impression on the few folks that travel to see the team on the road (and fund the program); you shouldn't make statements like "Well, athletics have their "place" at every University"...

Cr1028 · September 24, 2006

Based on what? There were posts on here around the time of the SMU game where she was being lauded as supportive of athletics. What's changed? The new president has been associated with universities where athletics are a central part of campus life. I doubt she's going to try to derail anything here.
However, if those who are supposedly in the know about Dr. B (not going to try to spell her name right now) and Lee Jackson and their desire to destroy athletics and alumni involvement at NT - then I wish they would go ahead and name specifics for those of us not quite so connected. Besides logo-gate, what has Jackson ACTUALLY done to set back athletics? What specific actions has he taken and what comments has he made that would indicate that he wants to kill athletics at NT, or at least turn back what little progress has been made? Seriously, I want to know.
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I know that she was at the Texas game to cheer the Mean Green on. I know this because there is a picture of her and RV with a couple friends and I at the tailgate.

Cr1028 · September 24, 2006

He ran off Pohl and got that chick hired. And if you think that she is "pro-athletics" because she came from a program that had Div IA athletics then you are sorely mistaken. Her wavering comments down in Austin were enough for me to rush to judgement. When you are making your FIRST impression on the few folks that travel to see the team on the road (and fund the program); you shouldn't make statements like "Well, athletics have their "place" at every University"...
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oh, I see

Zeke · September 25, 2006

Stebo's last paragraph say a few important things. I don't like what is going on either, but it is MY team out there in green and white. To quit supporting them isn't an option.

UNTX · September 25, 2006

When you are making your FIRST impression on the few folks that travel to see the team on the road (and fund the program); you shouldn't make statements like "Well, athletics have their "place" at every University"...

I could see how you could interpret that as an indication of lackluster support, but even you have to admit it's not a be all end all damning comment either. I think it's way too early to see her as an enemy of athletics just yet. She may surprise all of us in a positive way.

As for Pohl leaving, and the manner in which it happened, there was probably more to it than just opposition to his foward thinking (and completely correct and desperately needed) emphasis on athletics, student involvement, and fostering a stronger student culture on campus through increased residential housing, etc. It may have had more to do with other areas such as stagnant efforts in increasing research funding, controversial issues with faculty (tenure) and a few academic embarrasments (academic strategic plan by Dr. Johnson, etc.). Despite all of that, he was the best thing to happen to NT since Hayden Fry - and he's gone - and it's a horrible blow to the school, but it may not have necessarily come as a result of Jackson just wanting to get rid of him because he supported growing athletics and building dorms. It had to be far more complicated than that.

I think these people have complex and increasingly difficult jobs to do at a massive and ever growing institution trying to operate in a competive environment, with decreased institutional support from the state, with a vastly inadequate financial endowment and very little support from alumni and the DFW community. Resources are thin, and they may just be trying to tow a thin line between keeping athletics viable, and doing their best to allocate resources with a reasoned approach. It isn't easy.

So maybe they don't hate athletics. I'd still be interested in hearing more examples of where Jackson has indicated he thinks the role of athletics should be scaled back. Not that I would argue with it, it would disturb me greatly to know that he felt that way. There's been so much talk about it on the board the last few years but with few examples cited (except logo-gate). I just wonder how much of it is really true.

stebo · September 25, 2006

I didn't say that they HATED athletics. I said (at least I meant to say) that what NT requires was another Pohl. Someone to come in here on that platform of pro-traditional school - pro athletics - pro everything. Instead we have a very silent President and a very silent Chancellor. I have been down this road before and when they aren't talking it up, they could care less. Much like the apathetic students from my day. I fear that we will have a 4 year group of alumni that will look back thinking "wow, wasn't that awesome" when we could have kept the momentum going. Who knows, she might surprise me; but up to this point - she has done nothing to make me think that she will.

DeepGreen · September 25, 2006

I have been down this road before and when they aren't talking it up, they could care less.
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Very good point Stebo. It's not what they say, it's what they don't say that could be worrisome.

MeanGreenBuzz · September 25, 2006

Stebo has a very good point. 4 years of winning football has our attendence numbers at games higher than ever. Remember last year was a 2-9 season and we didn't win a single home game, but did we have a problem making the attendence requirement? Say what you want about winning the belt but there are 4 years of alumni and future alumni that have great memories of New Orleans and a winning program than still want to be at the games. We want to build on it and not look back on it as we do the Hayden Fry era and the late 60s era of Mean Green football. Is it so hard to believe that we CAN have a football team that will win every year? A team that can bring notoriety to our school?

I really hope our new president can build on what Pohl has done, but I think we have all seen what happens when athletics finds its place at our university...

"Well, athletics have their "place" at every University"

That statement could go in 2 ways.

1. Athletics is part of the school but funds shouldn't be taken away from building academics in order to fund new projects.

2. Athletics gets alumni excited and gets them to donate back to the school, therefore is a tool to help build the overall image of the school, academics included.

2 is the stance Pohl took. I fear 1 is the stance our new President will take and send us back to the dark ages of 1AA.

We have built, renovated, funded, etc. more athletic and academic projects since Pohl has been here than in what the 2 decades prior? How many of the donations we recieved in the last 5 years do you think we would have gotten had we not had a winning football team?

Edited September 25, 2006 by MeanGreenBuzz

meangreendork · September 25, 2006

If they're not the types to really keep an eye on athletics anyways, than the record from last season won't encourage them to jump on the bandwagon, either.

chrisfisher · September 25, 2006

I'm sorry, can y'all bring me up to speed on all the names and titles of important folks in power at UNT, as well as a brief history of them... I always see initials (ex. "RV") and never know who everyone is talking about... I would greatly appreciate it... sorry for the ignorance, I am relatively new student.. Thanks!

stebo · September 25, 2006

Did you watch the stadium video? The 8 minute video is opened up by our President and has every coach comment on the importance of it. It then moves to RV (Rick Villareal), who is was 1/4 of the equation (I won't give him all the credit) to getting stuff done over the last 5 years. He is also the last one here with a new BOR around the corner. If you haven't watched that stadium video online, you need to take 8 minutes out of your time and watch it. This is what happens when you place an Officer from the Advancement Office into the AD and tell them to work together (that position has now been eliminated). There was open communication and a team effort going on. Now there are separate depts working on their own agendas. THIS WILL NOT WORK IN DENTON.

Again, I am not going to bash on Dickey - because the problem is bigger then Dickey. This is about a coup that many of us SAW coming and could do nothing about. Wanna take back control of the program? Let's get some members of the Greenbackers on the BOR and go to town. Open up the checkbooks again and trudge forward. I don't care how much debt it puts us in, we will make it back 50 fold.

chrisfisher · September 25, 2006

Did you watch the stadium video? The 8 minute video is opened up by our President and has every coach comment on the importance of it. It then moves to RV (Rick Villarreal), who is was 1/4 of the equation (I won't give him all the credit) to getting stuff done over the last 5 years. He is also the last one here with a new BOR around the corner. If you haven't watched that stadium video online, you need to take 8 minutes out of your time and watch it. This is what happens when you place an Officer from the Advancement Office into the AD and tell them to work together (that position has now been eliminated). There was open communication and a team effort going on. Now there are separate depts working on their own agendas. THIS WILL NOT WORK IN DENTON.
Again, I am not going to bash on Dickey - because the problem is bigger then Dickey. This is about a coup that many of us SAW coming and could do nothing about. Wanna take back control of the program? Let's get some members of the Greenbackers on the BOR and go to town. Open up the checkbooks again and trudge forward. I don't care how much debt it puts us in, we will make it back 50 fold.
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I am not familiar with this video.. I'll hunt it down.. thanks for the heads up.. I'd really like to get up to speed on this stuff... OK, another newbie question... what is the BOR and AD I always see??

chrisfisher · September 25, 2006

I am not familiar with this video.. I'll hunt it down.. thanks for the heads up.. I'd really like to get up to speed on this stuff... OK, another newbie question... what is the BOR and AD I always see??
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just figured out AD "athletic director" after searching Rick Villarreal on UNT....

chrisfisher · September 25, 2006

I am not familiar with this video.. I'll hunt it down.. thanks for the heads up.. I'd really like to get up to speed on this stuff... OK, another newbie question... what is the BOR and AD I always see??
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sorry.. just figured it out.. Athletic Director and Board of Regents... Google search...

stebo · September 25, 2006

Watch the video NOW - it will show you what Dr Pohl was trying to accomplish before he was run out of town by the tree huggers:

http://www.creativeanimation.com/main/feat...rts/unt/unt.htm

Make sure you click on VIDEO at the top... 8 minutes of your life and you will understand how much losing Pohl was a blow to the athletic program. You won't see Gretchen doing videos like this.