DRC full article DD to miss ASU game

OldTimer · October 20, 2006

Football: Dickey to miss game; Evans to take over duties

Coach chooses to stay home and rest while UNT plays Arkansas State

08:00 PM CDT on Thursday, October 19, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey has decided to turn the Mean Green over to assistant head coach Kenny Evans for Saturday’s game at Arkansas State so he can continue to recover from a heart attack he suffered a week ago today.

Dickey made the decision after consulting with his doctors and announced his plans to the team after practice Thursday afternoon.

Kenny Evans

“It’s just a little too quick with the travel involved,” Dickey said. “I am doing great. All my results that the doctors and I are monitoring are very positive. There is nothing that indicates that I won’t be back out here early next week cleared to do everything.”

Evans has served as UNT’s head coach since Dickey suffered his heart attack in the early morning hours on Oct. 13 and will work as a head coach on game day for the first time in his 25-year career when the Mean Green take on the Indians in a key Sun Belt Conference game.

ASU (4-2, 2-0) is atop the Sun Belt standings, but UNT (2-4, 1-1) is close behind after knocking off Florida International in seven overtimes two weeks ago.

“It’s a situation where things are so well-organized and set up so well, the job is easy to step into,” Evans said. “We have eight other assistants who are all good coaches. All I have to do is stay in touch with coach Dickey and follow his plan.”

Few coaches on UNT’s staff know Dickey’s thoughts better than Evans, one of just two assistants who have been with Dickey for all nine of his years as the Mean Green’s head coach.

From 2003-2005 Evans was UNT’s defensive coordinator. When Dickey promoted Evans to assistant head coach after last season, he turned his duties as defensive coordinator over to Fred Bleil and returned to his role as the Mean Green’s recruiting coordinator.

“Kenny has got football smarts, has been an offensive coach, a defensive coach and has been successful everywhere he has been,” Dickey said. “One of his strengths is his people skills. He knows how to manage people and get the most out of them. He has also known me longest, knows how I think, knows our philosophy and plans in all areas.”

Evans said he would lean heavily on the rest of the Mean Green’s staff in his debut as a head coach. Bleil will continue to handle UNT’s defense, offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan will call the plays and Eric Russell will handle special teams.

The three have a combined 22 years of experience at UNT, not counting the current season.

Flanigan normally consults with Dickey while calling plays. Evans said he has confidence in Flanigan working without Dickey this week, but would be available to provide input if needed.

“I usually know what coach Dickey is thinking anyway,” Flanigan said. “What I will miss is the interaction during the week where I can get a feel for what he likes and is comfortable with.”

Several UNT coaches and players expressed confidence in Evans.

“Coach Evans has been preparing for this for a long time,” UNT junior linebacker Maurice Holman said. “He knows the system and what coach Dickey wants. He wouldn’t be in the position he is if he didn’t.”

Evans has spent 15 of his 25 years in college coaching as a defensive coordinator, including stints at Missouri Southern and Southeastern Oklahoma State, a pair of Division II schools.

Evans also gained experience on the Division I level as Florida’s wide receivers coach in 1985 and at Oklahoma as a graduate assistant from 1982-84.

“This is an opportunity I am excited about,” Evans said. “I am going to rely on our eight other coaches and the plan that coach Dickey has set out.”

UNT’s coaches and players said that even though Dickey will not be there, his influence would be evident because of the base he has established for the program through his players, Evans and the rest of the Mean Green’s coaches.

“I have told Kenny not to stand there on Saturday and say, ‘What would coach Dickey do?’” Dickey said. “I told him to coach the game within our philosophy, but follow his gut instincts. You make decisions based on how you feel and the look in your players’ eyes. … Kenny will bring his own touch Saturday.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is

SilverEagle · October 20, 2006

“I usually know what coach Dickey is thinking anyway,”

Unfortunately, so do all of the coaches of our opponents.

And after viewing one or two series in any game, my wife knows what he's thinking too.

PlummMeanGreen · October 20, 2006

“I usually know what coach Dickey is thinking anyway,”
Unfortunately, so do all of the coaches of our opponents.
And after viewing one or two series in any game, my wife knows what he's thinking too.
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And with our on-going 25 year tradition of some terrifically poor head football coaches hires (check your media guides for further proof on that), wouldn't it be just like NORTH TEXAS to get all warm and fuzzy and hire "one of our own" from our present coaching staff; yet one that has been as big a part of all this under .500 performance the last 9 years as the one presently in charge? Hey! Don't forget! We're the school that has persevered the career of an 18 year "tenured" (I suppose) varsity coach who would probably never hit .500 in W/L's if she were to be in Denton another 18 years (which at the North Texas of late is not beyond the realm of that possibly happening).

So isn't it still for many just like former UNT basketball coach Bill Blakely used to say: "I've seen everything around here except childbirth?."

You on the NT payroll need to just put yourselves in the shoes of NT Exes and MG fans to try to understand where many of us are coming from after years of empty promises and no real noticeable progress since the mid to late 1970's. If you're putting yourselves in the shoes of any NT alum to experience the same roller coaster ride many have experienced with this athletic program and that could be done, you, too, wouldn't like what you saw, either.

Most alums just want to see their school's football program progress and improve above and beyond what they it is presently doing. I bet that would be the case at most of the other 118 NCAA D1-A schools, too.

So..............this is really not rocket science folks. You just simply hire people who have the ability and skins on the wall proving such ability for having turned other programs around while at the same time taking those programs up to the next level. At UNT, we just don't need any more projects--both on the athletic staff and all those under the radar recruiting gambles as well.

Edited October 20, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

chrisfisher · October 20, 2006

“I have told Kenny not to stand there on Saturday and say, ‘What would coach Dickey do?’” Dickey said. “I told him to coach the game within our philosophy, but follow his gut instincts. You make decisions based on how you feel and the look in your players’ eyes. … Kenny will bring his own touch Saturday.”

Dang, Kenny Evans hasn't even coached the game yet and we're already throwing him to the dogs. I am very interested in DD's statement above. Actually, I am quite pleased to see this as I was worried Kenny would ask himself the very question DD told him not too, and coach a un-instinctual game. Good for DD. Kenny has the opportunity to make some changes here. Hopefully they'll work and bring a fresh new perspective to our offense.

Come on guys & gals. Before we start saying how bad we suck before the game is even played, let's see what Kenny has to offer. Kenny has been in the situation once before, albeit D1AA, and took the team 7-0. GO MEAN GREEN. BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ASU.

Edited October 20, 2006 by chrisfisher

Green Grenade II · October 20, 2006

And with our on-going 25 year tradition of some terrifically poor head football coaches hires (check your media guides for further proof on that), wouldn't it be just like NORTH TEXAS to get all warm and fuzzy and hire "one of our own" from our present coaching staff; yet one that has been as big a part of all this under .500 performance the last 9 years as the one presently in charge? Hey! Don't forget! We're the school that has persevered the career of an 18 year "tenured" (I suppose) varsity coach who would probably never hit .500 in W/L's if she were to be in Denton another 18 years (which at the North Texas of late is not beyond the realm of that possibly happening).
So isn't it still for many just like former UNT basketball coach Bill Blakely used to say: "I've seen everything around here except childbirth?."
You on the NT payroll need to just put yourselves in the shoes of NT Exes and MG fans to try to understand where many of us are coming from after years of empty promises and no real noticeable progress since the mid to late 1970's. If you're putting yourselves in the shoes of any NT alum to experience the same roller coaster ride many have experienced with this athletic program and that could be done, you, too, wouldn't like what you saw, either.
Most alums just want to see their school's football program progress and improve above and beyond what they it is presently doing. I bet that would be the case at most of the other 118 NCAA D1-A schools, too.
So..............this is really not rocket science folks. You just simply hire people who have the ability and skins on the wall proving such ability for having turned other programs around while at the same time taking those programs up to the next level. At UNT, we just don't need any more projects--both on the athletic staff and all those under the radar recruiting gambles as well.
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