DRC Mattress Mac may end funding for NT

El Paso Eagle · November 10, 2006

RV just ended the blackmailing of the program and I praise him for it. Never should a coach be kept on because some aloof donor threatens to pull back. His paltry $1 million hardly made a dent on the needs of the program, and his jaded view of how it should be run hurt more than it helped! Good riddence!
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Great Point!!!!

Too many times on this board others talk about supporting the "Program" - "For the good of the Program/School". Looks like this guy does not care about his "School" only a friend. By-the-way Mac - It did not bother you that the program was being ran into the ground??

Edited November 10, 2006 by El Paso Eagle

GreenTiger_OriginalAcct · November 10, 2006

Well my friends RV just ended more funding for NT. Your nickel and dime donations really don't add up like the million Mac gave. I was told Mac was to donate even more money in the future. Guess you mean green boarders will raise that kind of money! NOT!
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Trust me - his one time donation is already spent. There hasn't been that much else from him other than his grandstanding around campus about it.

GMoney · November 10, 2006

RV just ended the blackmailing of the program and I praise him for it. Never should a coach be kept on because some aloof donor threatens to pull back. His paltry $1 million hardly made a dent on the needs of the program, and his jaded view of how it should be run hurt more than it helped! Good riddence!

This is a great point. In order to really become a successful program, no one donor should have the capability of keeping it hostage (unless of course you're OSU and Boone Pickens ). Mac wasn't there for UNT before his buddy came while he was giving money all over the place in the Houston area. Now we're to believe he's all for the best of NT. No, Mac is for DD not NT and that's fine. However, don't blast a school you could and should have been supporting for years but weren't onboard with until they hired someone you knew.

Travis · November 10, 2006

I have no problem with Mac doing what he wants with his money. Niether do I mind him saying what he will do if things don't go his way. It is his money and his support. I would do the same if I were him. That is to say I would remain with my loyalties. His loyalty was with DD not with UNT. and that is fine. i admire him for doing what he did for a friend. I think the pros and cons of the situation still led to the letting go of DD and I think it was an overall wise decision.

Already there was a buzz within an hour or two. I kept getting phone calls all day from alums and friends that were so happy we were going to go in a new direction. these were individuals that refused to go to the games this year because they were tired of UNT football over the last 3 years. It is nice to see a new interest in the program

MeanMag · November 10, 2006

I think the timing couldn't have been better. The university has given Dickey the opportunity to test the waters and given itself the opportunity to fine a replacement and be in the running with all of the other openings at the end of the year. It gives both sides to explore all options.

As for mattress mac: I sure wish his intent was to improve North Texas and become the alum that became famous for the improvement of the Mean Green Football Team and not the alum that saved Dickey's job.

I am not going to agree with the good riddance comment, because to be honest we need all the support we can get, but by no means should it be a hinderance to tough decisions that must be made.

PlummMeanGreen · November 10, 2006

People complain about Darrell's non-conference record, but they sent him to play Texas and Oklahoma every year."
I think the losses to South Florida (when it was a very new program), Florida Atlantic, Air Force, etc were the ones that were more telling and of more concern.
"It's hard to go hunting elephants with a B.B. gun every season," said McIngvale, who pointed to UNT's lack of resources as a reason for the Mean Green's struggles in non-conference play.
So he's going to take MORE resources from us? You just lost your moral high ground Mr. McIngvale.
"His performance in that situation and his championing of the University of North Texas and the whole Denton area should have been taken into account."
And, in what Universe did that take place?
I wonder what color the sky is in Jim McIngvale's world.
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Before I have to hit the road and make that green stuff that makes capitalism so nice.....

One of our best (ever) alums just called me and said what makes sense: "If DD had left UNT for a HFC's job at Memphis, Louisville, etc, etc, etc, etc, don't you think NT football letterman and DD bosom buddy Mattress Mac's money would have followed wherever Darrell went and left UNT in the cold (where he had before DD even came to UNT)? Only at North Texas, folks, only at UNT...

Guess what, though, fellow alums? We have other Big Tater alums out there if approached correctly and with that all important good timing can make us all forget our DD-obsessed furniture salesman from Houston in a Kansas State Wildcat minute.

One has to wonder why we have some of the weirdest damn situations and scenarios that only seem unique to our alma mater?

We Have A Bright Future At UNT (and all the DFW media including TCU coach Patterson with his somewhat back-handed comments directed toward UNT in todays FWST); anyway, just let all our critics who obviously did not know the full story with DD's termination, anyway, let them all make the trip up to Denton, Texas, America, and see all the construction cranes (still) all over our main campus so that they can understand that our upside might be better than many other Texas D1-A schools they are far more used to covering and have since the SWC days..............and hey fellas, also don't forget to wear your apple green, kelly green or forest green hard hats while you're trying to find your way around our "always" expanding campus, too, OK?

Rick V.................if its within you, please do pardon all my past barbs directed at you mostly out of the complete frustration of a middle-aged (and not getting any younger) NT Ex who just wanted to see his alma mater's football prrogram pick up where it left off following a pretty successful trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, but nevertheless.............

RICK V............THE ENTIRE MEAN GREEN NATION IS PULLING FOR YOU TO HIT A GRAND SLAM HOME RUN WITH THIS YOUR FIRST HEAD FOOTBALL COACHES HIRE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS.

Later, fellow alums....

Edited November 10, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

DeepGreen · November 10, 2006

RV just ended the blackmailing of the program and I praise him for it.
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Isn't this the same problem facing Louisiana Tech? Not sure if it's the same situation, but some donor or group of donors has been holding that program hostage. I do appreciate Mattress Mac helping like he did, but he did it for his friend rather than the university. Just not the same.

FirefightnRick · November 10, 2006

There are possibly four or five people that either know, or have a reasonable certainty, of the financial impact that the loss of Jim McIngvale's support would have on the football program. Other than Glad to be Green, I don't know of any on this board that could know that. I'm sure that RV looked at the entire impact on the entire program before making his decision. It may have come down to losing a million dollars from one person or a million dollars from five thousand.
Anyway, I trust RV's decision. He did what he thought was best for North Texas after evaluating the pros and cons and I applaud him for that. I also applaud his timing in doing it now. That move may have saved the recruiting season for the new coach.
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Well said.

I hope people now realize what kind of hill RV has been climbing these past several weeks. If you've bagged on him in the past hopefully you can now send him a note letting him hear some appreciation. He's been fighting a very powerful, disgruntled employee for 5 years now. And think about the word "powerful" in that sentence. It doesn't end with just MM.

I have often thought about what I myself would have done had I been in the same situation? To think about trying to continue to run a program towards growth, market it, sell it, raise interest, raise corporate funding all the while a very powerful, disgruntled employee drops bomb after bomb over every bridge I build makes me wonder how long I myself could have held out?

And as I have reminded the past weeks, it's an exciting time at NT as I have suspected a change of some kind or another. Now we know. And now we know why it hasn't come sooner.

The future is bright. I encourage everyone to order your season tickets for next season as soon as you can and let the university know that their statement to COMMITMENT for this brighter future wasn't wasted.

Rick

Stan R · November 10, 2006

The future is bright. I encourage everyone to order your season tickets for next season as soon as you can and let the university know that their statement to COMMITMENT for this brighter future wasn't wasted.
Rick
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Amen to that.

Eagle1855 · November 10, 2006

I have often thought about what I myself would have done had I been in the same situation? To think about trying to continue to run a program towards growth, market it, sell it, raise interest, raise corporate funding all the while a very powerful, disgruntled employee drops bomb after bomb over every bridge I build makes me wonder how long I myself could have held out?
And as I have reminded the past weeks, it's an exciting time at NT as I have suspected a change of some kind or another. Now we know. And now we know why it hasn't come sooner.
The future is bright. I encourage everyone to order your season tickets for next season as soon as you can and let the university know that their statement to COMMITMENT for this brighter future wasn't wasted.
Rick
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great points.

This was a difficult thing for RV, no question about it. While it may look like a no-brainer to some of us, from the outside it still looks like we fired the only coach that won 4 conference championships, took us to 4 bowl games (winning one), and increased our national recognition in the process.

I have 100% confidence in RV making the right choice for our next coach, and look forward to seeing how far NT goes in the upcoming years.

Join the MGC, buy season tickets. Try to attend the last home game of the season. Show everyone we are serious about our program in Denton!

Arkstfan · November 10, 2006

Interesting.

If timing were the issue (ie. wait until the season ended) then there is no need to look at the "body of work".

If the belief is that the "body of work" ought to be the issue then it takes little effort to see that Dickey produced two, arguably three good seasons at UNT and quickly fell back to where the program was when the Sun Belt started except that level was no longer sufficient to be competitive in the Sun Belt.

Should have stuck with the timing issue and said, no one that would be a legitimate candidate is available to interview at this point so waiting would not have made a real impact.

MeanGreenBuzz · November 10, 2006

The future is bright. I encourage everyone to order your season tickets for next season as soon as you can and let the university know that their statement to COMMITMENT for this brighter future wasn't wasted.
Rick
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Think we can get them to make season tickets for next year available for purchase in the feb-march timeframe instead of june?

VideoEagle · November 10, 2006

Think we can get them to make season tickets for next year available for purchase in the feb-march timeframe instead of june?
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Our schedule is usually not set in Feb-March.

stebo · November 10, 2006

The day that Idaho announced their new/old football coach (Erickson?), they put season tickets on sale - and sold 7,000 of them. I doubt that their schedule was completely in place. People buy the tickets to make a statement and to say "THANK YOU!" - in fact, they should put them on sale this week - I bet a lot of people that have dropped out of the Mean Green nation will be right back in the saddle now that Dickey is gone.

3XNTGRAD · November 10, 2006

Our schedule is usually not set in Feb-March.
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I buy my season tickets whether or not I know the schedule. For the diehard fans, there is no reason to wait, IMHO.

Bryan316 · November 11, 2006

Like others have stated before, I'm glad his stranglehold on NT's coaching decisions is gone. To be honest, I never really heard about his involvement until the AC donation, and then nothing except his buddyness with Dickey. Yes, I thank him for flying the team to Houston and for the AC funds, but other than that, I can't say I'll miss his input.

And seeing as how the firing of Dickey will bring back a lot of donors of various levels and possibly increase what current donors are giving, couldn't their donations add up to more than whatever Mac was giving?

eagle60 · November 11, 2006

I am especially pleased with the support RV got from our new President. There seems to be a strong commitment to improve in every direction.

No more crap like we have had to deal with, as from MM and others who seem to have had their own agendas.

FirefightnRick · November 11, 2006

Think we can get them to make season tickets for next year available for purchase in the feb-march timeframe instead of june?
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If I am to assume that we are going to have a 6 game home schedule then I see no reason for us not to have a sign up sheet at least to take pre orders. In fact, I'll volunteer my time to run a table this next spring at the Kiwanis' "Taste of North Texas" event at the Super Pit if need be, and I bet I wouldn't be alone in that? We should serve wine and champagne to anyone who happens by and at least get as many names and emails we can.

Rick

Edited November 11, 2006 by FirefightnRick

UNTflyer · November 11, 2006

People complain about Darrell's non-conference record, but they sent him to play Texas and Oklahoma every year.
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Actually, I have no problem with losing the OOC games. It's the 2-5 conference record of 2005 and the likely 1-6 finish that bugs me.

stebo · November 11, 2006

Flyer, it doesn't bother you that those conference championships were made up of wins over sub .500 teams? Did you know that DD has had 7 wins over teams above .500 in his entire 9 years? Only a couple of those were Belt wins (Muts in 2001 and NMSU a couple of years ago), all the other wins were against teams that were below .500... and those Sun Belt teams below .500 had no excuse, they were playing a bunch of other crappy teams as well.

MeanMag · November 11, 2006

Flyer, it doesn't bother you that those conference championships were made up of wins over sub .500 teams? Did you know that DD has had 7 wins over teams above .500 in his entire 9 years? Only a couple of those were Belt wins (Muts in 2001 and NMSU a couple of years ago), all the other wins were against teams that were below .500... and those Sun Belt teams below .500 had no excuse, they were playing a bunch of other crappy teams as well.
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To clarify Flyers' point, Stebo, I think what he is trying to say is that it's the losses to those same sub .500 teams that has him even more upset. It does me too. It doesn't bother me at all that all of those wins were coming against sub .500 teams during those winning seasons, because that is just about all we had a chance to play, and it meant that we weren't losing to them (which would be 10x worse). I am not upset that we lost to OU, UT, Kstate. I am upset with the way we lost to them most of the time.

It would have been nice to get wins against AirForce, South Florida, Southern Miss, Memphis, Colorado St., Tulsa, Akron. Those losses have me upset, but what has me even more upset is the losses against Ulala, Troy, La Tech, LaMo., MTSU. If we can't beat the sub .500 teams, how can we possibly expect to take care of business against the above .500 teams?

VideoEagle · November 11, 2006

Flyer, it doesn't bother you that those conference championships were made up of wins over sub .500 teams? Did you know that DD has had 7 wins over teams above .500 in his entire 9 years? Only a couple of those were Belt wins (Muts in 2001 and NMSU a couple of years ago), all the other wins were against teams that were below .500... and those Sun Belt teams below .500 had no excuse, they were playing a bunch of other crappy teams as well.
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It doesn’t bother any of the sports reporters or sports commentators who are calling our school and fans ungrateful. You didn’t see old SWC schools turning down their championships even though ? of the league averaged 3 wins a year (SMU, Rice and TCU). Some years that was 3 wins combined!

Many of NT’s big wins in the past were against schools with big names, but bad teams. None of those Tech teams we beat were very good. The Tennessee team we beat didn’t make it to a bowl that year. We still have every right to be proud of those wins.

Winning never bothers me. Losing does!