FW*Telegram HEADLINES DODGE EXPECTED TO REPLACE DD

[OldTimer]

Carroll coach Todd Dodge in line to get UNT jobBy TROY PHILLIPS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Front Page of paper headline "Mean Green Dragon, Carroll HS coach Todd Dodge is expected to replace ousted UNT FB coach DD. Sports section headlines Dodge in line to get UNT Job. Announcement expected as early as this afternoon. NT could call a news conference this afternoon or Wednesday morning.

Star-Telegram / Sharon M. Steinman

Carroll coach Todd Dodge, seen here with son Riley Dodge before the Carroll-Colleyville Heritage game last weekend, is in line for the head coaching job at UNT.The search for a new North Texas head football coach is expected to end in the next 48 hours.

All signs point in the direction of Carroll High School coach Todd Dodge as being UNT's choice to replace Darrell Dickey, who was fired on Nov. 8.

Sources close to UNT's search, while not confirming Dodge will be hired, said an announcement concerning the head coaching job is expected as early as this afternoon. UNT could call a news conference late this afternoon or Wednesday morning.

Also today during a scheduled 2 p.m. meeting, the UNT Board of Regents will vote to authorize Athletic Director Rick Villarreal and school president Gretchen M. Bataille to enter into a contract with a new football coach.

Asked over the weekend what that vote is about, Villarreal said, "The board only approves the parameters of a contract and not a specific coach."

Villarreal, who did not return calls or e-mails Monday, has yet to deny he has interviewed or even spoken to Dodge, but sources say a meeting or meetings have occurred. Dodge denied any knowledge of a news conference this week to announce his hiring at UNT.

Carroll (14-0) is scheduled to face Allen in the Class 5A Division I state semifinals on Saturday. Since moving up from Class 4A to 5A in 2002, Carroll is 77-1 and has won a state title three of the past four seasons.

"I'm not sure," Dodge said Monday, when asked why all speculation leads to him. "I'm just trying to get this team ready. I don't know anything about a press conference."

Asked if he was "unequivocally denying" that he would be UNT's next coach, Dodge didn't answer the question.

"I can't comment on this," he said.

Asked if Dodge is leaving, Carroll Athletic Director Ronnie Tipps declined to comment.

Dodge, a former quarterback at Texas, was a UNT assistant coach in 1992-93 and has also been a head coach at Cameron Yoe, Carrollton Smith and Fossil Ridge.

He appears to have been UNT's frontrunner for some time, despite reports that Villarreal showed strong interest in University of San Diego coach Jim Harbaugh and South Carolina defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix. Harbaugh reportedly interviewed at UNT last week, and Nix withdrew from consideration several days earlier.

Sources also say Villarreal interviewed Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay Norvell.

It's not known whether Dodge has notified Carroll officials of his intent to resign after the football season. He will also coach one team at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a national high school all-star game, on Jan. 6. Starting Dec. 18, the weeks leading up to that game are dead (no-contact) weeks for college recruiting.

The dead period runs again until Jan. 11, and because so few recruiting days remain until the process picks up again on Jan. 12, sources said UNT felt like it had to make a move now.

Staff writer Trae Thompson contributed to this report.

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Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760

Edited December 12, 2006 by OldTimer

[untcampbell]

Uhm, what happened last night?

Is anyone else as surprised as I am?

Ticket discussing...George defending the hire, everyone else putting down hiring a HS coach. Partly schtick.

[runt96]

Uhm, what happened last night?

Is anyone else as surprised as I am?

Ticket discussing...George defending the hire, everyone else putting down hiring a HS coach. Partly schtick.

←

it sounds like what we were all looking for has just happened.

the ticket(especially the hard liners) will be all over us for this. of course, williams made reference to his corn frogs being able to beat rutgers also.

[TicketJohn]

I heard Sunday night that this was going to be the move. I love it...love it...love it. Dodge is pure class in my book. Obviously the excitement this will bring to the university will be amazing, and there is no greater recruiting tool for Texas High School players than getting the biggest coaching name in Texas High School football since Gordon Wood and G.A. Moore.

Not a single complaint in my mind...not a single one.

[ParksAndRecRick]

7 Words...

Biggest Hire in Mean Green Sports History!