Dodge ball will be a hit at UNT

NT80 · December 13, 2006

Kevin Sherrington

Proven track record justifies hiring a high school coach

11:50 PM CST on Tuesday, December 12, 2006

DENTON – The University of North Texas introduced a high school coach Tuesday in its never-ending quest for Hayden Fry's heir apparent.

In many places, maybe most, the preceding paragraph might be construed as an indictment.

But not if you know Todd Dodge. Not if you've seen his Southlake Carroll teams play.

Not if you witnessed Rice's revival this year. Or Missouri's.

Not if you ask Bill Parcells or Sean Payton or Mack Brown or Gary Pinkel.

The Mean Green didn't just hire a high school coach. Rick Villarreal found answers to the direction of his athletic program.

Need an entertaining offense that'll draw fans as well as recruits?

Check.

Need a coach with a lot of high school contacts, especially in the area?

Check.

Need a coach to sell the push for a $60 million stadium?

Check.

Need a coach who can turn it around fast?

Check.

Maybe you're still not so sure. Maybe you recall the last high school coach UNT hired.

Dennis Parker came straight out of Marshall in the early '90s and won an average of four games in three seasons.

His offensive coordinator? Todd Dodge.

Hardly seems comforting, does it? Only if you know how far UNT and Dodge have come in the years since.

Dodge took over Bob Ledbetter's excellent Carroll program in 2000 and did the impossible: He made it better, guiding it through the difficult transition from 4A to 5A.

Guided it? The Dragons have dominated the state's top class like no team since Chuck Moser's Abilene teams of the 1950s.

Get this: The Dragons have gone 77-1 since moving up to 5A. The only loss was by one point to Katy in the 2003 state title game.

Of course, those were high school games. He's stepping up in class now, and some UNT boosters and alumni have already asked Villarreal:

"How do you know he can do it at this level?"

All you need to do, Villarreal tells the doubters, is talk X's and O's with the man.

Or you could talk to the quarterbacks and receivers who come to his camp every summer, the most prestigious in North Texas, a likely base for North Texas recruiting the next several years.

You could talk to Rice officials. They tried to interview Dodge for the job that eventually went to Todd Graham, who qualified Rice for its first bowl in 42 seasons.

Graham wanted to hire Dodge, too. When he couldn't, he got Major Applewhite, who calls Dodge a mentor, and all Applewhite did was effectively run Rice's spread offense with Wishbone personnel.

Moral: With the right coaches, you can get it done at this level, and fast.

Ask Missouri coaches what they think. Dodge supplied the quarterback, Chase Daniel, and offense for the Tigers' turnaround season.

Pinkel says Dodge's offensive knowledge and development of young quarterbacks is "as good as anyone I've ever seen."

Talk to Bill Parcells. Called up Dodge out of the blue last year and asked if he wanted to talk about coaching tight ends for him.

Even after he got an audience with the Cowboys' coach, Dodge still couldn't believe it.

"What," he asked, "am I doing here?"

Parcells told him he'd been watching his games. Had his eye on him as a potential assistant. Called him a "football guy," and a "good teacher of the game."

Coaching is coaching at any level, Mack Brown says, high school or college or pros.

"It will be a great fit for him," Brown says, "and North Texas is lucky to have him."

Lucky that Dodge got to coach his son, Riley, this season, and can check it off his list.

Lucky that Riley's only a junior, or Dodge might have left for a coordinator's job someplace else.

Lucky that Dodge coached here once, and he can see how far the facilities have come since then.

Darrell Dickey built a base here. He qualified UNT four times for the New Orleans Bowl, and Dodge hasn't forgotten.

But he also knows it can be better. "The Metroplex's Team," is how he sees it.

Frankly, Villarreal probably would settle for a program Denton and UNT's alumni base can finally embrace.

If anyone can fulfill the Mean Green's long-lost promise, it's the man who plans on coaching a high school team until Dec. 23. After that, he's all UNT's. Christmas comes early.

E-mail ksherrington@dallasnews.com

NT80 · December 13, 2006

Need a coach to sell the push for a $60 million stadium?
Check.
←

December 13, 2006

OK this is helping.

PlummMeanGreen · December 13, 2006

Kevin Sherrington

Dodge ball will be a hit at UNT
Proven track record justifies hiring a high school coach
11:50 PM CST on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
DENTON – The University of North Texas introduced a high school coach Tuesday in its never-ending quest for Hayden Fry's heir apparent.
In many places, maybe most, the preceding paragraph might be construed as an indictment.
But not if you know Todd Dodge. Not if you've seen his Southlake Carroll teams play.
Not if you witnessed Rice's revival this year. Or Missouri's.
Not if you ask Bill Parcells or Sean Payton or Mack Brown or Gary Pinkel.
The Mean Green didn't just hire a high school coach. Rick Villarreal found answers to the direction of his athletic program.
Need an entertaining offense that'll draw fans as well as recruits?
Check.
Need a coach with a lot of high school contacts, especially in the area?
Check.
Need a coach to sell the push for a $60 million stadium?
Check.
Need a coach who can turn it around fast?
Check.
Maybe you're still not so sure. Maybe you recall the last high school coach UNT hired.
Dennis Parker came straight out of Marshall in the early '90s and won an average of four games in three seasons.
His offensive coordinator? Todd Dodge.
Hardly seems comforting, does it? Only if you know how far UNT and Dodge have come in the years since.
Dodge took over Bob Ledbetter's excellent Carroll program in 2000 and did the impossible: He made it better, guiding it through the difficult transition from 4A to 5A.
Guided it? The Dragons have dominated the state's top class like no team since Chuck Moser's Abilene teams of the 1950s.
Get this: The Dragons have gone 77-1 since moving up to 5A. The only loss was by one point to Katy in the 2003 state title game.
Of course, those were high school games. He's stepping up in class now, and some UNT boosters and alumni have already asked Villarreal:
"How do you know he can do it at this level?"
All you need to do, Villarreal tells the doubters, is talk X's and O's with the man.
Or you could talk to the quarterbacks and receivers who come to his camp every summer, the most prestigious in North Texas, a likely base for North Texas recruiting the next several years.
You could talk to Rice officials. They tried to interview Dodge for the job that eventually went to Todd Graham, who qualified Rice for its first bowl in 42 seasons.
Graham wanted to hire Dodge, too. When he couldn't, he got Major Applewhite, who calls Dodge a mentor, and all Applewhite did was effectively run Rice's spread offense with Wishbone personnel.
Moral: With the right coaches, you can get it done at this level, and fast.
Ask Missouri coaches what they think. Dodge supplied the quarterback, Chase Daniel, and offense for the Tigers' turnaround season.
Pinkel says Dodge's offensive knowledge and development of young quarterbacks is "as good as anyone I've ever seen."
Talk to Bill Parcells. Called up Dodge out of the blue last year and asked if he wanted to talk about coaching tight ends for him.
Even after he got an audience with the Cowboys' coach, Dodge still couldn't believe it.
"What," he asked, "am I doing here?"
Parcells told him he'd been watching his games. Had his eye on him as a potential assistant. Called him a "football guy," and a "good teacher of the game."
Coaching is coaching at any level, Mack Brown says, high school or college or pros.
"It will be a great fit for him," Brown says, "and North Texas is lucky to have him."
Lucky that Dodge got to coach his son, Riley, this season, and can check it off his list.
Lucky that Riley's only a junior, or Dodge might have left for a coordinator's job someplace else.
Lucky that Dodge coached here once, and he can see how far the facilities have come since then.
Darrell Dickey built a base here. He qualified UNT four times for the New Orleans Bowl, and Dodge hasn't forgotten.
But he also knows it can be better. "The Metroplex's Team," is how he sees it.
Frankly, Villarreal probably would settle for a program Denton and UNT's alumni base can finally embrace.
If anyone can fulfill the Mean Green's long-lost promise, it's the man who plans on coaching a high school team until Dec. 23. After that, he's all UNT's. Christmas comes early.
E-mail ksherrington@dallasnews.com
←

Finally! The DRC's Dallas newspaper give us our due (and some positive press)! Great article, Mr. Sherrington!

LittleMeanGreenMan · December 13, 2006

What great publicity....wow.

NT80 · December 13, 2006

If anyone can fulfill the Mean Green's long-lost promise, it's the man who plans on coaching a high school team until Dec. 23. After that, he's all UNT's. Christmas comes early.
←

Another favorite part.

FirefightnRick · December 13, 2006

OK this is helping.
←

I thought it would.

As I have posted for weeks, the guy has an incredible list of references. Mack Brown, Bill Parcells, Todd Graham, Major Applewhite, Gary Pinkel, FirefightnRick? Geez louise!

Rick

Ibleedgreen · December 13, 2006

Interesting that he mentions Hayden Fry, because I am old enough to be able to tell you that the comparison is striking. This is the most excited the NT community has been since Fry was hired...absolutely.

ColoradoEagle · December 13, 2006

Darrell Dickey built a base here. He qualified UNT four times for the New Orleans Bowl, and Dodge hasn't forgotten.
But he also knows it can be better. "The Metroplex's Team," is how he sees it.
←

UNT_playmaker · December 13, 2006

$60 million dollar stadium

#1 order of business,

as well as recruits of course.

NT91 · December 13, 2006

OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KingDL1 · December 13, 2006

This just gets better, hell I could not sleep last night.

meangreendork · December 13, 2006

"The Metroplex's Team," is how he sees it.

We are the University of North Texas. Not some Christian or Methodist school, not some offshoot of UT, but THE University of North Texas. I like his philosophy.

Eagle1855 · December 13, 2006

I absolutely love this article.

"The Metroplex's Team"

UNTSIG · December 13, 2006

i couldn't help but be excited when i read this article. i have my reservations about a high school coach. seeing his references though is pretty incredible. also, seeing him last night on television, i thought that he had a pretty dynamic personality that will appeal to alumni wanting to give back....

rcade · December 13, 2006

This may be the best ink UNT football has gotten in a Dallas paper since the Fry era.

SilverEagle · December 13, 2006

$60 million dollar stadium
#1 order of business,
as well as recruits of course.
←

The #1 order of business has already been done. And that is having a press conference and letting all the North Texas faithful (and those who want to be faithful, but were afraid to) know that he is committed to getting this school back on track, and letting people know that North Texas is a University that everyone should be proud of.

He also let everyone know that he is truely glad to have the job, and be given the opportunity (and challenge) of helping us reach our full potential.

With that in place, the stadium issue will take care of itself.

GoMeanGreen1999 · December 13, 2006

That is an awesome article and very well written. I like much of Kevin's writting and that will just help with the publicity. We are getting very good pub on this as it is listed on ESPN and SI today.

Great Hire.

greenminer · December 13, 2006

Interesting that he mentions Hayden Fry, because I am old enough to be able to tell you that the comparison is striking. This is the most excited the NT community has been since Fry was hired...absolutely.
←

As I am not old enough, feel free to elaborate.

-gm

Edited December 13, 2006 by greenminer

ColoradoEagle · June 14, 2010

:lol: @ thread title.

Anyway, I wanted to bump this because building the stadium is obviously a reality at this point. The question that leaves, for me anyway, is what is next on the agenda for becoming "The Metroplex's Team"? I think the rail is going to help connect us more to Dallas, even if only symbolically. Beyond that, can anyone see the day where there's even 1/2 as many North Texas fans in DFW as there are UT-Austin fans?

Would becoming a top 25 team be of more interest to DFW given our alumni base and accessibility, or would the average DFW college football fan yawn the way they have been with TCU despite their successes on the field?

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 14, 2010

We don't need to be DFW's team. Most of DFW is full of hellishness.

What UNT needs to do is concentrate on the ever growing communities around where people with money who formerly would have lived in Dallas now live.

People, I'm talking about Frisco, Celina, Propser, The Colony, Corinth, Argyle, those houses in yankee-type communities along 380 between Denton and Frisco, McKinney, Allen, West Plano, Keller, etc., etc., etc.

Leave the DFW area to SMU, TCU, and Southwest Assemblies of God. Give us the people moving north who have money and can drive to us easily on the big new and exciting 380.

I'd even say, let extends the Shaking Hand of Athletic Friendship to outposts such as Wylie and Sachse. Wylie might even let us use their football stadium in a pinch.

Censored by Laurie · June 14, 2010

We don't need to be DFW's team. Most of DFW is full of hellishness.

What UNT needs to do is concentrate on the ever growing communities around where people with money who formerly would have lived in Dallas now live.

People, I'm talking about Frisco, Celina, Propser, The Colony, Corinth, Argyle, those houses in yankee-type communities along 380 between Denton and Frisco, McKinney, Allen, West Plano, Keller, etc., etc., etc.

Leave the DFW area to SMU, TCU, and Southwest Assemblies of God. Give us the people moving north who have money and can drive to us easily on the big new and exciting 380.

I'd even say, let extends the Shaking Hand of Athletic Friendship to outposts such as Wylie and Sachse. Wylie might even let us use their football stadium in a pinch.

Dominique Green supports this plan.

GrayEagle · June 14, 2010

We don't need to be DFW's team. Most of DFW is full of hellishness.

What UNT needs to do is concentrate on the ever growing communities around where people with money who formerly would have lived in Dallas now live.

People, I'm talking about Frisco, Celina, Propser, The Colony, Corinth, Argyle, those houses in yankee-type communities along 380 between Denton and Frisco, McKinney, Allen, West Plano, Keller, etc., etc., etc.

Leave the DFW area to SMU, TCU, and Southwest Assemblies of God. Give us the people moving north who have money and can drive to us easily on the big new and exciting 380.

I'd even say, let extends the Shaking Hand of Athletic Friendship to outposts such as Wylie and Sachse. Wylie might even let us use their football stadium in a pinch.

For attendance you're right on. For media, however, we can't ignore Dallas and Fort Worth. No FBS team survives on ticket sales alone. We need TV revenue.

We have the largest group of alumni in the DFW metroplex. In a higher-profile conference I can see us being #1 in viewers for some games if we are competitive. It will also give us more of a national presence as we have alumni all over the U.S.

Edited June 14, 2010 by GrayEagle

Eagle1855 · June 14, 2010

I absolutely love this article.

"The Metroplex's Team"

I hate you, Eagle1855.

Censored by Laurie · June 14, 2010

i couldn't help but be excited when i read this article. i have my reservations about a high school coach. seeing his references though is pretty incredible. also, seeing him last night on television, i thought that he had a pretty dynamic personality that will appeal to alumni wanting to give back....

Come back...I'll go to the therapy sessions, I'll quit drinking, I'll be more attentive.

I miss you...no, I miss US.