DRC New Head Coach enjoys backing of MG faithful

OldTimer · December 13, 2006

Brett Vito: New head coach enjoys early backing of Mean Green faithful

11:56 PM CST on Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Brett Vito North Texas traded in the Buick for a bright, shiny new Dodge on Tuesday.

Todd Dodge, with his wide-open spread offense, his state championship pedigree and a monster reputation in Texas high school football, will leave Southlake Carroll to return to the school where he was the offensive coordinator a little more than a decade ago.

The move certainly wasn't the most conservative UNT has ever made.

The Mean Green could have hired a coordinator from another college program or a head coach from a smaller school.

In the end, UNT made the best choice for the program for numerous reasons, none of which are more important than the excitement the hire has created.

By mid-morning, the Mean Green nation was buzzing for the first time in years.

"It's a great day for North Texas," UNT booster Curtis Clinesmith said. "I can't think of a more exciting day in North Texas history. Coach Dodge will bring excitement to the program and has a proven track record. The main thing that excites me is that he is a positive individual. There was a negative atmosphere for the last four or five years."

Former UNT head coach Darrell Dickey led the Mean Green to an unprecedented run of success from 2001-04 when his teams won the Sun Belt Conference title and played in the New Orleans Bowl each of those years.

By the end of Dickey's tenure, the excitement from those bowl years had all but disappeared and some had tired of a run-based offense nicknamed the Buick because it was effective at times, but rarely flashy.

If anyone can bring a buzz to Fouts Field again it's Dodge and his high-octane offense.

Carroll has more or less blazed the trail for wide-open offenses in Texas high school football. The Dragons run wide receivers all over the field and still have a running game.

Dodge's son Riley has thrown for 3,695 yards and 48 touchdowns this season.

When Riley was struggling with a series of minor injuries last week in the state quarterfinals, the Dragons turned to running back Tre' Newton, who rushed for 296 yards and brought Carroll one step closer to its fourth state title since 2002 with a win over Colleyville Heritage.

There are plenty of indications that Dodge's offense will thrive at UNT just like it did at Carroll. Dodge served as UNT's offensive coordinator from 1992-93. UNT Hall of Famer Mitch Maher threw for 2,090 yards in 1992 and came back the next year to throw for 2,595 yards while playing for Dodge.

Maher still ranks third and sixth in school history for passing yards in a single season for the campaigns he played under Dodge. A year after Dodge left, Maher set the school record for passing with 3,103 yards in the 1994 season.

That history and Dodge's reputation should open the recruiting pipeline from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. UNT has struggled to land the top prospects from the area the last several years.

Ryan head coach Joey Florence has had his share of top recruits the last few seasons and anticipates a few more of the area's elite players heading to UNT because of the buzz Dodge has created.

"They have hired the best guy they could," Florence said. "Todd will bring instant credibility with the kids, the parents and the high school coaches across the state. The connections college coaches have with the high school staffs are vital. … It will be a great hire for recruiting."

UNT landed one of its highest-rated recruiting classes after its third straight appearance in the New Orleans Bowl in 2003 when the Mean Green signed four players ranked in The Dallas Morning News Area Top 100 rankings, plus running back Jamario Thomas, a consensus state top 100 player who went on to win a national rushing title at UNT.

The Mean Green's success in luring the area's top-ranked players dwindled the last few seasons.

That should change under Dodge.

"As far as recognition around the state I don't think there is anyone we could have hired who would have brought more attention to the program," said Harry Miers, the founder of gomeangreen.com, a UNT fan message board. "He brings an exciting brand of football that fans will enjoy and will boost our recruiting efforts in Dallas-Fort Worth."

UNT has designs on building a new stadium in the next few years and moving up in the world of college football.

UNT will need all the help it can get to make that goal a reality. Hiring Dodge was a step in the right direction, judging by what UNT's fans had to say Tuesday.

"I don't think there is any question this will help us get a new stadium," said Clinesmith, who stopped giving money to UNT four years ago because he was not happy with the program. "People will come back that would not have contributed with Dickey there. I think the hiring will resonate through the donor community."

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

untbowler · December 13, 2006

"They have hired the best guy they could," Florence said. "Todd will bring instant credibility with the kids, the parents and the high school coaches across the state. The connections college coaches have with the high school staffs are vital. … It will be a great hire for recruiting."

Where are all the naysayers that Dodge is not known outside of DFW??

This such a great week and time to be a Mean Green Fan.

We have strong backing from the Prez, DD backers are leaving, and we have a great energetic new coach to get the fanbase back.