Dodge Story I Promised Told By Hank Dickenson

MeanGreengdub · February 21, 2007

First story:

Hank was telling us about Dodge and told us his dad was a minister. So they had to move around a lot but once he was in high school they had stopped moving so much. His senior year came around and by that time he had developed a pretty strong relationship with one of his coaches. His dad told him they were going to move to Longview for another job. It was his senior season and he was the star QB. He had thrown for 3,000 yards which was unheard of at that time and was being recruited by some pretty big schools. Obviously, he wanted to stay. So, as a senior in high school, Dodge went up to his father and asked him if he would allow his football coach to be his legal guardian and live with him so he could finish out his senior season at his high school. So his family moved to Longview and he stayed behind with one of his coaches and finished out his senior season. Pretty big desicion for an 18 year old kid in High School.

Second story:

Soon after he graduated from UT he got married and was living in Austin-i think. He started working for an electric company a few weeks after he had got married. He was out at a site working one day and was hooking up some wiring when all the sudden it blew up in his face. He caught on fire and had to roll around to put the fire out. As he was trying to put the fire he was yelling for someone to call an ambulance because he knew it was bad. Just being a few weeks married and being concerned about his looks, he asked one of the other guys working how he looked and he said "you're just lucky to be alive." Dodge knew it was bad. The ended up have to do skin graphs to fix all the burns. It was so bad that the first year he coached he still couldn't use his hands.

So the point of Hank telling us these stories was that Dodge has been through a lot and realizes that football isn't everything. He wants to make an impact on the kids and wants to be a better coach after coaching his kids.

About the firing of Dickey:

Hank talked about how Dickey had been here for 9 years and in the middle of his tenure he won 4 SB titles and did a good job. But he said the big issue was recruiting. He wasn't recruiting the DFW area, which as we all know is a hot bed for athletes. Dodge did more recruiting in the DFW area in 3 weeks than UNT has done in the past 20 years.

UNT_playmaker · February 21, 2007

Wow great post.... We are lucky to have Dodge......

Dickey was cold on the recruiting in his own backyard.....

Go Mean Green

EagleD · February 21, 2007

Hank was telling us about Dodge and told us his dad was a minister. So they had to move around a lot but once he was in high school they had stopped moving so much. His senior year came around and by that time he had developed a pretty strong relationship with one of his coaches. His dad told him they were going to move to Longview for another job. It was his senior season and he was the star QB. He had thrown for 3,000 yards which was unheard of at that time and was being recruited by some pretty big schools. Obviously, he wanted to stay. So, as a senior in high school, Dodge went up to his father and asked him if he would allow his football coach to be his legal guardian and live with him so he could finish out his senior season at his high school. So his family moved to Longview and he stayed behind with one of his coaches and finished out his senior season. Pretty big desicion for an 18 year old kid in High School.

More to this story... The story goes that Dodge came to Longview and checked out the football program. Longview has a good history of making the playoffs and doing pretty well (only one state title, though, and it was in the 20's I beleive.) Longview's coach talked to him and said, "Son, I already have a quarterback."

I lived in Longview then. I was just a kid, but loved Longview Lobo football. (still do). I'll never understand that coaching move.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mean Green 93-98 · February 21, 2007

More to this story... The story goes that Dodge came to Longview and checked out the football program. Longview has a good history of making the playoffs and doing pretty well (only one state title, though, and it was in the 20's I beleive.) Longview's coach talked to him and said, "Son, I already have a quarterback."
I lived in Longview then. I was just a kid, but loved Longview Lobo football. (still do). I'll never understand that coaching move.

Seems like I have read a few posters on this board who have told Riley Dodge, "Son, I already have a quarterback."

NT80 · February 21, 2007

First story:
Hank was telling us about Dodge and told us his dad was a minister. So they had to move around a lot but once he was in high school they had stopped moving so much. His senior year came around and by that time he had developed a pretty strong relationship with one of his coaches. His dad told him they were going to move to Longview for another job. It was his senior season and he was the star QB. He had thrown for 3,000 yards which was unheard of at that time and was being recruited by some pretty big schools. Obviously, he wanted to stay. So, as a senior in high school, Dodge went up to his father and asked him if he would allow his football coach to be his legal guardian and live with him so he could finish out his senior season at his high school. So his family moved to Longview and he stayed behind with one of his coaches and finished out his senior season. Pretty big desicion for an 18 year old kid in High School.
Second story:
Soon after he graduated from UT he got married and was living in Austin-i think. He started working for an electric company a few weeks after he had got married. He was out at a site working one day and was hooking up some wiring when all the sudden it blew up in his face. He caught on fire and had to roll around to put the fire out. As he was trying to put the fire he was yelling for someone to call an ambulance because he knew it was bad. Just being a few weeks married and being concerned about his looks, he asked one of the other guys working how he looked and he said "you're just lucky to be alive." Dodge knew it was bad. The ended up have to do skin graphs to fix all the burns. It was so bad that the first year he coached he still couldn't use his hands.
So the point of Hank telling us these stories was that Dodge has been through a lot and realizes that football isn't everything. He wants to make an impact on the kids and wants to be a better coach after coaching his kids.
About the firing of Dickey:
Hank talked about how Dickey had been here for 9 years and in the middle of his tenure he won 4 SB titles and did a good job. But he said the big issue was recruiting. He wasn't recruiting the DFW area, which as we all know is a hot bed for athletes. Dodge did more recruiting in the DFW area in 3 weeks than UNT has done in the past 20 years.

It only makes sense to recruit DFW-area kids. It's more local advertising for UNT in the area papers and makes inroads to the local high schools for general student recruitment. Local players also attract local family and friends to NT games.

If you google the name "Todd Dodge" you'll find 39,700 entries!

An interesting column about Dodge's near electrocution: http://www.theoldcoach.com/archives/000628.php