Why RV has failed as Athletic Director

[MeanGreenTacoBean]

Here is what RV has done plain wrong:

The athletic fee vote: RV completely botched this. He sent out mixed messages about what the vote was for and failed to make a connection with his target market. Students did not realize how the fee could benefit them. The only reason a lesser and inadequate fee ever got instituted was because a few SGA leaders were willing to take the heat for going over the student body's heads.

Fundraising: This is the most important objective for the future of UNT athletics and so far has been RV's greatest failure. RV was hailed as the greatest salesman since Dwayne Hoover when he was hired. Where's the beef Rick? Why have no major donations been made? We have a product to sell now. What happened to selling stadium naming rights? Anything? Our facilities are still an embarrassment. Be a closer Rick.

The football media guide: This one is of lesser importance than the first two but I wonder if RV will approve a media guide this year without Back-to-back Sun Belt champions on the cover?

Here is what RV did not do but is getting credit for:

The student recreation center - this deal was through the state legislature before RV was even hired.

The Liberty Christian land purchase - this is all state money being used, RV did not raise these funds. Thank the regents and Dr. Pohl.

The jumbotron - why are we still just renting this? Didn't RV promise last year that he would raise the funds to permanently install this?

Here's what RV has done right:

1. Hire Johnny Jones

2. Emphasis tailgating

3. Schedule weaker football opponents

[LoveMG]

HORSE-HOCKEY.

Were you here for Helwig's Tour and 1-AA football? It's 1000% better today than it was just two years ago, wake up man!

[MeanGreenTacoBean]

The success on the football field has nothing to do with RV. It has to do with the development of Darrell Dickey's recruiting classes - which have been superb.

I never mentioned Helwig or I-AA. But it's RV's job to dig us out of the hole Helwig put us in. And I don't think RV is doing a good job of doing that.

[LoveMG]

I could try to list it all but GrayEagle had a good start on it >>

1. Two Sun Belt football championships and a second bowl game after a drought of 42 years.

2. EVERY sport has improved since RV arrived on the scene. Most men's basketball wins in 10 years and most women's in 8 years. Most volleyball wins in 7 years. Most points in school history for women's track team.

3. Academics have greatly improved. In Rick's first year, we had a Rhodes scholar candidate, 117 on the Eagle Academic Honor Roll; 78 on the Commissioner's Honor Roll. A graduation rate for athletes that is almost 50% higher than the regular student body.

4. Giving has increased almost 400% in his first year. Mean Green Club members have more than tripled. Still way to low theough, are both of you members? We need you.

5. Added/improved scoreboard system in the Super Pit. Lighting was improved also. Original Super Pit basketball floor will be replaced.

6. Put a plan together to make us Title IX compliant when women's softball begins in 2004. By the way, have you seen the signee list that the new women's softball coach(es) have secured. A lot of talent there.

7. Started tailgating. If you've noticed, it has become quite popular in the last two years. The Greenbackers, led by Steve Boedeker, fed about 1,500 at one game; hundreds at every game, including TCU.

8. Improved broadcasts of NT sports by adding stations in the Dallas and Tyler-Longview area that could not be heard over KNTU. All women's basketball games are now broadcast over KNTU.

8. Acquisition of Liberty Christian property for future women's sports center.

9. Added coaches, cars and reorganized the NT Lettermen's Association.

10.Increased marketing dollars by nearly $100,000 in his first year. Added signage around stadium.

11.Established a Master Plan for facilities, including a new Athletic Center and stadium expansion.

There have been improvements to the ticket office, funding from student fees, added stadium boxes, Academic Center expansion and scheduling improvement.

..................................................................................................................

Don't forget, RV's only one person, he can't do it all, and would certainly welcome your participation to help raise funds and increase attendance. Call him to offer your help!

[CorinthEagle]

It never ceases to amaze me how this board can turn negative at the strangest times. First you have the bitter little man Scottie posting his "article", then comes the "well we're winning but not exciting" argument, now in the midst of gearing up for a bowl game we have "the athletic director isnt getting things done".

Compared to where this university has been there is SO much to be happy about and reason to be optimistic about the future. Lets enjoy this folks!!!

[Eagle-96]

Nice post LoveMG,

Where's your reply TacoBean? Sounds like some pretty good examples of the good that RV has done.

Stop being a hater and get on the bandwagon. There's still room for everybody.

BTW: Are you related to Helwig?

GMG!!!!

Crash the Wave!!!!

[Cerebus]

TacoBean,

I rarely strongly disagree with something posted on the board, but this is one of the times. Has RV pulled some sort of miracle here? No, has he done a very very good job and I look forward to him being here a long time.

The athletic fee vote: RV completely botched this.

A tiny percentage of the student population saw this as "an issue", and decided to go full bore against it, the rest of the student population was just too damn apathetic to go vote, did you see the percentag of those who voted? RV went out and talked to any student group that would sit still for 15 minutes and the alums paid for ads in the Daily to persuade students, the simple fact of the matter is the students dont care enough about the university to shepard it properly, thats why we have administrators. And, keep in mind I am a student as I write this, I wouldnt trust most of the people in my classes to watch my dog while I was on vacation, let alone wiegh the pro and cons and decide on any issue bigger than "you want a beer?"

Fundraising

Athletic giving is way up, MGC membership is up, season ticket sales are up. It going to take more than *1* 5 win football season or *1* 15 win basketball season to get people excited enough to open thie pocket book. Given the fact that most students dont give whent he graduate, and most people in Denton dont give a flip about UNT in any sense, then I think what he has accomplished is great.

The football media guide

The general consensus among the media people I have talked to is that it looks first rate. I think it looks good, I especially like the 22 or 23 conference championships listed on the inside cover.

Here's what RV has done right:

Those 3 things you listed are HUGE, worth his salary by themselves. Tailgating is a huge hit, and its just idiotic it wasnt in place before. RV has gotten good sponsors to be out thier, has taken care of like gmg.com and the greenbackers, and made it a great place to go before the game.

Here is the bottom line, would RV's accomplishments be a huge at aTm? No. Are they huge here? Yes. RV has to fight an apathetic student base, a faculty who can be down right hostile, a town that has ignored us for 110 years, and alums who forget about the school as soon as they get the degree. What he has done is great, what he is doing for the future of the school is even better.

[SNAKE3]

1. The JumboTron/Scoreboard is scheduled to be in place next year.

2. As far as the athletic fee vote at least this University gave the

students a vote. At Texas and at A&M the Regents approved the fee

increases and informed the student body. Don't forget the Regents

make the money decisions not the students.

3. Your Fundraising argument is answered by your own comments.

WE NOW HAVE A PRODUCT TO SELL.

4. One thing you forgot to mention was the Soccer Field by the Peterbuilt

plant. The Soccer Chicks now have their own field instead of playing on

the Intramural Fields. When the Liberty School is purchased that

field will be moved to that property.

5. As far as the Football Media Guide for next year. That publication is

7 - 8 months away. We have the New Orleans Bowl to play.

6. Finally, what have YOU done TACO for the Athletic Department or the

University? Have YOU donated any money or are you just wanting to

complain at 2:30 AM?

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

Maybe MGTB wants RV's job -- so he is starting an underground coup.

Too many late night bean burritos and TBN for you, MGTB.

[Eagle9297]

Come on guys....

There is no reason to be outright hostile to each other. A couple of years ago we didn't have enough that cared to even have opposing views

[The AFLAC Duck]

That athletic fee vote was a joke. Something like 12% of the entire student body voted, and it was rejected by a vote of 51% to 49%. Thank god for our SGA.

[UNTLifer]

I could try to list it all but GrayEagle had a good start on it >>

1. Two Sun Belt football championships and a second bowl game after a drought of 42 years.

2. EVERY sport has improved since RV arrived on the scene. Most men's basketball wins in 10 years and most women's in 8 years. Most volleyball wins in 7 years. Most points in school history for women's track team.

3. Academics have greatly improved. In Rick's first year, we had a Rhodes scholar candidate, 117 on the Eagle Academic Honor Roll; 78 on the Commissioner's Honor Roll. A graduation rate for athletes that is almost 50% higher than the regular student body.

4. Giving has increased almost 400% in his first year. Mean Green Club members have more than tripled. Still way to low theough, are both of you members? We need you.

5. Added/improved scoreboard system in the Super Pit. Lighting was improved also. Original Super Pit basketball floor will be replaced.

6. Put a plan together to make us Title IX compliant when women's softball begins in 2004. By the way, have you seen the signee list that the new women's softball coach(es) have secured. A lot of talent there.

7. Started tailgating. If you've noticed, it has become quite popular in the last two years. The Greenbackers, led by Steve Boedeker, fed about 1,500 at one game; hundreds at every game, including TCU.

8. Improved broadcasts of NT sports by adding stations in the Dallas and Tyler-Longview area that could not be heard over KNTU. All women's basketball games are now broadcast over KNTU.

8. Acquisition of Liberty Christian property for future women's sports center.

9. Added coaches, cars and reorganized the NT Lettermen's Association.

10.Increased marketing dollars by nearly $100,000 in his first year. Added signage around stadium.

11.Established a Master Plan for facilities, including a new Athletic Center and stadium expansion.

There have been improvements to the ticket office, funding from student fees, added stadium boxes, Academic Center expansion and scheduling improvement.

..................................................................................................................

Don't forget, RV's only one person, he can't do it all, and would certainly welcome your participation to help raise funds and increase attendance.  Call him to offer your help!

Great post. My only addtion would be:

12. He has made an effort to connect with the alumni. Something HELLwig never did. RV came to one of my Fraternity's alumni meetings this summer and talked about the direction of the programs, what was planned for the future, and how important it was for us to get involved. He did this after spending the day in Austin selling our program to alumni down there. I don't recall ANY past AD's getting out selling the program in the past.

I have grown up a Mean Green fan. My father taught at NTSU/UNT beginning in 1965, and I was born shortly thereafter. The same issues regarding attendance, community support, alumni support, and student/campus support that we face today have been there for the last 37 years. I had a discussion about this with my family this weekend. It amazes me that a town that relies on UNT and TWU as much as Denton does, that it doesn't support these universities more.

I am a diehard UNT fan and will be through all my living days. The one area that I feel is lacking and could make a huge difference in the future of UNT athletics, is student support. I never saw any promotions regarding UNT's athletic events when I was in school. We never had on campus pep rallies like they did this year. We never had 2,000 attend the Bonfire like they did this year. How do we change this? We build school spirit beginning with freshman orientation, faculty and staff show pride and wear green one day of the week promoting the games, on campus advertising to the students, decorate the campus green, etc.... These would all build school spirit, as I am sure many more and better ideas would.

UNT needs to connect with its students they way other universities do. We love to make fun of TAMU, but there students are some of the most loyal anywhere. Do we need to go to these lengths? No, but we should do what works for us. Create a connection to the students. Once you do this, they will be more apt to give back when they graduate.

I can sit and look at what I have in this world today and thank UNT for providing my father with a job to support us, and I can thank UNT for providing me with an education to support my wife and child. Giving back is the least I can do? Sorry for the longwindedness.

Go Mean Green

[SilverEagle]

"I don't recall ANY past AD's getting out selling the program in the past."

Hayden Fry made this sort of effort, but probably not as much as RV (I think Fry had "other duties" besides AD). During the Fry tenure, I seem to remember that the promotions director organized a caravan that included cheerleaders, and spirit group members, that went around to the various local communities in the spring. They would set-up on the squares and make the community aware of the fall schedule of games, and the season ticket packages.

Oh yeah, by their presence, they also let the community know that North Texas wanted and appreciated their support of the school and it's athletic program.

[the green rokemi]

plus RV has a heart for UNT and he has vision, to insult a man like that for beginning to lead us out of the dark ages of this school is grounds for a code red....almost....

oh yeah, RV also kept Dickey around for another conference championship

[FirefightnRick]

MEANGREENTACOBEAN

But it's RV's job to dig us out of the hole Helwig put us in. And I don't think RV is doing a good job of doing that

Yeah, I agree. In the 20 months Rick has been on campus at North Texas, he should have AT LEAST had us playing in the Rose Bowl, with a 45,000 seat stadium near completion at the end of this semester, 15,000 season ticket holders, a 20,000 seat baseball stadium underway, our volleyball team ranked first in the NCAA's, our basketball teams both with NIT preseason invitations let along millions of dollars of endorsements to go with it all. I can't believe Dr. Pohl hired such a lazy slug?

In seriousness, why in hell do we keep posting and putting this moronic thread back to the top?

Rick