Fouts Home To Many Wins, Memories

[MeanGreen61]

Football: Fouts home to many wins, memories

Decades of players mold Fouts tradition

10:53 PM CDT on Sunday, July 29, 2007

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Editor’s note: The following is the second of a three-part series on University of North Texas’

Fouts Field -- its history, its current-day status, and the possibility of it being replaced in the future. Today’s story focuses on the history of Fouts Field and some of its greatest moments and eras.

Ken Bahnsen can still recall the afternoon he played the first home game of his senior year at North Texas State College in 1952, even though it wasn't the best outing of his career.

Bahnsen was knocked out cold before the end of the first half of the Eagles' 55-0 win over North Dakota, but was alert for the most memorable part of the day -- the ceremonial opening of Eagle Stadium, now known as Fouts Field.

"It was a big deal when we played that first game," Bahnsen said. "The old field was where the library is now. A couple of years earlier we played Nevada and one of their guys said, 'Gee, they had to run the cattle off for the game.' … We thought we were big time when we moved to that new stadium."

The school that is now known as the University of North Texas is hoping to give a new generation of players an experience similar to Bahnsen's in the next few years by replacing Fouts Field, a facility where the school carved out a niche in college football history.

The integration of college football in the South reached a milestone at Fouts in the 1950s, when UNT became one of the first schools in the region to recruit black players. “Mean” Joe Greene -- a member of the college and pro football halls of fame -- built his reputation at Fouts in the 1960s, while Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas won back-to-back national rushing titles in 2003 and 2004 on the field UNT continues to call home through changing times.

UNT moved from Division I-A to Division I-AA and back, switched conferences multiple times and even changed its mascot from the Eagles to the Mean Green during the Fouts era.

“You can look at that field as just dirt and grass, but it was more than that,” former UNT running back Abner Haynes said. “It was where we stood together and set a standard for the people who came behind us.”

Haynes was speaking of the integration of the UNT football team, but he might as well have been talking about the generations of players who helped make the following milestones and eras possible at Fouts Field:

Breaking the color barrier

When it comes to historical moments at Fouts, one of the most important didn't involve a win or a championship. It was the integration of the UNT football team in 1956.

UNT was one of the first universities in the South to feature black football players. Head coach Odus Mitchell handpicked Haynes and Leon King, a pair of standout athletes from the Dallas area, for his team's historical endeavor.

The pair joined the Eagles' freshman squad, and after a few early incidents, was quickly accepted as part of the team.

“We didn’t have any problem at all,” King said in 2004, when UNT celebrated the 50th anniversary of integration at the school. “The guys accepted us. We never gave it much thought.”

Haynes went on to become one of the greatest players in UNT history, rushing for 1,864 yards from 1957-59 while helping the Eagles win back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference titles as a junior and senior. King lettered in 1957.

After the pair finished their first season at UNT, coaching legends Paul "Bear" Bryant of Texas A&M and Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma both met with Bahnsen -- who coached Haynes and King in their first year at UNT -- to seek his advice on how to deal with the impending integration at their schools.

Both Haynes and King went on to successful careers after their time at UNT. Haynes played in the AFL and NFL, while King became an administrator in the Dallas Independent School District.

Both credited their time at UNT for their success later in life.

"Fouts Field is the place I used to remember Vernon Cole, George Herring and J.N. Wright," Haynes said. "I was under a lot of pressure and they made me feel like it was cool."

The Valley titles

UNT had one of its most talented collections of players in the 1966 and ’67 seasons, when the Eagles won back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference titles.

John Love was an honorable mention All-America wide receiver in 1966 and was one of several UNT players who caught the attention of NFL teams while playing their home games at Fouts.

Joe Greene, quarterbacks Steve Ramsey and Vidal Carlin, and wide receiver Ron Shanklin helped the Eagles post a 15-3-1 record in two championship seasons while playing the likes of Louisville, Cincinnati and Memphis.

Greene went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played with Shaklin, who led Pittsburgh in receiving in four consecutive years. Ramsey threw for 6,437 yards with the Denver Broncos while Love played for the Washington Redskins. Carlin was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and played with the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers.

The Hayden Fry era

Some of the greatest moments in UNT athletic history came during the tenure of Hayden Fry, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame who put the Mean Green on the national map in the 1970s.

UNT finished with at least seven wins in the last four years of Fry's six-year tenure with the Eagles from 1973-78, and had two of the best seasons in school history in his final two campaigns.

UNT finished 10-1 with wins over SMU, UTEP and Memphis in 1977 before coming back to finish 9-2 the next season. The Mean Green gave Texas a scare in 1978 before falling 26-16.

Fry left for Iowa after his success at UNT didn't translate into the bowl bids he thought his team deserved.

"I really enjoyed my time at North Texas," Fry said. "But we went 10-1 and 9-2 and didn't get to go to a bowl game."

The return to Division I-A

A project the size of building a new football stadium is not an entirely foreign concept to UNT, which took on a project of a similar magnitude in 1995 with a return to Division I-A.

UNT played at the highest level of college football before dropping to I-AA for 12 seasons beginning in 1983. Getting back to the Division I-A level was a challenge UNT took on in large part in Fouts.

UNT expanded the stadium by 10,500 seats to seat 30,500 to meet NCAA criteria for Division I-A programs in time for the 1995 campaign.

"The expansion created a lot of excitement," said UNT deputy athletic director Hank Dickenson, one of the few current athletic department officials still at the school who was involved in UNT's move up from Division I-AA. "That first I-A team was a I-AA team that had to play an unbelievable schedule. The guys on that team deserve a lot of credit for reviving the program."

UNT didn't have much success that season, but one of its wins in a 2-9 campaign was among the more memorable moments at Fouts Field in the last 20 years.

The Eagles defeated Oregon State, 30-27, in their first game at Fouts after returning to Division I-A. Troy Redwine gave UNT the win when he caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jason Mills with 13 seconds left in the game.

Redwine caught 10 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

"Beating Oregon State for the first I-A win was big," Dickenson said. "That game went right down to the wire. It was nice. Those kids didn't enjoy a lot of success, but they beat a Division I-A team right at home."

The bowl years

When Todd Dodge took over as UNT's new head coach in December, he cited several reasons why he left the high school football dynasty he built Southlake Carroll.

One was the success the Mean Green enjoyed in the 2001-04 seasons that proved the school could win on the Division I-A level. UNT captured four straight Sun Belt Conference titles, 26 consecutive conference games and enjoyed unprecedented national attention after Cobbs and Thomas won back-to-back national rushing titles.

UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal listed several moments from that era among his favorite memories of Fouts Field.

"Clinching the conference title against New Mexico State at home and the activities that followed are among my favorite memories," Villarreal said of the 2002 season. "Seeing two national rushing leaders back-to-back was also really special."

What made UNT's run under head coach Darrell Dickey even more memorable was that it seemed to come out of nowhere. The Mean Green was 0-5 in 2001 when it pulled out a 24-21 win over unbeaten Middle Tennessee, sparking a run of five straight wins. The streak earned UNT the first of its four straight conference titles.

"We all had a lot of confidence playing at Fouts," said Scott Hall, the quarterback who led UNT to three of its four Sun Belt titles. "We were very successful there. We never felt like we would lose a home game."

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

Edited July 30, 2007 by MeanGreen61

[KingDL1]

Nice to read, better even to think what records Todd Dodge will break new stadium or not.

UNT moved from Division I-A to Division I-AA and back, switched conferences multiple times and even changed its mascot from the Eagles to the Mean Green during the Fouts era.

Has our mascot ever been anything but an Eagle?

[FirefightnRick]

The 19889 season during our 1-AA years was one of the best for Fouts Field. Besides all the disadvantages the team went up against the year before, the success they had in '88 season before against Texas Tech, Texas and Rice was why Fouts Field saw her largest ever home sellout crowd for homecoming against SFA the next season in '89. A year later in '90, again under 1-AA status, Fouts witnessed another milestone, a standing room only sell-out attendance and a win over SMU.

Rick

Edited July 30, 2007 by FirefightnRick

[NT80]

Nice to read, better even to think what records Todd Dodge will break new stadium or not.

Has our mascot ever been anything but an Eagle?

I think Vito is confused.. The Eagle is still the mascot, the nickname is Mean Green.

[UNTFan23]

I'm kinda curious to see what the 3rd article will say. To me, this seems like a huge "look what we're trying to do" statement to everyone that will listen.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Vito missed the actual "first scare" Fry's Mean Green gave Texas which was our 1'st game ever with the Longhorns AD Fry had scheduled with UT AD Darrell Royal and that game which ended with a score of 17-14.

Most of you GMG.com veterans know this already, but UT's Earl Campbell (bad hamstring & all) had to run for a long TD run in the 4'th quarter which would win the game for Texas. Often wondered why UNT could never get Lady Luck to smile on us even once for such games (including the most exciting 1988 game most of us attended when we could actually get tickets and sit anywhere from the goal line all the way to the 35 yard line at DKR Memorial.

Also, sorta' funny how Texas fans during the 1976 game couldn't get over how so many fans (Dallas Green once told me the Austin American-Statesman actually reported around 18-19,000 NT fans in Austin that evening) could have found all the apple green MG gear to wear that evening at (DKR) Memorial Stadium. (Back in the mid 1970's, apple green was actually a fashionable color and was easy to find in stores).

Off Subject Question: Isn't kelly green the same green you mostly see on Notre Dame caps at Lids?

Edited July 30, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Nice to read, better even to think what records Todd Dodge will break new stadium or not.

Has our mascot ever been anything but an Eagle?

No. We are called the Mean Green but the Eagle has been out mascot since the 20s.

[BIG DAWG]

"Clinching the conference title against New Mexico State at home and the activities that followed are among my favorite memories," Villarreal said of the 2002 season.

-RV

I agree, that was an awesome day. I brought my die hard A&M Aggie bro-in-law to that game, and he has been coming to NT games since. That was a day that I believe hooked many new NT fans.

Remembering that day still gets me excited!

[greenminer]

They talked to Scott...what's he up to these days?

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Fouts has had its moments. I saw the first game at Fouts and I hope to soon see the last one.

My personal favorites:

1. An 8-7 win over Tulsa (1958) which gave us our first MVC championship.

2. The 51-48 victory over Utah State in 1998. Nothing at stake, just a great game.

3. The 55-34 win over Cincinnati in 1968. Steve Ramsey at his finest.

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

5. Any home game during the Hayden Fry era.

Fouts wasn't all bad. It was a great place to watch a track meet. It was perhaps the major factor in getting us admittance to the Missouri Valley Conference. Now, let the new stadium be a major factor in getting a more regional conference for UNT.

[greenminer]

They talked to Scott...what's he up to these days?

Anyone?

[SilverEagle]

Fouts has had its moments. I saw the first game at Fouts and I hope to soon see the last one.

My personal favorites:

1. An 8-7 win over Tulsa (1958) which gave us our first MVC championship.

2. The 51-48 victory over Utah State in 1998. Nothing at stake, just a great game.

3. The 55-34 win over Cincinnati in 1968. Steve Ramsey at his finest.

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

5. Any home game during the Hayden Fry era.

Fouts wasn't all bad. It was a great place to watch a track meet. It was perhaps the major factor in getting us admittance to the Missouri Valley Conference. Now, let the new stadium be a major factor in getting a more regional conference for UNT.

I was working that Saturday, but I listened to a little bit of it on the radio. That was one hell of a game. Steve Ramsey vs Greg Cook, the future rookie of the year in the NFL. And most of the second half was played in the pouring rain.

A former Decatur Eagle, Billy Anderson, was the punter for North Texas that year. He was also the back-up for Ramsey.

[UNTLifer]

Anyone?

Might want to email Vito since he interviewed him.

[GrandGreen]

Fouts has had its moments. I saw the first game at Fouts and I hope to soon see the last one.

My personal favorites:

1. An 8-7 win over Tulsa (1958) which gave us our first MVC championship.

2. The 51-48 victory over Utah State in 1998. Nothing at stake, just a great game.

3. The 55-34 win over Cincinnati in 1968. Steve Ramsey at his finest.

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

5. Any home game during the Hayden Fry era.

Fouts wasn't all bad. It was a great place to watch a track meet. It was perhaps the major factor in getting us admittance to the Missouri Valley Conference. Now, let the new stadium be a major factor in getting a more regional conference for UNT.

Great list. Saw 2,3 and 4. Want to add an all time favorite, NT over Cincinnati in 1969 by a score of 31-30. NT trailed at half 7-30 and the last half was played in a driving rain storm. If that game were today, NT would have lost as they never would have allowed play to continue in the second half . Ramsey and team again at their finest.

Edited July 30, 2007 by GrandGreen

[UNTLifer]

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

[MeanGreen61]

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

[greenminer]

Such emotions rage through me as I look at that pic.

1) "Oh man that was a fantastic game. What an amazing player"

2) "AAAAGHGGHGH SO FAR AWAY MUST GET NEW STADIUM SCREW FOUTS SCREW THAT TRACK..."

[PlummMeanGreen]

Flood control issue...

Edited July 30, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[PlummMeanGreen]

Fouts has had its moments. I saw the first game at Fouts and I hope to soon see the last one.

My personal favorites:

1. An 8-7 win over Tulsa (1958) which gave us our first MVC championship.

2. The 51-48 victory over Utah State in 1998. Nothing at stake, just a great game.

3. The 55-34 win over Cincinnati in 1968. Steve Ramsey at his finest.

4. Clinching the conference championship against New Mexico State in 2002.

5. Any home game during the Hayden Fry era.

Fouts wasn't all bad. It was a great place to watch a track meet. It was perhaps the major factor in getting us admittance to the Missouri Valley Conference. Now, let the new stadium be a major factor in getting a more regional conference for UNT.

Highlighted from your list are 2 of my favorites, too.

Jack, what year (and which of our on-campus stadia) was the 1'st North Texas game you witnessed; and who was our opponent? I'm going to take a wild guess that the stadium you saw your first NT game was where Willis Library is now located, right?

GMG!

Edited Signature Below

Edited July 30, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[the real grad88]

The 19889 season during our 1-AA years was one of the best for Fouts Field. Besides all the disadvantages the team went up against the year before, the success they had in '88 season before against Texas Tech, Texas and Rice was why Fouts Field saw her largest ever home sellout crowd for homecoming against SFA the next season in '89. A year later in '90, again under 1-AA status, Fouts witnessed another milestone, a standing room only sell-out attendance and a win over SMU.

Rick

I was there for every bit of it...some of the best memories of my life.

[GreenBat]

Damn,

I forgot how wide Booger was. You could put his game pants up for the video replay screen.

[CMJ]

2. The 51-48 victory over Utah State in 1998. Nothing at stake, just a great game.

That was such an amazing rollercoaster game. I believe there were about 5 lead changes in the last 3 minutes. Mills threw the TD pass on the last play of the game to provide the winning score for us.

[emmitt01]

That was such an amazing rollercoaster game. I believe there were about 5 lead changes in the last 3 minutes. Mills threw the TD pass on the last play of the game to provide the winning score for us.

First game as a student. Made me join Talons.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Highlighted from your list are 2 of my favorites, too.

Jack, what year (and which of our on-campus stadia) was the 1'st North Texas game you witnessed; and who was our opponent? I'm going to take a wild guess that the stadium you saw your first NT game was where Willis Library is now located, right?

GMG!

Edited Signature Below

Jim, my first game was Homecoming in 1947. The opponent was University of Houston and we beat them 33-0. Yes, it was at Memorial Stadium which is where Willis Library now stands.

Memorial Stadium had a capacity of 10,000. That game had an overflow crowd. At the time North Texas had an enrollment of about 5,000. I believe that the 1940 population of Denton was 12,000+. Yet, it was nothing to have 8-10,000 at every home game.

[LongJim]

Jim, my first game was Homecoming in 1947.

THAT, is amazing. Awesome, GEO.