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OldTimer · August 27, 2007

Posted on Mon, Aug. 27, 2007reprint or license print email Digg it del.icio.us AIM UNT's Dodge is driven into national spotlight

By TROY PHILLIPS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

AP/AMY CONN GUTIERREZ

Todd Dodge has a difficult task ahead at UNT, but he's not intimidated by the task. DENTON -- It was like Friday rush hour, except this traffic jam at the North Texas athletic offices was caused by a backlog of reporters wanting a piece of Todd Dodge's time.

The new football coach at UNT -- he's actually been on the job eight months now -- is a regional and national story. Unfortunately on this day, Dodge has a doctor's appointment in Sanger, and he'll have to return a few calls around his afternoon meeting schedule.

"The demands are getting pretty high here," said Dodge, preparing for his first game as a Division I-A head coach, Saturday at Oklahoma. "I don't know if I could have had a better job to prepare me for this."

A year ago at Southlake Carroll High School, Dodge was his own sports information director, appointment-keeper and director of football operations. Steady media traffic at Carroll kept him busy, but UNT has him in overdrive.

This week, UNT might have to do a conference call with the media army that covers Oklahoma football. The demand is just too high.

A conference call? At UNT?

This is the spotlight Dodge, winner of four state titles at Carroll, has brought to UNT after pushing a high school program to dynastic levels.

His jump from high school to Division I is a fascination to many outside the UNT bubble. Son Riley, Carroll's star quarterback who has committed to play for Todd at UNT in 2008, has only added to the media demands.

Some apprehension

Reaction to Dodge's hiring at last month's Sun Belt Conference media days ranged from respectful to lukewarm to downright ambivalence.

One coach, Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger, said Dodge's hiring won't necessarily spark a trend of high school coaches moving to Division I-A colleges. (Gerry Faust's infamous Notre Dame tenure probably took care of that.)

But those like Dodge, who hired four assistants from the high school ranks, perhaps could take jobs from established college assistants, Schnellenberger said.

Before commenting, Schnellenberger had to be reminded which Sun Belt team Dodge coached.

Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters "had never heard of" Dodge when he was hired at UNT. As UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal settled on three finalists -- Dodge, San Diego University head coach Jim Harbaugh and Nebraska assistant Jay Norvell -- Waters was in the loop.

Early on, he was uneasy.

"Rick said he was thinking about hiring Todd Dodge," Waters said. "Like, I was supposed to know who he was. I said, 'OK, if you go this route, this is what you've got to do.'"

Waters, who at times sees himself in an advisory role to conference athletic directors, told Villarreal he needed to "win the press conference." Whatever short- or long-term fallout from hiring a high school coach ensued, UNT had to be ready to deal with it, Waters said.

Said Villarreal: "We didn't win the press conference. Todd did."

To the outside, hiring Dodge might have seemed iffy, but Waters and others probably underestimated the influence Dodge and Carroll had on football in Texas. For UNT's need to re-establish its program locally and regionally, Dodge was the best choice.

Waters said he now realizes that.

"In the bigger picture, it made a lot of sense," he said.

Early returns

In eight months, Dodge has 10 oral commitments for his 2008 recruiting class. He helped raise UNT's profile regionally and nationally, generated buzz for a new stadium initiative and helped stimulate sales (around 6,000 season tickets have been sold) and donations to the UNT's Mean Green Club.

As of Aug. 20, season-ticket revenue was 56 percent higher than all of 2006, from about $175,000 to $273,000. Mean Green Club donations are up 42 percent, from $296,000 to about $420,000.

According to Rivals.com, Louisiana-Monroe's two 2008 commitments are the next most in the Sun Belt, though Scout.com has Troy with four.

While coaches like Louisiana-Monroe's Charlie Weatherbie and Troy's Larry Blakeney said Dodge's commitment haul was impressive and slightly alarming, Schnellenberger said such aggressive recruiting "runs counter to what we believe."

"We want them to take all their visits and then decide once and for all if they really want to play for us," he said. "That's never going to change."

Dodge, who grew up with high school football playing quarterback at Port Arthur Jefferson and the University of Texas, is only tapping the ties he knows best.

"I have a lot of great friends after 21 years coaching high school," he said. "The comments, the well wishes we've gotten, I think, are all genuine. I'm sure there are some that hope to see us fall, but that's not anything we didn't deal with at Southlake. We are very representative of high school coaches."

Guarded atmosphere

Part of the change Dodge brought to UNT is a cautious, protective personality. Dodge isn't the open book former coach Darrell Dickey was. Dickey used to do interviews during practice.

Workouts under Dodge are closed -- more the norm in Division I-A -- and he's highly protective of all things in his football family.

Dodge is accessible, but the experience of "being hung out to dry" as Texas' quarterback in the early 1980s framed his media world view. The 19 interceptions he threw in 1984 are still a Texas season record, and he paid for it publicly.

"As much as you learn from the people you worked with for years, there are also things that happened," Dodge said. "When you become a head coach, you don't want to do it that way."

He vows no UNT player will suffer that meat grinder, and he'll always have trust issues with outsiders, for which he won't apologize. But those who breach his trust can be redeemed.

"I'll allow someone to right a wrong," he said. "I won't wear my feelings on my sleeve."

It'll always be the Dodge way, and it might be the best way now for UNT.

NORTH TEXAS FOOTBALL AT OKLAHOMA, 6 P.M. SATURDAY, FSN SW

Running away

UNT has a wide lead over the Sun Belt Conference for 2008 player commitments:

School No.

North Texas 10

Troy 4

Louisiana-Monroe 2

Fla. International 2

Middle Tennessee 1

Arkansas State 0

Florida Atlantic 0

La.-Lafayette 0

SOURCES: rivals.com, scout.com

BETTER WITH A DODGE

UNT season-ticket sales and donations to the Mean Green Club are up since Todd Dodge was hired as football coach:

Year 2006 2007

Season tickets 2,500 6,000

Season ticket rev. $174,789 $273,088

Donations $296,490 $419,792

Combined revenue $471,279 $692,880

Note: Ticket totals are approximate. Figures don't include various ticket packages or sponsor/partnership allotments. Source: UNT

Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760

tphillips@star-Telegram

buff64 · August 27, 2007

Posted on Mon, Aug. 27, 2007reprint or license print email Digg it del.icio.us AIM UNT's Dodge is driven into national spotlight
By TROY PHILLIPS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
AP/AMY CONN GUTIERREZ
Todd Dodge has a difficult task ahead at UNT, but he's not intimidated by the task. DENTON -- It was like Friday rush hour, except this traffic jam at the North Texas athletic offices was caused by a backlog of reporters wanting a piece of Todd Dodge's time.
The new football coach at UNT -- he's actually been on the job eight months now -- is a regional and national story. Unfortunately on this day, Dodge has a doctor's appointment in Sanger, and he'll have to return a few calls around his afternoon meeting schedule.
"The demands are getting pretty high here," said Dodge, preparing for his first game as a Division I-A head coach, Saturday at Oklahoma. "I don't know if I could have had a better job to prepare me for this."
A year ago at Southlake Carroll High School, Dodge was his own sports information director, appointment-keeper and director of football operations. Steady media traffic at Carroll kept him busy, but UNT has him in overdrive.
This week, UNT might have to do a conference call with the media army that covers Oklahoma football. The demand is just too high.
A conference call? At UNT?
This is the spotlight Dodge, winner of four state titles at Carroll, has brought to UNT after pushing a high school program to dynastic levels.
His jump from high school to Division I is a fascination to many outside the UNT bubble. Son Riley, Carroll's star quarterback who has committed to play for Todd at UNT in 2008, has only added to the media demands.
Some apprehension
Reaction to Dodge's hiring at last month's Sun Belt Conference media days ranged from respectful to lukewarm to downright ambivalence.
One coach, Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger, said Dodge's hiring won't necessarily spark a trend of high school coaches moving to Division I-A colleges. (Gerry Faust's infamous Notre Dame tenure probably took care of that.)
But those like Dodge, who hired four assistants from the high school ranks, perhaps could take jobs from established college assistants, Schnellenberger said.
Before commenting, Schnellenberger had to be reminded which Sun Belt team Dodge coached.
Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters "had never heard of" Dodge when he was hired at UNT. As UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal settled on three finalists -- Dodge, San Diego University head coach Jim Harbaugh and Nebraska assistant Jay Norvell -- Waters was in the loop.
Early on, he was uneasy.
"Rick said he was thinking about hiring Todd Dodge," Waters said. "Like, I was supposed to know who he was. I said, 'OK, if you go this route, this is what you've got to do.'"
Waters, who at times sees himself in an advisory role to conference athletic directors, told Villarreal he needed to "win the press conference." Whatever short- or long-term fallout from hiring a high school coach ensued, UNT had to be ready to deal with it, Waters said.
Said Villarreal: "We didn't win the press conference. Todd did."
To the outside, hiring Dodge might have seemed iffy, but Waters and others probably underestimated the influence Dodge and Carroll had on football in Texas. For UNT's need to re-establish its program locally and regionally, Dodge was the best choice.
Waters said he now realizes that.
"In the bigger picture, it made a lot of sense," he said.
Early returns
In eight months, Dodge has 10 oral commitments for his 2008 recruiting class. He helped raise UNT's profile regionally and nationally, generated buzz for a new stadium initiative and helped stimulate sales (around 6,000 season tickets have been sold) and donations to the UNT's Mean Green Club.
As of Aug. 20, season-ticket revenue was 56 percent higher than all of 2006, from about $175,000 to $273,000. Mean Green Club donations are up 42 percent, from $296,000 to about $420,000.
According to Rivals.com, Louisiana-Monroe's two 2008 commitments are the next most in the Sun Belt, though Scout.com has Troy with four.
While coaches like Louisiana-Monroe's Charlie Weatherbie and Troy's Larry Blakeney said Dodge's commitment haul was impressive and slightly alarming, Schnellenberger said such aggressive recruiting "runs counter to what we believe."
"We want them to take all their visits and then decide once and for all if they really want to play for us," he said. "That's never going to change."
Dodge, who grew up with high school football playing quarterback at Port Arthur Jefferson and the University of Texas, is only tapping the ties he knows best.
"I have a lot of great friends after 21 years coaching high school," he said. "The comments, the well wishes we've gotten, I think, are all genuine. I'm sure there are some that hope to see us fall, but that's not anything we didn't deal with at Southlake. We are very representative of high school coaches."
Guarded atmosphere
Part of the change Dodge brought to UNT is a cautious, protective personality. Dodge isn't the open book former coach Darrell Dickey was. Dickey used to do interviews during practice.
Workouts under Dodge are closed -- more the norm in Division I-A -- and he's highly protective of all things in his football family.
Dodge is accessible, but the experience of "being hung out to dry" as Texas' quarterback in the early 1980s framed his media world view. The 19 interceptions he threw in 1984 are still a Texas season record, and he paid for it publicly.
"As much as you learn from the people you worked with for years, there are also things that happened," Dodge said. "When you become a head coach, you don't want to do it that way."
He vows no UNT player will suffer that meat grinder, and he'll always have trust issues with outsiders, for which he won't apologize. But those who breach his trust can be redeemed.
"I'll allow someone to right a wrong," he said. "I won't wear my feelings on my sleeve."
It'll always be the Dodge way, and it might be the best way now for UNT.
NORTH TEXAS FOOTBALL AT OKLAHOMA, 6 P.M. SATURDAY, FSN SW
Running away
UNT has a wide lead over the Sun Belt Conference for 2008 player commitments:
School No.
North Texas 10
Troy 4
Louisiana-Monroe 2
Fla. International 2
Middle Tennessee 1
Arkansas State 0
Florida Atlantic 0
La.-Lafayette 0
SOURCES: rivals.com, scout.com
BETTER WITH A DODGE
UNT season-ticket sales and donations to the Mean Green Club are up since Todd Dodge was hired as football coach:
Year 2006 2007
Season tickets 2,500 6,000
Season ticket rev. $174,789 $273,088
Donations $296,490 $419,792
Combined revenue $471,279 $692,880
Note: Ticket totals are approximate. Figures don't include various ticket packages or sponsor/partnership allotments. Source: UNT
Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760
tphillips@star-Telegram

Article on Dodge also in Austin-American Statesman today. Article on both Dodges in SI this week.

eulesseagle · August 27, 2007

Coach Schnellenberger's comments about Coach Dodge appears to be a bit aloof.

Coach "S" had to be reminded which team TD coached??

Coach "S" said that TD's ways are counter to what the SBC does???

Coach "S" thinks that hiring HS coaches take away jobs from former or existing college coaches?????

For one, I am excited that TD is pumping new excitment into UNT's athletic program. As for Coach Schnellenberger's comments I have to remind myself that he was once was an excellent coach and probably still is but a bit too crusty around the edges and not too acceptable about new meathods.

I predict our former HS coach will defeat this former national champ coach on 9-22-07 at Fouts.

Green to the Bone · August 27, 2007

Takeaway messages:

1. RV hired a class act.

2. FAU must be stomped into the ground from which their burrowing owls will no longer dare to emerge.

LongJim · August 27, 2007

Coach Schnellenberger's comments about Coach Dodge appears to be a bit aloof.
Coach "S" had to be reminded which team TD coached??
Coach "S" said that TD's ways are counter to what the SBC does???
Coach "S" thinks that hiring HS coaches take away jobs from former or existing college coaches?????

Schnelly was probably well into his cups.

drex · August 27, 2007

Whoever talked to Snelleburger must have awakened him from his afternoon nap.

KingDL1 · August 27, 2007

FAU must be stomped into the ground from which their burrowing owls will no longer dare to emerge.

What a d*ck! What is Schnellenberger's problem is he senile?

Man heres to stomping them into the ground! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

GrandGreen · August 27, 2007

Those season tickets numbers can not be right. I don't think NT can sell 3500 more season tickets and only gain about $100,000 revenue. The cheapest season ticket as far as I know is $50.

Good article, however; you know that the other Belt coaches are more than a little apprehensive about NT's new coach. At this point he has shown them up with his early commitments. TD recruiting strategy can be debated and the results won't be known until signing day, but if NT holds on and signs the majority of the commits, there will be a lot more pressure on the other Belt coaches.

H-towngreen · August 27, 2007

Who is this Shclenbeger guy??? Who does he coach??? FA-WHO??? Talk about a first class d-bag. I'm sorry that we have 10 commits already, maybe you should get your old ass out lazyboy and do some recruiting. Because recruiting only in December runs against what we believe. I can't wait till we stomp the living dog s*** out of him. It seems as though TD and company already have some bulletin board material. Screw predicting the OU score, I have my eyes set on this game now. NT/TD 56 fau/schechlinberger 0

Dodge2007 · August 27, 2007

After reading some of Dodge's replies and hearing from older people that Dodge was actually booed in some of his day at UT, makes me believe he will be cautious with Vizza and Riley.

He will bring along Vizza slow this season and give him a bone a couple of series a game and then turn him loose, imo.

I believe if Vizza is successful, then he'll shirt Riley and then the battle will begin. I read some comments that Dodge said that most D-1 Qb's do not have a lot of sucess until they are Juniors. Riley will be a Junior when Vizza is long gone and graduated.....makes some sense to me.

greenminer · August 27, 2007

Who is this Shclenbeger guy??? Who does he coach??? FA-WHO??? Talk about a first class d-bag. I'm sorry that we have 10 commits already, maybe you should get your old ass out lazyboy and do some recruiting. Because recruiting only in December runs against what we believe. I can't wait till we stomp the living dog s*** out of him. It seems as though TD and company already have some bulletin board material. Screw predicting the OU score, I have my eyes set on this game now. NT/TD 56 fau/schechlinberger 0

Well, he did win a national championship. That's all. But I still think your point stands.

H-towngreen · August 27, 2007

Well, he did win a national championship. That's all. But I still think your point stands.

Yeah back in 1876, back when they didn't even wear helmets, kickers toed the ball, and Dickey ball was previlent(no forward pass). What he is doing now...oh wait coaching at fau. Someone needs to tell him that he's no longer coaching at The U.

Travis · August 27, 2007

I thought this was a great article.

pollock · August 27, 2007

Remember that Schnellenberger is 3-0 against NT.

So if he wants to passively scoreboard us a little, I think he's entitled.

Eagle1855 · August 27, 2007

Remember that Schnellenberger is 3-0 against NT.
So if he wants to passively scoreboard us a little, I think he's entitled.

True, but it doesnt make the has-been any less of a D-bag.

SilverEagle · August 27, 2007

One coach, Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger, said Dodge's hiring won't necessarily spark a trend of high school coaches moving to Division I-A colleges. (Gerry Faust's infamous Notre Dame tenure probably took care of that.)

But those like Dodge, who hired four assistants from the high school ranks, perhaps could take jobs from established college assistants, Schnellenberger said.

Before commenting, Schnellenberger had to be reminded which Sun Belt team Dodge coached.

He sure waves his Alzheimers flag proudly. :rolleyes:

But those like Dodge, who hired four assistants from the high school ranks, perhaps could take jobs from established college assistants, Schnellenberger said.

Good grief, he sounds like an "old school" Union leader. Besides, unless you identify an "up and coming coach" most college assistants (with good college experience) would not want to come to North Texas. And if they were "up and comers", they would leave after a year anyway.

I think that Coach Dodge has surrounded himself with very capable, and loyal coaches. Having assistant coaches coming and going all the time is not conducive to building a new program.

Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters "had never heard of" Dodge when he was hired at UNT.

Hmmm, I'm sure that before he was hired, Todd Dodge had never heard of Wright Waters. Let's see, if you polled all the coaches in Texas (HS and College) I wonder how many of them would know Wright Waters and how many would know Todd Dodge. :rolleyes:

I still don't like the "alternate" list of coaches that were our fall-back had Todd Dodge turned us down. Harbaugh is now at Stanford, so he really never was a candidate, and I still believe that Cauthern (West Texas A$M) would have been a much better selection than the Nebraska assistant.

Edited August 27, 2007 by SilverEagle

NT80 · August 27, 2007

An excellent article by Troy Phillips, he's covered NT well in the past. If we are up to 6,000 season tickets then we're getting closer to RV's 10,000 goal. I'd say Dodge has already paid for his 2007 salary.

NT80 · August 27, 2007

I still don't like the "alternate" list of coaches that were our fall-back had Todd Dodge turned us down. Harbaugh is now at Stanford, so he really never was a candidate, and I still believe that Cauthern (West Texas A$M) would have been a much better selection than the Nebraska assistant.

Harbaugh did come to NT to interview. And we may have been closer to hiring Norvell than many were aware. RV made the right choice, despite WW and Snelly.

FirefightnRick · August 27, 2007

Remember that Schnellenberger is 3-0 against NT.
So if he wants to passively scoreboard us a little, I think he's entitled.

Yeah, I was gonna say..... Also, he's not only beaten us three straight times, but he's done it with a start-from-scratch football program. The first lost to them happened three seasons removed from them having to scrimmage themselves all year long with very little facilities to recruit to. It doesn't surprise me in the least that he showed little consideration for us. I'll cut him a little slack for his accomplishments thus far, and for owning us too. Plus you got to like the guy simply for the fact that when he was hired to start building that program, he came right out and said in so many words: "My goal here at FAU is to win a national championship".

Rick

H-towngreen · August 27, 2007

So that lets him come out and talk trash about our coach and program?? Who cares what he has done yall need to stop sticking up for him, and saying it's ok for him to talk the mess that he is. Where is the spirit?? Is no one else gonna stand up for TD on this topic?

LongJim · August 27, 2007

So that lets him come out and talk trash about our coach and program?? Who cares what he has done yall need to stop sticking up for him, and saying it's ok for him to talk the mess that he is. Where is the spirit?? Is no one else gonna stand up for TD on this topic?

I think Captain Kangaroo will know who TD is soon enough.