Better Times

[Harry]

[H-towngreen]

It's amazing what a stud DT can do for a team.

[BIG DAWG]

Seems like so long ago...

The thing I remember most about those days was the fact that you really didn't go to Fouts and wonder if we were going to win, but you were thinking by how much

[oldguystudent]

Pure fiction. Never really happened. Photos and videos of that era are the same studio trickery used in the moon landings.

[THOR]

ahhh...the good ole days of defense....it'll come back....it's got too!

[GreenStreet]

I would like to go back to when the down hill all started. 2005 Tulsa, and say RUN!!!!!!!!!!

[stebo]

It is really funny the different definitions of success. Look at the stands in that pic. Empty. The offense was so incredibly boring that even the strongest fans did not passionately defend the system. It was a system that most "put up with" as long as we were winning. 3 winning seasons in how many years? Was it just 8? It seemed like a lot more. Fans screaming at the field. Coaches screaming at the fans. Empty stands.

I look at our situation now as much better. Not full - but half full stands. I believe that we averaged over 17K last year which is more than any DD run season. Improvements everywhere - fans excited about watching an exciting product, even if it has been sporadic... first year, saw drastic improvement by end of year... took a step back last year. In my opnion, we have a lot more going for us now. The students voted for the fee to fund the stadium with this type of team, not the last type.

I had some great memories from those days. Going to New Orleans with Harry and the gang are top 5 lifetime moments for me (all trips). But we were doing a lot of it with smoke and mirrors and an INCREDIBLE defense. I feel like we have a solid department now. Our budget is now $15.7 million, nearly double that of those days. With the fee coming on line in 2011, and the possible increase of 10% each year for the next 7 years after... we could have an athletic budget higher than SMU and TCU by the time the next real shake-up occurs. I dunno, those memories are good ones, tearing down goal posts and celebrating with the team and fans... but there was a lot of anger as well - from both sides. I just feel like we are on the right track now. The coach can be replaced if the turnaround doesn't start this year. We have finally paid off Dickey and now we can take a wait and see attitude. I believe that Dodge has been very open to suggestions and change. When the defense wasn't working, he brought back DeLoach and fired a great friend of his. This shows me his commitment to winning. Would DD have ever done that? Fans asked for more running - I saw a change on the field. Fans asked for more TE sequences... again, he listened.

Riley might be the key to our future success the same way that Scott Hall came in and turned things around. For a decade, we had the QB rotation going on until Hall came in and was that extra "spark" that we needed. Giving the D some rest made them better. I really think that we are one true leader away from turning things around. We had blow out losses under both coaches... those things just happen. When a game gets away from a team it has a domino effect. With a pass first system, if it is not clicking - you are going to give away more points because the game is extended. If it starts to click - like it was at the end of season one... we are going to see good things this year. Hopefully we will all be surprised this year. I want to get my buddy Harry back to New Orleans some day!

[eulessismore]

It is really funny the different definitions of success. Look at the stands in that pic. Empty. The offense was so incredibly boring that even the strongest fans did not passionately defend the system. It was a system that most "put up with" as long as we were winning. 3 winning seasons in how many years? Was it just 8? It seemed like a lot more. Fans screaming at the field. Coaches screaming at the fans. Empty stands.

I look at our situation now as much better. Not full - but half full stands. I believe that we averaged over 17K last year which is more than any DD run season. Improvements everywhere - fans excited about watching an exciting product, even if it has been sporadic... first year, saw drastic improvement by end of year... took a step back last year. In my opnion, we have a lot more going for us now. The students voted for the fee to fund the stadium with this type of team, not the last type.

Yes, that was very noticeable. I'm glad you mentioned it, because I wasn't sure it was Fouts; it just looked weird with NOBODY in the end zone seats. I guess people just wouldn't support a winning product, if they perceived it as boring.

[eulessismore]

Dang, Tasty

Maybe you should send those pics to the architectural firm for the new stadium.

[Huff]

Nice pictures.....good points..... I would rather win a game by a score of 10 to 7 than lose a game by a score of 38 to 35. We forget that some of Dickey's teams could put points on the board pretty quickly. I will be glad to see the Todd Dodge experiment run its course so that we will have a chance to get a head football coach who has been around winning programs at the college level. It does make a difference.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Huff

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Like the old picture with the darker green helmets and unis.

[Quoner]

It's funny that out of a long post with lots of valid points - a response with 1,000 pictures to one sentence comes about. My point was and still is - they were not the glory days that we always think back on completely. Now, do I need to post the pics from the FAU game with Dodge, the Navy game, etc? I think that we have used enough of Harry's bandwidth. The fact is that the attendance average has gone up. Even last year's homecoming - when I expected to find an empty stadium - the place was over half full. You can argue it all you want but attedance has gone up, not down. The budget has gone up, not down. The facilities have gotten better, not worse. Season ticket sales went up, not down. As bad as things are on the field - I have yet to see a coach try to beat up a fan.

Not getting involved, but why do we need more pictures of the FAU and Navy games? TTG pretty much handled that.

[NCMeanGreen]

Dang, Tasty

Maybe you should send those pics to the architectural firm for the new stadium.

Yes, b/c the new stadium seats should come equipped with automatic "blow up" dolls that will give the illusion that someone is actually sitting in those seats...

[UNTLifer]

I think a point stebo was trying to make is that we have roughly the same attendance today, with a much worse record, that we had during the conference winning streak/bowl games. Try to imagine what the stands would have looked like if DD hadn't started winning? Besides, those end zone seats will only fill with the likes of a Big XII team visiting Denton.

[Got5onIt]

Also makes me realize how ugly the new unis are. I NEVER thought I'd be crying for the good ol' "script" again.

[UNTLifer]

I see Kennedy, Cardwell and Craig Jones and I think Taylor Casey and Awasome. Man, how I miss those guys.

[greenminer]

Selective memory?

I'll take 2002 NMSU crowd for 600, Trebek.

Let's just start winning.

[Quoner]

I see Kennedy, Cardwell and Craig Jones and I think Taylor Casey and Awasome. Man, how I miss those guys.

I see Pete McGinnes, Todd Meyer, Skip Peidman and Felix Melevaldez in the crowd. I miss those guys too.

[UNTLifer]

Sometimes you don't realize what you had until it is gone and then other times you realize what you have/had and wish it was gone.

[Quoner]

Sometimes you don't realize what you had until it is gone and then other times you realize what you have/had and wish it was gone.

Yeah, I miss the 70% of the board that left.

[Got5onIt]

I see Pete McGinnes, Todd Meyer, Skip Peidman and Felix Melevaldez in the crowd. I miss those guys too.

I think I see a young Quoner drooling over #81 in one of those pics.

[greenminer]

I think I see a young Quoner drooling over #81 in one of those pics.

Is this a joke if it isn't possible?

None of DD's offenses have been shown in this thread

Maybe Q was so good his presence was "felt" on the defensive side of the ball.

[Censored by Laurie]

Yeah, I miss the 70% of the board that left.

Yeah...like Michael Scott. Miss that dude

[LoveMG]

I see Pete McGinnes, Todd Meyer, Skip Peidman and Felix Melevaldez in the crowd. I miss those guys too.

it was a nice vacation while it lasted

[Greendylan]

Attendance Year

18694 2003

15184 2004

16446 2005

15650 2006

16,493.5 2003-2006 Avg.

17734 2007

16956 2008

17,345 2007-2008 Avg.

Make of this what you will. 2003 was the best year of this grouping, but the 07-08 average is almost 1,000 higher than that of 03-06, which contains two conference champion teams. However, 08 lost almost 1,000 from the previous year, so if that trend continues in 09 then the overall average between the two periods will be almost identical.