Best Coaches In Unt History (Top 5)

[BleedGreen]

I have only been around since 1990 so bear with me. Here is my top 5 and bottom 5 list of coaches of all time at UNT. (Any sport)

Top 5

1. Hayden Frye

2. Bill Blakeley

3. John Hedlund

4. Johnny Jones

5. Richard Lowe

Bottom 5

1. Vic (Bad Hair) Trilli

2. Shanice (I love your smile) Stephens

3.

4.

5.

Help.

[NT03]

How can Dodge not be in your bottom 5 ?

[EagleMBA]

How can Dodge not be in your bottom 5 ?

IMO, you have to give TD and SS grades of "I". Best / Worst coaches are best viewed in historical hindsight after their "body of work" has been compiled. Again, just my Shiner-influenced opinion.

[NT03]

Dennis Parker ?

[Mean Green Matt]

Dr./Coach Lowe has been around, and loyal to UNT for a long, long time. I had him as my American History (Post Civil War) Professor my freshman year of college (2007). I did not find out until midway through that he had been our men's soccer coach before the (successful) program was cut. I also found out midway through the class that he was also my dads American History professor (1973?). I expect a reply to this by meangreenbob.

[KRAM1]

1. Hayden Fry

2. Richard Lowe

3. John Hedlund

4. Jimmy Gales - Just because I loved the guy!

5. Bill Blakeley

[untbowler]

1. Hayden Fry

2. John Hedlund

3. Johnny Jones

4. Bill Blakeley

5. Dan Traxler

[BleedGreen]

1. Hayden Fry

2. Richard Lowe

3. John Hedlund

4. Jimmy Gales - Just because I loved the guy!

5. Bill Blakeley

I loved Coach Gales too. He was so funny.

Here are my three favorite Jimmy Gales quotes.

1. "I don't know what Nash was thinkiin'. I told him to give the ball to Jesse."

2. "Boclair, I'm watching you. You like to start trouble." - speaking to David Boclair of the Denton Record-Chronicle

3. Shindla', if you dunk the ball, then I'll shave my head. (speaking about 6'11 Doug Schindler of Pilot Point)

[BleedGreen]

I have only been around since 1990 so bear with me. Here is my top 5 and bottom 5 list of coaches of all time at UNT. (Any sport)

Top 5

1. Hayden Frye

2. Bill Blakeley

3. John Hedlund

4. Johnny Jones

5. Richard Lowe

Bottom 5

1. Vic (Bad Hair) Trilli

2. Shanice (I love your smile) Stephens

3. Kelvin Martin - due to cocaine binge while at UNT

4. Ron Mendoza

5.

Help.

[greenminer]

I would encourage anyone that thinks about this to look up Tasty's dissection of Fry. He posted something several months back now - for the purpose of perspective - during an intense thread about Dickey/Dodge bashing.

Can anyone find that thread/post?

[Green P1]

Dr. Richard Lowe is an absolute badass. Took his Civil War class my Sr year and loved the guy. He's since allowed me to audit two more of his courses over the past couple years.

For any US/Texas history buffs I highly recommend you read his book: http://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Texas-Division-C-S-Trans-Mississippi/dp/080712933X

[TheTastyGreek]

I would encourage anyone that thinks about this to look up Tasty's dissection of Fry. He posted something several months back now - for the purpose of perspective - during an intense thread about Dickey/Dodge bashing.

Can anyone find that thread/post?

It wasn't meant to be a dissection of Fry. I like Fry (learned about him primarily as a little kid who spent two stints growing up in Iowa) and I have nothing but respect and awe for what he was able to accomplish at North Texas.

It was more about perspective in the standard complaints and knocks we constantly heard during and after the Dickey era.

Here's the link to the original story on TY Sports. Remember... Hayden Fry = Good. It's a rhetorical technique.

[greenminer]

It was more about perspective in the standard complaints and knocks we constantly heard during and after the Dickey era.

Here's the link to the original story on TY Sports. Remember... Hayden Fry = Good. It's a rhetorical technique.

Thanks. That's what I meant.

[GrandGreen]

I am going to exclude current coaches because their legacy is still in progress.

Best:

1. Hayden Fry - A true visionary, too bad not even he could wake up the North Texas Administration.

2. Dan Spika - Coached exciting fast break basketball against the best in the nation and beat several top twenty teams.

3. Ron Rust - Coached IMO the best NT football team in history. Too often remembered for his last years which were largely unsuccessful due in part to continued budget cuts.

4. Bill Blakeley/Gene Robbins - Robbin's teams never had a winning record but he recruited arguably the best basketball class in history, Blakeley won big with Robbin's recruits but was a .500 coach after they graduated.

5. Darrell Dickey - Four conference championships and first bowl win in decades.

H.M. Corky Nelson - Provided a lot of entertaining football and had a great knack for playing the big games.

H.M. Johnny Gales - Coached a good brand of basketball, first to take a team to the NCAA tournament.

Worst:

1. Vic Trilli - Horrible record but even worse was how he treated the players he inherited. Never let the truth get in front of a good story.

2. Darrell Dickey - Could have had the success somewhere else he coveted; if he could just have kept his mouth shut. Seemed to never miss a chance to run down his employer and play the poor me card. (Note: Being on both lists is probably not fair, but couldn't totally ignore his accomplishments )

3. Tommy Newman - Newman collected a bunch of highly talented but apparently non-academic minded players at Texas Wesleyan and won a lower division national championship in a year they also stomped NT. NT then hired him and preceded to get a number of not only losing but boring basketball seasons.

4. Jerry Moore - A great coach for years now at Appalachian State, but an absolute horrible hire for NT. Taking over after Fry, he inherited a 10-1 team almost intact. He took a team build on speed that ran a multiple offense and tried to turn them into a 4 yards and a cloud of dust Nebraska clone. For example: Bernard Jackson one the best runner in NT history did not start for Moore, he also replaced all of a defensive backfield that was close to leading the nation in interceptions the year before.

5. Stacy Segel - NT first softball coach in the new era. After being hired almost 2 years before the initial season, she was fired after her first season went 22-57. Not a bad record for a new team unless you factor in she played about 20 games more than the NCAA limit.

H.M. Bob Tyler - Didn't make the worst list because he only messed up one year before fired.

H.M. Harry Miller - One year basketball coach who left for greener pastures after one year.

Edited February 4, 2010 by GrandGreen

[NT80]

Best

Hayden Fry

Bill Blakeley

Corky Nelson

Tim Jankovich

Odus Mitchell

Worst

Bob Tyler

Vic Trilli

Jerry Moore

Tommy Newman

Tina Slinker

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

We need some older posters. Odus Mitchell is a long-time inductee in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and he can't even make the Top 5?

[KRAM1]

We need some older posters. Odus Mitchell is a long-time inductee in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and he can't even make the Top 5?

Agree...I did not mention Coach Mitchell and well should have...he goes in my "revised" top 5...I guess I'll have to take J. Gales out even though I really liked him on a personal level!

[Censored by Laurie]

Dr. Richard Lowe is an absolute badass. Took his Civil War class my Sr year and loved the guy. He's since allowed me to audit two more of his courses over the past couple years.

For any US/Texas history buffs I highly recommend you read his book: http://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Texas-Division-C-S-Trans-Mississippi/dp/080712933X

Hells yes...I took his post-grad Civil War seminar course. Great guy.

[UNTLifer]

Top 5

1.Odus Mitchell

2.Hayden Fry

3. Dan Spika

4. Richard Lowe

5. John Hedlund

Bottom 5

1. Bob Tyler

1a. Vic Trilli

3. Dennis Parker

4. Jerry Moore

5. Tommy Newman

[califootballfan]

The Best: (respectfully)

Ron Mendoza

Hayden Frye

Ed Gennero

Wally Rig

Butch LaCroix

[AnotherEagleFan]

Shelton Gandy - Running Backs Coach - For obvious reasons.

[Green Mean]

If Johnny Jones goes to say 1 or 2 more dances is it not out of the possibility that he is the best coach UNT has ever had?

[BleedGreen]

Top 5

1.Odus Mitchell

2.Hayden Fry

3. Dan Spika

4. Richard Lowe

5. John Hedlund

Bottom 5

1. Bob Tyler

1a. Vic Trilli

3. Dennis Parker (What the hell!!! Our Southland Conference title, playoff appearance and Division I non-embarrassment at first were becuase of Parker. He recruited Maher, Redwine, Hudson, etc. You've got to be kidding).

4. Jerry Moore

5. Tommy Newman

[Ibleedgreen]

Does it have to be head coaches? What about Billy Tubbs?

[Graddean]

Odus Mitchell has to be in the group. The Rod Rust team that did so well was largely Mitchell's recruits. Besides Mitchell was a coach of Y. A. Tittle.