Admin-A-Fying Is Hard

[PlummMeanGreen]

This was written by a fan a while back who I think expressed the view of most alums in the UNT community except: those who perhaps befriended Darrell Dickey (who I had heard person-to-person was most congenial) but those who got close to the man who thereby lost their complete objectivity on his performance, especially his last 2 years which included 2 bad recruiting classes that enabled the UNT cupboard to not be so full when TDodge took over in mid-December 4 years ago.

Since he had no early signees as he was at SLC in the Spring before the December he was hired at UNT all recruiting gurus would tell the rest of us that "Dodge virtually had no recruiting class his first year at UNT. So what will make or break TDodge will (according to recruiting experts) be done on the basis of 3, I repeat, "3" full recruiting classes).

Dodge will NOT except the aforementioned as an excuse although those outside the UNT community will tell us if Dodge is fired that the guy "ONLY" had 3 full recruiting classes. They will then ask many of us "What the hell does North Texas want a coach to do thats had only 3 full recruiting classes--hell he didn't even have the promise of a new stadium when he signed a contract?" (Get ready for those kind of comments from some non-UNT alums as well as some of our fellow Texas HS Coach's Association friends, fellow UNT alums--that is if they will even give the time of day to anyone connected to UNT).

Dodge knows his expectations and most of us alums will except his termination if he doesn't meet the magic number of wins. I suspect Todd Dodge does not see this whole, ie point-counterpoint drama being played out on GMG.com as a life and death deal, either, to be honest. So no one I know wants to see UNT persevere Dodge's job another year, another 2 years or another 5 years if he is not "cutting the mustard" now; even if the crystal ball said if he stayed on he would win (I said "win") the freakin' NO's Bowl the next 5 years in a row. Jeez!

So for you who have forgotten certain events during the DD era here is just one vignette from a fellow alum (and we damn sure know there are others, of course):

There! He Said It!

My alma mater, the University of North Texas, made national news this past week when a booster for its football program threatened to withhold a $1 million donation after the team fired Coach Darrell Dickey.

In nine seasons, Dickey led the Mean Green to four straight Sun Belt Conference championships and the first bowl trip since 1959. He's one of the most accomplished coaches in the school's modest football history, but two losing seasons and criticism over recruitment led to his ouster. He's receiving a buyout in excess of $540,000 for the remaining years of his contract and agreed to coach through season's end.

Two incidents that took place during Saturday's North Texas-Florida Atlantic game show how wildly things have spun out of control at UNT since the firing.

According to parents of current players, right before Saturday's game Coach Dickey snuck new black uniforms onto the team without the school's permission. The rec-league quality jerseys didn't contain the names of players or the school and conference logos. They weren't cleared with Athletic Director Rick Villareal or announced to the press before the game and might violate agreements with the school's uniform supplier.

During halftime of the game, one assistant coach allegedly started a physical fight with with another after being told he should play seniors because it was their final home game. The incident got so out of hand the offense received no instruction before going back out to start the third quarter.

As you might have guessed, North Texas lost the game, 17-16, and fell to 3-8.

I'm a small donor to the Mean Green Club, the school's booster program, and a longtime fan of UNT football. Because I've been digging into these incidents on the GoMeanGreen.Com message board, I've gotten independent corroboration from sources affiliated with the program. I'm withholding their names at their request.

I can't recall a situation where a head coach sprang new uniforms on a Division I college football team to "piss off" his athletic director, as Dickey reportedly acknowledged to players before the game. Combine this with a coordinator putting another coach in a chokehold until being pulled off and it's a meltdown of historic proportions.

Dickey, who also abandoned his customary attire for all-black clothes and a black cap, is photographed with the team in the Denton Record-Chronicle. He told reporters it "wasn't anything other than kids liking that color," drawing the ire of parents who didn't like the stunt being blamed on players. When I saw game photos on Sunday I thought Dickey had declared a period of mourning for his job.

I left two messages today with new UNT President Gretchen Bataille to relay these events. The departing seniors on the team deserve a better sendoff than childish stunts from coaches nursing a grudge, fans deserve better, and a school paying Dickey another half-mil not to coach deserves better.

I'll be disappointed if Dickey makes the trip Saturday to finish the season against Louisiana-Monroe. I was on the fence about Dickey's firing, but I think he's shown his true colors.

GMG!

Edited September 18, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

[yyz28]

Interesting post. But we should not weigh Dickey's lack of class when deciding if Todd Dodge should be fired mid-season or given the remainder of the year. Two VERY different men and personalities.