What It Would Cost To Part Ways With Dodge

DeepGreen · October 4, 2010

See, I look at that and think that a Mike Leach type hire is the only way out of this mess and to prevent a backslide to FCS. What message does it send to your alums when you constantly try to do a football program on the cheap, hoping and praying to win the coaching lottery by consistently paying bottom market prices for completely unproven coaches? Does that excite ANYONE on this forum?? Think about how a casual alum views these types of hires. He probably doesn't, because he probably never hears about them.

If you want to stay cheap, do everyone a favor and just drop back to FCS football. Stop pretending to be something you aren't.

'90, I'm saying we can't afford a Leach type coach because history has shown that UNT Alum, as a whole, do not contribute enough to the athletic department. Not sure what the max the university can legally pay a coach ($250K?), but it's the Alum that have to make up the huge difference a Leach type of coach would require. Look at the number of Mean Green Club members we have, what, 450? Yes, the argument could be made that more members and dollars would come in if we were winning. But just like Green Dozer said, even in our four years of SBC/Bowl run, it didn't make an appreciable difference in the big donor dollars.

Someone correct if they know the university can pay a football coach more than $250K, or whatever the number is.

Cr1028 · October 5, 2010

Pretty much sums up our problems with UNT football. Those who think we can afford a Mike Leach are just crazy.

I agree. Somebody has been passing the peace pipe around again. SMU is a private school with old money and they had to dig DEEP in the donor pool to get June Jones.

UNT90 · October 5, 2010

'90, I'm saying we can't afford a Leach type coach because history has shown that UNT Alum, as a whole, do not contribute enough to the athletic department. Not sure what the max the university can legally pay a coach ($250K?), but it's the Alum that have to make up the huge difference a Leach type of coach would require. Look at the number of Mean Green Club members we have, what, 450? Yes, the argument could be made that more members and dollars would come in if we were winning. But just like Green Dozer said, even in our four years of SBC/Bowl run, it didn't make an appreciable difference in the big donor dollars.

Someone correct if they know the university can pay a football coach more than $250K, or whatever the number is.

Well, that falls on the AD. You would think the first people contacted would be members of the mean green club. Have you been contacted? I haven't.

Like I said, if you want to be a FCS school, be one. Otherwise, find the damn money, no excuses.

LoveMG · October 5, 2010

Well, that falls on the AD. You would think the first people contacted would be members of the mean green club. Have you been contacted? I haven't.

Like I said, if you want to be a FCS school, be one. Otherwise, find the damn money, no excuses.

this is our chance with the new stadiujm to rise and shine. out of the shadows for once and hire someone with skins on the wall.

Cr1028 · October 5, 2010

Well, that falls on the AD. You would think the first people contacted would be members of the mean green club. Have you been contacted? I haven't.

Like I said, if you want to be a FCS school, be one. Otherwise, find the damn money, no excuses.

I hope you are dropping 5 figures on the program every year with talk like that. I don't know if you have noticed the economic news over the past two years but it is something to consider; especially considering the we couldn't put the money together for a new stadium after 4 straight conf chanpionships and 26 straight conference wins. It took a high school coaching legend and a student vote to get it done. A student vote similar to the one rejected during Dickey's bowl run.

The conspiracy theorist says that Dodge may have been brought in primarily to get the stadium built. Think about it. The great majority of college students come straight out of high school. Most of the high school students coming to North Texas are coming from DFW schools. All of these now North Texas students remember Dodge as the high school coaching legend that either led their school or beat up on their school. This would provide the excitement and student vote needed to finally approve the athletics fee. Thoughts?

Aquila_Viridis · October 5, 2010

Well, that falls on the AD. You would think the first people contacted would be members of the mean green club. Have you been contacted? I haven't.

Like I said, if you want to be a FCS school, be one. Otherwise, find the damn money, no excuses.

It is not initially on the AD, or on the alumni in general as others have said. It has to be a commitment at the highest level to lead groups such as the alumni in the right direction. I have never heard the senior leaders of the university come out and say, 'we have to have a lot of money for a great coach'. Until you hear that specific commitment, this isn't going anywhere, regardless of the stadium. Yes it is unfortunate that this is the most expensive time ever to make such a commitment, but it will only get more expensive. The good news is, this will cause the less dedicated to falter, eliminating some competition. As a university, NT can either commit itself to the cause, or falter. If you are a leader of a university you are charged with elevating the university, even if the challenge is steep.

They like to hold the stadium out as an accomplishment in itself, but it only has value if it promotes the positive recognition of the university. It will not promote the positive recognition of the university if there is a consistent loser playing in it. So the stadium is a giant waste if they aren't committed to getting a big-time coach. So why don't they have materials that talk about how the stadium fits as part of a winning PROGRAM and what the other essential parts are of such a program and how to get THOSE parts? It is a lack of leadership. Won't someone whose day (and night) job it is to promote this university rise to this challenge and make a plain and public commitment that NT WILL have a WINNING Division 1 FBS program by marshalling the forces of our community, alumni and students?

Think about the proposition of a million or more North Texans identifying with our eagle symbol and caring about how it measures up to symbols associated with say, Houston or Louisiana or California or anywhere else. With the right commitment, this is assured. It is not a risky proposition. Yes I know you have the Cowboys up there, but with 6 million people there are plenty to go around and plenty of people who care about comparison in the college game too. You don't have our leaders going out in the community going 'you see this symbol - it represents you, and it sucks, so help us fix it so you don't suck.' That's ugly, but in case you haven't noticed, the situation is ugly, really terribly ugly, and this is the only way to fix it. There is no other way. And when it is fixed it will be really tremendously beautiful. Our eagle can rise to heights that hardly anyone else can, it just takes a commitment and leadership to get there.

Coffee and TV · October 5, 2010

Here's the A #1 guy RV should be looking at if we're parting ways with Dodge.

http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/800.asp?item=1597&team=19329

If you can turn around Prairie View, you can turn around ANYBODY.

PlummMeanGreen · October 5, 2010

Still, a name coach will help any program get to where they want to go--quicker. It has happened before at UNT. The name coach also can merely get on his cell phone and "wala" we have a home and home with a school we'd never thought possible because UNT's name coach knows "Big Time U's" name coach--they were assistants together at another Big Time U. These kinds of things happen when you have friends in high places compared to friends anyone can have at the bottom quadrant of the FBS.

Casepoint: Hayden Fry gets on the phone with Darrell Royal and "wala" North Texas has a first time ever series with the University of Texas. When we got those games with UT it caught the attention of many in the college football world, but more importantly--the Lone Star State. Back then, schools at the level we were just did not get games with the UT's of the then NCAA world. Name coach, folks. It will make our lives much easier in the long term in Mean Green Country.

So..........Name Coach + New Football Stadium ='s Destinations Yet Unseen By North Texas Football.

GMG!

Edited October 5, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

Primo · October 5, 2010

Here's the A #1 guy RV should be looking at if we're parting ways with Dodge.

http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/800.asp?item=1597&team=19329

If you can turn around Prairie View, you can turn around ANYBODY.

Exactly... That's my father in law's alma mater... been watching this team for a couple of years now out of curiosity and then saw an article on him...

UNT90 · October 5, 2010

I hope you are dropping 5 figures on the program every year with talk like that. I don't know if you have noticed the economic news over the past two years but it is something to consider; especially considering the we couldn't put the money together for a new stadium after 4 straight conf chanpionships and 26 straight conference wins. It took a high school coaching legend and a student vote to get it done. A student vote similar to the one rejected during Dickey's bowl run.

The conspiracy theorist says that Dodge may have been brought in primarily to get the stadium built. Think about it. The great majority of college students come straight out of high school. Most of the high school students coming to North Texas are coming from DFW schools. All of these now North Texas students remember Dodge as the high school coaching legend that either led their school or beat up on their school. This would provide the excitement and student vote needed to finally approve the athletics fee. Thoughts?

I think you need to be crediting UNTFlyer and the Student Government Councel for making the stadium vote and subsequent approval possible. The AD basically stayed out of it and allowed the students to make the decision. Without UNTFlyer and his like-minded friends in student government, that construction across the highway would not be happening right now.

Dodge had nothing, NOTHING, to do with it. That vote happened in the second of 2 completely non-competitive seasons of UNT football. Any shine on the Dodge hire had already worn off with the students. Thank God that somehow, someway, that stadium referendum passed.

Flyer, feel free to correct anything that I may have wrong here.

houstonmeangreen · October 5, 2010

I think you need to be crediting UNTFlyer and the Student Government Councel for making the stadium vote and subsequent approval possible. The AD basically stayed out of it and allowed the students to make the decision. Without UNTFlyer and his like-minded friends in student government, that construction across the highway would not be happening right now.

Dodge had nothing, NOTHING, to do with it. That vote happened in the second of 2 completely non-competitive seasons of UNT football. Any shine on the Dodge hire had already worn off with the students. Thank God that somehow, someway, that stadium referendum passed.

Flyer, feel free to correct anything that I may have wrong here.

You are absolutely correct and I shall forever be beholden to the great UNTflyer !

Got5onIt · October 5, 2010

Here's the A #1 guy RV should be looking at if we're parting ways with Dodge.

http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/800.asp?item=1597&team=19329

If you can turn around Prairie View, you can turn around ANYBODY.

I'm in. Put him on speed dial!!!

MeanGreenTexan · October 5, 2010

I think you need to be crediting UNTFlyer and the Student Government Councel for making the stadium vote and subsequent approval possible. The AD basically stayed out of it and allowed the students to make the decision. Without UNTFlyer and his like-minded friends in student government, that construction across the highway would not be happening right now.

Dodge had nothing, NOTHING, to do with it. That vote happened in the second of 2 completely non-competitive seasons of UNT football. Any shine on the Dodge hire had already worn off with the students. Thank God that somehow, someway, that stadium referendum passed.

Flyer, feel free to correct anything that I may have wrong here.

Most of the students on campus at the time (freshmen/sophomores) knew Todd Dodge as the coach of SLC which at some point spanked the crud out of their High School team in the not too distant past. To say the students were swayed 0% by the football team being lead by Dodge can't be true.

The vote probably would not have passed without guys like Flyer, but I'm pretty sure if Dickey were still the coach at the time this vote came through, it would have been much closer, if not failed. As a matter of fact, I was a student when there was a vote in the early 2000's for a new stadium, and it failed. You crusty GMG.com'ers probably remember that.

That's the power of High School football in Texas. The students simply did not know Dickey. While I was at school, I knew the guy as a reserved, almost standoffish coach. Dodge is outgoing and (at the time of the vote) upbeat.

Of course hindsight is 20/20.

KRAM1 · October 5, 2010

Here's the A #1 guy RV should be looking at if we're parting ways with Dodge.

http://www.pvamu.edu...1597&team=19329

If you can turn around Prairie View, you can turn around ANYBODY.

Hmmmmmmm...now that's a guy I might could get behind and support for the position should it come available for next season. He would probably see the move as a step up and a challenge such as he faced at PV. Could he do it again at the D1 level???? Would HE bring D1 experienced position coaches and coordinators with him or would he bring his "pals"? Lots of questions, but would like to see more of the guy...could be a candidate to interview for UNT. Nice find Coffee & Tea!