Article On Canales And The Coaching Search

[Travis]

Canales will out work most if not all of the stated candidates I'm certain. I hear he is at the office from 6 am to 10-12 pm most days. Plus, I have heard that Herm Edwards, Jon Gruden and Jim Leavitt have put in a good word. There are probably others but I am not aware. Hope RV solicits input from the Team too. Canales is a great fit for UNT!

I like this... but, I just don't know about Canales. I have questions. I like him, and I wouldn't mind hiring him. I know he cares for the kids. Everytime a player was injured at ULM he goes out to meet with him on the field. I like what he has done in the short time. But, i just don't know if i can approach with as much confidence as some of you on this board has about him being THE GUY.

[UNT90]

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Did you ignore the three of four people who have already posted in this thread who were Dickey era grads who are now involved because of the Dickey era? TTG said he would have never come to a single game if it was not for the NO Bowl teams, how is that not someone who barely had an eye on the program?

Look, Dickey had plenty of warts. Given the political situation, it was probably time for him to go when he did, that did not mean the entire time was a failure. Nothing drives me nuts more than people who downplay those years, they were HUGE to us.

I believe Tasty was a student during this time? I was speaking of people who were already alums during the Dickey conference runs. If Tasty was an alum during this time, then he was an exception to the rule, as attendance then and now indicate.

Look, I am not trying to bash Dickey. I agree with you that without the 4 straight conference titles, this thing would be in far worse shape. The point was that if you want to engage alumni who aren't presently engaged with this program, you have got to beat, or almost beat, a top 25 program while posting a 9 or 10 win season. That is just the way it is in this market. We need to hire a coach who has accomplished this in the past with a school that was similiarly positioned as UNT is currently.

[TIgreen01]

One thing to think about. With Chico, we would have enough money left over to really pay a solid staff of assistant coaches. With Fran, we would probably have very little money left to pay for the assistants. I cannot imagine our total coaching budget as being over $1 million a year (if not lower) and if we are paying the head coach half (or more) of that, the assistants are going to be underpaid. Just my $02. But if we were to get a shot at Leach - that would be my first choice despite the salary stuff - I believe he would sell enough seats to justify it.

So...to follow up on this. Does anybody have any idea what the total coaching staff budget will be going forward? I guess I just assumed that the jump in HFC coach pay to $500-700k meant that we weren't still sharing the same pool of money, but just giving more of the share to the HFC....but that we were raising the budget across the board for the football staff. Yes/no??

[Mean Green 93-98]

So...to follow up on this. Does anybody have any idea what the total coaching staff budget will be going forward? I guess I just assumed that the jump in HFC coach pay to $500-700k meant that we weren't still sharing the same pool of money, but just giving more of the share to the HFC....but that we were raising the budget across the board for the football staff. Yes/no??

The rumor is that pay for the assistants will be allowed to total around $1 mill.

[untjim1995]

Wow this thread has a lot of topics to comment on.

1.) If Steve Kragthorpe was chosen as our HFC, it would be a GREAT HIRE. If any of you are still having hurt feelings about some comments made by Steve Kragthorpe in 1998 regarding his lack of interest in becoming HFC at UNT, please understand a few things. First off, Craig Helwig was the AD and had just fired the guy who orignally brought Kragthorpe to UNT. Secondly, the Chancellor of the university was Al Hurley. SK had seen for two years how this university viewed athletics from the administrative level and how the AD was run from a guy who just whored us out to anyone who would pay us a huge payout in non-conference, both in football and in hoops. Third, we played at Fouts Field. There was no thought of building a new stadium at any point then, either. Fourth, he made more money at Texas A&M and got more name recognition for being an OC there than he would get as HFC at UNT. Today, all fo the reasons that Kragthorpe showed zero interest in UNT are GONE!!! Yes, the Louisville thing went bad, but the Tulsa thing went beyond good. What he did a Tulsa is twice as impressive as anything June Jones has done at SMU. As a matter of fact, it is on par with the job Franchione did at TCU. This job, now, is way more on par with Tulsa than Louisville. HE has proven he can build up a winner from a place that was historically a loser.

2.)I don't doubt for a second that Leach would cause a huge stir here or anywhere he gets hired. His ego isn't going to allow him to go a non-AQ league right now, though. Maybe in a few years, especially if he can't another HFC job, but not now. Although he built them up to unparalled successs, Tech has so many more built-in advantages over UNT, that it really is just apples to oranges. First off, we love it here when we get a known Texas team to play us, especially here in Denton. Imagine, just for a second, how awesome it would be to get annual visits from ALL of the known Texas/Oklahoma schools EVERY YEAR. That is what the SWC and Big XII gifted Tech with--and it was all because the Aggies and Longhorns have taken very good care of them. They have an entire region to themselves, while we share our area with about 900 different competing interests. What I am saying is that Leach did great out there, but he knew what advantages were there to work with when he went there. He cares about himself first and that will never change. There are only a few jobs out there that can feed an ego and a wallet that Leach has.

[UNTBill]

I believe Tasty was a student during this time? I was speaking of people who were already alums during the Dickey conference runs. If Tasty was an alum during this time, then he was an exception to the rule, as attendance then and now indicate.

Look, I am not trying to bash Dickey. I agree with you that without the 4 straight conference titles, this thing would be in far worse shape. The point was that if you want to engage alumni who aren't presently engaged with this program, you have got to beat, or almost beat, a top 25 program while posting a 9 or 10 win season. That is just the way it is in this market. We need to hire a coach who has accomplished this in the past with a school that was similiarly positioned as UNT is currently.

I was an alum at that time. Graduated in 81' and went to a few games as a student. After graduation I didn't much care anymore about UNT athletics. My brother, a long time season ticket holder, was in town and convinced me to go to a game. The game was the 2003 Baylor game. I have been a season ticket holder ever since. The bowl games were a blast and I would like to go to another one real soon.

[TheTastyGreek]

I was both student and alum. Attended North Texas starting in 1998 and graduated in 2002. I paid next to no attention when I was a student until the very end of my time (literally, the late summer and fall of 2002) and didn't get a chance to start attending football regularly until the 2004 season.

I was here when the run started but didn't really start giving it any credit or investing emotionally in what was happening until after I graduated.

[SleepingGiantsFan]

If Steve Kragthorpe was chosen as our HFC, it would be a GREAT HIRE.

Kragthorpe. Mason. Leavitt. McCarney.

I would have expected UNT to get interest from one such coach with substantial experience at a higher level conference. Maybe two. But four? Sure looks like building that stadium has gotten the attention of more people than just me and that Missouri fan.

[McKinneyMiner]

Dodge is a very nice guy. But as for as engaging the community? No, not like Canales works a room nor did Dodge attend chamber functions, elementary school awards,etc. I talked to a couple of teachers from Savannah Elementary here in Denton, and they both raved about Canales and a couple of players coming to their school for an awards ceremony last Friday. They said even though it was a travel morning for the team, Canales stayed to last possible minute visiting with the kids and teachers, well past the time required.. Dodge and Dickey attended things, and both were courteous (at least Dickey was to me). And yes, they would talk if you spoke to them, and ended holding court in a corner so to speak. When Silver and a few others talk about engaging the community, they are talking about this and attending things in Krum, Sanger, Decatur to drum up support. Dodge did his thing and headed back to Southlake.

This is something that Mike Price at UTEP has been absolutely phenomenal at during his time in El Paso...

Right now he is an embattled coach because he isn't really producing the winning seasons, but the PEOPLE (not just the hard core fans) of El Paso love him and he has generated a ton of positive publicity for the University and program... He has raised awareness of UTEP football in the community amongst those who previously couldn't have possibly cared less...

He has established very well attended camps in Dallas and Houston that promote his program, he requires his players to spend time at schools in the community, his players actually call up season ticket holders and personally thank them for the support of the program and he lives and breathes the city of El Paso...

His positive attitude about the program and the players is very infectious...

Now, I am not saying that Mike Canales is the man for this job...

But someone who shows the same willingness to embrace Denton, the surrounding area and DFW at large is...

The trick will be to find the right combination of ra ra and x's and o's...

Die hard fans don't need to be sold, the community and the fringe fans do...

[PlummMeanGreen]

Kragthorpe. Mason. Leavitt. McCarney.

I would have expected UNT to get interest from one such coach with substantial experience at a higher level conference. Maybe two. But four? Sure looks like building that stadium has gotten the attention of more people than just me and that Missouri fan.

Many of us on and off this forum predicted that new stadium would have such an effect.

Wonder how many potentials have made unoffical trips to Denton to peruse that palace already?

[wardly]

Kragthorpe. Mason. Leavitt. McCarney.

I would have expected UNT to get interest from one such coach with substantial experience at a higher level conference. Maybe two. But four? Sure looks like building that stadium has gotten the attention of more people than just me and that Missouri fan.

i doubt if all 4 are interested in us, but hope at least 2 are. i think that the job of our consultant is to get a buyer and a seller together. i would expect consultant to present about 3 to 5 coaches who fill the bill to rick and dr. rawlings , who would then interview and make a collective decision. other than coach chico, i don't have a clue who will be on the short list. firefighting rick has convienced me that kragthorpe would be a good hire, and while ul didn't work out, he did a great job at tulsa. we all seem to be a bunch of kids at christmas wondering what will be under our tree. personally, i want a daisy mae red ridder bb gun like the one i got when i was 7. ist thing i shot was my 5 year old brother on the foot. he had really pissed me off, for reasons i can't recall. but i digress. happy thanksgiving to all.

[PlummMeanGreen]

i doubt if all 4 are interested in us, but hope at least 2 are. i think that the job of our consultant is to get a buyer and a seller together. i would expect consultant to present about 3 to 5 coaches who fill the bill to rick and dr. rawlings , who would then interview and make a collective decision. other than coach chico, i don't have a clue who will be on the short list. firefighting rick has convienced me that kragthorpe would be a good hire, and while ul didn't work out, he did a great job at tulsa. we all seem to be a bunch of kids at christmas wondering what will be under our tree. personally, i want a daisy mae red ridder bb gun like the one i got when i was 7. ist thing i shot was my 5 year old brother on the foot. he had really pissed me off, for reasons i can't recall. but i digress. happy thanksgiving to all.

W2, did you ever get the log cabin set with its green roof? Hula hoop? The Mechanical Man? A Schwinn Bike? Silly Puddy? "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" board that made a sound like a saw blade when bent back and forth? the first cheap reel to reel tape recorder for kids? Socks and ties galore?