Deeds, Not Pr, Brand A University

UNTflyer · May 7, 2011

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/opinion/editorials/stories/DRC_editorial_0507.2f6b10a0c.html

Even empty and as yet unused, the new stadium is a logical choice for a campaign of institutional ballyhoo, and we’re all for it. It will be a lot more effective, however, if the university can field a football team that can win a few games in its new digs. This is a rose that can lose its bloom pretty quickly if it gets a reputation as a nicely appointed funeral parlor for the Mean Green and their fans.

UNT90 · May 7, 2011

http://www.dentonrc.....2f6b10a0c.html

Even empty and as yet unused, the new stadium is a logical choice for a campaign of institutional ballyhoo, and we're all for it. It will be a lot more effective, however, if the university can field a football team that can win a few games in its new digs. This is a rose that can lose its bloom pretty quickly if it gets a reputation as a nicely appointed funeral parlor for the Mean Green and their fans.

Couldn't agree more. For those who think waiting 3 years for a winning season is OK need to realize that 3 years may be too late. We need at least 5 wins this year.

SilverEagle · May 7, 2011

Winning is a very important component, but for the umpteenth time, spirit traditions (consistent ones) and game day pageantry are just as important....IMHO more important.

Before everyone starts rolling their eyes and saying "there he goes again", let me remind all of you that if winning was, in and of itself, the most important thing, then why do all the "big time" schools put on such a big show....spirit/pageantry wise? Why bother with 350+ monster bands (like UT and A$M) and "yell practice" and the "hook-um Horns" and "guns up" signals etc etc, if winning the game was the ONLY THING.

We have got to get back to basics. The stadium will not be enough. It's like I said to a friend one time when we were discussing education. I said that you can build the most fantastic and up-to-date educational facility for a community. But unless the parents and community truly care about education, all you have is a very expensive, and well equipped, publicly funded day care center.

Edited May 7, 2011 by SilverEagle

GrayEagle · May 7, 2011

There are some interesting points in the editorial but by and large I agree with what the university is doing. We do need a PR firm to ballyhoo the University of North Texas as it's never been done before. Is the University of North Texas, in spite of over 325,000 living alumni (nearly half of them in the area) a household name?

I've seen posts on this board ad nauseum that we need advertising. Some want billboards, some TV, some radio, some internet, and still others printed media. A good PR firm knows how to best utilize the advertising dollar to get more bang for the buck. If it's effective, it's money well spent.

We used to rely almost totally on the state for our existence. That is becoming less and less with each two-year state budget. We need to be more of a household name to be able to attract students and donors.

Identifying the four areas was largely rhetoric but necessary to show that this is not only about the stadium. It could payoff in our research goals, rejuvinate our alumni base and attract individual and foundation donors. The stadium naming rights is an easier sell when the university is at the forefront of the area psyche. We couldn't afford to compete with the professional sports teams in the sports niche but we have so much more to offer than one narrow venue. Make no mistake, sports are important but so are other facets of the university's life. A good PR firm will highlight all important contributions of the University of North Texas.

So far, I've seen little to complain about under the administration of Lane Rawlins.

untjim1995 · May 9, 2011

Couldn't agree more. For those who think waiting 3 years for a winning season is OK need to realize that 3 years may be too late. We need at least 5 wins this year.

I am afraid that you are setting yourself up to be disappointed if you feel that 5 games is the minimum number of games for us to win. We don't have the line strength or depth yet to proclaim that we should be close to or on the verge of a bowl game in Coach Mac's first year. He has said repeatedly that our lines need a lot of work and development. Our OOC schedule is still really tough for a program like ours, which has basically been run into the ground over the last 6 years, so to see us win any of those 4 is pretty difficult. Can we go 5-3 in the SBC this year? Its possible, but I still think a 4 win season would show amazing progress, seeing how we haven't won that many games in a season since 2004. As a matter of fact, we have only won 3 games in a season twice since 2004. If Coach Mac gets us to 5 wins or more in his first season, he should be named Coach of the Year. Even he knows that will be a tall order this upcoming year.

Just remember that the "genuises" at the DRC editorial board that say that the rose will lose its bloom if we don't start winning there soon are the same people who gripe about the fact that a new stadium was even built and that UNT even has a football program still. They just like to stir the pot, especially when they know that the majority of their readership could care less about UNT sports and aren't that thrilled that a new stadium has been built.

GrandGreen · May 9, 2011

I am afraid that you are setting yourself up to be disappointed if you feel that 5 games is the minimum number of games for us to win. We don't have the line strength or depth yet to proclaim that we should be close to or on the verge of a bowl game in Coach Mac's first year. He has said repeatedly that our lines need a lot of work and development. Our OOC schedule is still really tough for a program like ours, which has basically been run into the ground over the last 6 years, so to see us win any of those 4 is pretty difficult. Can we go 5-3 in the SBC this year? Its possible, but I still think a 4 win season would show amazing progress, seeing how we haven't won that many games in a season since 2004. As a matter of fact, we have only won 3 games in a season twice since 2004. If Coach Mac gets us to 5 wins or more in his first season, he should be named Coach of the Year. Even he knows that will be a tall order this upcoming year.

Just remember that the "genuises" at the DRC editorial board that say that the rose will lose its bloom if we don't start winning there soon are the same people who gripe about the fact that a new stadium was even built and that UNT even has a football program still. They just like to stir the pot, especially when they know that the majority of their readership could care less about UNT sports and aren't that thrilled that a new stadium has been built.

Well a four game win season would hardly be amazing, you do know the team won 3 last year with a horrible injury situation. I don't think anyone is going to go after McCarney if he doesn't turn this thing around quickly, but the facts are NT was not competitive in only one Belt game last year against FIU and that was with a fourth string QB at the helm. NT lost to ULL by one, Troy by 5 , ASU by 4 and ULM by 12 and ended the season losing to a Big 12 bowl team by 8. Are you assuming that NT is going to take a step backward from were Canales had the team? I for one am going to be disappointed if the most expensive and I think probably the best coaching staff ever at NT doesn't have a much better team next year. Intangibles with a new coaching staff and stadium should help along with fairly veteran team. With the big exception of defensive tackle, every position should be on par or better than last year. Even the offensive line who lost heavily by graduation could be better when you consider that Drake and Santiago were injured much of last year.

There are no sure things but a long rebuilding program to get into the top tier of the Belt, I don't believe is necessary. To build to one of the top non-AQ programs is a different task and will be a long term objective but the Belt generally has no more than a couple of relatively good teams. I am of the opinion that the Belt didn't get that much better in the last six years; NT just got a lot worse.

TIgreen01 · May 10, 2011

Well a four game win season would hardly be amazing, you do know the team won 3 last year with a horrible injury situation. I don't think anyone is going to go after McCarney if he doesn't turn this thing around quickly, but the facts are NT was not competitive in only one Belt game last year against FIU and that was with a fourth string QB at the helm. NT lost to ULL by one, Troy by 5 , ASU by 4 and ULM by 12 and ended the season losing to a Big 12 bowl team by 8. Are you assuming that NT is going to take a step backward from were Canales had the team? I for one am going to be disappointed if the most expensive and I think probably the best coaching staff ever at NT doesn't have a much better team next year. Intangibles with a new coaching staff and stadium should help along with fairly veteran team. With the big exception of defensive tackle, every position should be on par or better than last year. Even the offensive line who lost heavily by graduation could be better when you consider that Drake and Santiago were injured much of last year.

There are no sure things but a long rebuilding program to get into the top tier of the Belt, I don't believe is necessary. To build to one of the top non-AQ programs is a different task and will be a long term objective but the Belt generally has no more than a couple of relatively good teams. I am of the opinion that the Belt didn't get that much better in the last six years; NT just got a lot worse.

I pretty much agreed with this until I saw our team in action at the Spring game. We are really, really small on the defensive side of the ball and our QB situation is much worse than it was last year (at least at the start of the season). It's all about the dline and QB play for this team. I think people expect this offense to pick right back up where it left off, but Riley was a bigger loss than most want to admit---if from nothing more than a depth perspective.

untjim1995 · May 10, 2011

I pretty much agreed with this until I saw our team in action at the Spring game. We are really, really small on the defensive side of the ball and our QB situation is much worse than it was last year (at least at the start of the season). It's all about the dline and QB play for this team. I think people expect this offense to pick right back up where it left off, but Riley was a bigger loss than most want to admit---if from nothing more than a depth perspective.

This x 100. Our line depth, especially on the defensive line is really slim. Plus, our QB situation will take time to get better. These two issues keep me from feeling that 5 wins as a minimum for next year is where expectations should start. Now, by 2012, that's a different story, but progress will be getting to 4 wins this year, then getting to 5-6 wins the following year, and then competing for the SBC title in year 3. If the SBC Championship run starts earlier, than that is gravy to me. That would be the exact timeframe that it has taken FIU to get to the top of the SBC.

GrandGreen · May 11, 2011

I pretty much agreed with this until I saw our team in action at the Spring game. We are really, really small on the defensive side of the ball and our QB situation is much worse than it was last year (at least at the start of the season). It's all about the dline and QB play for this team. I think people expect this offense to pick right back up where it left off, but Riley was a bigger loss than most want to admit---if from nothing more than a depth perspective

.

This x 100. Our line depth, especially on the defensive line is really slim. Plus, our QB situation will take time to get better. These two issues keep me from feeling that 5 wins as a minimum for next year is where expectations should start. Now, by 2012, that's a different story, but progress will be getting to 4 wins this year, then getting to 5-6 wins the following year, and then competing for the SBC title in year 3. If the SBC Championship run starts earlier, than that is gravy to me. That would be the exact timeframe that it has taken FIU to get to the top of the SBC.

I am a big Riley fan, but based on what I have seen; NT should be much better off at QB this year. Riley played with a lion's heart but was injured most of the year. Tune was very good until he was injured. Assuming Thompson can stay healthy, I think QB will be stronger and the mere fact that NT will have four ship QB this year will be a big improvement.

Depth on the defensive line is not the problem. Every defensive end is returning and at DT; Atkinson and Jackson played about ever down last year so there was not a lot of depth at that position. The problem is finding some one to start not depth. People seem worried about the size of McCoy and Boutwell at dt but in reality they are about average for Belt DT's. The rest of the dts are plenty big. I mentioned that this is the one position that probably won't be better, however I don't think a dt rotation of Boutwell, McCoy, Cantly, White and Abbe is all that bad. In fact, Cantly has looked good and he is definitely big enough.

Instead of fretting about the dt situation, look at the other side. The entire de rotation returns, linebacker has more depth and I think two stars returning in Orr and Phillips. The defensive backfield should be the best in years. The offense has the leagues' best player in Dunbar. The offensive line lost some very good players but returns starters in Freeley, Johnson, Tomlinson, and Fortenberry plus very promising Adidipe, Y, Barbo, and Johnson. The best receiver returns in Carey plus Stradford and Outlaw who have started.

Everyone has an opinion but a three year rebuild to compete for a Belt title would be highly disappointing to me. Not as bad as never competing but if it takes McCarney three years to get better than a .500 season there is going to be a lot of disheartened fans and lot of momentum lost. Every coach is going to start out downplaying their chances and trying to lower expectations, To McCarney coming from Florida, I would imagine that NT athletes do look very sad in comparison, but luckily for NT there is no one in the Belt remotely close to that quality.

Edited May 11, 2011 by GrandGreen