Todd Dodge Making Way

Harry · June 17, 2011

"Was I ready? Shoot, I don’t know," Dodge said. "I don’t know if you’re ever ready. As far as where our players came from academically, how far they came character wise, it was night and day from the time I got there to the time I left. I’m very proud of that. I helped get a stadium built there. I left the North Texas program in a lot better shape in a lot of ways. The bottom line is we didn't win enough games.

"I understand that, but I have no regrets at all on that. It would be easy to say I was on a roll at Southlake Carroll, going 79-1, fixing to go for a fourth straight high school championship. Then you take a job and a lot of people say you fell on your face, but I don’t look at it like that. You make decisions in your life and you go on. Right now, I’m absolutely so happy to be here at Pitt, to be on this staff and to be in this city."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/20538/todd-dodge-making-way-outside-texas

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ColoradoEagle · June 17, 2011

I left the North Texas program in a lot better shape in a lot of ways.

wat

eulesseagle · June 17, 2011

IMHO, Coach Dodge was successful at NT irrespective of his W - L record. Did coach make some mistakes? Sure he did.....BUT....name me one person who has not made a mistake. If anyone has ever read a management book one of the underlying themes is that you grow from your mistakes. His growth took him to Pitt and I can only wish him the best of luck as I am sure that most of you will do. Only those who have not yet learned failure will wish him otherwise.

Coach Dodge's success will be measured.....as the French say...."succes d'es time."

Huff · June 17, 2011

I am really glad that Coach Dodge is at Pitt, too. That means he is not at North Texas.

UNT 90 Grad · June 17, 2011

I'm pretty sure Dodge helped with game attendance (although no one could have helped with the Thanksgiving weekend fridged WKU game).

UNT86 · June 17, 2011

I agree that he left the program better in a lot of ways.

And, without more injuries than any program could survive, I think he had a chance at a winning season last year.

However, the only place he ever won on a consistent basis was a Southlake. Easy to do with better players and facilities than everyone else.

It is probably best for us that he didn't win last year.

He is a good guy and I wish him well, but he was never going to take us to the level that McCarney will.

I'm glad he landed on his feet and I wish him all the success that Jerry Moore has found.... somewhere else.

houstonmeangreen · June 17, 2011

I agree that he left the program better in a lot of ways.
And, without more injuries than any program could survive, I think he had a chance at a winning season last year.

However, the only place he ever won on a consistent basis was a Southlake. Easy to do with better players and facilities than everyone else.

It is probably best for us that he didn't win last year.
He is a good guy and I wish him well, but he was never going to take us to the level that McCarney will.

I'm glad he landed on his feet and I wish him all the success that Jerry Moore has found.... somewhere else.

I agree that he left the program better in a lot of ways.

I don't know if he really left the program better in a lot of ways....I'm just glad he left the program.

emmitt01 · June 17, 2011

IMHO, Coach Dodge was successful at NT irrespective of his W - L record.

There's a YMCA youth basketball league somewhere who would love you as their commissioner.

Everywhere else in the world people get judged on results.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 17, 2011

It'll be interesting to see what Graham and Dodge can do with Big East talent. Still can't believe the two head coaches from two of my alma maters ended up at the same school during the off-season. Time to buy some Pitt gear?

Anyway, this is what Dodge needs. Graham got his college coaching start with the Big East's West Virginia ten years ago, making the jump from Allen H.S. head coach to Mountaineer LB coach in 2001. He was an assitant, then defensive coordinator for five years before getting his shot at Rice. He turned them around in a flash.

Dodge can do the same. I'm convinced that he's got the ability to coach at this level or higher. He just didn't bring along experienced guys to help him when he came here. That was always the thing that stuck with me.

Even in the Sun Belt, you always have guys like Ricky Bustle and Howard Schnellenberger who had coached at that level to decades, been to national championship games and all. They know what they are doing, even if the talent level isn't quite that same as most BCS AQ's.

I think Dodge handcuffed himself by being overly loyal to guys he had high school ties with. At the time, he probably underestimated the help he'd need

It'll be interesting to see these guys together with Big East talent - defensive guy Graham and offensive guy Dodge. Spencer Leftwich is on the staff...as well as several guys Graham coached with in the mid-2000s at West Virgina who spent the last three years at Michigan. It's a well-rounded staff, most accustomed to that conference and that level off play.

TheColonyEagle · June 17, 2011

Dodge is a good man but he wasn't ready. He's on the right track now. He'll come out of the assistant job at Pitt a better college coach than when he went in. He should have left SLC and got to an assistant job first. It's a shame we had to suffer for a few years while he learned but so be it.

NT and Dodge are both in better places now.

Baby Arm! · June 17, 2011

Look at our last APR report to see Dodge's contribution to the program. We aren't losing scholarships now.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 17, 2011

I agree that he left the program better in a lot of ways.
And, without more injuries than any program could survive, I think he had a chance at a winning season last year.

Agreed. Even with the injuries, we finally got over the FAU hump...and on the road, no less...beat bowl qualifier MTSU - also on the road - and came within a point of Lousiana and five of Arkansas State.

Either one - the Louisiana game or Arkansas State game - going the other way, and we'd have been 4-4 in conference.

Blocked extra point after a valiant comeback at the end of the Louisiana game....

Couldn't finish off second half drives in the ASU game - three second half field goals - with fourth string QB Chase Bain leading the way...

Could never quite catch up to Troy in 41-35 loss. Matched them TD for TD, but FGs early in the second and third quarter for them was the difference. We were toe-to-toe all game long with the Sun Belt Co-Champs with our ragged, beaten group in November.

Almost got over on Kansas State as well. Tough game...again ending with Baine at QB in the fourth.

There's some fight in those guys on our roster. Hopefully, this coaching staff takes what remains of them and shapes them from a group that "gets close" into a group that "knows how to close."

I'm betting it can be done.

TIgreen01 · June 17, 2011

"...As far as where our players came from academically, how far they came character wise, it was night and day from the time I got there to the time I left.

If we are to believe Dan McCarney (I do), our academics were an embarrassment when he arrived in December. Something doesn't add up here.

Edited June 17, 2011 by TIgreen01

GrandGreen · June 17, 2011

Dodge was not close to being ready to coach at the fb level. He did a dis-service to himself and NT for taking a job he had no business having. I do appreciate the off the field things he accomplished, but frankly there are very few that would not have been a great improvement over Dickey. I do believe that Dodge will be a good college coach but I really don't see him anytime soon as a head coach at the fb level. The hiring of Dodge was a "hail Mary" that miserably failed, hopefully those kinds of hires are a thing of the past.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · June 17, 2011

If we are to believe Dan McCarney (I do), our academics were an embarrassment when he arrived in December. Something doesn't add up here.

We were like one player away from APR sanctions again. Our football score was below average...10th percentile for all football schools in both FBS and FCS.

There is a way that they are both right...

...if it was bad when Dickey left, then...

...our barely missing sanctions again this year is evidence of digging out of the hole...

...and, McCarney is honest enough to tell us how deep the hole was.

Dickey didn't have to deal with APR, so I don't know what to think about any of that time period. I also think it's harsh to penalize teams if guys transfers or quit. How can you read a kid's mind when he signs up?

Not really 100% on board with the way they do APR, but am glad that coaches are at least paying attention to it.

DeepGreen · June 17, 2011

Too bad that Todd Dodge didn't go from HC at Southlake, then take an assistants job at Pitt for three years, then the job at North Texas. I don't think we would be in the mess we got ourselves into the last 3-1/2 years win/loss wise. Those bad years really hurt this program.

However, our outcome is better now that McCarney is here.

Edited June 17, 2011 by DeepGreen

KRAM1 · June 17, 2011

I wish Coach Dodge nothing but the best going forward and I thank him for his efforts at UNT. Nice to see that he has positive things to say about his time at UNT. Yes, Both Coach Dodge and Coach McCarney are correct regarding academics at UNT. Much improvement was seen under Dodge's watch, but much was still to be done...Dodge got the train back on the tracks and McCarney will drive it to its destination. There is absolutely no reason to think that Coach Dodge will not be successful at Pitt, and it is a good bet that he will one day again be a HC at a D-1 program. That time will come and he will be much better prepared for what he will be facing.

So, absolutely, both UNT and Coach Dodge are in better shape and in a better position now to move forward.

Good luck Coach Dodge and GO MEAN GREEN!

Edited June 17, 2011 by KRAM1

Daddy Dumpsalot · June 17, 2011

There's a YMCA youth basketball league somewhere who would love you as their commissioner.

Everywhere else in the world people get judged on results.

Are you saying Christians aren't competitive?

Bah!

El Paso Eagle · June 17, 2011

I think Dodge handcuffed himself by being overly loyal to guys he had high school ties with. At the time, he probably underestimated the help he'd need

This is an area where I wish RV had stepped in and tried to talk TD out of bringing so many H.S. coaches with him (maybe he did and I’m not aware of it). I really think if Dodge had surrounded himself with experienced college coaches, especially at OC and DC, things would have been much different.

Keith7 · June 17, 2011

Some of you guys really are sad and pathetic little men. Get a life and move on.

untjim1995 · June 17, 2011

There's a YMCA youth basketball league somewhere who would love you as their commissioner.

Way off topic, but your statement made me laugh, since I have always said that our previous basketball coach, Vic Trilli, although extremely nice and motivating, couldn't outcoach your below-average YMCA youth league coach. He probably would have been fired by your YMCA youth basketball director for being uncompetitive...As for Todd Dodge, ditto. Trilli = Dodge in every way imaginable.

Green P1 · June 17, 2011

Some of you guys really are sad and pathetic little men. Get a life and move on.

MeanMag · June 17, 2011

There's a YMCA youth basketball league somewhere who would love you as their commissioner.

Everywhere else in the world people get judged on results.

He got results attendance wise and academic wise. Better character than Dickey, but worse W-L.

All that said, I'm happy to have McCarney now, who hopefully will get all the right results.

Best of luck to Pitt and Dodge.

Dub2 · June 17, 2011

A couple of things to comment on; A few have said Todd Dodge should have been a college assistant before becoming a head coach at North Texas, well he was and he had that position at North Texas as a quarterbacks coach so he already had college coaching experience that you are saying he should have gotten before becoming a head coach. Second, if I remember correctly just about everyone was applauding the hire of Todd Dodge just as you all are about Dan McCarney. Maybe we all need to see results before we start jumping on the bandwagon of a new coach. Always support North Texas, but you do not have to claim every new coach we get is the savior of the program until they produce results. Lets see what McCarney can do here before we talk about how great he is. After all, his head coaching record isn't miraculous, it's just an average record that hasn't landed him a head coaching position anywhere else besides here. I wish him the best of luck, but I am also realistic.