Feedback for Upcoming Texas Monthly Article

[Harry]

They are doing an article for an upcoming issue that is a Fan's guide for the major schools in the state. The idea is pretty simple, pretend you've never been to a game at UNT and this information would make your first experience much more fun.

I will post the questions in bold and put my responses and if you guys will respond as well we will have a good consensus to use for the article! Having the new stadium changes this up a little for us but what would you say to the masses about being a North Texas Mean Green Fan?

1). What throw-back jersey do you wear? I wear a Mean Joe Greene throwback #75

2). Where do you tailgate and where do you eat? We tailgate right by the practice field as close to the stadium as we can get. When I'm not eating tailgate food New York Subs is a tradition, the #3 boiled ham and cheese.

3). What's the best UNT Tradition? To me it's the player walk through that occurs a couple of hours before the game. The players led by the head coach walk from the athletic dorm to the stadium with the band and cheer squad. They walk between a wall of fans cheering on either side and play the fight song.

4). What odd or unique things do the fans do at North Texas? We like our firework shows at North Texas! We have been known to celebrate the most bitter of losses with a big firework show.

5). What bar do you drink at when the Mean Green win? We typically drink in the parking lot. Back in the day it was tavern on the Green but lately I have frequented The Pourhouse.

6). What classic game do fans refer to? October 25, 1975 North Texas beat the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in front of 72,670 Volunteer fans. Also have to mention the "Robbery" game against The University of Texas on Sept. 24, 1988 when Texas QB Shannon Kelley found Keith Cash in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. The problem was Cash was clearly out of bounds! The Longhorns escaped with the 27-24 win and broke Mean Green fanhearts for decades to come.

This post has been promoted to an article

[oldguystudent]

4). What odd or unique things do the fans do at North Texas? We like our firework shows at North Texas! We have been known to celebrate the most bitter of losses with a big firework show.

That made me laugh out loud at work. I had to field some questions of curiosity. I think it absolutely must be included.

When does this article get published? Kinda tough to recommend tailgating spots when we're not sure how it's going to work yet.

As for food and drink, I'll give it a shot:

Coming from the East (Frisco/Plano/McKinney) -- Come into Denton on University. Eat at Sub Hub, get a drive-thru daiquiri at Eskimo Hut.

Coming from the South (Dallas/Lewisville/35E) -- Eat and drink at Metzler's on Londonderry. All you can eat ribs on Saturdays (at least last I checked) and a wide selection of freaky beers you can drink on premise (Some would recommend the Dogfish Head 120-minute IPA, but that's only if you don't actually want to see the game).

Coming from the North (Oklahoma) -- You have my deepest sympathy. Here. Have some wings at the Central Grill and enjoy the 89 cent Miller Lites. I'm sure you'll also love the Waffle House across the street.

Bars to celebrate a victory -- If under 25, The Public House on Fry Street. If over 25, The Pour House. If over the hill, Sweet Water on the square. If in an RV, right in the glorious safety of the parking lot.

On tailgating -- bring a 10 X 10 tent. It gets hot out there! Beer, OK. Charcoal, OK. Jell-o shots, OK. Scanty attire, encouraged for some, forbidden for most of us here at GMG.com. Do not feed the Beer Man!

If actually staying in Denton -- Loveshack. That's all I'm sayin'.

[Harry]

oldguy you hit the mark exactly for what he is looking for! I believe he is working on this for the upcoming issue. He realizes that with the new stadium it changes things a bit for us. My thought was to go with what we had done at Fouts prior. He's a good guy and UNT fan so I want to help him out. Thanks for your comments and I am looking forward to more!

[PlummMeanGreen]

6). What classic game do fans refer to? October 25, 1975 North Texas beat the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in front of 72,670 Volunteer fans.

Harry, I went on for years thinking Tennessee must have just had a bad team in 1975 until upon further review many years later (and on the internet) I ran across one small fact that the Vols were actually 6 & 5 in the Fall of '75.

By today's NCAA standards, the Mean Green would have then beaten a "bowl bound" University of Tennessee Volunteers football team. Can TM add that small detail to that classic game in thisspecial issue, because other-wise the rest of our fellow Texicans will probably also think "Gol' darn it, Tennessee must have been terrrrrrrrrrrrible in 1975."

Harry, 3 Personal Major Milestones For Me As An NT Student & MG Fan:

(1) The Hiring of Hayden Fry in 12/72.

(2) Win over Tennessee in 1975

(3) And finally, a long over-due new football stadium yet....better late than never. It saddens me as I know it does many other older alums on this forum (and beyond) all those we've known thru the years who will not be around for its debut on 9/10/2011.

Addendum: It's a no-brainer to say our future is very, very bright in Mean Green Country. Our first hire of a former BCS head football coach, ie, Coach Mac, since Fry gives many of us older alums a similar enthusiasm of our younger alums and a renewed hope that we will go back (again) to setting higher goals since low goals are normally easier to reach; albeit we might all agree that we had problems even reaching some of those the last 30 plus years playing at the lesser levels of NCAA football.

Through the decades we had way too much "we can't' do that at North Texas" from staffers that truth be known truly could "not" do that at North Texas due to prior backgrounds and no real high profile connections with those in the upper echelons of the NCAA who can help a school like UNT go from point A to point B much, much quicker. For instance, Fry makes one phone call to Darrell K. Royal down in Austin and UNT turns the heads of Texans everywhere by suddenly having the University of Texas on its schedule for the first time in our alma mater's history. So yes, the old adage of sometimes it actually isn't what you know but who you know that helps move a program like UNT's timeline along quicker..

Yet in all fairness......to all UNT footballl coaches and ancillary staff prior to Coach Mac, but we did have an enormous Pink Elephant (namely Fouts Field) which held us back in more ways than we as NT Exes will probably ever know, but the new Mean Green Stadium now gives us a legitimate chance to get our Mean Green ship headed back in the right waters and in the right direction.

Not sayin' we will ever be a UT, Ohio State, Notre Dame and the like, but just as Norm Hitzghes said right after we hired Coach Mac: "Why Not"..... North Texas being another Boise State, especially now in light of that new stadium? " We're behind where we should really be, but circumstances and sometimes personnel created that scenario for UNT, but we can make up for all of that now in warp speed because of that new major college football stadium located on all that multi-acreage of prime real estate between those 2 Texas interstates.

Edited July 1, 2011 by PlummMeanGreen

[FloMoGrad]

2.) Blue Lot, in the Bus, with steak on a stick, college football on the TV's and Crown Royal in every man's cup.

4.) I've cursed those fireworks more times than I care to admit. The lighting of the clock tower in green on a home win is odd and cool though. Just been nearly 3 yrs since our last home win.

5.) I always enjoyed a celebratory drink and smoke on the rooftop deck of Cool Beans. You could see the green from the tower lit up.

6.) Texas Tech and Baylor Wins for my generation.

[Side Show Joe]

1). What throw-back jersey do you wear? I'm not as old as some in the Mean Green Nation, so I wear a Patrick Cobbs jersey, but I'd like to get a Mean Joe Greene, Abner Haynes, Cedrick Hardman, and Brian Waters jersey too.

2). Where do you tailgate and where do you eat? On the "Rolling Green" of old "Eagle Point", as close to the stadium as possible. I like Mitzler's B-B-Q and the Pourhouse. Those guys are great supporters of North Texas athletics.

3). What's the best UNT Tradition? The North Texas Battle Flag, and holding up an Eagle Claw and yelling... Go Mean Green!

4). What odd or unique things do the fans do at North Texas? Celebrate on Fry Street. That area is pretty unique.

5). What bar do you drink at when the Mean Green win? Win or lose, a lot of fans go out to Lucky Lou's or Rip Rock's out on Fry Street.

6). What classic game do fans refer to? The 21-14 win on the road against Tennessee back in 1975 is legendary with the Mean Green Nation. I wasn't there for it. The 2002 New Orleans Bowl, where North Texas beat Cincinnati 24-19, has to be the classic game I refer to most. Go Mean Green!!!

[UNT90]

Good list, Harry.

May I add the following:

2) For those with (and without) kids, a stroll through the Mean Green Village is a must. Also, a mention about the vast amount of green space around the new stadium (personally, I'll be by the pond on the north side) and the stadium bathrooms accessible from OUTSIDE the stadium before the game would be a good idea.

6) Right there with Side Show. The 2002 New Orleans Bowl was signaled the return of UNT football. And, if you can manage it, a mention of Andrew Smith's contributions that season would be a highlight for his family, I'm sure.

[NTEdgex2]

Since we're not drinkers, we celebrate wins (or drown our sorrows) with ice cream at Beth Marie's. Yum! Butter brickle hot fudge sundae!

GMG!

[FirefightnRick]

Best Tradition and possibly one of the oldest: Boomer The Cannon, as far as I can tell, is the only remaining full size smooth bore muzzleloader cannon used in college athletics in the country.

Rick

Edited July 1, 2011 by FirefightnRick

[UNT 90 Grad]

1. #43 in honor of Patrick Cobbs, currently with the Miami Dolphins.

2. I tailgate in the Mean Green Club lot right behind my SUV. If I can find a spot to back up to grass, that's preferable. I grill up something unique each time. My favorites include bacon.

3. Lighting up the tower green on the administration building after each Mean Greem win.

4. Jr. Mean Green Club members and their parents get to go down on the field after the half and line up to slap hands with the players as they return.

5. The Pour House in Denton, especially if it's a televised away game.

6. The late 80s win (though officially a loss) over the Texas University Longhorns. It happened while I was at UNT. If we only had instant replay back then...

[Harry]

Bump

[GreenAlums]

Best Tradition and possibly one of the oldest: Boomer The Cannon, as far as I can tell, is the only remaining full size smooth bore muzzleloader cannon used in college athletics in the country.

I'll add lighting the tower GREEN after a victory. I think we should have a remote lighting from the new stadium just as the band is playing the alma mater and show the tower brilliant GREEN on the new scoreboard. That would be awesome...IMUO...

[UNTLifer]

1). What throw-back jersey do you wear? Mean Joe, but I don't wear it.

2). Where do you tailgate and where do you eat? Previously the Fouts Blue Lot or Green Lot. Lately it has been with my nephew who is the offical-unoffical tailgate cook for Pointe Bank. The menu usually consists of Beer Can Chickens, burgers and dogs. I usually chip in with either a smoked brisket or pork shoulder. Sides include beer.

3). What's the best UNT Tradition? The cannon, Scrappy and the Model A are all things I remember from my childhood that are still current. I also like the lighting of the administration tower, the Mean Green walk and the Jr. Mean Green Club on the field to start the second half. The Homecoming Bonfire, largest hand constructed, is another great tradition that I remember from my youth that is still done every year. Oh, and great looking co-eds!

4). What odd or unique things do the fans do at North Texas? We wear every shade of green to ensure someone is wearing the current year's color. We also urinate in waterless urinals. Go figure.

5). What bar do you drink at when the Mean Green win? We typically drink in the parking lot, but it depends on how energetic my kids are after a day of Mean Green football. Back in my day it was The State Club or The Library, but I think The Pourhouse, Lucky Lou's and Rip Rock's.

6). What classic game do fans refer to? October 25, 1975 North Texas beat the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in front of 72,670 Volunteer fans. Also have to mention the "Robbery" game against The University of Texas on Sept. 24, 1988 when Texas QB Shannon Kelley found Keith Cash in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. The problem was Cash was clearly out of bounds! The Longhorns escaped with the 27-24 win and broke Mean Green fanhearts for decades to come. I also have fond memories of the Florida State/NT snow game in Denton in 1975. Didn't realize it then, but I was watching a game between to Hall of Fame coaches. My friends and I also got into a snowball fight with the Seminole players after the game.

Edited July 5, 2011 by UNTLifer