Harbaugh conversation

SilverEagle · October 19, 2011

But, wait, this destroys the myth that UNT didn't try to get Harbaugh or Fischer. And, lays it on Harbaugh and Fischer who actually turned UNT down...not the other way around. Oh, what have you done? What are you trying to do here? Good grief, man, what will all the "doesn't the AD ever make a good decision" folks going to do now?

Let's see...Coach Mac...good move, thank you very much. Athletic Village...done deal...good move...Apogee Stadium...done deal...good move...Coach Hedlund, Coach Jones, Coach Lama, Coach Aston...OK, I could go on...good moves....gosh, this guy just never makes a good move. Sarcasm flowing big time as one types.....

That was Flyer's and the SGA's baby. No student vote, no stadium.

rcade · October 19, 2011

That was Flyer's and the SGA's baby. No student vote, no stadium.

The alumni played a role in getting that done, too. Several of us donated to the vote-yes effort and participated in other ways.

KRAM1 · October 19, 2011

That was Flyer's and the SGA's baby. No student vote, no stadium.

Oh, so RV's vision from the first day he set foot on the UNT campus had absolutely ZERO to do with the stadium? There would have been NO student vote if RV had not pushed his vision. The vote "sealed the deal" for certain, but it in NO WAY is 100% responsible for Apogee Stadium becoming a reality. I worked for a bank in Dallas that was holding meeting about "stadium" donations and looking at "stadium concepts" long before any student vote was scheduled.

No vision, no background work, no initial backing from the administration and donors....no stadium vote.

Like you, Silver, I give the students credit for making the dream a reality, but if you left it up to the students in the first place we'd be enjoying homecoming this Saturday at Fouts.

SilverEagle · October 19, 2011

Oh, so RV's vision from the first day he set foot on the UNT campus had absolutely ZERO to do with the stadium? There would have been NO student vote if RV had not pushed his vision. The vote "sealed the deal" for certain, but it in NO WAY is 100% responsible for Apogee Stadium becoming a reality. I worked for a bank in Dallas that was holding meeting about "stadium" donations and looking at "stadium concepts" long before any student vote was scheduled.

No vision, no background work, no initial backing from the administration and donors....no stadium vote.

Like you, Silver, I give the students credit for making the dream a reality, but if you left it up to the students in the first place we'd be enjoying homecoming this Saturday at Fouts.

I totally agree with your statement about "if you left it up to the students", but that only makes what Flyer and his group did even more impressive. If you will recall, RV mounted a similar campaign about five or six years before (which I contributed money to) and it failed miserably. The main reason that it failed was because RV was the face behind the vote, and the students against it used "the athletic department is shoving this down our throats" in their campaign against it. He totally misread the student body about this issue.

AND RV didn't come up with the vision to build a new stadium (although it was an obvious need) he was inundated with questions about it from the first day he arrived.........by alumni.

eppy4life · October 19, 2011

The main reason that it failed was because RV was the face behind the vote, and the students against it used "the athletic department is shoving this down our throats" in their campaign against it. He totally misread the student body about this issue.

Things like the stadium don't always happen the first try. RV may have made a mistake in his first attempt but he didn't run away from the idea or throw his hands in the air and say 'this isn't possible here.' Instead he went with 'Why not North Texas?' and the rest is history. I'm sick of people acting like armchair ADs.

rcade · October 19, 2011

Things like the stadium don't always happen the first try. RV may have made a mistake in his first attempt but he didn't run away from the idea or throw his hands in the air and say 'this isn't possible here.' Instead he went with 'Why not North Texas?' and the rest is history.

It would have been easy for RV and the UNT administration to give up after the first effort failed.

Or even worse, UNT could have been like UT-Arlington. Students there agreed to a $2-per-credit-hour student service fee increase if they brought football back in 2004, and the administration still hasn't gotten it done.

Edited October 19, 2011 by rcade

wardly · October 19, 2011

SHANICE STEPHENS

the only person who has not make hiring mistakes are those who have never hired anyone. regarding t.d.,we had more fans at his 1st spring game than some regular games i have attended. he was a mistake, allowing him to bring his high school staff was a bigger mistake, and giving him a 4th year was the biggest mistake. lets move on. we now have a dallas campus,school of engineering,and soon to be law and pharmacy schools. regarding athletics, look at the sucessful mens basketball and womens soccer programs, and the crown jewel, our new athletic center and football stadium. when he arrived in his 1st job as an athletic director the only new dedicated athletic structure that had been built since my freshman year 1961 was the old ticket office, which hayden fry built as a athletic administration building. i feel my degree from north texas state university is more valuable now because of what the university system has done academically and what rick has done for athletics. just an old man opinion.

UNT90 · October 19, 2011

I was speaking specifically about the football program. I know of the improvements in other sports, facilities, and the university as a whole.

It does beg the question why have other programs been able to improve while football has digressed during the same time period? Many say head coaching was the problem and that it is now fixed.

I say fine. Prove it.

tylermeangreen · October 19, 2011

..........Many say head coaching was the problem and that it is now fixed.

I say fine. Prove it.

Wow! Six games into the man's tenure as Head Football Coach and the negativity implied in your statement just flat blows me away!

What exactly is it that you want as immediate proof? Regardless, you should understand that any so-called proof probably IS NOT coming this season.

Are you implying that without proof-in-evidence this season that this coach is a bust?

Sorry - I just don't understand (and I bet I am not alone here) what it is you are looking for at this point in Dan McCarney's first year as the Head Football Coach at this institution.

I have read other postings where you have blamed Todd Dodge for the state of the program.

If that is true, you are now holding Dan McCarney responsible for taking what you feel are Todd Dodge's all-encompassing mistakes and immediately turning this program around?

I am not necessarily trying to be critical of what you have said, I just don't understand what you are trying to say.

But regardless, your continuing negativity is mystifying to this old alum.

UNT90 · October 19, 2011

Wow! Six games into the man's tenure as Head Football Coach and the negativity implied in your statement just flat blows me away!

What exactly is it that you want as immediate proof? Regardless, you should understand that any so-called proof probably IS NOT coming this season.

Are you implying that without proof-in-evidence this season that this coach is a bust?

Sorry - I just don't understand (and I bet I am not alone here) what it is you are looking for at this point in Dan McCarney's first year as the Head Football Coach at this institution.

I have read other postings where you have blamed Todd Dodge for the state of the program.

If that is true, you are now holding Dan McCarney responsible for taking what you feel are Todd Dodge's all-encompassing mistakes and immediately turning this program around?

I am not necessarily trying to be critical of what you have said, I just don't understand what you are trying to say.

But regardless, your continuing negativity is mystifying to this old alum.

Not negative and don't expect miracle results. Just lamenting and examining what got us here. I think Coach Mac has a good shot to turn it around, but you won't see me post rah-rah things about how great a coach he is when it hasn't been proven AT UNT.

Do I think he has a fairly good chance to turn it around? Yes. Am I also acutely aware at how many others tried to get it done and failed. Many miserably? Yes.

Am I frustrated that a school picked to finish below UNT in the Belt this year has turned around their program and are bowl bound with 5 games left in the season thanks to a 20 point win over UNT? Yes. Is it fair to Coach Mac? No. Does he need to do something about it in the next 2 years? Absolutely.

Fair enough?

oldguystudent · October 19, 2011

One small thing from last Saturday tells me that Mac is parsecs beyond the previous staff. 1st quarter, UNT is in the red zone facing a fourth and one. Mac sends out the offense, implying they're going for it. ULL is caught off guard and has to burn a timeout. Mac kinda smirks, and sends out the field goal unit like he'd been planning to do all along. That's a man that understands the subtle things that win games. On field execution comes with capable players. Given our roster, who are fine young men, I think this coaching staff is getting maximum production.

wardly · October 19, 2011

I was speaking specifically about the football program. I know of the improvements in other sports, facilities, and the university as a whole.

It does beg the question why have other programs been able to improve while football has digressed during the same time period? Many say head coaching was the problem and that it is now fixed.

I say fine. Prove it.

its a fair question if you accept the fact that we are starting from the bottom 1/3 of the belt.also, until student fee was approved and new president came on board we did not have the budget to pay $500,000 for head coach. in fact, coach chico is probably making nearly as much as dickey ever did.you are right .improvement in the belt should be expected each year.i personally tend to discount out of conference games with top 25 programs and bcs schools, but thats just me. i'm 69, and assure you that i have more of a sense of urgency than a 90' grad.