UNT posts impressive performance academically in football

[MeanGreenTexan]

Me too. I want stellar scholars and stellar athletes in the same person.

We need a team full of Nick Bazalduas.

All-Conference and 4.0gpa.

[ForneyGreen]

We need a team full of Nick Bazalduas.

All-Conference and 4.0gpa.

While a team of 85 intelligent place-kickers would likely not lead to much on-field success, it certainly would garner a ton of national publicity. Let's do it!

Edited January 15, 2013 by ForneyGreen

[JesseMartin]

I am glad that so many of us agree about this. Most of the "successful" teams use scholarships as a way to get the players they want who might not otherwise have a future, use them to get wins, and discard them without any glimmer of a chance at success in any other career if they don't go pro.

I, too, use Nick Bazaldua as an example when making the point about student athletes also being students and citizens with a talent to share with their school, as well as Rosalyn Reades and quite a few others. I like to think that it isn't a mutually exclusive situation, but if we had to remain a moderate team in a mid-major conference who takes care of their athletes' education and future careers, rather than become a national powerhouse that follows the model I just mentioned, then I would rather have the first option. I do believe that we can be a winning team and eventually in a conference that better suits our history and demographic, but I am certainly not willing to sacrifice so many of our good traits in order to do so.

I don't care how big, successful, or well-known your program is if you make a bunch of teens feel like they have a chance and then teach them not to bother reaching for any level of personal growth off of the playing field or outside of the locker room. Those coaches, systems, and overall style of thinking aren't worth anyone's time, no matter how many wins their sports programs post.