Early attendance observation

[TIgreen01]

As thin as the alumni side was, that was the most into a game I've ever seen them since the bowl years. GREAT atmosphere the last 2 games. Those felt like college football crowds.

Win. Keep winning. The rest will take care of itself.

[Stan R]

The sound in the stadium now is so electric. I can't remember a time in fouts where I got goosebumps because of the sound in there. Whoever designed apogee did a great job of keeping all of the sound in. At fouts we tried to be loud, but the sound mostly dissipated.

[Coffee and TV]

Alum who didn't make it last night.

All I can say to the students is KEEP SHOWING UP. It looked absolutely fantastic on TV and we need that every game. There is still plenty of time for tailgating & other activities on Saturdays. The alumni side will be much fuller on Saturdays so if the students keep coming like they did last night, we'll be over 25k every game.

[UNT Mean Green]

Apogee was absolutely rocking last night. The students continue to be amazing, and give Coach Mac kudos for engaging them when they come for orientation each summer. Once you get them hooked and get them excited by having a nice product on the field, you'll have them hooked. Good stuff.

It's all about leadership, and our football program couldn't be in better shape in that regard.

[NorthTexan95]

The sound in the stadium now is so electric. I can't remember a time in fouts where I got goosebumps because of the sound in there. Whoever designed apogee did a great job of keeping all of the sound in. At fouts we tried to be loud, but the sound mostly dissipated.

I remember Fouts being electric for the Navy game ... the fly over before the game and the trilling first three quarters before we ran out of gas.

[meangreener]

I will say, Apogee gets loud. Really loud. Everyone goes to the games now is 100% into them. That place is electric. Just listen to it on the TV then go listen to Louisiana Tech. Night and day.

Also, thanks for the North-Texas chant on the video board, whoever reads this board and took our advice. Was excellent. That chant is scary good.

Edited November 1, 2013 by meangreener

[drex]

Don't forget the Joe Greene era old coots like me who got hooked in t he 60's.

[FirefightnRick]

What many students now have to understand about the alumni who do not normally come to games is there is a reason they aren't coming and it's not just that it is Halloween. The people who normally come but had kid obligations, work etc. aren't the ones I'm talking about either.

I'm talking about the alumni who never went to games as students, and there are a ton of them. There was no reason for them to get hooked. There was no reason to make it part of their routine during football season.

I work with a ton of UNT alumns. Most all of the UNT alumns I work with have graduate degrees from somewhere other than North Texas. Mostly from TCU. These people have season tickets to TCU. I've been trying to get them to UNT games, but it is difficult. Their routine is now loyalty to another school. It's going to take more than 5-6 wins. It will take longer than a couple years to get people like that to come. It might take more than 9-10 wins for a couple of years for some. Some might just be lost all together. It will be hard to ask someone that age with those obligations already mentioned to start a new routine. Some will. It's not a lost cause, and I will continue to offer.

What happened in the early 2000's has kept a lot of alumni my age around. What is happening now with the students is the best thing that could happen to a program. The best advice I can give to students is to take advantage of the fun that this season is. Ask friends to come to the games and go to the bowl game. Good god, go to the bowl game as a student. Sleep 5 to a room. Squeeze into cars, pick up an extra shift. Do whatever it is you have to do to go to a bowl game as a student and take your friends with you. You will make lifelong memories that will include North Texas Football, and that is tougher to forget for alumni in the future.

I give them crap for it, but It is the reason that the alumni older than me on this board still talk about Hayden Fry and Tennessee and Texas in '88. Do not worry about alumni attendance, worry about having fun as a student at the games. That pays off bigger for the future of a program than worrying about alumni attendance.

Possibly the best post so far. As an alumn from the Corky era...(including the '88 season),.. I can attest to the truth in this post. Games like last night are what keep folks coming back.

BTW,.. the 6 adults who took our seats last night said they had as good a time on Halloween as I did.

As we toured the battleship Mizzouri this summer my daughter saw the Rosie The Riveter posters on board and said that's what she wanted to be for Halloween. So I made her costume and I usually try and match what ever theme either of them go with. The boy on the other hand was in a class all by himself as Green Blow Up Man or whatever that thing is. Was very funny watching him waddle in it.

Rick

Edited November 1, 2013 by FirefightnRick

[oldguystudent]

Just listen to it on the TV then go listen to Louisiana Tech. Night and day.

I don't know about that. They were both really loud dominated by North Texas cheers.

[Green Mean]

What many students now have to understand about the alumni who do not normally come to games is there is a reason they aren't coming and it's not just that it is Halloween. The people who normally come but had kid obligations, work etc. aren't the ones I'm talking about either.

I'm talking about the alumni who never went to games as students, and there are a ton of them. There was no reason for them to get hooked. There was no reason to make it part of their routine during football season.

I work with a ton of UNT alumns. Most all of the UNT alumns I work with have graduate degrees from somewhere other than North Texas. Mostly from TCU. These people have season tickets to TCU. I've been trying to get them to UNT games, but it is difficult. Their routine is now loyalty to another school. It's going to take more than 5-6 wins. It will take longer than a couple years to get people like that to come. It might take more than 9-10 wins for a couple of years for some. Some might just be lost all together. It will be hard to ask someone that age with those obligations already mentioned to start a new routine. Some will. It's not a lost cause, and I will continue to offer.

What happened in the early 2000's has kept a lot of alumni my age around. What is happening now with the students is the best thing that could happen to a program. The best advice I can give to students is to take advantage of the fun that this season is. Ask friends to come to the games and go to the bowl game. Good god, go to the bowl game as a student. Sleep 5 to a room. Squeeze into cars, pick up an extra shift. Do whatever it is you have to do to go to a bowl game as a student and take your friends with you. You will make lifelong memories that will include North Texas Football, and that is tougher to forget for alumni in the future.

I give them crap for it, but It is the reason that the alumni older than me on this board still talk about Hayden Fry and Tennessee and Texas in '88. Do not worry about alumni attendance, worry about having fun as a student at the games. That pays off bigger for the future of a program than worrying about alumni attendance.

Excellent post. It takes time to change an apathetic culture but last night I was recollecting when I transferred to UNT in 04 and left in 07 and how night and day difference it is from then and now in terms of school pride, wearing green, buzz etc. We went to the NO Bowl in 2004 but I honestly don't remember hearing any buzz about it. Other than a token segment or two that may have been on The Ticket, if I wanted information about the game I'd take initiative myself because I was interested. We've come to a point now where there is a good enough buzz, information outlets, social media etc that it just spreads to more and more people which is benefiting us. Just keep on winning and slowly but surely change that culture. There is no reason whatsoever we cannot have as much success and school pride as any of the other big name schools.

[meangreener]

I got here in 2010 and the spirit is night and day. Those students that were there will come back on the alumni side.

[UNTLifer]

Fouts and Apogee don't even compare. Apogee is so much better. I am also a diehard, because my family worked at NTSU and I attended/graduated from NTSU/UNT. I became a fan because they have always been my team, but we are few and far between. Those alumni that now go to TCU...let them and forget about them. Too much effort has been put into that group with minimal results for far too long. These students and the students that graduated in the early 00's will become our active/engaged alumni of the future, so let's focus on these. The important thing is too stay active after graduation by joining the Mean Green Club and the Alumni Association and coming to every event possible. MeanMag was so, so accurate with his post above.

[DallasGreen]

Positive electric atmosphere that contributed to on the field performance. Those who were there were part of something special. Some may be given a pass due to the week night Halloween thing, but no excuses accepted for the homecoming game. Be there or you are part of the problem! One thing missing last night was as usual the Denton community. Your support of the universities that make your town what it is IS TRULY PATHETIC! Don't ever confuse Denton with being a REAL college town. The C of C and leaders give a lot of hot air support, but there were many more people who had driven a lot of miles and made sacrifices to be there on the alumni side than there were Dentonites. I challenge the citizens of Denton to prove me wrong on Homecoming!

[hickoryhouse]

I get here in 2000 and took my sweet time getting out, 2006, and even during the Bowl Era you didn't have buzz like this. I got hooked on it, so did a bunch of us, but there si something so different about things right now and it is exciting to see. Public perception is starting to switch a bit, people that normally would roll their eyes when I would talk about the Mean Green now want to have a conversation about it, are interested and some cases even knowledgeable. There is an appreciation for UNT in the metroplex and we are on the verge of something big, we just need to keep it up.

[meaniegreenie]

Here's is a crappy phone picture taken near the end of the first half.

[NTEdgex2]

Section 105 was a little sparse at the beginning, but filled in pretty well as the game went on. Was about as full as I've ever seen it. Took people some time to get there on a weeknight I'm guessing.

Can't wait for homecoming!

GMG!

[rws69]

As my signature shows, I was at NTSU during the MVC years in the back half of the 60's. (I attended every home game plus three road games.) Even though I immediately joined the alumni association as a lifetime member, I do not recall any effort to keep alumni involved in NT sports. The departure from division 1 probably cut most of us off from UNT athletics for good. I only jumped back in when my company relocated from Dallas County to Lewisville and we moved from Richardson to Flower Mound, and we are now in our sixth year as season ticket holders. As I meet more people in the MGC, I know there are still a few from the sixties and fifties; but not nearly enough. With continued success this season and in the future, we may get more of that group back; but most are retired will be hard to bring back. Maintaining contact with current students after they graduate is essential for long-term growth. I get excited when I think of last night's student section staying after graduation and filling seats on the west side.

[meangreanmick]

Before getting too down on attendance last night, here are the attendance numbers for games played this week:

Tuesday

Cincinnati @ Memphis - 22,571

Thursday

South Florida @ Houston - 22,707

Louisiana Monroe @ Troy - 17,013

Rice @ North Texas - 22,835

Arizona State @ Washington - 20,617

I was very pleased with our crowd and the energy we had. Being able to stand on the alumni side the majority of the 2nd half without feeling out of place or rude for blocking the view of those behind me was very encouraging.

Also, being part of the herd of people making our way across the pedestrian bridge AFTER the game (including an impromptu "north..texas" chant) was a great change from recent years.

Where is cougar queen when you need him

[meangreener]

Where is cougar queen when you need him

Didn't we outdraw them last home game we had here too?

I'm pretty sure he said attendance would be better than ever at Reliant.

BTW, he's been banned from every UH forum and apparently spends his time with UTSA and SMU fans.

[SSP]

I think everyone is missing the point in regards to "Dentonites"... And coming from the same board that b****** and moaned a few months ago about how wounded they still are from past seasons.... a little amusing to see fingers pointed at the city of Denton who most never even went to UNT.

Everybody wants to be a part of a winning program... we are winning and our local unaffiliated fanbase is growing. I think it's kind of unfair to insinuate that somebody's a jackass because they live in Denton and don't support North Texas football when a very large portion of their most devoted fan base and alumni couldn't say a positive word about them 8 weeks ago.

It's kind of like 'no credit is worse than bad credit' theology.

They aren't wounded. Denton just hasn't cared because they haven't had a reason to in a very long time.

Edited November 1, 2013 by SSP

[Christopher Walker]

I think everyone is missing the point in regards to "Dentonites"... And coming from the same board that b****** and moaned a few months ago about how wounded they still are from past seasons.... a little amusing to see fingers pointed at the city of Denton who most never even went to UNT.

Everybody wants to be a part of a winning program... we are winning and our local unaffiliated fanbase is growing. I think it's kind of unfair to insinuate that somebody's a jackass because they live in Denton and don't support North Texas football when a very large portion of their most devoted fan base and alumni couldn't say a positive word about them 8 weeks ago.

It's kind of like 'no credit is worse than bad credit' theology.

They aren't wounded. Denton just hasn't cared because they haven't had a reason to in a very long time.

I'd +1, but I ran out hours ago.