Green Menace

I'd put my money on UTA.

NT may not pay Tidwell $200,000, but it still could be a lot more than the Lamar job.  Again, pure speculation on my part.  NT does not need that kind of press that you were referring to.  Heck, they just got all of their "gender equity" mess straightened out a couple of years ago.

BTW, my Aggie daughter(B.S. Nutrition) is applying to nursing school, a profession she has wanted to pursue since her HOSA days at Port Neches Groves HS.  I'm really proud of her.

Think of it this way, Coach Tidwell has women coming in better than Abalde and she was just voted Freshman of the Year and 1st team All-Conference. Start all over from ground zero, have to recruit against TCU (he is still proud of the accomplishments there) for a job not a great deal better than Lamar. What are the going to pay him $30,000 more? Half of that would be cost of living. Remember I lived in Fort Worth. Everything is higher there.

Then he has made statements to Cardinal Club members that he hopes to retire here. I'll give him a pass if UT comes calling but not UNT. One thing about Tidwell is he is very honest.

The man lived in a dorm room for half the year. I want to say he just bought a home. You really think he'll leave after one season. No way, he has invested too much into the program.

I have no idea what Lamar pays Tidwell but NT was paying Slinker right at $200,000, plus incentives.  Don't sell UNT short. The athletic budget is around $15-$16 million.  And for the record, as I'm sure someone will ask, my "source" is someone close to the program and on the Athletic Council at NT.

Green, I'm not saying you are wrong about the salary of the woman's basketball coach but Todd Dodge is only making around $250,000. You mean the football coach only makes $50,000 more than the woman's basketball coach? BTW, I have a pretty good source on the salary of Todd Dodge. He is a Port Arthur native you know.

Yes, the base salaries of the two are pretty close.  Don't forget, Slinker has had that job for 19 years.  I think Dodge's incentive package moves him into the $350K, if he makes them.  But honestly, I don't know what the incentive package is worth.

Think of it this way, Coach Tidwell has women coming in better than Abalde and she was just voted Freshman of the Year and 1st team All-Conference. Start all over from ground zero, have to recruit against TCU (he is still proud of the accomplishments there) for a job not a great deal better than Lamar. What are the going to pay him $30,000 more? Half of that would be cost of living. Remember I lived in Fort Worth. Everything is higher there.

Then he has made statements to Cardinal Club members that he hopes to retire here. I'll give him a pass if UT comes calling but not UNT. One thing about Tidwell is he is very honest.

The man lived in a dorm room for half the year. I want to say he just bought a home. You really think he'll leave after one season. No way, he has invested too much into the program.

I have no idea what Lamar pays Tidwell but NT was paying Slinker right at $200,000, plus incentives.  Don't sell UNT short. The athletic budget is around $15-$16 million.  And for the record, as I'm sure someone will ask, my "source" is someone close to the program and on the Athletic Council at NT.

Hiring a high school coach for a re-startup football program at Lamar would be a mistake of monumental proportations.  LU needs a seasoned D1A coach, or an up and coming coordinator at a D1A program.  Personally, I'd take the seasoned coach first.

North Texas will not renew the contract of Womens BB Coach Tina Slinker.  Slinker has been at NT for 19 seasons. Tidwell is from the North Texas Region.

A couple of points about Lamar Football

- being part of the Texas State University System is a very good thing for Lamar Football.  Remember, state funds cannot be used for athletics or stadium building or renovation.  Lamar will have to cultivate many donors and season ticket sales.  Personally, I don't think Lamar will have any problems raising the money, what with the deep pocket lawyers that are in this area.  Don't depend on the "body games" to fund the program.  That will kill the excitement. Play one, maybe two D1A programs a year.  Winnable games against some lower tier Sunbelt or CUSA teams.

- Lamar has to hire the very best, experienced head coach they can afford.  And just as important is Lamar has to pay the bucks to attract the good assistants.  They have to hit the ground running that first year of play.

I am really excited for Lamar Football.  I am not even an LU grad and I plan on buying season tickets to support the program.  I'll even attend games when convenient and not conflicting with any North Texas games in Denton.  I attend those too.  I really enjoy college football.

Lamar needs to hire a coach, recruit women swimmers, and join CUSA in that sport now.

That would be nice but it won't happen.  They'd never vote to let us compete in just one sport.  But 5 years from now, who knows what opportunites will be out there.  Lamar should be just about finished with all of it's facility upgrades and it's athletic budget should be closer to $10M a year than just $5M now.  Lamar should be able to make a jump to a better conference at that time.

CUSA?  You people are dreaming.  Lamar needs to be very successful in the Southland Conf first and foremost.  Compete for and win a FCS(D1AA) championship.  There are too many other options for CUSA to add.  Why Lamar when you have all of the SunBelt schools (read established D1A) to choose from.  Troy, Arkansas State, North Texas, etc., to name a few.  Besides, a $10 million athletic budget is nothing these days.  That's probably the very bottom end for an FBS program.

Besides, CUSA is not looking to add another football any time soon.

Womens swimming, not football.

Never happen.

Lamar needs to hire a coach, recruit women swimmers, and join CUSA in that sport now.

That would be nice but it won't happen.  They'd never vote to let us compete in just one sport.  But 5 years from now, who knows what opportunites will be out there.  Lamar should be just about finished with all of it's facility upgrades and it's athletic budget should be closer to $10M a year than just $5M now.  Lamar should be able to make a jump to a better conference at that time.

CUSA?  You people are dreaming.  Lamar needs to be very successful in the Southland Conf first and foremost.  Compete for and win a FCS(D1AA) championship.  There are too many other options for CUSA to add.  Why Lamar when you have all of the SunBelt schools (read established D1A) to choose from.  Troy, Arkansas State, North Texas, etc., to name a few.  Besides, a $10 million athletic budget is nothing these days.  That's probably the very bottom end for an FBS program.

Besides, CUSA is not looking to add another football any time soon.

UTSA it is going FBS after 2 years.

Texas st voted for FBS

SHSU is making moves for FBS.

So what will the slc look like in the near future?

Will SFA, McNeese, and NW st follow?

I believe there is a 4-5 year moritorium by the NCAA on schools moving up to FBS.

The coach that Lamar should go after from day one is Don Carthel at West Texas A & M University.  That is, if Carthel is the type of guy who would want to start up a program from scratch.

Many fans at North Texas wanted Carthel over Todd Dodge.  Carthel has built a winning program at WTAM in a few short years and attendance averaged around 14,000 this past season.  Two home games played this season brought 23,000+ and 22,000+ fans to the game.  And that's for games played in Canyon, Texas!  Here's the link to Carthels's bio.

Shoot!  I'm a North Texas fan but I sure as hell would buy season tickets for Lamar Football if they ever started it back up.  I just happen to really enjoy college football.  Plus, I can't make it up to Denton for every home game up there.  Yep, I'd support Lamar as best I could.  LU really took a dive in perceived stature when they closed down football.  Didn't their enrollment take a hit too?

Tre Newton is a running back whereas Duhon was a wide receiver.  Not trying to be negative here, but I just don't see Riley making it as a BCS quarterback.  He's on the small side.  If he gets playing time in a few years, he could end up at WR, DB, or kick returner.  QB at Texas?  I'd be surprised.