Green Menace

Yes, the stadium and athletic complex are across IH35.  Expansion of the current stadium was looked on several occasions, by doing away with the track, digging down and creating more seating closer to the action.  From what I gather there was a water table problem that nixed the idea.  Also, the stadium is very old, reguiring the athletic department to bring in 9 or 10 generators for additional power.  Really bush league. The stadium will remain standing for track, until a new facility is built for that sport.  It will then be leveled and used for a multi-story parking facility and additional academic buildings. The old stadium is surrounded by parking lots and three practice fields.  The land is of great value to the university. Thanks for asking.

Stadium update. A UNT Alum did a flyover of the stadium construction a few days ago.  Click on each photo to enlarge; gives you a whole different perspective of the magnitude of the project's size. [url=[Hidden Content] Photos[/url]

UNT's new stadium is taking shape little by little.  Since turning dirt in February, progress has been made in such a short period.  If only we would have had this 30+ years ago!  The last photo is one of several footings for the video scoreboard. [url=[Hidden Content] Stadium Photo Album[/url] Here is a current video camera snapshot from today. [url=[Hidden Content] Stadium 07-14[/url] Lamar's stadium upgrades and new athletic center are very impressive too!

This is exactly how Johnny Jones at North Texas has succeeded the past four years.  Junior college recruits and transfers from some of the larger programs.

Six recruits and the tallest is 6-1???  Somewhat of a smallish group. Never mind.  These are female recruits.  I failed reading! ;D

[quote name="D3zii" post="802813" timestamp="1274145899"] When is it post to be completed [/quote] For the 2011 football season.

[quote name="NorthoftheBorder" post="802648" timestamp="1274120974"] Mean Green, is the new stadium capacity going to be 50 or 60K?  I thought I saw a awhile back that is was going to be about 60k.  That would position them really nicely. [/quote] 50 to 60K??  No way!  Where did you hear that? All $78,000,000 will buy you nowadays is a very nice, upscale 32,000 seat venue, designed for expansion seating as the need and funds become available.  32K is just right for UNT.  TCU's Amon Carter stadium seats 40K+ and even with their success the past 10 years they still only draw in the mid-30's for a high profile game.

Here's the link to the North Texas stadium construction going on in Denton.  Interesting to watch it develop.  BTW, I passed by LU's stadium Friday on my way to a doctor visit and the exterior entrance really looks nice. [url=[Hidden Content] Stadium Video Camera[/url]

[quote name="UNLV" post="802039" timestamp="1273966340"] [quote author=coachacola link=topic=69704.msg802001#msg802001 date=1273962856] Boise State was the money maker for the WAC.  If they do leave then I wouldn't be surprised if the other top teams left too.  I think there's a good chance La Tech will leave soon and it would be nice if Lamar could join them in the some conference. [/quote]Where would they go? Where would Tech go? Tech at one time was the number 1 for CUSA. Not any more. UNT, MTSU, and UTSA is in front of them. Maybe TSU and LU. [b]Tech has big money problems[/b]. [/quote] And I'll give you two guesses where their money problems came from?  No, not the State of Louisiana's cut backs.  Although no Tech fan will ever admit it, travel costs to those far flung areas of the West have probably taken their toll.  Think about the non-revenue sports like baseball, softball, soccer and probably basketball.  It's a long way to Fresno, Boise State, San Jose, and Hawaii.

Probably the trial lawyer morgan of beaumont.

[quote name="Razor08" post="786739" timestamp="1270589008"] The word that is going around Lumberton is that he will be transferring to Lamar when finishing up this year at West Texas A&M. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when transferring from a D2 - D1 you have to sit out a year? [/quote] No.  Only when a player transfers from a D1A(FBS) to another FBS do they have to sit out a year. 

Prior to UNT's Johnny Jones' success over the past 4-5 years, North Texas took a hard look at Marlin. Many wanted him in Denton.  Now with four 20 win seasons in four years and two trips to the NCAA tourney in the same period, we hope to hang on to JJ.

Seton Hall, UCF, IOWA, Auburn, Boise, St Johns, Toledo, ULL, Kent, and ECU would all be tempting jobs for a successful coah wanting to move up.  Not saying the Sam job is bad, just saying.

[quote name="TexasTerror" post="776655" timestamp="1268513652"] [quote author=mffl link=topic=67298.msg776634#msg776634 date=1268509735]Nothing impressive until 2013, which all are unconfirmed. I'll be surprised if KSU sticks with that game, [b]I hear they have bought out the UNT game next season @ Denton[/b] but I don't remember seeing anything official on that.[/quote] 2011 is a startup schedule... 2012 is a full FCS schedule... I have a hard time believing they will have problems delivering on EIGHT games against FBS competition in 2013. The scheduling is solid for the future... [/quote] Nope.  Game on.  Kansas State will be the last football game at Fouts Field.  New stadium to open in 2011. [url=[Hidden Content] Stadium[/url]

[quote name="coachacola" post="759336" timestamp="1266031335"] How come this signing hasn't been officially announced?  Are we sure this is a done deal? [/quote] I read it in the newspaper.  IMHO, Harmon is a player that the big boys let slip through the cracks.  And that comment is not to slight Lamar; but face it, this will be LU's first year on the gridiron in many years.

[quote name="coachacola" post="756420" timestamp="1265520017"] Unless CUSA totally implodes I don't see any of those teams leaving for a new conference with LU and UTSA.  I could see some of the eastern Sun Belt teams leaving which would open a few spots in the Sun Belt.  I think a long shot would be for the WAC to expand to 12 teams and invite UNT, UTSA and LU.  UNT and La Tech would be travel partners, while UTSA and LU would be travel partners.  What I've read is that UNT has had an open invitation to the WAC, and since they are building a new stadium, joining the WAC would really get the fans excited.  UTSA is aggressively pursuing FBS status and will probably not join the SLC so the WAC might see this as a great opportunity.  Having Boise State play in the Alamodome would probably draw big crowds.  With UNT giving the WAC the DFW market and UTSA the San Antonio market, LU would give the Houston/SETX market and their 12th team. [/quote] UNT does, in fact, have a open invitation to join the WAC.  Fans have been split on the issue with the majority saying no to moving to the WAC.  The WAC is more prestigious than the SBC and maybe even CUSA.  But the cost and expenses of being in a far Western conference (moutain and west coast start times for games), and the unknown of "when", not if, Boise and probably Fresno State move to another conference.  Many expect both schools to move to the MWC.  I predict that the MWC will then be an automatic qualifer conference and reach BCS status. Remember, UNT was in the Big West Conference with most of the WAC members.  UNT knows the expenses of pbelonging to a far West conference.  Football and basketball drive and fund an athletic department. Playing tennis, baseball, volleyball in the WAC is an expensive undertaking.  Your football and BB programs better bring in a lot of moola. UNT has its eyes set on CUSA, assuming no major loss of teams takes place in the next shakeup.  UNT came in just under UTEP in the last CUSA membership change.  With the new stadium, I think UNT will make it to CUSA during the next conference realignemnt.

At the FBS level, the best JUCOS to get are the ones that can come in mid-term.  This allows them to participate in spring practice and of course fall practice.  Those that come in during the fall usually take their first full season to learn the game at that level (speed of the game, etc.).  These JUCOS can give you one, maybe 1-1/2 years of good productive play if they are players. Starting from scratch the Lamar is doing it requires many JUCO players just to be competitive.  I think Woodard is going about it the right way.  The best thing for Lamar is getting in the good transfers each year.  Moving from FBS to FCS, those guys don't have to sit out a year.  Look at the players Lamar has coming in from A & M.

[quote name="AJ25" post="752587" timestamp="1264985678"] [quote author=jhamilton link=topic=65236.msg752328#msg752328 date=1264903548] Is the lack of support bc Lamar is a comuter school? [/quote] Yeah. I don't go there, but like many students my age I have a lot of friends that do. None of them attend any basketball games or any other sport, I don't know why they don't. At my school, every student is at every game for every sport. I know this will change with football, but basketball will still be left hanging. Baseball usually draws a decent amount of students. [/quote] IMHO, it's the age old problem of not being and ATM or UT, and to a lesser extent, a part of the old Southwest Conference.  If you were not part of the SWC, you were not taken seriously when it comes to football in Texas.  It will be an uphill battle for Lamar.  It's doable as long as LU puts a competitive product on the field and has consistant winning seasons.  Oh, and have a T-shirt and cap "police" look for students wearing gear from other universities, notibly UT and ATM.  At North Texas they actually go around campus, find students with non-UNt gear, and then trade the student for whatever gear they are wearing for UNT stuff.  Then they have a "gear burning" party for all of the UT, ATM, UH, etc., trash that is turned in.  Crazy, but anything to help see nothing but "green" on the Denton campus.  Lamar should flow red.

[quote name="AJ25" post="752489" timestamp="1264961592"] [quote author=ForeverADog link=topic=65405.msg752484#msg752484 date=1264959977] I like their decision. It makes sense for them football wise but I think will hurt them in other sports. [/quote] It won't hurt them in as many as you think. The only 2 that really matter are baseball and [b]football[/b], and they'll be able to compete baseball wise. [/quote] IMHO, the only two that matter are football and mens basketball.  Those are the big money making sports that fund the rest of programs at the college level (tennis, soccer, softball, w basketball).  Going FBS Indy right out of the shoot is a dangerous proposition at best.  Suppose you are still without a conference after year five and your football team has to throw together killer schedules each year, with most of the big money games played away from home?  Enough 2-10 or 1-11 records starts to wear thin on your contributors and fans in general.  And it would be tough on Coker to last very long. UTSA needs to study this very carefully.  They are not Notre Dame, Navy or Army.

[quote name="TexasTerror" post="751272" timestamp="1264739605"] Another one...from the [url=[Hidden Content] Report[/url] SBC – North Appalachian State Arkansas State Kennesaw State Middle Tennessee UNC Charlotte Western Kentucky SBC South Nova Southeastern Georgia Southern Lamar Louisiana – Lafayette South Alabama Troy [/quote] Did North Texas drop football or get an invite from the SEC or Big 12? ;D

Isn't South Alabama coming to Beaumont?  Maybe the SBC rule doesn't apply to a provisional school like USA.

What will be the total square footage of Lamar's new athletic center?

Impressive that Lamar is already mixing it up with the big boys in recruiting.

[quote name="coachacola" post="712121" timestamp="1258649923"] No, and it's frustrating because I wrote an email to the athletic department about 2 or 3 months ago and they said they would release some drawings soon, but of course they never did.  North Texas just broke ground on their new stadium and they have a new website just for the stadium with lots of drawings.  LU can't even update the construction blog. [/quote] Correction.  North Texas will have an official groundbreaking ceremony this Saturday, 11:00AM, prior to the Army/UNT football game.  The actual moving of dirt will start after the first of the year.  This stadium was desperately needed.

Actually Dodge has two years to right the ship.  He signed a 5 year deal. Except for a couple of positions on the defensive that has needed beefing up, Dodge has decent personnel.  His problem is he won't make mid-game corrections when needed.  The opposing teams' coordinators know what adjustments need to be made to beat Todd's spread offense.  Stack the line and blitz.  Dodge won't throw to a tight end over the middle.  Why?  We rarely line up with a tight end.  Much less two tight ends.  When we do, we don't throw to them.  3rd and 1 needed?  Run the shotgun and hand the ball to your running back 6+ years behind the line of scrimmage rather than a QB sneak from under center or a handoff to Micah Mosely.  Or, how about NT being on it's own 1 ft line.  Seriously!  Dodge calls for an option play from the spread!  Safety! I'm not knocking Todd Dodge and certainly don't claim to know what goes on during a game on the sidelines, but some of his decisions have left UNT fans just plain baffled.  And unhappy. Not sure what is going to happen to him, but the "on the job training" of a high school coach was not a smart move by North Texas. >:(