Green Menace

Ramone Flanagan would be an absolute disaster for Lamar. During halftime at a game a few years ago, when NT was showing absolutely no offense, and the coaches were coming down from the pressbox (NT has no elevator), an upset fan made comment for all to hear about the sluggish offense. Your man Flanagan turned around and went after the fan. Really classy for a D1A coach to do that type of thing. Good coaches have to learn to take the heat. Sorry, I'm not impressed with Lamar's list of candidates.

Here's a link to Florida Atlantic's records since moving to FBS (D1A). FAU D1A Scores This is a neat site BTW.

texasstud28, I didn't take offense to your questions/comments. Kids wanting to go to the more storied programs like OU, Ut, A&M, etc., is understandable. What hurts are all the quality athletes that go out of state to play college ball. Wish they would stay in Texas. What about Craig James' son, did he ever really play at Tech? When? Peace.

It tells me there is UT, OU, A&M, TxTech, and the rest of D1A programs in Texas. So what? Not every HS recruit can go to those schools. There are other choices, but most of the talented recruits in Texas want to play for BCS programs if they can. And yes, NT can be as competitive as TCU, as long as the University brass does what it takes for the program to succeed. From what I have seen, and I'm a diehard UNT fan, our administration lacks the balls (funny, the President is a female) to slap a per semester athletic fee on each student to fund the FBS program. NT needs a new stadium really bad and this would be a sure way of getting it. The school needs to utilize it's sheer numbers (33,000 students) to get the stadium built. Supposedly, they are trying to fund it from external sources. Even with an athletic fee, NT is still a "best buy" for a quality college education. Is James' son still at Texas Tech? Did he ever play? Many good players go to those fine programs only to sit on the bench for 4-5 years.

"• The key is there be a consensus by the important people at the university that this is what they want, and it’s what’s best for the school. There needs to be a passion for football by the people who make the decisions. The feeling can’t be half hearted. And it can’t be one person’s baby. It’s too big a challenge." This statement, and winning, are so very important in Lamar having a successful football program. Check out the back ground of the University of South Florida. The USF football program is not much older than FAU's. They started out in small tin buildings for their athletic offices and, to my knowledge, still are without an on-campus stadium. Yet they started in CUSA and are not in the Big East. They may still be operating out of tin buildings. BTW, North Texas has yet to beat Snellie's FAU football team.

What is Stump's football coaching bio at the high school and college level?

I think Lamar is approaching this the right way. Lamar's goal is to be the best in FCS as soon as possible. They should aspire to be the next Appalacian State, Georgia Southern, Delaware State, Montana, etc. Speaking of Montana Univ, anyone look at their FCS stadium? They just about sell it out for every game! Sure, probably the only game in town up there in the frozen tundra. The Grizzlies have a very successful program. UNT has not won more than 3 games in football the last 3 years. Do you think UNT should drop down to FCS until UNT can compete in FBS? Actually 7 games in three years. :'( That's why NT fired Darrell Dickey and brought in Todd Dodge. Prior to those three years, NT won 4 conference championships and made 4 trips to the New Orleans Bowl; not the Sugar Bowl, that's for sure, be NT fans got a taste of what a bowl game is all about. To answer your question, the day NT drops "back" down to FCS is the day I quit sending them money for athletics! NT did that from the very early '80's until 1994. That period about killed football at North Texas. Why? Because our "leadership" was too cheap to add 10,000 seats to the stadium to meet the NCAA's new stadium requirements to stay in 1A football. Remember, in those days there was only one football division- 1A. They then created 1AA. It was football purgatory at that time. I agree, it would be an insane move for UNT. So why would you advocate Lamar being another NT of that era. Lamar too would not get money from fans similar to yourself (the day NT drops "back" down to FCS is the day I quit sending them money for athletics! ) why would you too want Lamar in football purgatory? Yeh, it did sound like some double talk. I guess the difference is that NT did not drop football like Lamar did. And it's a whole new ballgame. Maybe in 10 years, when Lamar's athletic deparment budget is sitting at around $25 million and they sell 10-15,000 season tickets each year, they could push for FBS membership. To do it sooner, Tubbs/Simmons needs to put Lamar's goal at being FBS in 5 years. Period. It can be done, but you really have to have the big money folks. And a lot of them to take up the slack in those down years when you only sell 2,000 season tickets. It takes a lot of money to run an FBS program. Like I've said before, I'll support Lamar football regardless what division they play in. I like college football.

I think Lamar is approaching this the right way. Lamar's goal is to be the best in FCS as soon as possible. They should aspire to be the next Appalacian State, Georgia Southern, Delaware State, Montana, etc. Speaking of Montana Univ, anyone look at their FCS stadium? They just about sell it out for every game! Sure, probably the only game in town up there in the frozen tundra. The Grizzlies have a very successful program. UNT has not won more than 3 games in football the last 3 years. Do you think UNT should drop down to FCS until UNT can compete in FBS? Actually 7 games in three years. :'( That's why NT fired Darrell Dickey and brought in Todd Dodge. Prior to those three years, NT won 4 conference championships and made 4 trips to the New Orleans Bowl; not the Sugar Bowl, that's for sure, be NT fans got a taste of what a bowl game is all about. To answer your question, the day NT drops "back" down to FCS is the day I quit sending them money for athletics! NT did that from the very early '80's until 1994. That period about killed football at North Texas. Why? Because our "leadership" was too cheap to add 10,000 seats to the stadium to meet the NCAA's new stadium requirements to stay in 1A football. Remember, in those days there was only one football division- 1A. They then created 1AA. It was football purgatory at that time.

I think Lamar is approaching this the right way. Lamar's goal is to be the best in FCS as soon as possible. They should aspire to be the next Appalacian State, Georgia Southern, Delaware State, Montana, etc. Speaking of Montana Univ, anyone look at their FCS stadium? They just about sell it out for every game! Sure, probably the only game in town up there in the frozen tundra. The Grizzlies have a very successful program.

I am not trying to brag on NT and their facilities, but trying to give LU football folks a reference point regarding facilities. This is what a 47,000 sq. ft. Athletic Center will get you (can't remember the cost). The first picture is the actual front of the facility; the second(night view), showing the deck, will some day soon attach to a new, much needed football stadium. I only wish it could have been in the 75,000 sq foot range in size. Only takes money- a lot of it!

Well said.

Here you go football fans, have fun with this site called the Helmet Project. Has all of the FBS, FCS, etc. conferences, independents and the current and historical football helmets. Just scroll down the left side of the page. Helmet Project

Underrated post.

Regarding a new athletic center, if you want to attract the top recruits in and out of the area, build a top notch athletic center. Lounges, study rooms, flat panel TV's, trophy room, amineties that will get the attention of quality student athletes. Lamar is next to refineries, always has been, always will be. Lamar has to negate the refinery effect.

Some of you may ask, "why is this North Texas guy interested in what Lamar does"? Why doesn't he take a hike? I happen to like college football. When Lamar begins selling season tickets, I will buy them to support LU's football program. That being said, Lamar should makeover Cardinal Stadium. Like a previous poster mentioned, the current LU stadium is below ground level, great for the bowl effect. Put your money in a new pressbox, field turf, jumbotron, and a new athletic center where the present one sits at the south end zone. Eventually, close the bowl in on one end. I firmly believe that Lamar has the leadership and alumni base to cultivate some large money donors to athletics. LU will have plenty of money to make the necessary changes/upgrades. As to the parking, if you start filling the stadium for football games, you will have a problem. So what? Do like most colleges do in those situations- bus the fans from on campus lots and tailgating areas over to the stadium. Surely some of you have attended a game at A & M's Kyle field. Do you really think they have enough spaces around the stadium area for 80,000+ fans' autos? Heck no. They bus the fans from the parade field parking areas and parking lots from all over campus. Parking should not be a concern at Lamar and it should not be the reason to build a brand new stadium at (gasp!), Ford Park.

A Mean Green blog states that Coach Tidwell has not been contacted by North Texas for the vacant head coaching job for womens basketball. Tidwell says that "he is happy at Lamar". Good for Lamar. Coach T will continue to do well at LU.

Here's the latest.

You don't want a track around a football field. You want the fans as close to the field as allowed to creat that homefield advantage. Lamar's stadium does that. All you need now are the fans. Listen, I've been to countless games in Denton and you need binoculars at times to see the game, and that's from 50 yeard line seats! Fouts Field was built in the early '50's for football and track and field. The site lines are terrible and, like I said, the fans are too far from the field. Big mistake for Lamar to do the same. Cardinal Stadium is a fine facility. Just put some money into for upgrades (new, state of the art press box) and it will be just fine. They can easily add a new athletic center to the South End zone, and close in the bowl at that end too. BTW, North Texas is getting real close to building a new stadium at the new "Eagle Point" athletic complex. The new athletic center was built a few years ago and is waiting for a stadium to attach to it.

Just my opinion, but your idea is wrong. Here's why. Lamar needs an "on campus" stadium, not something our at Ford Park. On campus means so much to the college game day atmosphere. Cardinal Stadium is what it is and where it is. Too bad the whole campus sits across the road from a major refinery. In addition, a 40,000 seat, quality stadium is going to cost much more than $50 mil. Memphis plays football in the Liberty Bowl stadium, away from campus. They recently did a study on building a new on-campus stadium with a capacity of 40,000. Cost: $125,000,000. The project was tabled. I just don't think Lamar can jump too fast on this football thing or they will surely fail. Lamar should look to other new, somewhat successful programs and use them as a blueprint. Some of these new football programs are pretty successful, given their infancy in the sport. Florida Atlantic, South Florida, come to mind.

SMU, UTEP, Houston, North Texas, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, and either Southern Miss or Arkansas State. This is about as close as you'll get to the old Southwest Conference. Call it Southwest Conference Lite. ;D

How many times has UNT danced since going to the Sunbelt? What about football bowls? Been to the dance one time since being in the Belt. Went to the New Orleans Bowl four times; I made 3 of the 4 bowls and I have to tell you I had a blast. Nothing like bowling in New Orleans.

UNLV wrote: "Using your logic, then the best option for North Texas is to rejoin the Southland conference. Drop down from FBS to FCS? Yeh, right! My point was that these far reaching, mid-major FBS conferences, including the Sun Belt, need to be re-shuffled. A re-shuffle of the Sun Belt and CUSA would do wonders for all teams involved. Heck, a new Southwest Conference would more than regionalize the teams that would be included. SMU, UTEP, Houston, North Texas, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, and either Southern Miss or Arkansas State would be a very nice regional conference with natural rivalries. Actually, UTEP belongs in the WAC. I included them because the are a Texas team, but let's face it, El Paso is a long way from Mississippi. Who knows, Lamar could become a real power in the FCS division and eventually become a member of a regional FBS conference.

Why not build the Southland into the premier D1AA conference in the country? Everyone wants to move up, but honestly, there may be no where to go. No doubt, the Sun Belt is not a premier FBS conference. But remember, it's the youngest FBS conference in the country, and is improving one step at a time. The Sun Belt actually ranked higher than the MAC according to Sagarin Rankings. O.K., not everyone think highly of the Sagarin, but at least it's a gauge of where the Sun belt is heading. The Sun Belt had a few quality wins this season, most notable was ULM's victory over Alabama. Conference makeups should/must change in my opinion. Mid-Level conferences are too far spread out. The is no reason for UTEP to be traveling to La Tech or East Carolina in CUSA. Or, La TEch to be making trips to Hawaii. Think of the cost for the non-revenue sports like golf, tennis, softball, baseball, etc.

My comments are in regard to your basketball team, since that's apparently what UNLV was talking to re: glory days. What has Lamar done in basketball? Outside of a surprise run to the NCAA tournament in 2000, they have not met anything near your expectations. And this is the "lowly" Southland, right? Didn't UNT turn down a WAC invite? I think I read that somewhere...and yep, La Tech has suffered. From what I gather, they have really hurt relationships with quite a few other schools, conferences in the region over the years. Can't wait for Cardinal football! There's no telling what kind of program you will have and not sure what kind of effect it will have...who knows, you guys may hurt McNeese and SHSU and get in a battle with Central Arkansas for SLC supremacy... North Texas did, in fact, turn down an invite to join the WAC. North Texas has done the western conference thing, having been a member of the Big West, and I doubt will ever do it again. Not only would the WAC have been costly travel wise, but how many fans do you think would have made the trip to Boise, San Jose, Hawaii, or Fresno? Plus, the Left Coast conferences are still playing when most of us are in bed. Two time zones and you would never see the games writeups in the Sunday papers in Houston and Dallas, etc. No, the WAC thing was not for North Texas and it would be a pipe dream and complete failure for Lamar to go that route. Plus, what does Lamar have to offer the WAC at this point? Concentrate on fielding a team first, get the program established, and above all, WIN!

The Lamor Women are getting brutlized!