UNT Going Sports NUTS With New FB Stadium Announcement

[MeanGreenGem]

This last week in Mean Green Country up at UNT featured one of the most important (if not "THE" most important) announcement in the school's 112 year history. (Please, UNT College of Music students/alums, no disrespect or intention from taking away from your most important Murchison Performing Arts Center).

This announcement coming from SMU graduate & new UNT Chancellor Judge Lee Jackson, main campus President Dr. Norval Pohl, the UNT Board of Regents & AD Rick Villarreal. This big announcement represented a 180 degree turn aound and new philosophy to relocate UNT's entire football and ancillary athletic complex facilities across Interstate 35E and for this project to officially turn dirt this Spring (2003). Part of the Spring dirt turning of Phase I will be a new $12 million end zone/Athletic Center.

Also in UNT's Phase 1 beginning this next Spring is a new 600 bed dorm that will also be a part of the new UNT athletic mega-plex; PLUS 3 new football practice fields near the new Athletic Center. A dirt turning ceremony was held Friday for the construction of a 3 story dormitory to be built near the SuperPit near the new Rec Center).

BUT.....THE BIGGEST OF THE BIGGESt IS Phase II: A new UNT football stadium to attach to the Phase I end zone/Athletic Center that the most recent word has will be a 35,000 seat facility with all the amenities that new college football stadiums have (and SMU knows very well what those are). One un-named UNT athletic source said the new football stadium could be ready for use as early as the 2005 football season.

This entire new UNT athletic "mega-plex" will be located in the middle of the enormous multi-acreage and what will become the "former" UNT golf course area located between I-35E and I-35W (near the Radisson Hotel), a most convenient location (inside "both" interstates at the triangle of 1-35 E and W) for a college football stadium with much space for parking to be made available, even a small lake on its west side. (Can you imagine a game with the Oregon Ducks)?:> ) (Phase 3 has some very interesting additions as well but I will not bore you with the details of that in this post).

WITH ALL SMACK ASIDE (and we all know how Mean Greeners and Mustangers can smack with the best of 'em); anyway, UNT and SMU will be players in the future NCAA because of where both universities are located and new facilities so in due time both might consider taking another glance at turning our mutual dislike for each other into something that can make money (and put butts in seats) once a year. That is, a private university vs public university football feud (or what some call, well, a rivaly)?

We are both in this NCAA Division 1 football thing for the long run so why not? Both schools are not spending mega-millions to be future hosts for D1-AA football play-off games and that is for damn sure! Amen?

Most of our respective school's athletic successes will hinge on winning against higher ranked programs than the ones either of us are presently, but a local neighborhood rumble once a year might be some fun (and sure bring out a helluva' lot more fans than some of our own conference rivals will ever do).

Since we all can't get UT, A&M or the Notre Dames scheduled for that many home games here in our area, lets look at what can happen if our schools would tee it up, such as having good crowds (TCU/UNT last Sept. 21'st had 33K+--the Frogs largest home crowd this season & even over their, uh, C-USA "rivals."

What else from local games? How about good marching bands from both schools, good pre-game "friendly" taunting and chatter, my dad is better than your dad stuff, our tail-gate food is better than your tail-gate food, private school vs public school banter, etc, etc, etc, PLUS double the Metroplex media coverage since 2 of its D1-A schools are playing each other. Hell, even TTech (5+ hours away from the Metroplex) would end up on the next page or two of a DMN SportsPage report, after our 2 local schools get marquee billing).

But whatever the case, UNT is moving forward...

Good luck, SMU, in bringing back your athletic legacy. It is good for college sports in the Metroplex for yall to do this. (And for God's sake, don't tell any of my fellow North Texas Exes I said such a thing)! :> )

Later...




[This message has been edited by MeanGreenGem (edited 12-15-2002).]

[NavyCrimson]

that's a good move.......if they are finally serious......this will force smu to be truly serious as well.......yes - in time, something may happen re / a conference but first & foremost people have to come to the games first to even force the next action! we must also remember that being a state u. like they are....they will also give a$m, tx and tech a run for their $$$ to with re / to recruits & size.

[Charleston Pony]

this is good new as far as I'm concerned. I'd like to see the UNT program continue to improve and I hope someday in the near future that SMU, TCU & UNT are all respectable I-A programs that can consistently draw 30,000 plus fans for football. When that day comes, maybe we will see the 3 Metroplex schools competing in the same conference and joined by Houston and other regional programs (a new SWC?). TCU has made tremendous strides in recent years and UNT appears to be on track, as well. Let's hope SMU under coach Bennett is finally ready to join our neighbors and enjoy some success of our own.

[NavyCrimson]

in fact - charleston pony.....with this act.....i think smu will NOW be forced to!

which is good!!!!!!

little competition never hurt anyone - eh?

[This message has been edited by Navy&Crimson (edited 12-14-2002).]

[MeanGreenGem]

Looks like your Coach Bennett is as good as advertised at least according to your verbal committs..

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">I hope someday in the near future that SMU, TCU & UNT are all respectable I-A programs that can consistently draw 30,000 plus fans for football. </font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

30,000?????That's the only problem I had with your statement. Just wanted to make a note. UTEP brings in 40,000 when they get 5 wins in a season. It better get better than 30,000 per game. Right now I think only TCU can really think about that possibility. I understand that as private universities we can't expect to bring as much of a draw as a public school but we have in the past. And if UNT ever becomes a powerhouse they better make a few additions to the new stadium because that is a pretty big school. By the way for the guy that said we have mutual dislike...I don't think we do. My mother went to North Texas State and so did my grandfather. I don't have the slightest problem with them. I think if we played every year I would have a problem with them.

[Bergermeister]

Interesting letter printed on page 3 in the
January 3-9 the SPORTS page I picked up at Chip's Hamburgers. Letter written by Steve Moon touts the benefits of the creation of a new Southwest Conference. I won't re-type the rationale, but he includes the following schools:
1. SMU
2. TCU
3. Rice
4. UNT
5. University of Houston
6. Baylor University
7. UTEP
8. Tulsa
9. Louisiana Tech

SMU will never have football fans to fill the east side belachers with the likes of Fresno State, Boise State, Hawaii, etc. and Baylor can't fill their west side stands playing Nebraska, OU, and Kansas State.
Most of what he sez makes sense. Your thoughts?

[Charleston Pony]

I personally think that "new SWC" with the teams mentioned would be great for each and every one of the schools mentioned...at least from a competition standpoint. The only way it ever happens, though, is for a complete overhaul of I-A football alignments based on athletic dept budgets, where regional alignments become a necessity.

As things now stand, there is no way Baylor ever leaves the Big XII voluntarily because of the revenue sharing they get for being the doormat of that conference.

[True Colors]

No way in hell that Baylor ever leaves the big 12.

When the conference started, BU football was light years ahead of Missouri, OK State, Tx Tech and Kansas. A series of poor coaching hires ran program into the ground.

Now that a good coach is in place, there's simply no reason why the Bears can't become a top 35 national program once again.

TC

[SMUstang]

I agree that Baylor would never leave the Big 12 voluntarily but I really question your logic in your statement that Baylor was "lightyears" ahead of Missouri, etc. when the conference was formed.

Hogwash

[Water Pony]

Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Duke, etc. all struggle with FB in their respective conference but aren't going anywhere. I assume Baylor would not want to give the Big 12 gravy train up, despite their on-going challenges. Logically, they should be in this new SW Conference but reality rules. BTW, if we are playing with names I would add Tulane to the new SWC, since you want to pull TCU out of the Conference USA. Gets complicated. Winning is the only option for 2 to 3 years before this scenario is even a remote possibility. Finally, I don't the the geopraphy problems with many conferences, especially the WAC. No regional rivalries to promote and draw fans to.

[MeanGreenGem]

UPDATE: Dirt turning ceremonies for UNT's new $12 million Athletic Center/End Zone facility is project to begin in 3 months (April, 2003).

AND.........SMU ALUMS DO BEST PRE-GAME NATIONAL ANTHEM I'VE EVER HEARD AT ANY FOOTBALL GAME AT TODAY'S SUPER BOWL! Your Dixie Chicks who I understand are ALL SMU alums were quite magnificent as they sang "The Star Spangled Banner" before this evening's Super Bowl kick-off!

Are they up for more Grammy's this year? I do know UNT alum Norah Jones (a jazz major at UNT) was nominated for a few Grammys herself. Her dad was Ravi Shakir of sitar fame and who assisted the Beatles in learning that stringed instrument.

Enough of this lagniape...

[This message has been edited by MeanGreenGem (edited 01-27-2003).]

[FloridaMustang]

I'm so glad you posted. I had no idea Norah Jones was the daughter of Ravi Shakir. That explains the talent

[FloridaMustang]

I wanted to add also that only Martie went to SMU..and she dropped out to make it big

[MeanGreenGem]

CELEBRATION NOW, COME ON !

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin has given the final OK yesterday (1/30/03) for UNT to start almost $35 million of construction on a new 600 bed dormitory & Athletic Center on the university's 160 acres which sets between I35-E & I35-W (formerly our golf course near the Radisson Hotel/Conference Center).

The Athletic Center will become part of an End Zone facility for our new football stadium which some think we could move in as early as 2005 or 2006 football seasons once all the finances are line up.

I guess we Mean Greeners are beginning to feel a bit how the Stangs did when Gerald "J" Ford came thru with his "jump starting" donation for your campus stadium. Word has it that UNT is lining up a similar "jump starting" donor to get the ball rolling at UNT. Stay tuned...

LA FABULOSA !