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Todd Dodge wasn't right fit for North Texas
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/20/2564024/dodge-wasnt-right-for-north-texas.html#ixzz12ynGT36B
By Mac Engel
The next time North Texas announces a new football coach, it won't create the national splash that Todd Dodge did, but that will be better for the program.
On Wednesday, while the Texas Rangers were in the early stages of their playoff game against the New York Yankees, UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal formally announced what Dodge knew was coming for the past several weeks.
He was fired, and the gi-normous gamble of hiring a high school coach to run a Division I team went bust. Villarreal tried something grand, and it didn't work; expect him to go a more conventional route next time.
For the second time, North Texas' decision to hire an accomplished high school coach did not work. The Mean Green was 6-37 in Dodge's three-plus seasons in Denton, including 1-6 this season.
"At the end of the day it comes back to 6-37," Villarreal said Wednesday after he made the announcement. Offensive coordinator Mike Canales will be the interim coach through the end of the season. "We're going to hire somebody with tremendous experience at this level. Someone who has shown the ability to build a program, develop young men."
Don't forget the most important part.
"And win consistently," Villarreal said.
Unlike when Dodge accepted the job in December 2006, the UNT post was viewed with great trepidation. UNT featured aging facilities, a nonconference schedule always stacked with too many guaranteed defeats, an apathetic fan base and -- sandwiched around a solid four-year run under Darrell Dickey -- a lot of losing.
Villarreal's decision to hire Dodge, who went 79-1 and won four state titles in his last five years at Southlake Carroll, can easily be viewed as a total bust now. It was an all-or-nothing move that yielded a lot of heartache. Dodge's decision to bring four coaches directly from Carroll to Denton was a mistake; that's why they were all fired after the first season. He needed more guys around him who had a lot of Division I experience.
The program needs Division I coaches who fully grasp the reality, and possibilities, of Sun Belt Conference football. It's not Texas. It's not Texas State.
Moving forward, however, the time is right to find a guy who has worn the headset and made the decisions on this level before. No, not Mike Leach. He's not coming to Denton.
Finding that guy won't be easy. There may not be a lower level in Division I than the Sun Belt.
But the job is better now.
Facilities have been upgraded. The new stadium will be complete for 2011.
It's not a great job. It's not a horrible job.
It is, however, not an easy job.
"I think the first choice is somebody who has been a head coach. We're going to look at some highly successful assistants," Villarreal said. "It's become a very attractive place that should be conducive to great recruiting."
Villarreal doesn't envision battling it out with Texas over some five-star receiver. He doesn't envision anything unrealistic. He envisions maybe pulling off a big upset every so often and always competing for Sun Belt titles.
At UNT, that should be possible.
Finding the right guy will be key to make it happen.
Mac Engel, 817-390-7241
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/20/2564024/dodge-wasnt-right-for-north-texas.html#ixzz12ynDaIPU
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/20/2564024/dodge-wasnt-right-for-north-texas.html#ixzz12ynGT36B
By Mac Engel
The next time North Texas announces a new football coach, it won't create the national splash that Todd Dodge did, but that will be better for the program.
On Wednesday, while the Texas Rangers were in the early stages of their playoff game against the New York Yankees, UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal formally announced what Dodge knew was coming for the past several weeks.
He was fired, and the gi-normous gamble of hiring a high school coach to run a Division I team went bust. Villarreal tried something grand, and it didn't work; expect him to go a more conventional route next time.
For the second time, North Texas' decision to hire an accomplished high school coach did not work. The Mean Green was 6-37 in Dodge's three-plus seasons in Denton, including 1-6 this season.
"At the end of the day it comes back to 6-37," Villarreal said Wednesday after he made the announcement. Offensive coordinator Mike Canales will be the interim coach through the end of the season. "We're going to hire somebody with tremendous experience at this level. Someone who has shown the ability to build a program, develop young men."
Don't forget the most important part.
"And win consistently," Villarreal said.
Unlike when Dodge accepted the job in December 2006, the UNT post was viewed with great trepidation. UNT featured aging facilities, a nonconference schedule always stacked with too many guaranteed defeats, an apathetic fan base and -- sandwiched around a solid four-year run under Darrell Dickey -- a lot of losing.
Villarreal's decision to hire Dodge, who went 79-1 and won four state titles in his last five years at Southlake Carroll, can easily be viewed as a total bust now. It was an all-or-nothing move that yielded a lot of heartache. Dodge's decision to bring four coaches directly from Carroll to Denton was a mistake; that's why they were all fired after the first season. He needed more guys around him who had a lot of Division I experience.
The program needs Division I coaches who fully grasp the reality, and possibilities, of Sun Belt Conference football. It's not Texas. It's not Texas State.
Moving forward, however, the time is right to find a guy who has worn the headset and made the decisions on this level before. No, not Mike Leach. He's not coming to Denton.
Finding that guy won't be easy. There may not be a lower level in Division I than the Sun Belt.
But the job is better now.
Facilities have been upgraded. The new stadium will be complete for 2011.
It's not a great job. It's not a horrible job.
It is, however, not an easy job.
"I think the first choice is somebody who has been a head coach. We're going to look at some highly successful assistants," Villarreal said. "It's become a very attractive place that should be conducive to great recruiting."
Villarreal doesn't envision battling it out with Texas over some five-star receiver. He doesn't envision anything unrealistic. He envisions maybe pulling off a big upset every so often and always competing for Sun Belt titles.
At UNT, that should be possible.
Finding the right guy will be key to make it happen.
Mac Engel, 817-390-7241
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/20/2564024/dodge-wasnt-right-for-north-texas.html#ixzz12ynDaIPU
