 |
| NORTH TEXAS STRUGGLING WITH A 0-5 START |
G5 original content
UNFORGIVABLE OFFENSE
North Texas Athletic Director Rick Villarreal had seen enough. The Mean Green had just suffered the worst loss against an FCS school in the history of College Football. Portland State had marched into the state of the art Apogee Stadium and laid down an old time shellacking of a North Texas team that had been to a bowl game( and won) only two short years prior to Saturday's loss. The 60 plus points that Portland scored on North Texas was both stunning and embarrassing. For a school with a growing and passionate fan base, there was no bigger misstep or unforgivable offense for their Head Coach of 5 years, Dan McCarney, than to lose in this fashion. Worse yet, McCarney's team looked totally unprepared and listless on a homecoming weekend in which his team should have been eager to win for its fans and supporters.
As soon as the final whistle blew, AD Villarreal was on the Mean Green sideline ready to end this painful chapter in North Texas football history. Villarreal wasted little time in turning to Dan McCarney and telling him that it was over. That his services were no longer needed for this team, this University, this fan base. After the firing, North Texas sent out a hastily prepared press report letting its supporters and the rest of the football world know that McCarney had spent his last day as the North Texas head coach.
Thus the search for a new Head Coach had begun. A new search that had officially ended the school's relationship with McCarney. A relationship that had begun much fan fare and hope. A relationship that 5 years later had ended like so many other North Texas head coach hires had, in defeat and in shame.
In fact, since 1982, no North Texas Head Coach has left the program with a winning record. A devastating statistic and one that points to a larger issue than North Texas being routed by Portland State. Simply put, the North Texas Football Program is broken and it will take years to fix . Losing has become a way of life for North Texas football , and the only way to remedy the problem is for a complete and thorough overhaul of the program and the people running it.
FANS DESERVE MORE
Whether we like it or not , College Football programs are the calling cards of the Universities they represent. They are the brand, the culture, the attitude towards winning and losing that a University puts out into the Universe. Right now , the North Texas name is taking hit in its PR image. North Texas has many terrific academic programs, including a top notch music department. Guess what, most people only know North Texas for one reason, that they lose in football on a regular basis. North Texas is of course more than this, but if your University is going to have an FBS football program you better be ready to enjoy the spoils of winning and the despair of losing and all that comes with both.
You know what, North Texas fans deserve better than what they have been given on the gridiron. Thats right, its fans, supporters and donors deserve better. The supporters of North Texas football are a cross roads. Either demand a product that can compete, or don't compete at all on the FBS level.
College Football has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. The sport has entered into a winner takes all culture where many FBS football programs are on the verge of irrelevance. North Texas stands at the precipice of this new landscape and the school's football program may simply not survive the purge happening in college football without a total and complete commitment to make its football program a winner.
It's time for the North Texas administration from the very top to the very bottom to understand that competing at the collegiate level in football has become a 24/7 , all out rush to the finish line, 365 days of the year.
NEXT HIRE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN NORTH TEXAS HISTORY
For all the reasons listed above and more, the next head coaching hire for North Texas will be the most important in its history. The next hire and who will be involved in that hire, will tell North Texas fans everything they need to know about the commitment the school has to its football program.
Here is some good news for the North Texas program. The school does not need to hire a famous name to compete, nor does it need to hire a flashy coach who has been spending time in the tv studio or broadcasting booth. It does however, need to bring in someone who has proven in some way or fashion that they know how to win, have a track record doing so and can create a culture of success within the North Texas football program. North Texas will also need to show this new coach that they are ready to spend whatever it takes to make the program a winner. They will also need to be patient with the new hire. North Texas did not get into this mess overnight, nor will they emerge from it overnight. The good news however, is that given the Mean Green's proximity to talent, money and Dallas, there is no reason why North Texas can not find a way to win on a consistent basis with the right leader in place.
Is there a great deal of pressure to find the right person for the North Texas coaching job, yes. In truth, this type of pressure should have been part of the selection process for the past 20 years. The school can no longer afford to play football with one hand tied behind its back. It is now or never, make or break for the North Texas football program and its fans.
