Dodge done at North Texas

[Mississippi Sooner]

North Texas fired coach Todd Dodge on Wednesday, declaring its decision to put a high school coach in charge of a Division I program a failure after 3 1/2 dismal years.

Dodge was let go after a 1-6 start that left him with a record of 6-37.

“This is not based on the last seven games. This is based on a body of work of the last 3 1/2 years,” athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “At this point in time, we felt like we should be further along.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Canales will be the interim head coach the rest of the season.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-northtexas-dodgefired

As the Gerry Faust experiment proved at Notre Dame almost 30 years ago, being a successful high school coach doesn't necessarily guarantee success at the college level. It's a whole different game at NCAA Division 1.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I think North Texas is building a new stadium or doing an expansion right now..neither make sense

[sooner_born_1960]

I'm surprised.

[soonerlaw]

There was something in the Dallas Morning News today saying UNT should hire Mike Leach.

[Sooner_Tuf]

I think they just spent 78 million on a new stadium. They want to be better. Dodge wasn't the answer. Maybe their new guy can recruit better and win a few more games.

[texaspokieokie]

i laffed @ Dodge @ first & liked it when he lost.

i feel sorry now. just because he's from ut & southlake, doesn't make him a bad guy.

they've had a terrible injury problem this year. lost about 14 front line players, including their top 3 QBs.

might not have won much, but all those injuries killed them.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

his first game as coach was against OU at norman...I would say that wasn't a great start

[badger]

I think they just spent 78 million on a new stadium. They want to be better. Dodge wasn't the answer. Maybe their new guy can recruit better and win a few more games.

So they finally replaced the crappiness. I've been to their stadium and it was worse than some high school stadiums I've seen around here... all of them, really. Amazing how they could survive in Div. 1 with some players going to a smaller stadium than their high school's. You know Dodge bedowngraded by leaving his HS powerhouse program [hairGel]

What happens to ol' Coach Dodge now?

[Mad Dog Madsen]

There was something in the Dallas Morning News today saying UNT should hire Mike Leach.

Here we go again... :)

[texaspokieokie]

So they finally replaced the crappiness. I've been to their stadium and it was worse than some high school stadiums I've seen around here... all of them, really. Amazing how they could survive in Div. 1 with some players going to a smaller stadium than their high school's. You know Dodge bedowngraded by leaving his HS powerhouse program [hairGel]

What happens to ol' Coach Dodge now?

if southlake carroll loses a couple more games this season, he might go back there.

he'd probably be welcome.

the new stadium isn't done yet.

[Mad Dog Madsen]

Also, I believe his son Riley is still on the team. I wonder how this will affect him?

[texaspokieokie]

Also, I believe his son Riley is still on the team. I wonder how this will affect him?

yep, so far.
he's trying to play with a broken (left) arm.

bet he wishes he'd gone to ut.

[Mississippi Sooner]

his first game as coach was against OU at norman...I would say that wasn't a great start

Yeah, I remember Stoops saying after that game that our offensive players were coming back to the sidelines saying, "Coach, they're not even disguising their coverages!"

Sure made for an easy debut for Sam.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

that poor kid...

[stoops the eternal pimp]

79-10

[Mad Dog Madsen]

his first game as coach was against OU at norman...I would say that wasn't a great start

I remember this. Didn't they (UNT) actually think they had a chance in this game??? Heh. 79-10... :)

[stoops the eternal pimp]

it was horrible, like mississippi said..they came out in a base defense and didn't do any movements at all..

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I remember this. Didn't they (UNT) actually think they had a chance in this game??? Heh. 79-10... :)

lord I cant believe you made it to 1000 posts :D

[Mad Dog Madsen]

^^^LOL. I actually can't believe it either! :D It was hard, but I stuck with it! :rolleyes:

[Leroy Lizard]

So they finally replaced the crappiness. I've been to their stadium and it was worse than some high school stadiums I've seen around here... all of them, really. Amazing how they could survive in Div. 1 with some players going to a smaller stadium than their high school's. You know Dodge bedowngraded by leaving his HS powerhouse program [hairGel]

What happens to ol' Coach Dodge now?

He goes to work for Brian Bosworth.

[badger]

79-10

Any other ESPN mag readers here? One of their preseason features was Dodge coming in to North Texas and talking up the Oklahoma matchup. He had everyone on that team believing that they were going to win in Norman and shock the world, based on what that article said.

Of course, anyone that knows football knows that if you lose 79-10, you are not playing to lose. You play to lose and not get too embarrassed, you do what Nebbish's Bill Callyburger used to - run the clock so that you only lose to USC at home by three touchdowns.

Dodge played to win that game in Norman, so you have to respect them for that. They earned whatever check we cut them for that arse-whoopin' :)

[KantoSooner]

The weird thing is that they have the ingredients to be a decent team in terms of location and size of student body. They could be a USF and probably think they should be by now.
As with most of these things, you have to assume bad management lies at the root of the problem.

[picasso]

Scott Bakula still their QB?

[badger]

Another problem is that there are so many established powers in the state of Texas that kids can go south to Dallas (SMU) to play football. Isn't TCU in that region too?

[humblesooner]

Another problem is that there are so many established powers in the state of Texas that kids can go south to Dallas (SMU) to play football. Isn't TCU in that region too?

Yep - Ft Worth.

[Scott D]

He's a good example of why being a ****** as a high school coach and becoming a college coach in the same state is a recipe for fail.

[ouleaf]

Dodge will have no problem finding work again in the HS ranks whenever he's ready to get back to it. Won't be making quite the paycheck he was at North Texas.

Can't really say i'm surprised. With how well TCU has done, and SMU headed in the right direction under June Jones, UNT needed a change. It'll be a tough challenge to the next head coach to rebuild that program....I know I've tried and do it on NCAA and it is really tough to do, so I'd have to imagine the real life version is even harder.

[Football Jim]

It is tough to go from a HS coach to DIV. 1 football, not matter if it is just the Sunbelt Conf. Dodge just got over his head. He needs to go back to HS coaching where he will be successful.
I wish him well as he had a very tough go at UNT.

[goingoneight]

The greatest moment of the Dodge era was punning OU's freshman QB out of bounds on the first play of the game. What ever happened to that Sam Brad-shaw kid anyway? :D

[agoo758]

The weird thing is that they have the ingredients to be a decent team in terms of location and size of student body. .

You really could say the say same thing about the ULL Ragin Cajuns, also in the SunBelt. But neither UNT or ULL have the people dedicated to changing the culture and improving the team. If you don't have that, it doesn't matter what resources you have.

[PalmBeachSooner]

There was something in the Dallas Morning News today saying UNT should hire Mike Leach.

I thought he was hired by the university of phoenix? I read it on this forum.

[Mississippi Sooner]

I thought he was hired by the university of phoenix? I read it on this forum.

They had to let him go. Something about locking a kid in his hard drive.

[oumartin]

I've heard UNT is poised to throw 2.8 million at Muschamp

[texaspokieokie]

a successful coordinator @ a big school would be a fool to take the HC job @ nt.

[saucysoonergal]

I am waiting for Mongo's opinion.

[jumperstop]

They are probably pissed that thier Texas team can't see the success that other teams in Texas have seen because of their highschool talent. It's hard to compete with all of the Texas schools to get the second tier recruits. On top of UT, Tech, aTm, and Baylor, you have UTEP, TCU, SMU, North Texas, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Texas Southern, Rice, Stephen F. Austin, and Houston all playing D-1 ball.

[texaspokieokie]

plus schools from OK & many,many other states.

[yankee]

So they finally replaced the crappiness. I've been to their stadium and it was worse than some high school stadiums I've seen around here... all of them, really. Amazing how they could survive in Div. 1 with some players going to a smaller stadium than their high school's. You know Dodge bedowngraded by leaving his HS powerhouse program [hairGel]

What happens to ol' Coach Dodge now?

he's stated he wants to be a QB coach somewhere in the college ranks or return the HS game to be a head coach. i have a feeling high school AD's who are iffy on their head coaching situation in texas have his number on speed dial.

[yankee]

i feel really bad for todd dodge. i know you all probably hate him since he played at UT but as some of you know, he was the head football coach at my high school for my first 3 years before taking over at UNT. (i didn't play football btw). this was really the year for them to turn it around...best offensive line in the sun belt...returning a 1200 yard rusher...defense improving...and then 14 starters lost to injury. they were down to their 4th string QB (a walk on!). :eek:
just terrible...first QB dislocated his hip, 2nd QB broke his leg, 3rd QB broke his wrist...all in a matter of 6 games. not to mention all the other injuries.

[yankee]

if southlake carroll loses a couple more games this season, he might go back there.

he'd probably be welcome.

the new stadium isn't done yet.

nah, he won't be coming back to Southlake soon. there's been pressure our current coach (the guy who took over for dodge) for some time now, but this season took an unexpected turn when our starting QB was ruled ineligible 6 hours before kickoff before our first game. we have a really young team right now, and we'll be back to typical Carroll football next season.

but he would absolutely be welcome back...and that's a giant understatement. he's worshiped in Southlake.

[yankee]

The weird thing is that they have the ingredients to be a decent team in terms of location and size of student body. They could be a USF and probably think they should be by now.
As with most of these things, you have to assume bad management lies at the root of the problem.

yup...the AD should have fired himself along with Dodge. he's done nothing for that university.

[yankee]

and one more thing....if there's one thing that dodge had success in at NT, it was cleaning house for that program. mandated drug tests, kicked off bad characters, and improved academic progress during his time there. he really changed the character of the team, despite not winning. he's handled this whole situation with class and dignity.

[bluedogok]

He's a good example of why being a ****** as a high school coach and becoming a college coach in the same state is a recipe for fail.
The fact that he pretty much pissed off all the other high school coaches in the the state when he was at SLC had a lot to do with it. His arrogance about his program there rubbed a lot of people wrong that played against him and those who didn't play against him, he got very little help from the high school coaching fraternity here in Texas. He was a good coach when he had an overabundance of talent, if you have a truckload of talent in high school you can win alot and win big, he was never as good as his talent.

Art Briles has done pretty well considering he has coached at Houston and Baylor and was a well respected, winning coach at Stephenville. He was helped by his time at Texas Tech as an assistant coach before jumping into his own head coaching job in college.

[Jacie]

I don't recall seeing his name on any of the coach-on-the-hotseat articles so this one came as a surprise. I guess I had relegated UNT to Duke status or something, a program so bad that if they fired their coach for not winning they would have a new guy there every year.

[King Barry's Back]

There was something in the Dallas Morning News today saying UNT should hire Mike Leach.

He would be a great fit there. Exactly what and who they need to get noticed in the Dallas market.

But I'm betting he wouldn't touch that with a 10ft pole.

[deweydw]

I'm glad he's gone. My son graduated from UNT. This was a program that won four straight conference titles to being a complete joke. With the new stadium, I hope they get somebody that's worth a darn.

[King Barry's Back]

Dodge will have no problem finding work again in the HS ranks whenever he's ready to get back to it. Won't be making quite the paycheck he was at North Texas.

Can't really say i'm surprised. With how well TCU has done, and SMU headed in the right direction under June Jones, UNT needed a change. It'll be a tough challenge to the next head coach to rebuild that program....I know I've tried and do it on NCAA and it is really tough to do, so I'd have to imagine the real life version is even harder.

Nope. About the same.

[King Barry's Back]

nah, he won't be coming back to Southlake soon. there's been pressure our current coach (the guy who took over for dodge) for some time now, but this season took an unexpected turn when our starting QB was ruled ineligible 6 hours before kickoff before our first game. we have a really young team right now, and we'll be back to typical Carroll football next season.

but he would absolutely be welcome back...and that's a giant understatement. he's worshiped in Southlake.

I'm not understanding you.

If you put all the elements together -- Dodge "would absolutely be welcome back," and is "worshiped in Southlake," there is pressure on the current coach, the QB was lost six hours before kickoff, and you have a really young team (apparently performing below expectations) -- it sounds like they WOULD want Todd Dodge back.

But you say he "won't be coming back soon." What gives?

[TXBOOMER]

There was something in the Dallas Morning News today saying UNT should hire Mike Leach.

If they could get hime they should jump at it.

[BigTime1]

I bet they would take him in a minute at Southlake...that has program has regressed since he left

[Leroy Lizard]

i feel really bad for todd dodge. i know you all probably hate him since he played at UT but as some of you know, he was the head football coach at my high school for my first 3 years before taking over at UNT.

Well, that changes everything. :rolleyes:

[yankee]

I'm not understanding you.

If you put all the elements together -- Dodge "would absolutely be welcome back," and is "worshiped in Southlake," there is pressure on the current coach, the QB was lost six hours before kickoff, and you have a really young team (apparently performing below expectations) -- it sounds like they WOULD want Todd Dodge back.

But you say he "won't be coming back soon." What gives?

the fans would absolutely love to have him back. guess i shoulda made that clearer...

[yankee]

Well, that changes everything. :rolleyes:

hey look, a limptard sighting.

[deweydw]

I just told my son, that graduated from UNT last December, that Dodge got fired. He said "Who's that?" I just laughed.

[ashley]

The fact that he pretty much pissed off all the other high school coaches in the the state when he was at SLC had a lot to do with it. His arrogance about his program there rubbed a lot of people wrong that played against him and those who didn't play against him, he got very little help from the high school coaching fraternity here in Texas. He was a good coach when he had an overabundance of talent, if you have a truckload of talent in high school you can win alot and win big, he was never as good as his talent.

Art Briles has done pretty well considering he has coached at Houston and Baylor and was a well respected, winning coach at Stephenville. He was helped by his time at Texas Tech as an assistant coach before jumping into his own head coaching job in college.

You don't have a clue. Todd is very respected in Texas.

[bluedogok]

You don't have a clue. Todd is very respected in Texas.
...maybe by Whorns but not by most fellow coaches.
I know too many that have a very different opinion than yours and they dealt with him personally. Most would never admit it publically because it would just sound like "sour grapes", even for those who never played SLC when he when was there.

No doubt that he had a good record at SLC and may be a real good coach but when you have the boat loads of talent that SLC had it is hard to tell, much like the Lake Travis situation and their revolving door of a head coaching position recently. I don't doubt that Dodge could land a top job at a high school, then his relationship with fellow coaches doesn't matter unlike trying to get their kids to go to his college.

[Scott D]

You don't have a clue. Todd is very respected in Texas.

I just want to kind of point out that respected does not = liked. And if you're a college coach who isn't liked in any way shape or form by enough of your former peers, it's going to harm your ability to recruit.

Tom Izzo got his inroads into recruiting the metro Detroit area for basketball because Tommy Amaker did a poor job of communicating with the high school coaches and therefore became unliked. Izzo took advantage of it, much how D'Antonio took advantage of the same thing when RichRod took over Michigan's football program.

[kbsooner]

unt should have spent the cash to widen I35 there instead of on the new stadium. It would have been more worthwhile, and make sooner's trips to Dallas much easier.