From my Texas Hometown
Todd Dodge, one of the most winning coaches in Texas history, will become head football coach at UNT Dec. 26.
Dodge, 43, is widely respected as one of the nation’s most
successful high school football coaches for his winning record at
Carroll High School in nearby Southlake, Texas. During the five years
that Carroll has been designated a Texas Class 5A high school, Dodge
has won three state championships and compiled a 77-1 record.
Rick Villareal, athletics director, announced the appointment during an hour-long press conference Dec. 12.
“As a ball coach you have to believe in your heart that you’re at a
place where you can win, and I believe that North Texas can win. It has
a record of winning and I respect that and look forward to bringing
that back,” Dodge told members of the media as well as several Mean
Green players and fans who attended the event.
He also said that returning to UNT, where he served as offensive coordinator in the 1992 and 1993 seasons, felt right.
“I’ve been coaching for 21 years and the two years I spent at North
Texas were two of my favorite,” he says. “I am so excited and so
thankful to have this opportunity to return as head football coach. And
making this move is right for my family, too.”
Elizabeth, Dodge’s wife, is a UNT alum, his son, Riley, now a
junior on the Carroll football team, attended the lab school as a
three-year-old, and his daughter, Molly, was born in Denton.
Dodge talked with the football players and fans in attendance after
the press conference, which was emceed by ESPN’s Dave Barnett, a 1979
UNT alum, and also presented by UNT System Board of Regents chair Bobby
Ray, President Gretchen M. Bataille and Villareal.
Bataille says the university’s search for a new coach was diligent,
rigorous and included more than 100 candidates, but the important part
of the process was that it resulted in a new football coach who would
be committed to our student athletes.
Villareal says the search process began with the goal of finding a
coach with a proven consistent and winning record, a wealth of
experience that if possible included collegiate and head coach
experience, a commitment to be involved with the community and desire
to understand how to build a program in the community and had Texas
ties and ties to Texas high schools. The candidate also needed to show
a significant want to be at UNT.
Dodge’s contract, which was signed Dec. 12 and begins Dec. 26, runs
through August 2012 with a base salary beginning at $185,000 and
increasing to $230,869 in 2012. In addition, he will be compensated an
additional $75,000 each year for maintaining UNT’s NCAA certification,
NCAA Division I level and Sun Belt Conference Membership; completing
the season including any post-season NCAA-sanctioned bowl games; and
participating in all required radio appearances.
Additional incentives include those for:
• increased season ticket sales
• conference championships and post-season bowl games
• academic achievement of players
• win-loss record
• Top 25 ranking in the Associated Press Poll and ESPN/Coaches Poll
• Coach of the Year for the Sun Belt Conference and/or National Coach of the Year for the Division I Coaches Association.
What others are saying about Coach Todd Dodge:
Posted by: Kelley Reese
Bill Parcels, Dallas Cowboys head football coach
"From someone who has followed Todd’s accomplishments for the past
few years, I would say he is a coach who knows how to put together a
successful operation and compete at a high level for an extended period
of time. He has built a team and a philosophy that has staying power.
In my personal dealings with him, I was impressed with his knowledge of
the game, his dedication to the profession and his desire to succeed."
Mack Brown, University of Texas head football coach
"Todd is a credit to both the University of Texas and the high
school coaches in this state. He’s a great coach and an even better
person. A coach is a coach at any level, and Todd understands the role
of the coach. He’s had a lot of success and touched a lot of lives, and
he is going to continue to do that. It will be a great fit for him, and
North Texas is lucky to have him."
Gary Pinkel, University of Missouri head football coach
"This is a great hire for North Texas. Todd Dodge is obviously a
proven winner and a great motivator of young men. His offensive
knowledge and his development of young quarterbacks is as good as
anyone I’ve ever seen. I’m sure he will have great success and be a
tremendous asset to the university."
