At Georgia, both the academic and athletic fundraising arms are part of the university and the athletic department, respectively. The independence of these types of entities at other schools can vary. Loftin said the analogous organizations at Missouri, where he was chancellor following his A&M tenure, fell under the university’s umbrella and reported to him. All three have their own boards, independent of the university. There’s also the task of dealing with Texas A&M’s multiple fundraising arms: the 12th Man Foundation, the primary athletics fundraiser the Texas A&M Foundation, the primary academic fundraising entity and the Association of Former Students, the school’s alumni organization. “The contract was given to me, and it was, ‘This is what we are going to do,’” Hyman said. Eric Hyman, A&M’s athletic director during its first five years in the SEC, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2017 that he had “nothing to do” with a contract extension given to coach Kevin Sumlin at the end of 2013. He cited past football coach hiring and firing decisions that were made above the school president level as evidence. You can argue whether that’s a good or bad thing, but it just is, and it has somewhat of a destabilizing effect.”Īt Texas A&M, Loftin said, a “huge amount” of control was exercised by the Texas A&M university system rather than campus leadership itself during his tenure. “There are many hands involved at public universities of consequence, like the University of Texas or Texas A&M. “There’s no doubt that some stability is really critical to most things,” former Texas A&M president R. The school has had three athletic directors since joining the SEC in 2012. Ohio State has had two since 1994.īy comparison, since 2002, Texas A&M has had five school presidents, eight when including interim presidents. Alabama has had just three ADs since 1999. Georgia has had a total of three presidents since 1988 and four athletic directors since 1979. Clemson’s president has even hosted recruits in his office and home to support football. The Tigers’ current athletic director, Graham Neff, was at the university for eight years before being promoted in 2021 to succeed Dan Radakovich. Though the president and coach have changed, Castiglione remains the school’s AD.Ĭlemson has had just two presidents since 1999 and three athletic directors since 2002. In that time, the Sooners won a national championship and 10 conference titles. A clear understanding of who controls the program is as important as ever.įrom 1999 to 2016, Oklahoma had the same president (David Boren), athletic director (Joe Castiglione) and head coach (Bob Stoops). “I asked my wife one time, ‘Why is that?’ And she said, ‘Because you have no control.’ … Here (as defense secretary), I have a little control.”Īdministrative alignment and stability are a common thread among championship-caliber football schools. Secretary of Defense who was Texas A&M’s president from 2002 to ‘06, once told Time Magazine that “Texas A&M football caused me more stress than I ever had. Robert Gates, the former CIA director and U.S. Theory 1: Lack of administrative stability and alignment Why can’t Texas A&M seem to break through? Former Aggie players, administrators and longtime observers certainly have their theories. The Aggies haven’t won a conference championship since 1998 and last won a national title in 1939. Last fall’s 5-7 debacle presented a unique set of problems for head coach Jimbo Fisher to solve, but his predecessors ran up against their own troubles while attempting to crack the code on how to raise Texas A&M football to an elite level. But while other resource-rich programs have cemented their dominance of college football as more money flows through the sport, those same advantages haven’t brought consistent, big-time success to College Station in this century. Texas A&M football seems to have everything an elite program needs: Passionate, devoted fans. “I put it up on Friday night and took it down Saturday afternoon,” Nguyen said with a laugh. Hours later, after a stunning 17-14 loss to the Mountaineers, the flag came down, as did the Aggies’ hopes of a dream season. Nguyen hung the flag up ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 2 game against Appalachian State. On the left was an old-school Texas Aggies logo, complete with Ol’ Sarge.
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