A&M Football Independence Bowl Report Day One
Dec 26, 2000 | Football
December 26, 2000
The Texas A&M Aggies arrived here Tuesday afternoon and began preparations for the Sanford Independence Bowl with a conditioning workout at Bossier City Parkway High School.
The planned one-hour conditioning was moved indoors to the school gymnasium due to rain.
The Aggies received some good news just prior to the workout when sophomore offensive tackle Michael Mahan returned to the active roster after rethinking his medical conditions with doctors.
Last week, Mahan announced that he was not going to play football anymore after a continuing battle with an irregular heart condition known as Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome. A native of Homer, La., Mahan opted to leave active playing after two surgical procedures this fall to correct the problem.
"The doctors have assured me that there is no risk to Michael (Mahan)," Slocum said. "It was at his family's request that we revisit Michael's status. Michael and his family have visited further with the doctors and I did just before practice today, and everyone is convinced that it is o.k. for him to play.
"The doctors have made him feel better about his decision and continue to say that there is no risk involved. He wants to play and his doctors say it will not jeopardize his future in any way."
Mahan participated in Tuesday's conditioning, but Slocum does not believe that Mahan will start.
"I don't think he will start in the game, but it is a security to know that we have another guy there who has started several games for us this season. He has missed a lot of work lately and that may play a factor."
Mahan started in eight games for the Aggies this season and was the starter in six games last year as a freshman.
In other news from day one of bowl week, Slocum announced that offensive lineman Tango McCauley, linebacker Jesse Hunnicutt and a couple of non-scholarship players have not yet arrived at the team's headquarters due to the severe winter weather in the region.
McCauley is snowed-in in his hometown of Tulsa, Okla., while Hunnicutt is under similar conditions in Amarillo, Texas.
Wednesday's bowl activities for the Aggies include a tour of Barksdale Air Force Base in the morning and a welcome party in the evening.
Slocum added that the Aggies may move their scheduled practice from Parkway High School to Independence Stadium if weather dictates.
A&M will face Mississippi State in the Independence Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 31, at 7 p.m. in a game being televised nationally on ESPN.
