February 23, 2001
Texas A&M Head Football Coach R.C. Slocum announced the hiring of Kevin Sumlin as the new assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. Sumlin served as the wide receivers coach at Purdue the past three seasons.
"Kevin is an outstanding coach and I am excited about him joining our coaching staff," Slocum said. "He brings a lot of experience with him. Recently, Purdue has done as good a job as anyone in college football in throwing the football. I feel Kevin will have a real impact on our receiver position."
"This completes our coaching staff and gives us a week to prepare for the start of our spring training," Slocum added.
In Sumlin's three years with Purdue, at least 15 different receivers caught passes every season to help the team reach three straight bowl games including this past season's Rose Bowl appearance. The 1998 group set school records with 377 receptions for 4,208 yards and 43 touchdowns. In 1999, receiver Chris Daniels set a Big 10 record with 121 catches, which included another Big 10-record 21 receptions in one game. This past season, Vinny Sutherland led the receivers with 72 catches.
"I'm excited about the opportunity R.C. Slocum has presented me and I look forward to getting started," Sumlin said. "Texas A&M has great tradition and I look forward to being a part of Aggie football. I'm anxious to work with the coaching staff and the players at Texas A&M."
Sumlin graduated with a bachelor's degree in humanities from Purdue in 1986. He was a four-year letterman as a linebacker for the Boilermakers from 1983-86.
Sumlin's freshman season he was named to Sports Illustrated's All-America Walkon list as he led Purdue with 91 tackles. He earned honorable mention All-Big 10 honors in 1984 as he led the team with 109 stops and helped the squad reach the Peach Bowl. As a senior, his 114 tackles ranked fifth in the Big 10 earning honorable mention All-Big 10 honors. Sumlin ended his Purdue career with 375 tackles, which ranks among the school's all-time Top 10 list, to go along with six interceptions.
Sumlin got started in the coaching business in 1988 as a graduate assistant at Washington State University under the tutelage of Mike Price. He stayed with the Cougars through the 1990 season before taking the wide receiver coaching position at the University of Wyoming. He served with the Cowboys for the 1991-92 seasons. Both years, the passing offense ranked in the nation's Top 20.
Sumlin left for the University of Minnesota where he served as the receivers coach from 1993-96 with the Golden Gophers and then coached the quarterbacks during the 1997 campaign. When he left Minnesota, the top five leaders in school career receptions and the top three in career receiving yards all were coached by Sumlin.
Sumlin and his wife, Charlene, have two daughters, Courtney and Shelby.
SUMLIN'S COACHING CAREER
1998-2000: Purdue (Wide Receivers)
1997: Minnesota (Quarterbacks)
1993-96: Minnesota (Wide Receivers)
1991-92: Wyoming (Wide Receivers)
1988-90: Washington State