August 02, 2002
| With 120 players on the roster and a large number of coaches, trainers, managers and support staff, organizing the outfitting of the Texas A&M football program for an upcoming season is no small task. That job goes to head equipment manager Matt Watson, in his third season at the helm and sixth overall on the equipment staff. The A&M graduate is, among other things, responsible for ordering, maintaining and performing inventory of all football equipment. So just how far ahead of a season does he have to plan? "We actually start work on a season about 15 months in advance," Watson said. "Our Nike representative will fly into town in May with the artwork of the proposed sideline apparel, which is stuff like jerseys, pants, coaches' shirts, caps and sweats. He will meet with me and Coach Slocum, and that is where any changes and approval of designs are made." Nike is the primary outfitter of the Aggie football team, providing virtually everything but the shoulder pads and helmets. A&M gets its pads from Houston-based Douglas Protective Equipment and the headgear from Riddell.
The first order is sent to Nike in October and covers all sideline apparel except game jerseys and game pants, ordered one month later. The remainder of the equipment-things like shoes, gloves, socks, wristbands, footballs, shoulder pads and helmets-is ordered in February. "With the exception of shoulder pads, we get all new equipment each year," Watson said. "We take the shoulder pads, get them reconditioned and order new ones when necessary. Basically, everything for the upcoming season should be ordered no later than February." Three months before the season, in May, equipment begins flowing steadily into Kyle Field. First to appear are the helmets, 225 of them, minus the one-piece decals and facemasks. Watson and his staff expect virtually all of the equipment to be in their hands by the second week of July, giving them about two weeks to begin the massive task getting everything ready to hand out. "The staff goes through everything, taking inventory and sorting all of it by size," Watson said. "One of our biggest projects is organizing and distributing all the shoes that come in. Each player has different needs in shoes, so we have to separate them out by size, position and situation." Players are issued both game and practice shoes, seven pairs in all. From indoor court shoes to turf shoes to grass cleats, all potential weather and field conditions are taken into consideration. When the footwear arrives, the locker room resembles a shoe outlet store. Approximately 1,300 boxes of shoes are stacked throughout the locker area, separated by size and style to make the distribution task a bit easier.
After planning, ordering, receiving and sorting all of the equipment over a span of 15 months, the equipment staff finally can get rid of some of it when the freshmen report to campus, typically on a Monday in early August. Watson and his staff, which includes assistant equipment manager Bryan Gossett and a contingent of student workers, will spend the Friday and Saturday prior to the arrival of the newcomers finalizing the organization of all of the equipment. The freshmen then show up on Monday and go through an orientation process, taking physicals and getting photos taken among other obligations. It is during this orientation that the equipment staff gets all the information they need to properly outfit the newcomers. Players are measured for the proper size gloves and shoes and are also fitted by company representatives for helmets and shoulder pads. After selecting a facemask, each athlete will be issued the proper helmet. The staff must provide a quick turnaround-with a workout scheduled the next day, all but the shoulder pads must be out in the lockers by the following morning. The pads, ordered Monday night after everyone has been fitted, are picked up in Houston the next day and distributed that same evening. With the sheer volume of equipment ordered, it's inevitable that not everything shows up as ordered. But, Watson says, major problems can be avoided thanks to the people he gets to work with. "Maintaining good relationships with the manufacturing representatives is one of the most important things you have to do," Watson said. "We've got good reps that are willing to help you out if you need something done."
Game jerseys, delivered weeks before, are already sorted by number and size. After double-checking to see if the jerseys will fit reasonably well, they are sent off with the nameplates that need to be sewed on to the back. "We already know which number the player will wear and we have a pretty good idea of the proper size as well," Watson said. "After getting the measurements, we'll take the jerseys and the nameplates that we've already had made up and send them to our seamstress, Bettie Stubbs, who will bring them back when she is done." Stubbs is responsible for putting the names on the back of the Aggies' jerseys. The game jerseys will make their debut at the annual Picture and Poster Day at Kyle Field, set this season for Aug. 17. She will be there as the players go through and take photos, making any final adjustments necessary to the jerseys. "The key to a successful operation is to surround yourself with good people and guys that know what to do," Watson said. "I couldn't get anything done efficiently without them here. Bryan (Gossett) and the students are key to the success of outfitting the A&M program." It's a long and time-consuming operation undertaken by the equipment staff, but a rewarding one come game time. That's when, Watson says, you can finally relax...as long as you've remembered to bring the kicking tee. | ||||||||||||||||
