August 10, 2002
The Texas A&M football team held its first full squad two-a-day practices Saturday at the grass practice fields near Kyle Field.
The squad used shorts and shoulder pads for the early morning session and for the evening session.
"I thought we got off to a good start today," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "We got some basic work in and we had the first chance to evaluate players. I thought the team showed good tempo and worked hard. A lot of that is a credit to Coach (Mike) Clark and our summer conditioning program."
During the second portion of the morning session, Slocum introduced new A&M President Dr. Robert Gates to the team. Gates capped his first week on campus by giving a short inspirational talk to the team
Following the evening practice, Slocum received news that the Aggies were ranked No. 23 in preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
"I've always felt like the final poll was a lot more important than the preseason one," Slocum said. "The fact that someone picked us in the top 25 is a compliment to this team, although it's not something that we are concerned about as a team. I've always said that the polls will take care of themselves. Our schedule this season has seven bowl teams on it and most of them are ranked pretty high in the poll."
The Aggies will workout once on Sunday at 4:15. All practices are open to the public and will be held at the grass practice facility. Fans should check for the specific practice schedule daily on AggieAthletics.com.
The No. 23-ranked Aggies kickoff the 2002 season on Saturday, August 31 against Louisiana-Lafayette at 6 p.m. at Kyle Field.