Aug. 28, 2008
Kicking off Football Season, Fall Sports Starting Up
August 27, 2008
Since we last visited in May, we had an incredible conclusion to the 2007-08 athletic season. Plus, we had more Olympic athletes and coaches representing Texas A&M than ever before during the Games in Beijing.
After our softball team won the NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional on our home field, we advanced to the Women's College World Series and played in the national championship three-game series. Our baseball team won the NCAA Regional at Olsen Field, and I believe if we had hosted the Super Regional in front of our fans we would have been playing in the College World Series.
Both of our golf teams competed in the NCAA Championship. Our women finished sixth which was the best since 1982, and meanwhile our men finished 12th. It was the best for the men since 1984.
Two of our tennis players Conor Pollock and Austin Krajicek reached the NCAA Doubles Championship semifinals in late May. Then, earlier this month, Austin won the USTA Boys 18 Hardcourt National Championship earning him a spot in the main draw of the US Open. Austin's first round match is scheduled for today.
In mid-June, our track and field teams produced the best combined finish at the NCAA Championships in school history. Our women followed their fourth place finish from a year ago with a third place finish this time around. At the same time, our men posted a fifth place finish. It was the first top five placing for us in men's track and field since 1989.
I told you last year I thought the Big 12 would eventually be dominated by the two flagship universities in our state. Between us and our friends in the state capital we captured 15 of the 30 possible Big 12 regular season and postseason championships. I see that trend continuing.
My favorite fact is Texas A&M has won more Big 12 trophies, 15 to be exact, the past two years than any other school.
That, and we finally wrestled the State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy away from our friends in the state capital. I'm so proud of the efforts of our student-athletes and coaches which allowed us to capture this rivalry series championship.
The thing I like best is I see continued improvement across the board on the horizon for Aggie Athletics. We truly are Building Champions!
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Now, for the year ahead.
Our soccer team is 2-0 and more than 9,000 total fans have been there to watch us beat Rhode Island, 3-2, and McNeese State, 9-0. It seems strange not to see players I've grown accustomed to watching, like Ashlee Pistorius, Melissa Garey, and Paige Carmichael not on the field. It's time for some new names and faces to compete for a fifth straight Big 12 Championship. Our roster is once again one of the best in the country, and our fans continue to set the national attendance standard.
Although it's the first time in several years we are not the preseason favorite to win the league, something tells me Coach G Guerrieri will perform his usual magic, and we'll be making another run at the Big 12 and NCAA Championships.
We host 19-time national champion North Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. and Indiana on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Also, Tennessee will be in town to face Indiana on Friday at 8:30 p.m. and UNC Sunday morning at 11 a.m. All games will be at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. You can reserve your seat by clicking here.
Speaking of the North Carolina game, I just talked with Coach G, and he said we will do our best to accommodate everyone who wants to attend. He suggests you try and arrive an hour before the game and watch two great teams warm-up as well as visit our great concession stands.
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Fans who attended the first two soccer games last weekend may have noticed some facility enhancements not yet complete. We were all set to have new bleachers with chair backs on the west side of the Aggie Soccer Stadium, but workers unearthed something strange. They discovered a 28-inch deep by 100-foot long by 6-foot wide pad of concrete and rebar not found on any University plan. It has forced a change in our pier requirements, and architects and engineers are developing a new plan of attack.
Our best guess is the concrete is the foundation from an old dairy farm building which is easily from Old Army days. Anyone else have a guess or even better, might have been around Aggieland when the concrete was installed? I'm betting on the dairy farm.
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I'm also looking forward to the volleyball season. What has been a young, inexperienced team the past two seasons is now a veteran squad with nine juniors and seniors on the roster. I think the season should be fun. This weekend coach Laurie Corbelli and the Aggies will be at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha. Our home schedule starts next Friday with our own Texas A&M Invitational. Get tickets now by clicking here.
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Our cross country teams compete in the first meet of the season this weekend in Iowa. During the off-season, we had a major roster addition to the men's team as three-time NCAA distance champion Shadrack Songok transferred from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to attend graduate school here.
Shadrack has an interesting story. He graduated from TAMU-CC in three years and the professors there told him the place to pursue an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering was here in Aggieland. He applied and got into graduate school to pursue a doctorate in material science which I'm told is a combination of chemical engineering and chemistry.
Shadrack is a two-time NCAA outdoor 10,000 meter champion and has also won the indoor 5,000 meters. Although he only has eligibility through the indoor season, Shadrack is going to be a major player for us in cross county. He's a special athlete and a great young man.
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I could not be more pleased to have Mike Sherman and his staff leading our football team. When we were negotiating a contract with Mike, he deliberately wanted less pay for himself so more money could be used to attract outstanding assistant coaches. And I believe he has done that.
Sometimes, when you first meet a person, you know instantly you will hit it off. It was that way with Mike Sherman and me. I love the sport of football and Mike does too. I knew he was going to create a culture in our football program at Texas A&M we can all be proud of.
From day one, Mike and his staff have instilled within our student-athletes discipline, timeliness, and accountability, while creating a culture of caring for one another that is so important for teams to be successful. The best thing is the players have bought into the program in a way which is wonderful to see.
When we are recruiting, we are always selling the tradition and culture which make Texas A&M unique, but much of our player's time has been spent behind the doors and walls of the Bright Complex. Mike has done several things to ensure our football team is an active part of the student body and gets to experience, first hand, all the things so wonderful about being a student here. Here are a few examples:
Our team is eating its meals at Duncan Dining Hall. It's the same facility which feeds the Corps of Cadets and fed many of you during your years in Aggieland. One change to the traditional way meals have been served there is our athletes are dining on a special menu designed by our nutritionist Amy Bragg which meets our specific training needs.
The team has also spent some time crossing paths with the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band who share our indoor McFerrin Athletic Center during inclement weather.
And last April, the team attended Silver Taps together.
The most headline grabbing change initiated by Mike Sherman has been the opening of preseason practices to the media, current students and former students. I'm so pleased Mike opened those practices. Not only did it give the media something to write about, but it gave students and our fans the opportunity for themselves to see how hard our coaches and team are working.
I've watched several practices, looked at the game planning, and seen the recruiting priorities, and I can't help but think we have a bright future in football. We still have a few pieces missing, but our staff is committed to filling those holes as soon as possible.
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I've received a number of emails asking about television times for our games. First, the Arkansas State game this Saturday was not selected for television and will not be offered on pay per view or live internet streaming.
Our games are selected for television as part of a Big 12 contract with ABC/ESPN, FSN, and Versus. Each year, the networks select the first three or four weeks of the season in advance. In our case, the Arkansas State game was not selected. Our game next week at New Mexico will be televised as part of the Mountain West Conference's television agreement with Versus. We then have a week off before hosting Miami followed by Army.
Starting with the Miami game, we will be notified of television and any time changes using the league's standard 12-day or 6-day advance notice. As soon as we know if we've been picked for television, you'll see it here on AggieAthletics.com.
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It's game week in Aggieland, and I'm excited to see Kyle Field this Saturday. We have a lot of activities and items relating to the game to share with you. Now it's time for some season opening tidbits.
-- As of this morning, we had sold approximately 1,200 more season tickets than all of last season. This is a record breaking season for us in season ticket sales. Because students are continuing to sign up for their season tickets, we won't have the final numbers for several days, but we project the final count to be over 70,000. Great job Aggies!
-- It's also the first time we can remember that none of our 68 suites at Kyle Field changed hands in the off-season. Plus, we had less than 50 of our coveted Zone Club seats resell. I'm happy to report the demand for both seating areas is incredible and we plan to address this need soon.
-- The first official introduction of Reveille VIII will be this Saturday during our pregame activities at about 5:50 p.m. Make sure you're in the stadium in time to welcome Miss Reveille to Aggieland.
--Speaking of pregame, many of you have written me to describe a myriad of ideas you would like to see concerning our team's official entrance sequence. We believe we already have a solid plan in this area, but I can tell you there will be a few changes. See if you can pick them out.
--Remember to leave your bags and purses at home or in the car on gameday. We continue to have separate entry lines for anyone wishing to bring a bag in to stadium. If you come without a bag, you get to utilize the express lanes. But, don't forget to bring ID, especially if you are using a pass gate or will call window.
--It's going to be hot as it traditionally is for our September games at Kyle Field. All fans may bring in a single quart of water. We also have established some cool zones and mister fans on the concourses of the student side of the stadium to help against the heat. Our thanks to the TAMU Department of Health and Kinesiology for assisting us with the cool zones.
--Spirit Walk will start approximately three hours prior to gametime (around 3 p.m.). It begins at the intersection of Joe Routt and Houston Street in the Aggie Fan Zone and concludes by Gate 1 near the Bright Complex.
--A new Kids Yell Practice will happen three hours and fifteen minutes (2:45 p.m.) prior to kickoff at the Spirit Walk location.
-- Aggie Fan Zone presented by Coca-Cola begins at 2:30 p.m. There will be a variety of food vendors, interactive activities, a kids zone, live television and radio shows, face painting, and autographs from our equestrian team and former football All-America defensive back Aaron Glenn. Aggie Fan Zone happens on the north end of the stadium along Joe Routt Blvd.
--A complete gameday guide to Kyle Field can be found by clicking here.
-- Tailgating has become a popular part of many people's Aggie football gameday. The University has established some general rules and tips for tailgating. You can find the University's gameday site by clicking here.
--The Mike Sherman Radio Show debuts this Thursday at 7 p.m. on the Texas A&M Sports Network. Check your local listings or click here for the station in your area. The show will originate from the Wings 'N' More Party Room at the Southwood Valley location in College Station each week. To attend you must RSVP an email to coach@athletics.tamu.edu. There will be limited seats each week. A buffet will be served and a cash bar will be available.
--If you can't make it to Kyle Field on Saturday, then please listen to the game on your radio via the Texas A&M Sports Network. We have more than 50 stations across the State carrying the game. It will also be available free on AggieAthletics.com and via Sirius Satellite Radio. Our great broadcast team of Dave South, Dave Elmendorf, and Tom Turbiville return to the microphones this season.
--Set your TIVO's - The Aggie Sports Connection is back! The ASC will air on Friday's starting this week on FSN Southwest and FSN Houston, as well as several other times and channels on your dial. If you are in town for the game - you can catch the show on Friday nights locally on KBTX-TV. Host Will Johnson and Coach Mike Sherman will preview each week's game as well as look at all the highlights of the previous week's sports contests.
Current Listing of ASC weekly air times:
Fox Sports Southwest: (DirecTV 676) Fridays at 12:30 p.m. (all times CST)
KBTX Bryan/College Station, TX: Fridays at 6:30 p.m.
Cox Sports TV (CST): Fridays at 6:30 p.m
Time Warner Cable Video on Demand (VOD): Weekly in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Waco markets
KFXK/KFXL/KLPN (Longview) Saturdays at 11 a.m.
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We have several reunions happening this fall. Former track and field athletes will reunite for the Army game, while members of our 1998 Big 12 Championship football team will have a reunion for the Kansas State game. It's also the 25th anniversary of the 12th Man Kickoff Team, and they will be here for the Army game as well. Former swimmers and divers will reunite for the Colorado game. Contact the Lettermen's Association for details.
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We are teaming with CBS College Sports to bring you a new look to AggieAthletics.com in the coming days. Our staff will still provide the excellent content you've come to expect from AggieAthletics.com, and you'll get some new bells and whistles from our friends at CBS College Sports.
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Before we go, I want to remind you we have one of the best home football schedules in a long time. The result is we've seen the demand for tickets increase, and I worry some of our fans will not be able to see the games they want to if they wait until the last minute to purchase tickets. We also have a limited supply of discounted season tickets for $250. If you don't have season tickets, we still have some good seats set aside. Contact the ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or click here to guarantee your seat for all seven football games. For the Arkansas State game, we are offering half-priced seats in the south bleachers for $22.50. A jam-packed Kyle Field will give our football team a big boost against some very tough teams.
I'm looking forward to seeing you in Aggieland on Saturday.