Photo by: JP Beato/Texas A&M Athletics
Introductory Press Conference: Ross Bjork
Jun 03, 2019 | General
Watch or listen to new Director of Athletics Ross Bjork's introductory press conference on Monday inside the Kyle Field Media Center.
Selected quotes are available below.
On how important it is for the athletic director to be present at events and involved in the community…
"I think the main people that need to be the face of the program are the student- athletes and our coaches. However, you do need steady and stable leadership. I think as the athletic director, wherever I can provide value, whether that's showing up to a swim meet, football game, basketball game or donor event, I want to be there. I want to be actively involved in everything that we do. This is not an 8:00 to 5:00 job. This is a lifestyle. You'll see my family at events. I think having that presence builds confidence among your fans and supporters, and that's what we'll try to do."
On how beneficial is it to have an athletic director that is already familiar with the SEC…
"Well, I don't have Matt Luke's playbook. I think it's important. I think there's a relationship as well as respect and camaraderie around the table of athletic directors. You have to know where people are coming from if they bring certain legislation up. I think having a built-in relationship with Commissioner [Greg] Sankey and connections with the NCAA staff, there's no learning curve. I don't have to understand that we have that tagline, the SEC "It just means more." I know what it means, it means a lot of things that are at the highest level of college athletics, so I don't have to have that learning curve. It's like I'm just going from one office to the next. When I go to the next meeting, I'll be wearing maroon instead of red and blue, and I think there's a big benefit. I think that's what President Young was after is a sitting athletic director who understands these big time programs."
What stuck with you about Texas A&M from 1998 visit…
"If I remember right, I was in the press box and it was shaking. I thought, 'is that an earthquake or is that the band?' There's a ton of passion here. The students stand up the whole game, and you have the 12th Man, the Corps and the band. I'm a student of college athletics. I love going on a different campus and seeing what they have to offer. When you come on this campus, even in 1998, you know this place is special. They care and it's big time. If the stadium is shaking, you know you're at a special place. That really just stayed with me every time I visited. Coming into the SEC in 2012, A&M was coming in as well, and I thought what better perfect fit for the SEC than Texas A&M. I've always been super impressed with this university."
On what his youth brings to the table…
"I think energy, vision and confidence. Like I said on that stage, attitude and effort. We're going to work hard, that's going to take some energy. Again it's not a job, it's a lifestyle, so you have to have energy to do that. I have a positive attitude. I played Division II fullback. That's not an easy position or an easy level to play at. To have that perspective and maybe add a little youth to that, I think it will give you an advantage."
On what he learned while at Ole Miss and if he plans to do anything differently at Texas A&M…
"I think anytime you're an athletic director for nine years, two years at Western Kentucky and seven at Ole Miss, there's always things that you do differently. Sometimes the AD doesn't have to do everything. At a place like Western Kentucky, the AD has to do everything. When we were building it at Ole Miss, we were pretty much building a modern athletic department from scratch. I had to be involved in a lot of things. So here, I think walking into a very healthy place, it gives me a chance to really analyze and allow perspective to set in. Then I can say, 'Maybe we need to tweak this, or add this.' We've already said, 'Hey, we need to add magnets on the lapel pins instead of buttons in the back.' That's a little thing, right? It'll be stuff like that, I'm kind of joking about that, though. We won't get that minute, trust me. But, having the experience of saying, 'You know what, sometimes the AD needs to weigh in and sometimes they don't.' When you sit in that chair for nine years, I think you understand the balance. That's really what I'm looking forward is I don't have to come in and we have to add a bunch of money. Or we have to change this. I can really come in and just soak it all in and learn and listen."
On his thoughts on Blue Bell Park and Reed Arena…
"The only time I've been to Blue Bell [Park] is that 2012 regional, and [I was] super impressed. We were watching the games over the weekend, and I think some of the fans were traveling and [chanting] ball five, ball six. I know that's a big tradition at Blue Bell [Park]. I have not seen Reed Arena. I haven't been to a game here. I'll tour the facilities tomorrow afternoon, and I'll sit down with Buzz [Williams] and get his thoughts, and the staff. Like I said, soak it all in and listen and learn. But, I haven't seen it yet, and I know that it can be a good home court advantage, and our job will be to make it better."
On where he thinks the trajectory for the football program will go…
"When you have a championship head coach, not many programs have that. So that's a great starting point. Then you throw in the recruiting base in the state of Texas. Like I said earlier, we're a global athletic brand and program, so we can recruit nationally. College Station is a destination. You throw all of those things in there, you have the ingredients for a successful program. We still have work to do. We still have to build it. You're battling against Alabama, who's the standard bearer in our conference. But obviously Jimbo [Fisher] knows how to do that, because he's seen that working with Coach [Nick] Saban. We have the right ingredients. We have to keep recruiting, we have to keep coaching. If there's facilities that may need to be tweaked here and there that help propel the program, then we'll look at those things. We have the ingredients, now we just have to go to work and really get after it. I've been really impressed with what Jimbo [Fisher] has done. He's made the league better. When he came into the SEC last year, it's like 'Okay, the league is already great, [but] it just got better with a coach like Jimbo [Fisher].' I can't wait to work with him and continue to learn."
On his relationship with Chancellor John Sharp and President Michael Young…
"It's been great. President Young hired me. I'm going to be reporting to him, be part of his cabinet and be part of the institution. Then, since athletics is this big vehicle and it's a big marketing platform, if we could help the system grow, then we could be a part of that. It's been a great positive relationship. I don't know Chancellor Sharp all that well, but I'm going to have lunch with him tomorrow. I think that will be a healthy conversation to learn more about how the system and the campuses all work together. So, it has been very positive, and I'm ready to learn and work with them."
On experience in the SEC could affect initial evaluation of the various programs…
"Well, I told R.C. [Slocum] that he's still the athletic director. I can't work two jobs. I can't be here yet, because I'm still helping Ole Miss transition. I'll go back there later this week and help them with some transition items. We have our athletic director conference in Orlando next week, so I'll be there with some presentations and take part in some panels. I think it can be pretty hard since I'm not here. I haven't been here the last year to understand what conversations have taken place. R.C. has taken over to say, 'Hey, there are some things that have been evaluated that they are ready to make a decision on,' and maybe I can help make that decision and give advice. However, until July 8th I am not the athletic director, R.C. is. Therefore, my job will be to help and support in any way that I can. I hope to come over here maybe mid-June for a few days to continue to meet people."
On what he was most excited about during the hiring process…
"Well there's a lot of things that go into it. For one, your family. There are plenty of opportunities in the state of Texas for our boys, as far as education, sports and in life. I thought it was really exciting, because I've always been impressed with Texas, how the people live and the infrastructure. That was very important to me. Then, the quality of life. We love college towns. Los Angeles was cool and Miami was fun, but we're college town people. Therefore, we were not going to leave for anywhere unless it was an unbelievable place, a top-5 program and a great college town. You package that all together, and it was just a perfect fit for us."
Selected quotes are available below.
On how important it is for the athletic director to be present at events and involved in the community…
"I think the main people that need to be the face of the program are the student- athletes and our coaches. However, you do need steady and stable leadership. I think as the athletic director, wherever I can provide value, whether that's showing up to a swim meet, football game, basketball game or donor event, I want to be there. I want to be actively involved in everything that we do. This is not an 8:00 to 5:00 job. This is a lifestyle. You'll see my family at events. I think having that presence builds confidence among your fans and supporters, and that's what we'll try to do."
On how beneficial is it to have an athletic director that is already familiar with the SEC…
"Well, I don't have Matt Luke's playbook. I think it's important. I think there's a relationship as well as respect and camaraderie around the table of athletic directors. You have to know where people are coming from if they bring certain legislation up. I think having a built-in relationship with Commissioner [Greg] Sankey and connections with the NCAA staff, there's no learning curve. I don't have to understand that we have that tagline, the SEC "It just means more." I know what it means, it means a lot of things that are at the highest level of college athletics, so I don't have to have that learning curve. It's like I'm just going from one office to the next. When I go to the next meeting, I'll be wearing maroon instead of red and blue, and I think there's a big benefit. I think that's what President Young was after is a sitting athletic director who understands these big time programs."
What stuck with you about Texas A&M from 1998 visit…
"If I remember right, I was in the press box and it was shaking. I thought, 'is that an earthquake or is that the band?' There's a ton of passion here. The students stand up the whole game, and you have the 12th Man, the Corps and the band. I'm a student of college athletics. I love going on a different campus and seeing what they have to offer. When you come on this campus, even in 1998, you know this place is special. They care and it's big time. If the stadium is shaking, you know you're at a special place. That really just stayed with me every time I visited. Coming into the SEC in 2012, A&M was coming in as well, and I thought what better perfect fit for the SEC than Texas A&M. I've always been super impressed with this university."
On what his youth brings to the table…
"I think energy, vision and confidence. Like I said on that stage, attitude and effort. We're going to work hard, that's going to take some energy. Again it's not a job, it's a lifestyle, so you have to have energy to do that. I have a positive attitude. I played Division II fullback. That's not an easy position or an easy level to play at. To have that perspective and maybe add a little youth to that, I think it will give you an advantage."
On what he learned while at Ole Miss and if he plans to do anything differently at Texas A&M…
"I think anytime you're an athletic director for nine years, two years at Western Kentucky and seven at Ole Miss, there's always things that you do differently. Sometimes the AD doesn't have to do everything. At a place like Western Kentucky, the AD has to do everything. When we were building it at Ole Miss, we were pretty much building a modern athletic department from scratch. I had to be involved in a lot of things. So here, I think walking into a very healthy place, it gives me a chance to really analyze and allow perspective to set in. Then I can say, 'Maybe we need to tweak this, or add this.' We've already said, 'Hey, we need to add magnets on the lapel pins instead of buttons in the back.' That's a little thing, right? It'll be stuff like that, I'm kind of joking about that, though. We won't get that minute, trust me. But, having the experience of saying, 'You know what, sometimes the AD needs to weigh in and sometimes they don't.' When you sit in that chair for nine years, I think you understand the balance. That's really what I'm looking forward is I don't have to come in and we have to add a bunch of money. Or we have to change this. I can really come in and just soak it all in and learn and listen."
On his thoughts on Blue Bell Park and Reed Arena…
"The only time I've been to Blue Bell [Park] is that 2012 regional, and [I was] super impressed. We were watching the games over the weekend, and I think some of the fans were traveling and [chanting] ball five, ball six. I know that's a big tradition at Blue Bell [Park]. I have not seen Reed Arena. I haven't been to a game here. I'll tour the facilities tomorrow afternoon, and I'll sit down with Buzz [Williams] and get his thoughts, and the staff. Like I said, soak it all in and listen and learn. But, I haven't seen it yet, and I know that it can be a good home court advantage, and our job will be to make it better."
On where he thinks the trajectory for the football program will go…
"When you have a championship head coach, not many programs have that. So that's a great starting point. Then you throw in the recruiting base in the state of Texas. Like I said earlier, we're a global athletic brand and program, so we can recruit nationally. College Station is a destination. You throw all of those things in there, you have the ingredients for a successful program. We still have work to do. We still have to build it. You're battling against Alabama, who's the standard bearer in our conference. But obviously Jimbo [Fisher] knows how to do that, because he's seen that working with Coach [Nick] Saban. We have the right ingredients. We have to keep recruiting, we have to keep coaching. If there's facilities that may need to be tweaked here and there that help propel the program, then we'll look at those things. We have the ingredients, now we just have to go to work and really get after it. I've been really impressed with what Jimbo [Fisher] has done. He's made the league better. When he came into the SEC last year, it's like 'Okay, the league is already great, [but] it just got better with a coach like Jimbo [Fisher].' I can't wait to work with him and continue to learn."
On his relationship with Chancellor John Sharp and President Michael Young…
"It's been great. President Young hired me. I'm going to be reporting to him, be part of his cabinet and be part of the institution. Then, since athletics is this big vehicle and it's a big marketing platform, if we could help the system grow, then we could be a part of that. It's been a great positive relationship. I don't know Chancellor Sharp all that well, but I'm going to have lunch with him tomorrow. I think that will be a healthy conversation to learn more about how the system and the campuses all work together. So, it has been very positive, and I'm ready to learn and work with them."
On experience in the SEC could affect initial evaluation of the various programs…
"Well, I told R.C. [Slocum] that he's still the athletic director. I can't work two jobs. I can't be here yet, because I'm still helping Ole Miss transition. I'll go back there later this week and help them with some transition items. We have our athletic director conference in Orlando next week, so I'll be there with some presentations and take part in some panels. I think it can be pretty hard since I'm not here. I haven't been here the last year to understand what conversations have taken place. R.C. has taken over to say, 'Hey, there are some things that have been evaluated that they are ready to make a decision on,' and maybe I can help make that decision and give advice. However, until July 8th I am not the athletic director, R.C. is. Therefore, my job will be to help and support in any way that I can. I hope to come over here maybe mid-June for a few days to continue to meet people."
On what he was most excited about during the hiring process…
"Well there's a lot of things that go into it. For one, your family. There are plenty of opportunities in the state of Texas for our boys, as far as education, sports and in life. I thought it was really exciting, because I've always been impressed with Texas, how the people live and the infrastructure. That was very important to me. Then, the quality of life. We love college towns. Los Angeles was cool and Miami was fun, but we're college town people. Therefore, we were not going to leave for anywhere unless it was an unbelievable place, a top-5 program and a great college town. You package that all together, and it was just a perfect fit for us."
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