The Grass was Always Greener in Aggieland

At a university with a proud agricultural heritage, there is an inherent pressure to produce athletic playing fields that are the envy of their peers. 

Texas A&M has always been up to the task, none more so than the last 27 years with Craig Potts serving on the field maintenance staff.

As August wraps up, Potts takes his last laps trimming the turf and working the last of his magic with the field paint. The Director of Sports Fields for Texas A&M Athletics is headed to a well-deserved retirement.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Potts said. “I have three daughters. One lives in New Orleans, one lives in Dallas and one just headed off for college at Angelo State. I am looking forward to spending a little more time on activities for the family. With this job that was difficult when they were growing up.”

Potts started his career at Texas A&M working as Assistant Athletic Fields Manager in 1996. After 20 years, he was promoted to Director of Sports Fields in the spring of 2016. His handiwork has been seen all the grass playing surfaces, including Kyle Field, Ellis Field, Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park and Davis Diamond.

The 12th Man knows every time they head to Kyle Field or tune in the television worldwide to watch Texas A&M play a game in Aggieland, they will be greeted by the sight of a pristine playing surface. The turf at Kyle Field is coveted by the entire nation, seen by millions every time out.

“I have played, and coached, on a lot of football fields in my day,” football head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “I can say without a doubt, the very best playing surface is Kyle Field. Craig is a big reason why and we wish him well in his retirement.”

Any time Kyle Field is the site of a marquee matchup, Potts is greeted by text messages from fans, friends and fellow groundskeepers from across the country sending kudos. But for Potts and his crew, that is secondary to his main duty.

“It’s really nice when someone else tells us that our field is looking awesome,” Potts said. “That is when you know you are doing something right. But for us, the number one thing is safety. We want it to look great in TV and in person, but none of that means anything unless we are providing the safest playing surfaces that we can.” 

With many NCAA championships hosted at neutral sites, very few turf managers have the opportunity to showcase their talents on the national stage. Potts was bestowed the rare honor on three occasions as then Aggie Soccer Stadium was selected to host the Women’s College Cup in 2005, ’07 and ’09.

“I loved it,” Potts said. "The three college cups have probably been my three favorite experiences even though they were a lot of work. That and hosting the SEC Softball Tournament. I just loved it. It was incredible exposure for A&M and our crew. I feel like our staff has done a good job and we get good exposure. Despite the long hours, those are really fun. I wish we could have hosted them more often to be honest.”

All his hard work earned the respect, admiration and appreciation of Texas A&M’s coaches. The bucket of sweat was bottomless, the days were never ending and it did not go unnoticed.

“Rain or burning heat, you knew Craig and his crew of pros were going to do everything they could to ensure our women were playing on the safest, fastest natural grass soccer field in the nation,” soccer head coach G Guerrieri said. “I just can’t thank him enough for his selfless service over these years.”

Nowhere was Potts’ hard work and dedication more evident than at the old Aggie Softball Complex and now Davis Diamond. The grind of the softball season, including the endless early season tournaments, the full league slate and more often than not NCAA postseason action sends many out to pasture after just a couple years. But Potts returned year after year to produce a sparkling diamond.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and honor to work with Craig,” longtime softball coach Jo Evans said. “All Aggies benefitted from his tremendous work ethic and the pride he takes in creating an exceptional game day experience. Craig is a legend in the industry and Texas A&M owes him a debt of gratitude.”

As a result of over 20 years of mutual respect, Potts developed lasting work relationships and friendships with many of the coaches. 

“Coach G (Guerrieri) has been here the whole time,” Potts said. “Ever since I started he has been the head coach. I have worked with him since day one. Coach Evans at softball started my second year and I was with her for 26 years. I had a great relationship with Coach (Mark) Johnson and Coach (Rob) Childress. I have a great respect for all the work they put in and they have a great respect for our crew. One thing about G and Jo, because I spent the most time with them – they were really receptive to field needs and listening to what we have to see. They were willing to help us out and do the things they needed for a better playing surface. It is really a neat deal to have coaches that listen to grounds keepers."

Potts and his crew have been recognized over and over for their work. Among the awards racked up during his tenure are Turface National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Field of the Year along with Football Field of the Year and College Soccer Field of the Year from the Sports Turf Managers Association.

The field staff at Texas A&M has produced a lineage of legends, each passing their knowledge onto the next group. Potts learned from an icon, the late Leo Goertz. A field manager from 1978-2015 who earned the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, Goertz was renowned for hiring outstanding assistants and students and his greatest joy was passing his knowledge to the younger generation.

“The thing I learned most from Leo was how to deal with people and how to do this job,” Potts said. “Yes, it is a turf grass job, but it is more of a people job. I have always taken what I learned from Leo, and Mr. (Billy) Pickard to a certain extent…I think the thing I learned from them was customer service. Even if a coach wanted something or someone said something needed to get done now, whether we agreed it needed to be done, we did it.”

No one did customer service better than Craig Potts.

“I think the biggest thing I learned from him was about being a servant.” long-time co-worker Nick McKenna, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Fields, said. “He has got a servant heart for the athletics department. It has always been about helping our teams and athletics department growth for our student-athletes, fans and coaches. That is the biggest thing – for Craig it has always been about serving others and benefitting the athletics department. Amazingly, that has come from personal sacrifices many times, whether that was family or personal time. For me, that is what I think I learned – the reminder of how to serve the others.”

The job has changed quite a bit since Potts was hired. Before the athletics department staff ballooned, Goertz and his crew handled a lot of chores outside of field maintenance. The list of what Potts might do on a certain day was endless.

“For a long time, we did everything from equipment, loading the football trucks, driving the football trucks, unloading the football trucks,” Potts said. “We didn’t necessarily do all of the work, but we chipped in. If I noticed bleachers were bent or something needed fixed, we handled it. We did the little things. If the lights went out, we worked on that. Changing lightbulbs on scoreboards, fixing gates, we handled it all.”

Potts and McKenna have developed a friendship and respect after years of sweating side by side to make Aggieland safe for the athletes and maintaining the ever-expanding and improving facilities.

“It is very surreal to see where we were when we started to where we are now,” McKenna said. “He has been such a pivotal part of that growth of the athletics department. I could not have asked for a better mentor and friend of Texas A&M Athletics and our crew.”

Always looking to advance his profession and share his knowledge, Potts has been connected with the Sports Turf Managers Association, Texas Turfgrass Association and South Texas Sports Turf Managers Association. He has is a past president of TTA and the South Texas Sports Turf Managers Association. He has also served on the board of directors for the Safe Foundation, a charity foundation for STMA.

A native of Bryan, Potts has spent his entire life in the Brazos Valley. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in range science. After that, he devoted his entire life to Aggieland, making sacrifices to provide the best for Texas A&M.

“The sacrifices made by me haven’t been as much as the sacrifices made by my family,” Potts said. “Going back to Leo and Mr. Pickard, that you just knew if there was an event you were going to be there. To have the support from my family, knowing I may miss some events, was the only way I could do this job. That was probably my biggest sacrifice, the times I missed with my family.”

There were a couple opportunities to stray from Aggieland, but nothing was enticing enough to break the bond.

“I did have opportunities at Oklahoma State and with the Houston Texans when they first started and they had grass at NRG,” Potts said. “But this always seemed like home.”

When you love a place as much as Potts loves Aggieland, retirement can be a tough decision. For Potts, the choice was made infinitely easier knowing he was leaving the crew in very able hands.

“Nick McKenna is a true leader of the sports turf industry, and he will do a fantastic job,” Potts said. “I consider Nick a brother. I would like to think he learned some things from me, and I learned some things from him. The beauty of that is, I know that with me leaving, they are not going to skip a beat and they will probably be better. They will continue to improve the way things are done. He worked with Leo, who was technically the first athletics field manager. Then there was me and now Nick. Leo’s legacy is continued which I think is pretty cool.”

Potts has very simple plans for his first few months of retirement. You can take the grass away from the groundskeeper, but you can’t take the groundskeeper away from the grass. 

“I don’t have any trips planned, but I am looking forward to playing more golf.”