Texas A&M will unveil an R.C. Slocum statue outside Kyle Field

What Happened

Texas A&M will unveil a statue honoring former head coach R.C. Slocum at 2 p.m. on Sept. 4 in the north plaza outside Kyle Field, one day before the Aggies’ season opener. Slocum spent 30 years at Texas A&M, beginning as an assistant in 1972 and becoming head coach in 1989. His 14-season record as head coach was 123–47–2, including five 10-win seasons, four conference titles and 10 ranked finishes. He’s the program’s longest-tenured and winningest head coach. No official public comment was included with the announcement.

Why It Matters

• Slocum will become the only Texas A&M coach honored with a statue outside Kyle Field, giving the program’s coaching history a permanent focal point.
• The honor adds another marker to a program legacy already represented by statues for E. King Gill and John David Crow, along with several Aggie traditions.
• The timing places Slocum’s recognition directly ahead of the season opener, tying the program’s past to the start of its next campaign.

THE PATE STATE READ

THE PATE STATE READ: This is a deserved honor built on a record that doesn’t need polishing. Slocum won 123 games, lost only 12 home games in 14 seasons and guided Texas A&M through the Southwest Conference into the Big 12. The statue changes nothing on the field, and that’s the point. It records who carried the program before the next coach has to carry it again. The test comes Sept. 4, when the north plaza adds Slocum to a campus already crowded with Aggie memory.(Josh has not yet commented.)

What's Next

• Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.: Texas A&M will unveil the statue in Kyle Field’s north plaza.
• The following day: Texas A&M will open its season.