We've talked with the Pickard Family today and they have been blessed by the amazing stories that so many have shared about the life of Billy Pickard. We at TexAgs would like to do something to incapsulate those stories - your memories - and keep them as treasures that look back on "Pick" and his six decades at Texas A&M.
So let's do this ... if you ever had a moment involving Mr. Pickard, please post it here. We're going to get some former players, former coaches, former managers, etc. to add their stories to this one thread. That way the Pickard Family can take this thread, print it off and keep these memories forever.
To get us started, I received a few of stories from a couple of former A&M defensive players ... Lance Jackson and Derrick Frazier and Kevin Sumlin's reaction tonight during our post-practice interview when I asked him for his comments about Pick. Here are those stories:
By Lance Jackson:
Many of us former players no doubt have Mr. Pickard stories. We all have our favorite. But know this, all of us have a piece of gear, a keepsake from Pick. As a matter of rite of passage, Pick went out of his way to take care of his seniors. I have all of mine in a locker box in my mom's garage back home, including the fav, "Pick drawers."
He was known as a bit of a joker at times. Any cold, wet practice nights, Pick would come up with a one of a kind, hilarious stunt to loosen up the team. It would most likely be his birthday (Halloween). So one night, we are on Kyle Field getting reading for Arkansas week. We hear this awful squeal and rebel yell. From the old scoreboard side, this guy with a full cover Razorback mask on with nothing but a jock goes screaming down the middle of the field ... all 120 yards. Mr. Pickard of course!
Gig Em, Mr. Pickard! Here!
By Derrick Frazier:
It was my junior year...We were playing Texas later that evening and I came to the locker room very early that day because I was so excited about the game. Nobody was there but a few trainers and Pick. Pick walks up to me and says, "What's wrong, brotha?" I said, "Nothing is wrong ... just getting my mind right before the game." As typical Pick would say, "If you're not ready now, you probably won't be ready tonight, brotha...but I know you and you're ready." We ultimately sit down for another 20 minutes and talked life and football. I got up to leave and he said, "Brotha, you need a girlfriend because you got a lot of time on your hands to come and talk to me before a big game." As I laughed when I was walking off, he said, "Fraze (which was odd because he never called me by my name), thanks for the talk."
No, Pick. Thank you for the talk and the moments we shared with you. You will be missed, "Brotha."
Aggieland lost a great one.
Coach Kevin Sumlin:
"As you guys know, Billy Pickard is very special to our program. When I was here fifteen years ago he helped me moving in here for the first time, and helped me come back. A lot of people have started to figure out, I had him talk to our team before we left for road games or home games on Friday. Our guys really looked forward to that before we left, because he couldn't travel, or for home games.
"It's even more difficult because four days ago he wanted to come out to our first padded practice. He said, 'Ah I'll skip the first couple in their underwear, that's not real football. If you get me a chair, I'll come out Thursday.' And he did. He came out and sat at the 20-yard line. It's a tough deal but I know at least Thursday he was out here for his 51st spring football practice. He's touched a lot of people's lives here at Texas A&M a lot of players, a lot of coaches. It was tough to hear the news. He's meant a lot to this program and he will always mean a lot to it."
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There you go ... we got you started. Now, please share any and all stories that you may have.
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And if you are looking for a reference on just what Mr. Pickard means and meant to Aggieland, click on his archive and check out videos that we've done with him and about him over the past few years.
Billy Pickard archive: http://texags.com/t/2287/billy-pickard