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Photo by Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

Eric Hyman steps down as Texas A&M athletic director

January 5, 2016
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Eric Hyman’s largely uneventful three-and-a-half-year stint as Texas A&M's athletic director concluded Tuesday when he announced that he was stepping down from the position.

"I want to thank Eric for the service he has provided Texas A&M during his time as athletic director," said A&M president Michael K. Young. "He has shown a high level of integrity and professionalism in his role as AD and improved both our student-athlete academic and athletic performance through facility improvements, nutritional enhancement through the R.C. Slocum Nutritional center and preparation for life after college through upgrading the Life Skills program. 

"His relationships and insights within the Southeastern Conference have been extraordinarily helpful to Texas A&M Athletics along with his five-year strategic plan. I fully expect Eric to make a positive impact in whatever endeavor he pursues next."

There was no official word yet as to who the replacement will be or when it will be announced.

Hyman previously held the same position at South Carolina and his experience in the Southeastern Conference was a major reason he was hired by A&M in June of 2012. A&M was entering the SEC that year.

However, he seemed to have a distant relationship with Aggie sports fans, who often complained he wasn’t approachable or visible. Fans on message boards and talk shows often wondered what he did to earn his seven-figure salary.

Yet, he primarily seemed to draw the ire of Aggies when he suggested in a 2014 interview with the San Antonio Express-News that his job was to “manage expectations that define reality.”

Fair or not, many Aggie fans interpreted that to mean that high demands should not be placed on football and men’s basketball, in particular.

Hyman’s critics complained when he did not replace basketball coach Billy Kennedy after A&M finished 18-16 in 2014 and in 2015 went 21-12 and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

However, Kennedy’s team is now 11-2 and ranked 17th in the nation.

Several other Texas A&M teams have had success during Hyman’s tenure.

The men’s and women’s track & field teams have won national championships. The women’s tennis team finished second in the nation and the women’s basketball team won the SEC tournament in 2012-13. The soccer team has won SEC championships and advanced to the Women’s College Cup for the first time in school history.

A&M also won SEC championships in men’s tennis, women’s golf and volleyball in 2015.

"I appreciate my time here at Texas A&M University and I am proud of our student-athletes' achievements both on the field and in the classroom," Hyman said. "The best part of an AD's job is forming wonderful relationships with student-athletes, colleagues, former students and Texas A&M has been no exception. I will always value my time here and the friendships I have made with Aggies. I wish Texas A&M University nothing but continued success."

Hyman hired current women’s tennis coach Mark Weaver last July.
Discussion from...

Eric Hyman steps down as Texas A&M athletic director

48,842 Views | 54 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by W
ManvelAg2006
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AG
Wow
S.A. Aggie
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AG
I agree. RC for AD!
Mr. Black
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Wow, big doings in BCS!
johnathanclark
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I would agree for RC as AD. Only because he is younger than the person I think would make a fantastic AD as he gets both Texas A&M and the SEC. But he is 80. But that would be Gene Stallings.
johnathanclark
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But good riddance to Hyman!! I posted a few days ago on this same site that he had to go and that not only me, but a lot of Aggies were fed up with him!
AGSPORTSFAN07
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CBS Sports is eating this up...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25439225/texas-am-looks-to-be-in-turmoil-as-ad-is-latest-to-leave-college-station

quote:
What you have to believe for any of it to make sense is that Eric Hyman stepped down on his own.
You can't make that assumption, of course. Not with a straight face. Not after Hyman -- Texas A&M's athletic director who resigned on Tuesday -- gave his coach (Kevin Sumlin) a vote of confidence just 24 hours earlier.
The two occurrences don't jibe. You don't have the juice one day to prop up your $5 million-a-year coach then chuck it all in the gutter the next. You can't believe any of it to be just coincidence after two quarterbacks (Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen) transferred. Not after offensive coordinator Jake Spavital left town.
It looks, smells and breathes like Hyman was told something he didn't like and walked instead of having to do it. If you're thinking that duty was to fire coach Kevin Sumlin, you may be on to something ...

quote:
For a school that wanted to separate itself from Texas, A&M sure is mimicking a typical Orangebloods off-field soap opera.
jml2621
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Re-managing Expectations.
jim 78
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CBS article us trash
AggieHoopsGuy
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A&m fans do need to manage their expectations. We are going to run train through coaches if we fire them after every 8-5 season.
Ag 11
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JFABNRGR
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It's not the 8-5 season that warrants serious review at the highest levels. It's the way the season went, the offense, the qbs leaving, the lack of change and so on.
d78230
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AG
The obvious choice is ....Jackie Sherrill.

McInnisAg08
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Texags is garbage
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We're a lock to host a Super Regional this season.
Flashdiaz
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quote:
This is no joke, I truly believe his only hire mentioned here, Mark Weaver, will prove to be the best move made at A&M in a generation. It was probably the easiest hire any AD could have made, but it will prove to be great down the road. If he had gone ANYWHERE else we would probably have had to use six walk ons for the women's tennis team this next year. With Mark and his style we have a real chance to make serious waves in the conference and beyond.
Thanks Mr. Weaver.
Picadillo
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Failed AD. Worst ever.

Invisible. A complete non-presence.

Forgets who the hell he works for.

Failed to support A&M in baseball regionals last year, which was secured by TCU.
Was seen wearing a TCU shirt and sitting with TCU alums during the series. Completely inappropriate as the AD of another institution competing in the SAME SERIES.

Only hire he ever made was a women's tennis coach.

Lost our great men's tennis coach to another program.

The infamous "we must manage expectations" speech.

A complete waste of nearly 4 years.


mikecobb1
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Does anyone know what's really going on at TAMU?
greg.w.h
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AG
You unstickied the Woodward hire thread...
Yell Practice
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W
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AG
"uneventful" is a great choice of words to describe his tenure
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