Story Poster

Billy Pickard passes away at age 81

March 9, 2015
23,117

Billy Pickard, who was something of an icon in Texas A&M athletics even though he never played a sport for the Aggies, passed away at 12:05 a.m. on Monday.

He was injured in a fall at his home and suffered a stroke.

He was 81.

Pickard, class of ’56, was a fixture in A&M athletics for more than 60 years either as employee in various positions or a dedicated fan after his retirement in 2009. He had a very close relationship with several A&M head football coaches, including Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings, Jackie Sherrill, R.C. Slocum and Mike Sherman.

He was a phenomenal guy. You talk about all the years and all the lives he touched even as a student trainer in school in the ‘50s. I met him in 1972 and worked with him until 2002. Over the last several years we stayed in touch. He was just a mountain of a man. - R.C. Slocum on Billy Pickard {"Module":"quote","Alignment":"left","Quote":"He was a phenomenal guy. You talk about all the years and all the lives he touched even as a student trainer in school in the ‘50s. I met him in 1972 and worked with him until 2002. Over the last several years we stayed in touch. He was just a mountain of a man.","Author":"R.C. Slocum on Billy Pickard"}
“He was such a complex guy, you could write a book about him,” Slocum said on Sunday night. “He brought such a passion to A&M athletics. Basically, that’s all he did. He was up here early in the morning and was the last one to turn his light off at night. He had a great passion for the teams, coaches and players.

“He knew the players and took a personal interest in them. Ask any of the players over the years and they all felt close to him. The young men who worked for him as managers and trainers … those guys just absolutely worshipped Billy. He was hard on them. Had them up there early in morning and late at night, but he cared for them. He was a phenomenal guy. You talk about all the years and all the lives he touched even as a student trainer in school in the ‘50s. I met him in 1972 and worked with him until 2002.  Over the last several years we stayed in touch. He was just a mountain of a man.”

Pickard was a student trainer as a freshman in 1952 and made the infamous trip to Junction in ’54 when more than half the team quit.

He later was named head trainer by Stallings in 1965. In following decades he served as equipment manager, assistant athletic director, associate athletic director and senior associate athletic director for facilities. He even served as strength coach for a while.

Pickard attended athletic events regularly. He was at the Texas A&M-Alabama basketball game on Saturday.

“He was a legendary figure at Texas A&M,” said Rusty Burson, an A&M historian and author of several books about Texas A&M sports. “He covered so many different eras and so many different coaching staffs from Bear Bryant all the way through [the Kevin Sumlin era].

“He had such an unbelievable knowledge of Texas A&M history. His stories about the facilities and changes that went on through his life and tenure at Texas A&M was like a history book. He could tell you where all the skeletons were buried and he was probably told to bury some skeletons. He was such a caretaker of Kyle Field. He had that touch to the past with so many first-person recollections.”

Pickard once had a reputation for being surly and volatile. Slocum acknowledged that, but said Pickard just had a straightforward personality.

Lauren Santacroce, TexAgs Pickard was a part of the core of A&M athletics for several decades and known affectionately by Aggies from multiple generations. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Pickard was a part of the core of A\u0026M athletics for several decades and known affectionately by Aggies from multiple generations.","MediaItemID":34441}
“He had a rough side to him,” Slocum said. “He would speak his mind, but two minutes later he was fine. He was always a bottom-line guy. He would always be loyal and supportive. I really appreciated him because he would come in and be totally honest with me about his opinions on different things. And generally, he was right.”

Pickard had mellowed in recent years. He was also a frequent guest on local radio shows and the subject of several newspaper articles.

He was so much a part of the fabric of Texas A&M sports that Burson included an entry about Pickard in his recent book: “100 Things Texas A&M Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.”

“A lot of times we throw that term 'company man' around,” Burson said. “I think Billy Pickard was the ultimate company man and his company was Texas A&M athletics. Not only did he work it, but he breathed it, slept it and was passionate about everything regarding Texas A&M athletics.”
Discussion from...

Billy Pickard passes away at age 81

15,866 Views | 22 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by sharpdressedman
Olin Buchanan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Staff
S
Billy Pickard passes away at age 81
Eric Forman
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Bbatt99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
OleArmyBQ68
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
8900aggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I was fortunate to work with him for a brief time in Athletics. I was truly one of the lucky ones. Here.....T&P
AGZ76
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here.
TAMU74
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Great Ag.
Here
Cayaggie01
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
SwigAg11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here.
Kenneth_2003
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
AgEngr12
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
NJ75AGfdt
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Reminds me of when Pete Sheehy (NY Yankess club house Mgr.) passed away. Good guy. Here.
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man," Psalm 118:8.

"In God we trust...all others pay cash!"
buckinaggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Here
WolfofNG
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here. The "company man" line really captures what made him such a force at this university.
goodAg80
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
JohnnieBB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here!
Newoldarmy
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here.
Bryanisbest
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
The single individual who has been inside the A and M football program throughout my entire life. There is no other. No coach player or administrator. 60 plus years. Great man. Great love for our school. Great integrity.
aggieband 83
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here.
King
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here
TheTravelGuy
How long do you want to ignore this user?
While I worked for ARAMARK in the late 90's (when they ran the concessions) I met and worked with "Doc" day in and day out around the stadium and other A&M sports venues....sometimes he was the hardest "customer" to please but at the end of the day, you had more respect for this man than you could ever imagine. The worst part of this sudden loss is that he never got to see the redeveloped "NEW KYLE"...........RIP DOC
OlderAggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Here.
sharpdressedman
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Here. I wish I would have met him during my four years in Aggieland. I will always remember him as an honorable, accomplished man and the common thread uniting many decades of Aggie football.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.