SPMT 489 with Trev Alberts: R.C. Slocum speaks to Texas A&M students

In this third installment of the SPMT 489 lecture series, Dr. Gregg Bennett was joined by R.C. Slocum, the winningest football coach in Texas A&M history. In addition, McNeese State Senior Associate AD Matt Fontenot along with TexAgs' Ryan Brauninger spoke to students.

Topics from R.C. Slocum interview

• 0:00 - Introduction, first game (1989) and play as Texas A&M’s head coach
• 1:50 - Recent call from McNeese’s head coach, Gary Goff
• 03:09 - Early childhood in Orange, Texas, and growing up in a poor family
• 06:06 - Job as a shoe shiner, paper boy and developing personal skills
• 06:45 - Life-changing invite by 7th grade football coach to join team
• 08:00 - Love for running, track
• 09:20 - Going to McNeese, appreciation for having great coaches
• 11:01 - Befriending George H.W. Bush, going on Greek vacation
• 14:07 - Seeing similar situations from own childhood in recruits, finding hope
• 16:10 - Sports as an outlet for tough upbringing
• 17:50 - Traveling for first time, funny dinner story
• 21:30 - Importance of education, moving out of comfort zone
• 24:00 - Playing days at McNeese as a tight end
• 24:40 - Making connections, beginning of coaching career after McNeese
• 28:25 - Taking pride in whatever you do, painting houses example
• 30:15 - Time at USC, coming back to Texas A&M
• 33:13 - “Be where your feet are,” career lesson on not looking ahead too far 
• 34:25 - Upcoming trip to Las Vegas for Kevin Smith’s College Football Hall of Fame induction
• 35:43 -  Granddaughter Haley Slocum playing, coaching volleyball
• 37:46 - How coaching has changed through time, take on NIL, protecting players
• 41:45 - College Football Playoff expansion and its impact on rivalries
• 43:48 - Recruiting, meeting Dan Campbell for the first time
• 45:25 - Cancer diagnosis in 2022
• 46:32 - 1999 Bonfire collapse, decision to play Texas after
• 52:02 - Reaction to having A&M’s nutrition center named after him, background story
• 54:49 - “Keeping the faith” after cancer diagnosis, making the most out of life and every day

Topics from Matt Fontenot and Ryan Brauninger interview

• 00:41 - Introductions, backgrounds and ties to A&M, Fontenot and Brauninger being teammates at McNeese
• 1:49 - Brauninger’s “super competitive” childhood in sports in Nederland, Texas, playing football and baseball and being coached hard
• 4:23 - Fontenot being from a baseball town (Lake Charles) in Louisiana, sitting on the bench and eventually surpassing others
• 5:57 - What made sports valuable as a kid, building relationships and community with others
• 11:18 - Journeys to McNeese, biggest lessons from — and after — school, value of having life experiences
• 16:26 - Brauninger’s junior college days, how it shaped him
• 18:34 - McNeese baseball stories, “the bunny rabbit” and fight...
• 23:13 - What success looks like for McNeese in baseball, football, other sports
• 26:26 - Why McNeese schedules Texas A&M, more than just a paycheck for the program
• 28:43 - Structure of NIL is changing for all institutions, even in the next 12-24 months as NCAA continues to “kick the can down the road”
• 32:30 - Scholarship changes from revenue sharing, what it might look like at a school like McNeese 
• 37:35 - Fontenot would beat Brauny in a foot race, Brauny would beat Fontenot in arm wrestling
• 37:52 - Best places to eat in Lake Charles, life-changing sandwiches at Darrell's
• 41:03 - How Aggies could keep new traditions going at Olsen Field
• 42:51 - Michael Earley taking the reins of A&M baseball, and his connection to the community, outlook of the program going forward
• 45:13 - How NIL, social media has upended traditional youth sports
• 46:33 - Strength of distancing yourself as a fan working in sports, media perspective and favoring the business aspect over anything else
• 50:52 - Finding direction in the NIL era, what might the first step look like to find clarity and level the playing field in the industry
• 54:10 - Career ladder for ADs — being able to get to college athletics is biggest advantage, having the “figure-it-out gene” to breed confidence
• 56:48 - Bennett baseball story, Lubbock trip

About SPMT 489

The Special Topics course “The Power of Sports” will explore the multifaceted impact of sports on society, culture, and business. Through a combination of guest speakers, class discussions and professional development events, students will gain insights into the various aspects of the sports industry.