Great coach and great man. Totally deserving!
Photo by RVR Photos/USA TODAY Sports
His legacy is prominent.
On Sept. 4, a representation of it will be permanent.
Texas A&M will unveil a bronze statue outside Kyle Field to honor the legacy of R.C. Slocum, the winningest head football coach in program history.
A historic celebration to honor the 81-year-old will be held at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 4, ahead of the Aggies’ season-opener against Missouri State.
The statue will stand outside of Kyle Field’s Entry 5 on the north end of the stadium.
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Sculptor Steven Whyte posted on his Instagram page an invitation to the celebration honoring Slocum. Whyte has previously sculpted four pieces for Texas A&M University, including the War Hymn Monument outside the east side of Kyle Field and the statue of 1957 Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow.
Along with plenty of monuments and statues surrounding the Home of the 12th Man, Slocum will become the first A&M head coach to have a statue erected in his honor. Further, he becomes just the third member of the football program to receive a larger-than-life bronze likeness, joining 12th Man E. King Gill and the aforementioned Crow.
Of course, the honor is well deserved, as his impact on A&M far exceeds his 123 head-coaching victories.
Slocum’s legacy in Aggieland dates back to 1972, when Emory Bellard hired him as a receivers coach before moving to a defensive assistant role the following year. During his early days in Maroon & White, the Orange native notably helped recruit two-time All-Southwest Conference running back Bubba Bean to A&M.
When Bellard left for Mississippi State in 1978, Slocum became Tom Wilson’s defensive coordinator and would remain in that role until 1980. After one year at Southern Cal, Jackie Sherrill brought Slocum back to A&M as his DC in 1982, as the Aggies went on to reach three consecutive Cotton Bowls.
After Sherrill resigned in December of 1988, Slocum was named his successor as head coach and held that position for 14 seasons. During his head coaching career, he never endured a losing season and won four conference titles — three straight SWC crowns (1991-93) and the 1998 Big 12 championships. His record in SWC games (44-6-2) accounts for the best winning percentage in the league’s history, ahead of Texas’ Darrell Royal.
Beyond the trophies, he helped birth the “Wrecking Crew” defense and established Kyle Field as one of the hardest places to play, only losing 12 home games across his 14 seasons.
After his coaching career ended in 2002, he served multiple stints as the athletic program’s interim athletic director in 2019 and 2024.
A three-time SWC Coach of the Year, Slocum was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Now, the university will honor all of that and so much more of Slocum’s enduring legacy next month.
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