R.C. Slocum's Hall Of Fame Nod Is No Joke!
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As a lifelong Aggie I've heard my fair share of Aggie jokes. Jokes that start with, "So two Aggies walk into a bar" and jokes that end with "and the sheep ended up pregnant!"
Despite all the jabs taken to the maroon chin of the school I love, no one can laugh at the career and accomplishments of R.C Slocum.
In his 14 seasons as head coach at A&M, Slocum went an impressive 123-47-2 record, won 3 consecutive Southwest Conference titles, a Big 12 title and three bowl games. It's because of this and MANY other reasons that R.C. Slocum was named to the 2012 National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Slocum's defensive mind was one the greatest in college football. During the 90s hey-day of Aggie football Slocum established a defense that swarmed offenses with ruthless aggression and power thanks to such players as Patrick Bates and Dat Nguyen. It's the reason that 80,000+ Aggies at Kyle Field on a Saturday would proudly display the W.C. hand sign as they chanted, "Wrecking Crew! Wrecking Crew!"
In 1999 Slocum truly left his mark with Aggies around the world shortly after the tragic bonfire collapse.
Slocum and his players went to the scene of the deadly accident that killed 12 A&M students and assisted in the clean-up. At the Thanksgiving night memorial service at Kyle Field, Slocum spoke to a stadium full of saddened students and alumni in attendance, including a fresh-faced kid still shocked by the devastation . . . me. It was Slocum's words that night and the upset win over Texas, 20-16, that allowed the healing process to slowly begin.
Most of the time Hall of Fame inductees are simply judged by what they did ON the field. For R.C. Slocum, it's what happened OFF the field that is just as impressive and for that . . . Ironically, the Aggie got the last laugh.
(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM and CBS Local, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved)
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