Jackie to Jimbo, you won’t believe what Texas A&M has paid football coaches since ’82
Texas A&M’s greatest impact on college football is not John David Crow, the 12th Man or Johnny Football but rather head coaches.
Thanks to Texas A&M, beginning in 1982 the job of “college head football coach” started on its path to becoming a one-percenter life.
This did not start with the hiring, extending and firing of Jimbo Fisher, the former Aggies coach who will receive all $77.6 million of his buyout, regardless if he is hired at another spot.
Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork, the president of the school as well as the Texas A&M board of regents approving the extension that Jimbo signed in Aug. of 2021 is negligent, and should be reviewed by someone in the university system.
A&M is a public institution, and while the contract will be “privately funded,” some of this will inevitably be covered by Aggie fans.
Sadly, this is all consistent with Texas A&M’s history with coaches.
Why the Aggies can’t hit the level of success they deeply desire is a mystery because given the amount of money they have spent on coaches since 1982 they deserve a better ROI.
Jackie Sherrill
In January of 1982, the Aggies recruited Sherrill away from the University of Pittsburgh by signing him to a six-year contract worth a record $1.8 million. Using an inflation calculator, that number works out to $5.7 million in today’s dollars.
The New York Times reported that the contract made Sherrill the highest-paid employee at an American public university.
Sherrill was hired as the football coach and athletic director; in the ‘80s, it was common for either the men’s basketball, or football, coach to double as the AD, mostly as a means to increase in salary.
Then A&M president Dr. Frank E. Vandiver was so upset at the contract that he threatened to resign. He didn’t.
A&M was tired of former coach Tom Wilson, and agreed to pay him what effectively amounted to a buyout of ... $50,000.
In Sherrill’s seven seasons in College Station, the Aggies won 10 games twice, three Southwest Conference titles, and were ranked in the final AP Poll three times. He also started A&M’s “12th Man Kickoff Team.”
In December of 1988, Sherrill resigned amid allegations of NCAA violations by paying players, which ultimately led to a two-year probation for the program. When Sherrill left, the school agreed to pay him about $500,000. A&M inducted Sherrill into its Hall of Fame in 2007.
R.C. Slocum
In his 14-year tenure, the Aggies won 10 games five times, were ranked in the final AP Poll 10 times, and from 1999 to ‘95 were consistently a top-10 program. The Aggies were hit with an NCAA probation, which in hindsight looked to be a result of an over zealous enforcement committee.
The Aggies dominated the final years of the Southwest Conference, but that success did not translate to the Big 12.
The slide began early in 2000, and Slocum resigned late in the 2002 season. He had three years and $3 million left on his contract, and he remained working for the school as a special adviser to the president.
Aggie fans were tired of R.C. the head coach, but not R.C. the human being. He remains an active part of the A&M community.
Dennis Franchione
It remains one of the most amazing details in college football history that the Aggies convinced the head coach at Alabama to leave for A&M in Dec. of 2002.
The former TCU coach wanted to return to Texas, and there were some particulars about his contract with Alabama that made Fran’ vulnerable to leaving. He signed a five-year deal with A&M worth about $10.5 million.
The Aggies were 32-29 under Fran’, 0-3 in bowls, and never finished ranked in the final AP Poll.
Once news surfaced of Fran’s “VIP Connection Email” to select boosters in Oct. of 2007, the school had its reason to fire him. He resigned instead.
The e-mail may have been cause to fire Fran’ and void the remainder of his contract; instead of going the lawyer route, A&M paid Fran $4.4 million over three years.
Mike Sherman
An odd hire from the start, the former pro coach never fit college. He was 25-25 in four seasons, and had one winning record. Sherman was fired in early December of 2011 with a buyout of $5.8 million.
As evidenced after he left, he had recruited well, most notably landing a certain quarterback.
Kevin Sumlin
The “hot” coach from the University of Houston, less than two weeks after Sherman was fired Sumlin signed a five-year deal with A&M that paid him about $2 million annually.
After he named quarterback Johnny Manziel the starter for A&M’s first SEC season, the Swag Copter put the Aggies on the national map for the first time since the ‘90s.
Johnny Football led A&M to an 11-2 record, including a win at No. 1 Alabama. Manziel won the Heisman Trophy, A&M defeated Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and the Aggies finished the season ranked fifth, its highest since 1956.
In November of 2013, A&M signed Sumlin to a six-year extension worth $30 million. Guaranteed.
Beginning in 2012, the Aggies finished 9-4, 8-5, 8-5, 8-5, 7-5.
Prized recruits such as Myles Garrett and Kyler Murray played for the Aggies, but the results were never there.
On Nov. 26, 2017, A&M fired Sumlin. He was 51-26 in his tenure, with a 25-23 record in the SEC. He was owed a buyout of $10 million.
To replace Sumlin, the Aggies hired Fisher, who finished 45-25 in six seasons, with a 27-21 record in the SEC. He is owed a buyout of $77.6 million.
If you look into the history of a lot of big-time college football programs, from Ole Miss to Mississippi State to UCLA, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Oregon, and many others, you are apt to find similar stats and figures.
Similar. Not the same.
Since 1982, Texas A&M has produced:
12-17 bowl record; 3-7 in the Cotton Bowl; Orange Bowl win in the COVID year
24: seasons unranked in final AP poll
8: 10 win seasons
6: Southwest Conference titles
2: Big 12 conference championship game appearances; NCAA probations
1: Big 12 conference championship; Heisman Trophy
0: playoff berths, SEC championships; SEC West championships
$108 million in guaranteed head coach buyouts
