COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M will host rival Texas Saturday night, effectively ending the rivalry’s longest break in it’s 130 year history. So who better to talk to about the Lone Star Showdown than Texas A&M Hall of Fame head coach RC Slocum.
Growing up in East Texas, Slocum remembers pulling for the Aggies as a kid and in junior high, he attended his first A&M game in College Station, which quickly became an annual tradition.
Little did he know he'd coach in 30 Lone Star Showdowns, more than any coach in the game's history.
“It makes me proud, to have grown up in Texas and watch the game and to end up spending in my adult life, 30 times coaching in a rivalry game 30 times,” Slocum said. And then to have a winning record, you know, and that's modern history.
Of all of the rivalry games he's been a part of throughout his career, there will always be one that stands out above the rest.
“Without a doubt the ‘99 Bonfire game is the most meaningful game to me,” Slocum said. “You know, and it wasn't like a ra-ra victory or jubilation, it was just a meaningful thing that I felt more pressure to win that game than any game I ever coached. We'd just been through so much here with the sadness of the tragedy with the bonfire falling and those young people losing their lives that I just couldn't bear the thought of not winning the game.”
As Slocum used to tell his players, ‘From the tall banks of Houston, to the office buildings of Dallas, to the deer blinds out in the Hill country, wherever in this state, there will be a lot of people talking about this game.’ So, having the rivalry back isn't just great for college football.
“It's great for the state of Texas,” Slocum said. “You know, it's been very competitive, it's been what a rivalry should be and I think going forward now, if you look at us now, we are a big university. We've got great facilities and so I think now it's more of an even match of capabilities, you know we have every bit the same capabilities as they have now. So I think going forward, it would really be a great rivalry."
And while the excitement level of having this game back on the schedule was already high, the winner moving on to the SEC Championship game, takes it to another level.
“I think it's icing on the cake,” Slocum said. “But this game is one that I think, you can throw out the records, you can throw everything at this game by itself. If, if neither team is going to a bowl, neither team is going anywhere, the game itself and who wins this game would be big enough motivation and so then you just up it, if that's possible. The winner goes to the championship game and that just put more fuel on the fire, I would say.”
The Aggies host the Longhorns, Saturday night at Kyle Field. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm on ABC.
