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Coach
R.C. Slocum
Head
Football Coach
Texas A&M
Previous:
Coach
Ricky Hunley
Associate
Head Coach /Linebackers
University of Missouri
Coach
Dan Hughes
Head
Basketball Coach
The WNBA Cleveland Rockers
Slocum is in his 27th season as a Texas A&M football coach, the longest tenure of any football coach in A&M history. In his 11th season as the Aggie head coach with an overall record of 102-31-2, his winning percentage of .763 ranks as the fifth-best among active head coaches, and the 102 wins make Slocum the winningest coach in Texas A&M history. In 1998, he surpassed Hall of Fame Coach Homer Norton, who won 82 games from 1934-47. |
Insights for novice, intermediate and expert coaches
SMC: What coaching issue is top of mind for you?
RCS: Ethics in coaching- The overriding mission we all have as coaches is to take these young men under our leadership and make it a high priority to develop them into wholesome individuals. There’s such a big emphasis on winning. We can’t fall into the trap that winning is everything. Being your best, doing your best is something you should aspire to, and we should teach young men to do so as long as we put principals first. Coaches have an awesome responsibility and opportunity to influence lives. The truest measure of a coach’s worth is the measure of his team five years down road; what kind of people their players have become.
SMC: Is your concern elevated by all the criminal activity attributed to athletes that we see in the media lately?
RCS: What we’re seeing is evidence of what society is becoming. Many young kids today aren’t getting the day- to-day value training that used to be provided by parents at home. A large number of kids almost grow up by themselves these days. Whatever they’re getting at school and particularly from their coaches may be all they’re getting.
SMC: What do you do at Texas A &M to teach values?
RCS: Our life skills program is extensive. For instance, we mandate a class for all first year players covering "honesty". Honesty doesn’t only mean- don’t steal something. It also means being honest in your relationships. There’s tremendous value in being able to count on things being true. Those are important things to teach too.
SMC: How else do you teach values?
RCS: We must teach with our actions, how we conduct ourselves. Illegal workouts teach young men something wrong. If our language or topics of conversation don’t reflect what’s right. If we curse every other sentence we’re not being role models. If we’re violent, we can’t teach them not to be violent.
SMC: How does someone become a good coach?
RCS: Some of best coaches weren’t great players in college or the pros. The better college coaches didn’t play at all or were average players. It’s easier today to be a good coach because all of the learning materials available. Games on constantly on tv and we can watch the best on the internet too. There are unbelievable materials available, i.e. books, tapes, clinics today where you can learn from the best coaches. If a young coach is ambitious about being good, there’s plenty of opportunity to accomplish that.
SMC: What can you share that can benefit the experienced coaches?
RCS: After spring training I use an in-depth questionnaire that covers all aspects of the program. I ask players things like how well the trainer works with them? There’s a 1 to 5 scale: "all the time", "to a great extent," "never?" etc. I ask things like, "are you comfortable talking to your position coach about personal problems?" "Are you aware of NCAA rules and does coach Slocum do good job of emphasizing NCAA rules?" "If you could change one thing about our program what would that be?" Everywhere we might be exposed, we want to evaluate. It’s an anonymous survey and it’s our chance to have input in the program. As a result, we’ve done things like change the availability of our tutors.
When people know you really value their opinion it’s amazing what you discover. I ask, "how important is getting a degree," to the players. "Is playing in the NFL important to you?" Getting a degree received a higher score than playing in the NFL.
SMC: Is recruiting any more difficult today?
RCS: It’s more difficult on student-athletes because of recruiting services and because coaches and kids today travel all over country. Everything is moving faster. Kids are making decisions faster. Here we’re talking ethics again in the way coaches attempt to sign 17 yr. old kids. Coaches often confuse players by being negative about another coach. I have a saying, "He who throws dirt usually looses ground."
There are enough people criticizing coaches; we shouldn’t be doing it too. We should build up our profession.