robert.cessna@theeagle.com
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So, what does the resignation of A&M president Elsa Murano mean to the school’s athletic department and its future?
Good question. I don’t know if there’s a good answer — at least not yet. Nor might there be in say two decades.
Remember the Jackie Sherrill vs. William Mobley showdown of 1988? Mobley told the Board of Regents that either he or Sherrill had to go. The Board of Regents backed their president of only a few months. Who won that one? Or is it still too early to tell?
Many of you have told me that the Board of Regents backed the wrong man. Some think Sherrill would have won a national championship had the Board of Regents backed him and weathered the storms surrounding the program. Others have told me the A&M football program would have been dogged by the NCAA until it became SMU South had the Board of Regents backed Sherrill.
What happened in the last couple of weeks, though, is much different. It’s not about A&M vs. the NCAA or a football coach vs. a university president. This is about Aggies not getting along.
The Murano fiasco doesn’t even appear to be academics vs. athletics, at least not on the surface. Yet, you can’t separate academics and athletics, not at Texas A&M. You can’t have success in one and flounder in the other. They have to go hand in hand, or at least they should.
Murano sure seemed to understand the importance of athletics at A&M. Ditto the Board of Regents.
So could Murano’s exit be solely about academics? Maybe, but there sure is a lot of speculation about athletics playing a part, maybe a huge one. Chancellor Mike McKinney had two sons play football at A&M. He worked for Gov. Rick Perry, who many say could wind up back in Aggieland. Perry is a frequent visitor at athletic events. The former Yell Leader has a passion for athletics, like most Aggies. So wouldn’t he surround himself with those who want A&M to win?
Perry appointed all nine Board of Regents. Three of them — chairman Morris Foster, vice chairman James Wilson and Lupe Fraga — are from Houston. The powerful Houston A&M Club had to make a big push to athletics director Bill Byrne to hire Mike Sherman.
Let's say all of that is true. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. People in power always will reward their friends. But why didn’t Murano get along with the crowd that was running the university? She had to at one point to get hired.
Did she rub those in charge wrong when she brought up the $16 million loan that former president Bob Gates gave the athletic department? Gates or Byrne never mentioned it, so should Murano have? Or was it a lost cause when Murano went off on McKinney’s review and news of the loan was just part of her venting.
That loan went to the backburner this weekend, but it will resurface, to be sure.
The Board of Regents talked Monday about saving money, but it’s gonna cost about $800,000 for Murano to move back to the faculty. And they still have to hire another president. Is Dennis Franchione available? They still owe him $2.7 million.
So it’s not about money. It seems to be about politics, sadly between Aggies who can’t get along. They bragged about hiring a landmark president, but in 17 months she leaves one of the best jobs in America.
She also resigned a day after A&M completed the best spring for the athletic department in school history — three national championships.
A&M is too powerful to be hurt by one person or a handful of people, no matter how powerful they are. The school will continue to get stronger, despite how this plays out.
A&M is set to welcome a record-setting freshman class this fall. The students, academically at the top of their graduating classes, will be too busy studying and adapting to college life to worry about if the Board of Regents or Murano won this battle.
A&M athletic teams will be out to show this year’s national championships were no fluke. The football program will try to narrow the gap between Texas and Oklahoma. The Aggies eventually will have to be on even footing with those programs or Sherman will be ousted. That's the way it works.
You can call it politics, athletics or academics. But it's all about winning and losing. The key is by whose definition. In this case, it Murano's words fell on deaf ears.
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Posted by: On: 6/25/2009
Comment Title:
I've heard a lot of negative things about Rick Perry and the people he's selected as Regents. But it's just "dinner-party" chat.
Posted by: On: 6/20/2009
Comment Title: Another Planet is Correct
Someone mentioned 1976, and I could not resist posting. Way back in 1976 when I was clearly without direction, I attended TAMU. I took Freshman Algebra with Lester Hayes and Pat Thomas, both of whom went on to enjoy successful NFL careers. Lester Hayes graduated from TAMU without the ability to read or write. I walked away from school that year in the middle of the fall semester without withdrawing. Years later I was surprised to learn that I earned a "C" in Algebra and credits from TAMU. Pat and Lester sat in different rows from each other and from me, on opposite sides of me. Prior to tests in that class, the professor would clearly announce that each row would be getting a different test, and that did happen. On my right, Pat Thomas would ask if he could look at my test, on my left, Lester Hayes did the the same. I nodded sure to both knowing that both were looking at completely different tests than they received. I am sure they passed Algebra as well. However, I did not drive brand new Buick Rivieras like they did. I am quite sure that everything has changed completely at TAMU and that football players no longer earn enough working part-time during one summer to purchase luxury automobiles. It's all good. College athletics is about the money. Bowl games. Commercials. Filling stadiums, getting television coverage due to rankings, and promoting the sales of products. Once in a while there are exceptions. I guess all athletes are not the same. All schools are not the same. All sports columnists are not so blindly naive, either. I am not an Aggie. But, I did manage to pass Algebra at this fine institution while only attending one-half of a semester thanks to what I guess was an extremely generous curve to benefit a couple of talented football players who were clearly not "student athletes." That's how things really work. Get a clue. Nothing changes but the names of the players. Do not misunderstand me, there are some fine young men involved with collegiate sports. There are also some like these two I had the pleasure of knowing. They were great football players. No more, no less.
Posted by: On: 6/20/2009
Comment Title: Are you on the same planet Cessna?
Sports don't go hand-in-hand with academics. Sports go hand-in-hand with marketing merchandise. As to academics, many recruited athletes are reputed to have poor academic performance. That's why they need "shadow" tutors. They show up in class either with or without the athlete being there. This happened as long ago as 1976 when I was there. And as far as the largest freshman class goes, they will be forced to take 15 hours, which most cannot do and will drop out leaving A&M holding the tuition money. The students "at the top of their graduating class" who will be "too busy studying," will not have time for athletic events (conveniently billed on the tuition invoice.) These same "top of their class" students cannot write, on the whole. They don't know what grammar means or how to use the right word, or to spell it. But they do know how to complain about their grades, saying how unfair it is. With this large group will also come revenue to events like the "fish camp" and "orientation." That's what it's all about.
Posted by: realistic On: 6/18/2009
Comment Title: Let's be clear here!
Mike McKinney is NOT an Aggie.....unless he has a stealth degree. What he IS however, is a Perry puppet. The whole group is in one way or the other, tied directly to the governor.....there has to be at least one other person out there who can lead this great University, Perry should not even be mentioned as a candidate. Talk about a bunch of 'inbreds'....hopefully, clearer heads will prevail in selecting a QUALIFIED president.