A lot is about to change for the Texas A&M Aggies. After 16 years in the Big 12 conference, A&M is about to start its inaugural season as a Southeastern Conference member. Kevin Sumlin, former football coach for University of Houston, will start as head coach and Eric Hyman will come on as Athletic Director to pull it all together.
There will be an enormous amount of work needed to fill the shoes of retired Bill Byrne, who oversaw a huge amount of facility improvements and helped the Aggies win 17 national titles in track, equestrian, golf and women’s basketball. But, the expectation for Hyman is a revitalization of the A&M football program which has been less than successful. Starting last season ranked in the top 10, the Aggies struggled to maintain a .500 average and has a record of 64-60 over the past 10 seasons. Football anywhere, but especially in Texas, is big money. Dishing out $1 million a year is an easy investment, especially on a person who has walked into struggling football environments and had the results he’s had.
Hyman served in the same position at the University of South Carolina, Texas Christian University, Miami University – Ohio, and the Virginia Military Institute. With outstanding leadership, he has earned the honors of National Athletic Director of the Year and West Regional Director of the Year. He is also no stranger to being part of a large scale facility renovation. During his time at South Carolina, the Gamecocks baseball team played in three national titles, winning two, while the football team competed in its first championship game, defeating Nebraska, and ending with a school record 11-2 season.
He was absolutely vital at TCU, where he lead them to 29 conference titles, initiated their transition into the Mountain West Conference and negotiated a killer contract with ESPN Regional. A deal that won him the Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal National Athletics Director of the Year. When Hyman joined, the football team was in self destruct mode, finishing the 1997 season 1-10. During his 9 year tenure, the Horned Frogs won 4 conference championships and played in 7 bowl games.