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Dave Wilson, ESPN editor
AUSTIN, Texas — Jim Schlossnagle was introduced as Texas baseball coach Wednesday, a day after stunning Texas A&M by starting for the rival Aggies in their return from the Men’s College World Series in Omaha.
This quick resolution marked the end of a mad scramble. It started when Schlossnagle was defiant during his postgame press conference Monday night following a 6-5 loss in Game 3 of the Championship Series when asked about any interest in the post in Texas. News had just broken that the Longhorns had parted ways with coach David Pierce.
“I took the job at Texas A&M only to never take another job again, and that hasn’t changed in my mind,” Schlossnagle said. “It’s unfair to talk about something like that. … I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I devoted every ounce of my soul to this job. And I gave this work every moment.” just one ounce, I could possibly give it away. So write that.
The exchange was widely replayed Tuesday after Schlossnagle swapped his maroon for burnt orange. On Wednesday, Schlossnagle said he wanted to apologize to reporter Richard Zane of TexAgs.com.
“He asked a question that was obvious,” Schlossnagle said. “I wish I could answer that question better. But at the time, 30 minutes after the last pitch, all I could think about was our players. And I really wasn’t in the mood to talk about myself for the moment. future.”
Schlossnagle was introduced by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, Schlossnagle’s former boss at TCU. Schlossnagle viewed their relationship as the biggest differentiator in the Aggies and Longhorns jobs.
He thanked “my man CDC” in his comments, called himself and Del Conte “lifelong friends,” and said he regretted that things happened so quickly after a season in which he led the Aggies to a first-place finish, a 53–15 finish (tied for the second most wins in program history) and the school’s first appearance in a championship series. Coaches rarely made the jump from one side of the rivalry to the other, and on this occasion the departure was particularly galling for the Aggies given the timing.
“I want to thank Texas A&M,” Schlossnagle said. “It obviously wasn’t a move from one school to another. It’s a big rivalry. And I couldn’t be more grateful and humbled by the support I received there, than we received from great players, staff and administration…For some it was a very easy decision because of my relationship with Chris, my past history and my confidence. in him and in his wife, Robin (Ward). But it was obviously very difficult decisions in life where you can’t choose when you don’t meet your team, as you would like. I’m sorry.
Schlossnagle and Del Conte said their longtime friendship was failing as Schlossnagle attempted to win his first national title in nine trips to MCWS (one as an assistant, eight as head coach). He said he and Del Conte “talked all the time, but Texas had a baseball coach.”
Schlossnagle said that after he returned from Omaha, Del Conte came to visit him and he made the decision to go.
“I dove in with every ounce of me to help A&M have the best baseball program possible, and that investment lasted until the last pitch of the national championship game,” Schlossnagle said. “He never wavered, not for a second. I don’t care what anyone says.”
Del Conte, meanwhile, said he drove straight to College Station to meet with Schlossnagle on Tuesday, hoping to reach him and “get the air of the room” in a face-to-face meeting. -to-face to persuade him to take the plunge. Del Conte said he hid in a cemetery in Snook, Texas, about 20 minutes from College Station, for about four or five hours to avoid detection.
“With Jim, our eggs were in one basket,” Del Conte said. “I was counting on my relationship with him so that we could reach an agreement. I was really nervous, to tell you the truth. …When I was at the cemetery, (and then on the way) to their house, it was as crazy as it sounds. I imagined all the scenarios in my head.
“I drove to his house, had a long, long talk, put him in the car and we left,” Del Conte said, adding that they came straight to Austin and concluded a contract Tuesday evening around 7:45 p.m.
Schlossnagle called the experience “miserable,” saying he understood the passion of the same fans he courted when he was at Texas A&M.
“We have jobs and try to run a business off the passion of others,” Schlossnagle said. “If I had left Texas A&M for another university in another part of the country, the interesting messages and messages I received yesterday probably would not have arrived. But I understand. You can’t ask your fans to support you and be passionate like the 12th Man always was. This year, our fans have been awesome – awesome – every game. So you can’t ask for that like I did and like our staff did and expect everyone to be OK with a coach leaving for his rival university. I understand. »
In 23 seasons as coach at UNLV, TCU and Texas A&M, Schlossnagle has a career record of 945-451, with seven appearances in the MCWS. He is 59-36 in NCAA tournament games and was named Baseball America National Coach of the Year in 2016. He takes over the winningest program in college baseball history, with three coaches who won two national championships each at Bibb Falk, Cliff. Gustafson and Augie Garrido, and six other MCWS finalists, as well as 80 conference championships and 16 conference tournament championships.
Schlossnagle spoke of his admiration for Gustafson, whom he never met, and for Pierce, whom he considers a friend. But he was more moved by Garrido, who he said gave him advice about training in Texas.
“One thing he said to me one day was, ‘If you decide to come to Texas, that’s never going to be your program,’” Schlossnagle said. “I’ve never felt that way – TCU, UNLV, Texas A&M, whatever my program is… My program is Elon in North Carolina, and that’s my school. My job is to run that program, run it oversee and continue to develop the program to reach a championship level on a daily basis.
Texas pays Texas A&M a $2.7 million buyout in connection with the hire. Schlossnagle called it “a specific redemption specifically for the University of Texas, because of my relationship with Chris.” Schlossnagle’s buyout was $1.35 million for all other out-of-state work.
Now that he’s signed up to do it in Austin instead of College Station, he’s added fuel to a rivalry that doesn’t need additional fuel, especially with Texas joining the SEC on July 1 and reuniting with conference rivals with the Aggies.
“(The rivalry is) already awesome,” Schlossnagle said. “The midweek games we got to play this year? Awesome. The regionals? Phenomenal. I can’t even imagine what a three-game SEC series will be like.”