12th Man Magazine

Editor
Homer Jacobs

Contributing Writers
Rusty Burson
Jim Molony

Contributing Photographers
Kevin Bartram
Glen Johnson

Inside the Aggies | Q&A with Bill Johnson | The Sound of Silence

Inside the Aggies.

In the Line of Fire

By Homer Jacobs

The victories taste twice as sweet, the losses swallow twice as hard.

The biting comments from a shock jock's mouth echo twice as loud, the backstabbing around the water cooler and in the Internet chat rooms stings two times over.

Such is life when your dad is the head football coach, and your son is an assistant on your very staff.

Yes, blood is thicker than water. In the case of Shawn and R.C. Slocum, the blood has to be as thick as the skin it circulates through.

Yet, the Slocums don't believe nepotism has to be a nemesis as some outsiders tend to believe.

"People (hire sons) all over the country," said R.C. Slocum, who hired his son full-time in 1991 to coach tight ends. "There's been a bunch of coaches do that. Bobby Bowden's done it, Lou Holtz has done it, and Spike Dykes has done it. And people do it in law firms and in construction companies and medical practices. So it really hasn't been a problem for me."

Shawn Slocum has viewed his opportunity to coach with his father has an unbelievable opportunity. He is coaching for the school he loves under the man who taught him everything he knows about the game.

"First of all, I am very proud to have the opportunity to work with my father and to be able to help him with our program here at A&M," Shawn said. "So I feel a sense of satisfaction to be able to contribute to get (the job) done."

And when the Aggies win, the Slocums revel. When the Aggies lose, the two suffer.

For themselves, for each other.

"I think it means more than if I was just working for someone else and just for myself," said the 32-year-old outside linebackers and special teams coach. "Not only do I get the self-satisfaction of accomplishment, but also get the satisfaction of my father's accomplishments. And that makes it very special.

"But there is another side of that, too. When you're unsuccessful or lose a ballgame - and that's our measuring stick in a lot of cases - it makes it doubly tough. Because not only am I dealing with how I feel about it, but also there's another part of me who says I've got my father over there who just lost a game, and I've got my family and my brother. We're all involved in this thing at some point."

Indeed when the Aggies lose or lose a lot as was the case last year, being a Slocum isn't an easy chore.

R.C. catches his usual flak from A&M fans and media after losses, not to mention 6-6 seasons. But Shawn becomes a target as well.

Last year, when rumors swirled about the firings and hirings of the A&M coaching staff, fingers pointed straight at Shawn. And people weren't asking for a promotion.

Instead, as some fans called for coaching heads, Shawn's seemed perfect for the chopping block. After all, he was a coach's son. He was only at A&M because his dad called the shots, and his role as a young assistant appeared expendable.

Shawn likely heard the murmurs, but refused to acknowledge them.

"I was fortunate to grow up around the business, so I'm callous to a lot of the rumors," Shawn said. "What I try to do is separate fact from rumor. First of all, I know my father would fire me if I wasn't doing my job. I knew that going in. There's no question about it. He holds me accountable for everything, and I feel like he's very fair with me. He questions some of the things I do, but he wants to make sure I'm getting the job done. I also feel like I have to support the things I say and the things I do with some facts."

And the facts lend extensive credibility to why Shawn coaches on his father's staff.

Some of the players Shawn has coached and developed include tight ends Greg Schorp and James McKeehan and outside linebacker Reggie Brown. On special teams, Shawn has been responsible for the supervision of All-America punting candidate Shane Lechler and steady senior place-kicker Kyle Bryant.

The position of outside linebacker, which Shawn has coached for three seasons, has been one of the most productive positions on the team, while the Aggie special teams (the Kansas State game notwithstanding) have drawn raves from opposing coaches this season and for years prior.

"When things go wrong or awry, people look for whatever they can blame," R.C. said. "But I wouldn't have put him or myself in this position if he wasn't a good coach. Last year, we led the composite Big 12 kicking stats, and we've had good special teams. The guys he's coached have played well in special teams and in our regular offense and defense."

In recruiting, Shawn has become one of the bulldogs on the staff. Like his father, Shawn thrives on the chase and the capture of the state's top schoolboy talent.

And although all the A&M coaches are involved with the recruitment of most of the signees each year, Shawn's pick list from his area of Central and South Texas has been impressive.

Some of the headliners include Brown, Dat Nguyen, Toya Jones, Jay Brooks, Michael Jameson, Seth McKinney and Ronald Flemons.

But beyond recruiting and coaching on the field, each A&M assistant is evaluated on a variety of topics, including alumni and student-athlete relations.

"He goes across the board and tells me things he thinks I'm doing well and the things he thinks I can improve on," Shawn added. "The things he tells me to work on just inspires me to get it down and make sure it's right. I look at the Kansas State game, and it was probably the worst special teams we've played in a long, long time. And I hate that. It's absolutely a focus and a drive to get it right."

The Aggies didn't get too much right last season, and Shawn said the .500 season made him rededicate himself to helping his father right the program.

And as much as Shawn wants to be a solution to any of the problems, he has reached the point in his career when he can envision himself becoming a defensive coordinator or perhaps even a head coach one day.

"I've learned so much, it's invaluable," he said. "But I have my own individual goals. For the first several years of my coaching career, I was all about helping (R.C.) be the best he could be, and I was just trying to learn. He told me this one time: 'Son, you don't even know the questions, much less the answers. You need to keep your mouth shut and learn.' And as time has gone on, I've learned quite a bit about football. I've been on both sides and coached the special teams.

"I have my individual goals I want to achieve, but right now, I'm in a great situation and not looking to leave. But if there is an opportunity that I feel is better than I've got right now, I'll have to think about it. But right now, I'm at a great place in a great situation."

R.C. feels the situation is ideal, except for the fact the two rarely have the time to act as father and son. It's mainly head coach and assistant.

While R.C. fulfills his countless duties as head coach, Shawn immerses himself into the daily defensive meetings. He emerges from the darkness of the film room in time to hit the practice field, where R.C. supervises mainly from afar.

"We have what I say is a professional relationship in terms of how things are done at the office," R.C. said. "I don't see him anymore than the other coaches. We're not just sitting around shootin' the bull. Sometimes, I feel badly about it because we really don't. I don't have time with him more than I would with any of the other coaches. Every minute I have is taken up doing something. In the summertime, we might play golf, but I play golf with the other coaches, too."

And, make no mistake about it, if the point came where R.C. had to choose between his son and his own job or the future of the program, Shawn would lose out. And there would be no offense taken.

"I wouldn't have put him in that situation," R.C. said. "He's no different than anyone else. I love him like any father would his son, but not to the point where I'd let him be a detriment to my job or our operation here.

"In every other industry, guys have their sons working in their companies with them. And all those people aren't just letting their sons hang out. It's the same kind of deal. Plus, it's too competitive to not have somebody carrying their weight."

Even if there is a heavy burden attached.

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