Now that this millennium stuff is really upon us and we can look forward to the next 2000 years, a quick look at Texas A&M's athletic future is in order... right after a quick glance back:

The preceding century of Aggie sports brought a football national title in 1939, a Heisman Trophy winner in 1957, a coach called "The Bear" and an offensive set called "The Bone."

We saw the Junction Boys and Gene Stallings' "Texas Special" against the Longhorns.

There was "Bo No Go" at the1986 Cotton Bowl and Sirr Parker on the slant in the 1998 Big 12 title game.

Finally, Aggies saw the Bonfire game of '99, perhaps the most memorable and poignant day in the history of the A&M-Texas rivalry.

As for basketball, the Aggies could have won a national title in 1980, falling to eventual champion Louisville in the regional semifinals in overtime.

And in baseball, there was the 1989 heartbreak to LSU in the regionals against LSU, followed by the overwhelming joy of the Clemson series 10 years later to earn another trip back to the College World Series.

It's been a nice century-plus of Aggie athletics. It's about to get much better

As Y2K gives way to "Why two QBs?" during the recruiting wars, there's no question Aggie football should continue its winning ways.

So what can Aggie fans look forward to as a new century unfolds?

. A loaded stable of running backs. With Ja'Mar Toombs returning, along with another bruiser in Joe Weber, A&M has two legitimate pounders on offense.

The word from the Aggie coaching staff, however, is watch out for Richard Whitaker, currently on the redshirt board. Whitaker was considered a steal in last year's recruiting race, and his special teams abilities and darting moves will remind fans of a cross between Greg Hill and Dante Hall.

. Linebacker U. is grooming another class of hotshot 'backers. A&M returns all of its starters at linebacker in 2000, with Jason Glenn set for star status as a senior.

The future looks incredibly bright, too, as Jared Morris of Brownwood has turned some heads during his redshirt year. The Aggies recruited this position hard last year, and it will pay off in the near future with a bevy of players ready to bust onto the scene.

. Scheduling for the ages.

Why did A&M build The Zone at Kyle Field? See Nov. 26 against Texas. And see next year's slate with Texas Tech, Kansas State, Colorado and Oklahoma all coming to Kyle Field. Four sellouts and maybe a fifth against Wyoming in the home opener are possible, if not probable.

In 2001, Notre Dame and Texas both come into the den and din of Kyle. Wally Groff, smile all the way to the bank as Kyle Field solidifies its hold as the nation's noisiest stadium.

. $35 million. That's the goal of the 12th Man Foundation's Capital Campaign currently under way.

With that type of financial commitment, A&M's facilities will move into the stratosphere over the next five or 10 years. Yes, A&M lacks some facilities in certain areas, as the Aggie coaches are quick to point out.

Patience is all we can preach right now because the wish list will be granted.

As for men's basketball, the Aggies have been waiting for the future for 15 years now, maybe more. But the next millennium promises to bring better times on the hardwood.

Players and coaches win ballgames. A&M finally has both, with more stud recruits on the way. If the Aggies don't turn around the program under Watkins, then it probably will never happen.

All a fan has to do is watch the athleticism and basketball savvy that Watkins' pup freshmen like Jamaal Gilchrist and Bernard King already have brought to College Station.

Four years from now, those two will leave linked together by greatness like Roper and Wallace on the football field.

Aggie baseball has the feel of building another 1989 or 1993 juggernaut. Coach Mark Johnson lured some big guns away from the major leagues, bringing in national talent at both the pitching and hitting positions this fall.

Several freshmen - including hard-throwing Todd Deininger and hard swinging Travis Wong - will be called on for duty early this spring. But just as youngsters like Terry Taylor, Chuck Knoblauch and John Byington joined the Division I fray as freshmen in 1987, the following seasons for the young Aggies line up to be special ones.

Then again, no other program on the A&M campus has competed on the national level on a more consistent basis than Johnson's Aggies. Yes, R.C. Slocum's group has won its share of conference titles and toppled three top-five teams in the last two seasons.

But the Aggie baseballers have soared to No. 1 in the polls on various occasions and vied for a national title twice since 1993.

Expect more of the same in the next millennium. And, as the NCAA has publicly acknowledged, expect more regionals, and thus, more Olsen Field magic, as well.

But baseball regionals are not the only NCAA championship events headed to College Station in the next few years. The school recently announced that both the NCAA Swimming and Tennis national championships will be held on the A&M campus in the next three years.

The swimming and diving championships will flood the nation's premier pool in 2001, while the United States Tennis Association's "Facility of the Year," the Varsity Tennis Center, will host the 2002 NCAA Championships.

The interesting aspect of hosting the championships is that A&M could very well be in the hunt for both titles during those years.

The Aggies finished 10th last year at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, and the senior class of 2000 is contemplating a redshirt year to prepare for the 2001 season and a shot at NCAA glory in the home pool.

And perhaps no coach has recruited nationally any better than Tim Cass, whose relentless pursuit of the nation's top men's tennis players has opened up a pipeline of talent from Florida to Aggieland.

In fact, if I had to make a prediction as to which A&M sport will win the school's next national title, my guess would be men's tennis.

No matter what happens over the next millennium, topping the last one at Texas A&M will be difficult.

But no doubt worth the try.