AUSTIN, Texas — Jim Schlossnagle was introduced as Texas baseball coach Wednesday, a day after surprising Texas A&M by going to the Aggies' rivals as they returned from the Men's College World Series in Omaha.
The quick resolution marked the end of a crazy fight. It all started when Schlossnagle was defiant in his Monday night postgame press conference following a 6-5 loss in Game 3 of the championship series when asked about any interest in the Texas job. The news had just broken that the Longhorns had parted ways with coach David Pierce.
“I took the job at Texas A&M never to take it again, and that hasn't changed in my opinion,” Schlossnagle said. “It's unfair to talk about something like that. … I gave up a huge part of my life to take this job, and I've poured every ounce of my soul into this job. And I've given this job every single ounce I could give, so write that down.”
The exchange was widely repeated Tuesday after Schlossnagle swapped his maroon for burnt orange. On Wednesday, Schlossnagle said he wanted to apologize to TexAgs.com journalist Richard Zane.
“He asked a question that was obvious,” Schlossnagle said. “I wish I could have answered it better. But at that point, the 30 minutes after the last pitch, all I could think about was our players. And I wasn't really in the mood to talk about myself going forward.”
Schlossnagle was introduced by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, Schlossnagle's former boss at TCU. Schlossnagle credited their relationship as the biggest differentiator in the Aggies' and Longhorns' jobs.
He thanked “my man CDC” in his comments, called Del Conte and himself “lifelong friends” and said he was sorry things went so quickly after a season in which he led the Aggies to first place. of the ranking, 53-. 15 (tied for second-most wins in program history) and the school's first championship series appearance. Coaches have rarely made the jump from one side of the rivalry to the other, and this time the departure was particularly galling for the Aggies given the timing.
“I want to thank Texas A&M,” Schlossnagle said. “Obviously, it wasn't a move from one school to another. It's a great rivalry. And I couldn't be more grateful and honored by the support that I received there, that we received from some incredible players, staff and administration. … By In some ways, this was a very easy decision because of my relationship with Chris and my past history and my faith in him and his wife, Robin. [Ward]. But obviously it was very difficult. There are many decisions in life where you can't choose the moment. You can't meet with your team as you would like. And for that I'm sorry.”
Both Schlossnagle and Del Conte said their long-discussed friendship was at bay as Schlossnagle attempted to win his first national title in nine trips to the MCWS (one as assistant, eight as head coach). He said he and Del Conte “talk all the time, but Texas had a baseball coach.”
Schlossnagle said that after returning home from Omaha, Del Conte came to visit him and made the decision to go.
“I threw every ounce of me into helping A&M have the best baseball program we could have, and that investment lasted until the last pitch of the national championship game,” Schlossnagle said. “He never hesitated, not even for a second. I don't care what they say.”
Meanwhile, Del Conte said he headed straight to College Station to meet with Schlossnagle on Tuesday, hoping to catch up with him and “take the air out of the room” in a face-to-face meeting to persuade him to make the jump. Del Conte said he hid out 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 the same basket,” Del Conte said. “I was relying on my relationship with him so that we could reach an agreement. I was very nervous, to tell you the truth… When I was in the cemetery, [then on the way] to your house, even if it seems crazy. I played out each scenario in my mind.
“I drove to his house, we had a long, long argument, I put him in the car and we left,” Del Conte said, adding that they came directly to Austin and completed a contract Tuesday night around 7:45.
Schlossnagle called the experience “miserable” and said he understood the passion of the same fans he courted while at Texas A&M.
“We have jobs and we try to run a business based on other people's passion,” Schlossnagle said. “If I had left Texas A&M for another school in another part of the country, the cool text messages I got yesterday probably wouldn't have happened. But I get it. You can't ask your fan base to support you and be passionate like the 12th Man has always been. This year, our crowd was amazing, amazing, every single game, so you can't ask for that like I did and our staff did and then expect everyone to be OK with a coach leaving for their rival school, I get that.”
In 23 seasons coaching at UNLV, TCU and Texas A&M, Schlossnagle has a career record of 945-451, with seven appearances in the MCWS. He has a 59-36 record in NCAA Tournament games and was named Baseball America's National Coach of the Year in 2016. He is in charge of the winningest program in college baseball history, with three coaches who have won two national championships. each: Bibb Falk, Cliff Gustafson and Augie Garrido, and six more runner-up finishes in the MCWS, along with 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 what moved him most was Garrido, who, he said, gave him advice on how to train in Texas.
“One thing he said to me one day was this: 'If you ever decide to come to Texas, this will never be your program,'” Schlossnagle said. “I never felt that: 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 manage this program, oversee it and continue to grow it. program to check at a championship level daily.”
Texas is paying Texas A&M a $2.7 million buyout as part of the hiring. Schlossnagle characterized it as “a specific purchase specifically for the University of Texas, because of my relationship with Chris.” Schlossnagle's purchase was $1.35 million for any other out-of-state work.
Now that he's signed on to do that in Austin instead of College Station, he's poured gasoline on a rivalry that needs no additional fuel, particularly now that Texas joined the SEC on July 1 and met as conference rivals with the Aggies .
“[The rivalry is] “It's already unbelievable,” Schlossnagle said. “The midweek games we're going to play this year? Awesome. The regionals? Phenomenal. I can't even imagine what a three-game SEC series is going to be like.”
