Read below a transcript from Leroy Burrell's introductory press conference inside E.B. Cushing Stadium.
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DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS TREV ALBERTS
Howdy. Good morning, and welcome. We're glad that you're here, and we're really excited today as we welcome Leroy Burrell and Michelle and the entire family as the 20th head coach of our track & field program here at Texas A&M.
Before I get into just a couple comments about Coach Burrell, I want to just share a couple things, and most of these are thank you’s. I want to thank Pat Henry. And I want to thank our coaching staff that's here today. This is utopia, administratively. Like this never happens, right? We were here, what, nine days ago? And it's not lost on me that in the corner was the athletics director who hired Coach Henry. And here we are nine days later, and here's Coach Henry, who helped create all of this. And he's here to support the next head coach in Leroy Burrell. That's really awesome. So, I want to thank you, coach. I want to thank our coaching staff. It's really meaningful to me that you're here, coach. And we told you that you were going to be part of this program as long as you wanted to be, so you still are, and so we're grateful that you and Gail are still here.
I also want to thank Jonathan Wallace, our sport AD. I want to salute Jonathan. He's the sport AD for track & field. And our committee that he put together, we have all the committee members here as well. I want to thank them for their hard work. We had a lot of interest, as you can imagine. We believe that this is the best job in track & field, and so we want to thank the committee for all of their hard work.
So I thought…what am I going to say about Leroy Burrell? I’ve got this document that's got a whole bunch of numbers and all these accomplishments, both personally and coaching, and I was like, well, they can read all of that, right? So, I'm not going to go through a list about what Leroy Borrell brings to our track & field program. But I was just thinking about three things. Why Leroy Burrell? Why was this gentleman chosen to lead a very important program at Texas A&M? First and foremost, is he's a man of integrity. You know, it's really interesting to me. I got a lot of feedback about Coach Burrell. And the first thing that ever came out of their mind, and mouths, had nothing to do with how fast he was in the Olympics or, actually, his coaching. All they kept telling me was he is a great human being. He's a great person with a great family, and that really means a lot to us, right, as Aggies? Our core values are real. Integrity is really important. And so who he is as a man and a person really matters here in our athletics department. Secondly, he understands the expectations at a place like Texas A&M. Let's be honest, that man over there (Pat Henry) created some unrealistic expectations, right? This is a place that has really high expectations. This gentleman understands what those expectations are, and he's not afraid to embrace those expectations. His track record of success, both at Houston and Auburn, is really clear and about that understanding. And third, and mostly, it's credibility, right? This gentleman has done everything that our student athletes aspire to do. And I think that's really powerful in a day and age when young men and young women have significant dreams and opportunities, maybe even more opportunities than we had as student-athletes back in the day. Coach Burrell has that ability and credibility. So we are just beyond honored. We're grateful you're all here, but we're honored to introduce to you the 20th head coach of our track & field program, Mr. Leroy Burrell.
HEAD TRACK & FIELD COACH LEROY BURRELL
Thank you, Trev. Ah, wow, what a wonderful, wonderful introduction. And I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to lead this program. I want to start with something I've been saying lately to a lot of people who have congratulated me and wished me well and have thrown out a tremendous amount of support for me and my family. God is good. I have had a remarkable journey, filled with a great deal of success and some tremendous, mighty struggles, death and loss. And to be making a round trip from my time at Houston to Auburn and to come back to Texas is just a tremendous blessing for me and for my family. I couldn't be more grateful to Trev and Jonathan, the members of the committee, and the coaching staff, and all the support people, and really the whole Aggie family. So I'm going to move to the next tradition and say, Howdy.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the legend, the goat, and a great, great friend, Coach Henry. Coach Henry, I am in awe of all of your accomplishments, and I am even more impressed with the man you are, and I am honored to be your friend. And I really mean that, sir. I will always call you Coach because you are the coach. You're the coach of coaches. My only regret is that you didn't quite get to LSU in time to recruit me, because I probably would have been a student-athlete of yours. Please give Coach Henry a hand (applause).
The next thing I want to acknowledge is my family. My lovely wife, Michelle, she's my right hand, my brain, my heart. A lot of people don't know, but my wife is an Olympic gold medalist herself. And she is probably more of a track fan than I. And sometimes I have to tell her I don't want to talk about that. You know, I live it, so I don't necessarily want to talk about it. My son, Jaden, who's going to be transitioning from Auburn to here. I know this is a challenge for him, because he's going into his senior year, and I certainly hope the Aggie community ingratiates him, embraces him, in this transition. My son Joshua, who is a fantastic young man, a musician and artist, and I'm looking forward to him coming back to Texas to reconnect with some of his friends. My granddaughter here as well, Amora. And my eldest son, who's not with us. Cameron … we lost him a little over six years ago, well, getting close to six years now. He is a big, big part of my heart. I've had to grow my life to deal with losing him, and so this is a part of that. This helps me grow my life and hopefully my family's life, so that missing piece isn't so big.
I want to start again by saying thank you. I really appreciate this opportunity. This is not normal. I know living in Aggieland is fantastic. But I've been a few places and seen a lot of things and to walk into this fantastic, fabulous, stupendous, palatial facility among palatial facilities across this campus is not normal. This is the epicenter of track a& field. There are national governing bodies that do not have what we have here in this building. And a lot of that has to do, obviously, with Coach Henry, but also with the Aggie family. This place has support unlike any other, and I am looking forward to delivering on some success, a great deal of success, because the support demands it, and the expectation demands it. I hope that every time and in every way, I rise to be the man for the moment, but I certainly can't do it alone. I need my family. I need my assistant staff. I need our support staff. I need our administration. And I need our community to get behind this track & field program and help us to continue winning those numerous trophies that you see in the back and out in the lobby. It is not easy. We are in a new era. The world is changing. There are a lot of things that we didn't have to worry about five, 10, 15 years ago that we have to worry about now. And I certainly hope that if I need some assistance, if I need some help, that I can make a call to one of the numerous people who support this program and support this institution to help us to continue to grow Aggie track & field. This program is rooted in greatness. And a lot of that was planted, watered and fertilized by Coach Henry and his fantastic family. And I certainly hope that I, as a head track & field coach at Texas A&M, will have the opportunity and the ability to bring my family to the fray and to the fold and work towards the continued greatness. I don't think, and I certainly hope I'm not jinxing myself, we'll ever get to where Coach Henry—well, I'm not going to say I don't think. It's going to be really difficult to get to what Coach Henry accomplished. But if I can get a win, I'll take a win. And if we can get one, we can get two. And we will just continue to build one day at a time, one step at a time, one year at a time, one season at a time to deliver on the promise of Texas A&M University. Thank you, Gig ‘Em.
MEDIA Q&A
This is a special place. When you got the call, obviously you have a history with Coach Henry, but tell me what it was like to get the call that you were considered for this really awesome job.
Well, it was surprising. It was a big moment for me. Let me put it to you this way. The first thing that was surprising was that Coach Henry had decided to retire. Let's not forget that a little over a year ago this program won a national championship. And I was standing a few feet away collecting a fourth-place trophy. I think a lot of people have had that experience, Coach. So, I was surprised. Coach has an abundance of energy, and I think loves this sport, loves the job, loves the student-athletes, and most importantly, loves Texas A&M. So, when that happened, I was thinking, boy, this is interesting. But I didn't expect a call because I've learned you need to manage your expectations and then if it does happen, great. And then you can try to make the things that really need to happen to finish the job happen. So, when I got the call, I was thinking, ooh, this is awesome. But then there was a process. And we played through that process, and it had some ups and downs and some challenges. And to be quite honest with you, there was a point where I didn't think it was going to work. So, I personally mourned that and started moving on, started recruiting to try to win one of these trophies at Auburn next year. And then I got another call. Then things happened really fast. So since then, since Saturday morning, when I got that second call, it was a whirlwind to an announcement a little over 36 hours later. And my phone hasn't stopped ringing since.
You talked about getting the call and being excited about it. What went into your decision to know this was the right fit for you?
There wasn't any thought. When Texas A&M calls and offers you an opportunity like this, you say yes and then you figure the rest of it out. As I mentioned, no one has better infrastructure, and I would even argue no one has better support. So, anything that may have been lacking at any other place that I have been, it's not here. I need to take what is here now and multiply. So I'm looking forward to that opportunity.
And then when you come back and step in here, do you ever have reminiscing thoughts of Southwest Conference championship days and setting a wind-aided world record?
I forgot how windy it is here, actually. As a matter of fact, when I got off the plane, I was like, woo, boy. Now I guess you're referring back to when I ran 19.61 as a senior at the University of Houston and beat Michael Johnson for that. That’s off the record (laughs). Yeah, I thought about that. But I try not to dwell on the past and I oftentimes tell folks that those are my competitive days. These are my coaching days. Although I'm very proud of my accomplishments, now it's all about our student-athletes and doing things the right way. And that's what my focus will be.
You said your phone hasn't stopped ringing, so how much of those conversations been with the current student-athletes here as you prepare to take over for Coach Henry?
I've had a few conversations with some with a few student-athletes, not very many. It's been a real challenge to keep up with some of the other things that come with this … well-wishers, people who are interested in the opportunity to come here for one reason or another in some capacity. But I really tried to limit my focus these past 36 or so hours on preparing my family to make a quick move here. We got here yesterday and I want to celebrate that opportunity with my loved ones, and then we'll go about the work of building this track & field program.
First, kind of sticking with the student-athletes … what do you just maybe kind of look for in your student athletes? And then what do you want your teams to be known for?
Well, the history of Texas A&M track & field is such that it's always been an all-encompassing program. Every resource and bell and whistle is available. So, you can have a well-rounded program. This program will be well-rounded. I think that's the legacy, and, quite honestly, I think a desire of our administration. But people really like that relay (laughter). And I know Coach Henry really likes that 4x400. I really like that 4x400 too, but I really want to start out with a good solid 4x100. You know I'm a sprinter at heart. So, I'd like to build and develop one of the best sprint programs in the country. That's what will be our objective. And it'll take us a little time to get there. But that's what we were able to do (at Auburn). Our great staff at Auburn put together a really good situation there, and I got to be the face and front-and-center there. We're going to do the same thing here.
I know you talked about it being a whirlwind, but are there just any maybe immediate things you kind of want to get done to kind of put your stamp on the program?
Well, you know, there's that pesky little thing called the portal that we need to address. We have some athletes who we may have been considering here that we need to circle back on, because when situations like this arise, there's uncertainty and instability and we need to provide that certainty and stability with who we've recruited, decide if they fit what our profile and model will be moving forward, and then circle back with them. And then I've had to address some situations back at my previous institution. Those are the immediate things that we need to do. I just met with the staff a little while ago and we talked about, what are our priorities? And we established those priorities for the program. And for each individual coach, we're going to address those priorities.
How would you summarize your coaching philosophy?
Get the absolute best people and give them the opportunity to do their jobs. It's really simple to me. I'm a pretty good cook. You probably can tell. And I can put together a pretty good meal. But when I really want something good, I go to a restaurant and I hire a chef to do that. And I let them cook. I'm going to formulate a staff, place my order and let them cook something better than I can. And it's the same with the athletes. We are going to go find the absolute best people in the world to wear Texas A&M across their chest, prepare them, equip them, and let them do their jobs. And if we can get a good enough number of people to do that for us, we'll be very, very successful.
And then are you in the process of that? Do you know what that staff looks like?
I knew that question was coming. We're working on that. As I mentioned, I know the group here. I know some very well. But we also need to prioritize the student-athletes right now, and we're going to work our way through that. That doesn't necessarily mean there are going to be some changes. It just means that I need to get to know … I know the persona, I know the meat, but I also need to know what's happening behind the scenes. This is a very capable staff. And our priorities will be to stabilize our situation professionally and move forward. And then we'll figure out what we're going to do from there.
Texas A&M's really big on tradition, and I'm sure you've gotten the debrief on some of the really big traditions here, or you've started getting that. Are there any traditions that have stood out to you or are you still learning them? What is something that has stood out to you at the university as a whole?
I don't think you can spend 30 years in Texas and not know a bit about Texas A&M tradition. I mean, the 12th Man is just fantastic. The story, the aura, the legend behind that is just amazing. Unfortunately, the Bonfire is a huge thing. I was in Houston at that time, and when that happened, I felt deeply in my heart for the institution, and then to lose that tradition. I suppose that's no longer an active institutional tradition. It was really sad and I feel for the families and I will make it a point to stop by the memorial at some point. So yeah, I'm familiar, but I’ve got a lot to go. I think what's most important is that I have a tremendous amount of respect for the traditions. And I also have a tremendous amount of respect for the fact that this institution has a strong military tie. There are many, many people whose families have invested not only in this institution but also in this country--and sacrificed for this country. And I am very respectful of that.
Kind of in that same vein, there's a big poster of the Aggie Ring on the wall here. How do you plan on emphasizing the student in student-athlete and pushing students to invest their time here as a student and an athlete?
Well, I will address with our student-athletes that their title is student-athlete, and that student part is first. So, we will have an uncompromising commitment to bringing the absolute best out of our student-athletes both academically and athletically. There is no compromise on that. You will be expected to come in daily, do the work required and to graduate from this institution, because ultimately the student-athletes' futures will lie on their academic performance. And then the support that will come with that degree. So, no, we will emphasize academic excellence in everything that we do and our student-athletes will be held accountable.