Loel Schrader was the sports editor for the St. Paul newspapers for two years, before his wife, Lois, said it was time to leave our Frozen Wasteland and head back to California.
Plucky underdogs that we were in St. Paul, Schrader felt as if some resources should be used on national stories. Loel was worked up over the record-breaking six-year, $1.7 million (total) contract that football coach Jackie Sherrill had signed to leave Pitt for Texas A&M.
I was sent to College Station, Texas, for Sherrill's first game vs. Boston College on Sept. 4, 1982. There was a small media gathering on Friday night at Tom's Barbecue and several visiting reporters were allowed to sit at Sherrill's table.
Two things were memorable: Tom's fabulous ribs and brisket served on butcher paper, and Jackie's ego.
Item 2 took a small hit the next night when a smallish, then-anonymous quarterback for BC, a sophomore named Doug Flutie, tore up the Aggies for a 38-16 upset victory.
Another surprise for a first-time visitor to Kyle Stadium was the Aggies' obsession with Texas, which combined humor and paranoia. One attempt to needle the University of Texas (UT) were visible references to TU.
For instance: When the Aggies' ROTC cavalry paraded around the track circling the field, the plebes walking behind shoveled the horse leavings into orange wheelbarrows emblazoned with TU.
The Aggies bolted from the rivalry in 2012 by moving with Missouri from the Big 12 to the SEC. It was an immediate success, with Johnny Manziel winning the Heisman Trophy, and A&M going 11-2 with a victory at Alabama.
