Coach Larry Fedora and I both know something many of you don’t. The distance from College Station to Sherman is much shorter than you think.
Before Sherman, all I ever knew was College Station, TX and the Texas A&M University that looms large over the city. Aggieland was loud, exciting, and big. When it came time to leave A&M Consolidated (Consol) High School for college however, I picked the exact opposite of A&M. I went small. It was the right fit for me, but boy how I missed the noise of Kyle Field on game day in Sherman. Back in 1988, Kyle Field might as well have been a million miles away.
That changed though, when a new Roo friend mentioned something extraordinary during that game in Sherman. Austin College was so OLD, the Roos & Aggies had actually played football in the 1800s. After the game, I walked to the Abell library and looked it up. It was true! That day may have been the birth of the first Roo Tale. Since then, I’ve also learned that the historic ties between big Texas A&M & little Austin College are pretty darn strong.
Opinions of Texas A&M vary widely, depending upon one’s perspective. But I’ll always have a soft spot for the place because of the spirit. Aggies know their stories and are proud to tell them. If you have any Aggies in your circle, then you know what I’m talking about. I write Roo Tales because I’m an Austin College graduate. But the manner in which I write them? As if little AC were the big man on campus and the coolest thing since sliced bread? That’s the influence of Aggieland.
I’m not the only A&M Consolidated graduate who left College Station for Sherman. There’s another one by the name of Larry Fedora. At AC, Larry was an All-American wide receiver who decided to enter the field of coaching. That career has taken him to the top of the coaching world at programs all across the country. There are many legends in the Austin College Hall of Honor, and Larry Fedora is at the very top of the list for many Roos who once called Sherman home.
But the name Fedora for me is pure College Station. I played CS Little League when Larry’s father was a coach. I attended A&M Consolidated with Larry’s little brother, who helped me with story ideas for a recent book about Consol’s Centennial. During my AC years, I watched yet another little brother of Larry lead Consol football to a state title game as a player; today, that little brother is the head coach of your A&M Consolidated Tigers. For me, the Fedoras are synonymous with College Station.
My latest AC book, “Roo Tales: Rivals & Legends,” will tell the stories of AC competition against “rival” schools and AC “legends” in the Hall of Honor. I hope to have the book all done by Labor Day 2022. There’s a tale about Texas A&M in the “Rivals” section. And you better believe that Larry Fedora is a story in the “Legends” section.
But I’m even more excited that Larry Fedora will be writing the foreword for this Roo Tales book. It’s an honor for me, and I can’t think of anyone more appropriate.
Thank you for the foreword, Coach! Gig ‘em, Go Tigers, & Go Roos.
