AggieJohn
05-28-2005, 04:07 PM
USC baseball coach Ray Tanner has a new contract, is getting a new stadium and has a good relationship with incoming athletics director Eric Hyman.
But Tanner also has the reputation as one of the best coaches in the country, which presumably is why his name has been mentioned in connection with the vacant Texas A&M job. A report in Friday’s editions of The Houston Chronicle listed Tanner among several possible candidates to succeed former Aggies coach Mark Johnson, who was fired Monday.
“I’ve got nothing to say, really. I have not been contacted,” Tanner said Friday before a 4-1 loss to Tennessee. “I’m extremely happy at the University of South Carolina. That’s it.”
USC athletics director Mike McGee said Texas A&M had not called him to ask for permission to speak to Tanner.
The Houston newspaper mentioned Cal State-Fullerton’s George Horton as the leading candidate, listing Tanner, Nebraska’s Dave Van Horn, Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall, TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle and Baylor’s Steve Smith as possibilities.
Tanner, the winningest coach in the country the past five years, recently received a 13-month extension that extended his contract through June 30, 2010. The 47-year-old Tanner has a base salary of $160,000 and a $60,000 supplement, plus incentives.
Texas A&M has one of the strongest fan bases in the country, often outdrawing rival Texas.
Tanner said he did not know much about the Aggies’ program. Told that the school had a double-deck stadium, Tanner said: “We’re getting a new one.”
Construction is set to begin this summer on a $17.5 million stadium in the Vista. The facility is scheduled to open for the 2007 season.
But Tanner also has the reputation as one of the best coaches in the country, which presumably is why his name has been mentioned in connection with the vacant Texas A&M job. A report in Friday’s editions of The Houston Chronicle listed Tanner among several possible candidates to succeed former Aggies coach Mark Johnson, who was fired Monday.
“I’ve got nothing to say, really. I have not been contacted,” Tanner said Friday before a 4-1 loss to Tennessee. “I’m extremely happy at the University of South Carolina. That’s it.”
USC athletics director Mike McGee said Texas A&M had not called him to ask for permission to speak to Tanner.
The Houston newspaper mentioned Cal State-Fullerton’s George Horton as the leading candidate, listing Tanner, Nebraska’s Dave Van Horn, Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall, TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle and Baylor’s Steve Smith as possibilities.
Tanner, the winningest coach in the country the past five years, recently received a 13-month extension that extended his contract through June 30, 2010. The 47-year-old Tanner has a base salary of $160,000 and a $60,000 supplement, plus incentives.
Texas A&M has one of the strongest fan bases in the country, often outdrawing rival Texas.
Tanner said he did not know much about the Aggies’ program. Told that the school had a double-deck stadium, Tanner said: “We’re getting a new one.”
Construction is set to begin this summer on a $17.5 million stadium in the Vista. The facility is scheduled to open for the 2007 season.