COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M formally introduced Leroy Burrell as the 20th head coach of its track & field program, welcoming the Olympic gold medalist sprinter and longtime collegiate head coach to Aggieland with a message of expectations, tradition and momentum.
Athletic director Trev Alberts said at an introductory press conference that Texas A&M’s choice came down to more than a résumé. “First and foremost, he’s a man of integrity,” Alberts said. “All they kept telling me was, he is a great human being.”
Burrell arrives after four seasons at Auburn, where he helped the Tigers earn NCAA team trophies in three straight years, including a runner-up outdoor finish in 2024, followed by third indoors and fourth outdoors in 2025 and fourth indoors in 2026. During his final season on The Plains, Auburn athletes produced multiple record-breaking performances at the NCAA championships, including an NCAA record 4×100-meter relay, along with NCAA and world-record short hurdles marks.
Burrell will have a tough act to follow, succeeding the winningest coach in the sports’ history, Pat Henry. The new Aggie coach knew exactly whose shoes he’d be stepping into, calling Henry “the legend, the GOAT” and “the coach of coaches,” adding, “I am honored to be your friend.”
Henry, who attended the introductory press conference, gave his stamp of approval to the hire.
“From the outside, I think he does things right,” Henry said. “Academics become first. It’s about making sure that our athletes get their education. And being an athlete is second.”
Henry also pointed to Burrell’s ability to build complete rosters. “It wasn’t just about one or two event areas. It’s about having a team,” he said, before adding he wouldn’t saddle Burrell with comparisons. “No, I’m not going to put any pressure on Leroy.”
Asked what went into his decision, Burrell’s answer was simple.
“There wasn’t any thought,” Burrell said. “I think when Texas A&M calls and offers you an opportunity like this, you say yes. And then you figure the rest of it out.”
It was clear Burrell thought of Texas A&M as a unique and one of the best opportunities in the country, looking around E.B. Cushing Stadium, where the press conference took place, and calling it a “fantastic, fabulous, stupendous, palatial facility.”
“This place has support unlike any other,” Burrell said. “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.”
Texas A&M cross country coach Wendell McRaven called Burrell “a natural fit,” pointing to his Texas roots, SEC experience and reputation with recruits.
“One of the first people I thought about was Coach Burrell… that sounds like a natural fit,” McRaven said. “He knows the SEC, he knows Texas, he knows about Texas A&M.”
McRaven also said Burrell’s background brings immediate recruiting impact. “I think it gets instant legitimacy,” he said, adding that once athletes learn what Burrell accomplished as a competitor, “kids are like, ‘whoa, this guy’s the real deal.’”
Burrell’s no stranger to College Station. It was at Texas A&M that he ran the fastest 200m time in the world at the Southwest Conference Championships in 1990 as an athlete for Houston. His wind-aided time of 19.61, while beating Baylor’s Michael Johnson, was just one iconic moment of his illustrious career.
“Yeah, I thought about that,” Burrell said. But, you know, I try not to dwell on the past. And I often times tell folks that those are my competitive days. Now, these are my coaching days.”
Burrell laid out an early competitive focus. “I really want to start out with a good solid 4×1,” he said. “I’m a sprinter at heart. I’d like to build and develop one of the best sprint programs in the country.”
He also addressed roster management in the current landscape. “There’s that pesky little thing called the portal that we need to address,” Burrell said, describing the need to provide “certainty and stability” for current and prospective athletes.
Burrell’s predecessor, Henry, left a lasting legacy with ten team national championships in his 22 seasons in Aggieland.
At his retirement press conference, Henry said there would be a lot of people interested in this job, but there was a short list of names he believed the school should pursue. “He’s one of those,” Henry confirmed on Tuesday.
Before Auburn, Burrell spent 23 seasons at Houston, winning 44 conference titles (31 men’s, 13 women’s) and earning multiple regional and conference coach of the year honors. Over his career, he has coached 19 national champions, produced 266 All-America honors, and developed 19 Olympians.
As an athlete, Burrell was one of the sport’s premier sprinters, earning Olympic gold in the 4×100 relay in 1992, along with world championship medals and multiple world records — including the 100 meters, where he held the “world’s fastest man” distinction after record runs in the early 1990s.
Now, Burrell said, the focus is on the next chapter — and meeting the standard that comes with it.
“This program is rooted in greatness,” he said, “and we will just continue to build one day at a time to deliver on the promise of Texas A&M University.”
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