Texas A&M’s McClure To Join Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame

Texas A&M University administrator and distinguished alumnus Fred McClure will be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame this year, joining a network of athletes, coaches and other notable figures who have left their mark on the iconic college football bowl game since it was first played in 1937.

In an announcement last week, the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA) said McClure, who currently serves as Texas A&M’s associate vice president for leadership and engagement, will be recognized for outstanding leadership and service during his time as CBAA chairman from 1998 to 2002.

“McClure’s vision and determination led to a 16-year relationship with both the Southeastern Conference and FOX Sports, thus turning an uncertain time for the Classic into a pillar of strength,” the CBAA said. “His leadership abilities were deemed of such importance that he was appointed to back-to-back terms as Chairman, a first in the bowl’s history.”

McClure’s involvement with the Cotton Bowl goes back to 1994, when he was nominated by former Texas A&M President William Mobley to represent A&M on the CBAA Board of Directors.

“Four years later when I presided as chairman at the enshrinement of our first Hall of Fame Class, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that someday I might be inducted,” McClure said. “I am deeply honored and hope that it is a recognition of my effort to support higher education through college athletics while enhancing the great tradition of our game.”

Originally from San Augustine, Texas, McClure earned a degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M in 1976. McClure was a dedicated campus leader, serving as speaker of the student senate, chair of the Aggie Muster Committee, and A&M’s first Black student body president. He earned a law degree from Baylor University in 1981.

McClure went on to work for two U.S. presidents, serving as an assistant for legislative affairs in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. Among many other roles, he later served as vice chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and CEO of the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation.

Following his term as CBAA chairman, McClure has continued to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. He joins the Hall of Fame alongside six other new inductees, including one fellow Aggie: Former Texas A&M quarterback Edd Hargett, class of 1969, helped lead A&M to victory in the 1968 Cotton Bowl, upsetting the Alabama Crimson Tide 20-16.

McClure and Hargett will be honored at a formal enshrinement ceremony on May 11 at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.