​Former Texas A&M head coach R.C. Slocum, whose on-campus statue was unveiled just weeks before the Aggies’ 2026 season opener vs. Missouri State, helped develop several of the program’s best defenders in the early 1990’s, including three-year starting defensive lineman Sam Adams. Back in the days of the Southwest Conference, featuring Texas A&M, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech before the conference disbanded after the 1996 season, the Aggies, under Slocum, were utterly dominant, winning 10 or more games from 1991 to 1996, including the program’s 12-1 finish in 1992, and compiling a 30-4-1 record with three consecutive SWC Championships.Sam Adams played a key role in the Aggies’ defensive dominance during his three seasons on campus and became one of the top NFL Draft prospects after his 1992 junior season, when he recorded 78 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles. A force to be reckoned with, Adams was selected 8th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL Draft, spent six seasons there, then headed to Baltimore for two seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2000.Adams earned Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro selections, while his NFL career ended with the Denver Broncos after the 2007 season. In 206 NFL appearances, Adams finished his career with 302 tackles, 44 sacks, six forced fumbles, three interceptions, two touchdowns, and 36 pass deflections. Sam Adams joins 12 other former standout players and coaches, according to 12thman.com.Adams joins an incredibly talented list of SEC Legends from Texas A&M: John David Crow (2012), Dat Nguyen (2013), Jacob Green (2014), Bubba Bean (2015), Ray Mickens (2016), Dave Elmendorf (2017), Pat Thomas (2018), Ed Simonini (2019), Johnny Manziel (2022), Ray Childress (2023), Luke Joeckel (2024), R.C. Slocum (2025).An Aggie great, now an SEC Legend. Congratulations to Sam Adams on being named to the 2026 SEC Legends Class. 👍#GigEm | https://t.co/NWXsUNEEXvpic.twitter.com/J0aHn0VDca— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) October 8, 2026Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Former Texas A&M, NFL star DL named a 2026 SEC Football Legend