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Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp in his office on March 27 in College Station. In 2021, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents extended Sharp’s contract until 2028, giving him five more years to continue his empire building.
Credit:
Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune
by Kate McGee
The Texas A&M University System Chancellor has spent 12 years masterfully navigating Texas politics to pursue his goal of making A&M an elite Texas public university. But it’s hard to keep everyone happy on and off campus these days. From the story:
Sharp, 73, blames his stunted political career on an impulsive decision to eat a bunch of crickets.
He recounted the story on a flight to Austin on the system’s private jet last year. Over the din of the maroon and white plane’s motor, Sharp said he was with Rick Perry and some other college friends on a search for tiny cans of Schlitz beer to liven up a weekend trip, when Perry flashed a middle finger to passing motorcyclists.
The men, whose jackets bore the name of the Bandidos motorcycle gang, parked their bikes and walked toward them, Sharp recounted. He knew they were not to be messed with, especially by a group of drunk college students.
“Perry’s behind me squealing like a pig stuck under a gate,” Sharp recalled. He shouted, “Do something! Do something!”
It was cricket season. So, as Sharp tells the story, he grabbed two handfuls of the insects off the ground and stuffed them in his mouth.
“The cricket juice is running down my face and these guys looked at me and said, ‘Oh you’re too f-ing drunk. Let’s leave,’” Sharp said, admitting he was just as scared as Perry.
