COLLEGE STATION – R.C. Slocum was strolling the streets of Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday afternoon when he received the official word: Texas A&M, home of the 12th Man, will join the Southeastern Conference in 2012.

Fitting, then, that the Aggies' most victorious football coach in history was deep in SEC country when hearing the news that thrilled A&M fans across the land: the Aggies soon will compete in the top football league in the nation.

"This is obviously a bold move, and I applaud our leadership," said Slocum, who coached the Aggies from 1989-2002 and was in Knoxville for a speaking engagement. "My experience has been that competition always brings out the best in a person or team. I really think people coming from the SEC to Kyle Field will appreciate the uniqueness of A&M.

"We're proud of what we will bring to the league, as well."

A&M, which last month announced its intentions of leaving the Big 12 following 16 years, will hold what it's dubbed a celebration and press conference starting 6 p.m. today in the Zone Club at Kyle Field, and the public is invited. SEC commissioner Mike Slive and Bernie Machen, chairman of the SEC presidents and chancellors and University of Florida president, are scheduled to attend.

"On behalf of our presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, students and fans, I welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family," Slive said. "Texas A&M is a nationally-prominent institution on and off the field and a great fit for the SEC tradition of excellence – athletically, academically and culturally."

A&M president R. Bowen Loftin, catalyst behind the move, said the decision to exit the Big 12 and join the SEC, winner of the last five national football titles, wasn't one he took lightly.

"The Southeastern Conference provides Texas A&M the national visibility that our great university and our student-athletes deserve," Loftin said. "We are excited to begin competition in the nation's premier athletic conference. This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically, and I believe the Southeastern Conference gives the Aggies the best situation of any conference in the country."

The Aggies had nearly split the Big 12 for the SEC in June 2010, but in a last-hour decision stuck with the nine other remaining members following the departures of Nebraska and Colorado to the Big Ten and Pac-12, respectively. On July 21 of this year, however, Loftin emerged from a closed-door A&M regents meeting and said the Big 12 was enveloped in "uncertainty" because of the upstart Longhorn Network of ESPN and rival Texas, because the LHN intended to air high school content and Big 12 football games.

Since then, A&M has stressed that its eventual move to the SEC is more about stability and profitability in a marquee league – that the Longhorn Network only provided the initial spark for the Aggies' shift east. A&M coach Mike Sherman and athletic director Bill Byrne couldn't be reached for comment Sunday night, although Byrne is scheduled to speak at tonight's press conference.

"I am personally saddened to see Texas A&M depart from the Big 12, and wish I had the opportunity to visit the campus to sit down and talk with their administration," Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said. "We will continue to work diligently in securing the long-term stability of the Big 12. Now that the status of Texas A&M has officially been determined, the membership can focus on the desired course for the Conference moving forward. Although no timeline has been established, an expeditious pursuit is anticipated."

John David Crow, A&M's lone Heisman Trophy winner, said Sunday night he was pleased with the move.

"We will fit in with the SEC," said Crow, who won the Heisman under then-A&M coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1957, and later served as an assistant to Bryant at SEC-member Alabama. "And the SEC would have never considered us if we hadn't have been a good fit."

Crow said the 14th-ranked Aggies, who lost their Big 12 opener to No. 5 Oklahoma State 30-29 on Saturday, must be ready for an uptick in competition starting next year. A&M has lost its last six games against SEC opponents, with two of those coming to Arkansas in the past two years, in a revival of an old Southwest Conference football rivalry. The third installment is set for 11 a.m. Saturday in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

The Aggies also held a longtime nonconference annual grudge match with LSU, currently ranked No. 1 nationally, that ended in 1995. The two met in the Cotton Bowl in January, and the Tigers prevailed 41-24.

"I'm very excited, although we're going to have to snap up our helmets tight, and get quick, fast, big and strong to compete," Crow said. "But the Big 12 has been strong, as well, so we'll be a good representative."

While A&M announced its intentions to leave the Big 12 on Aug. 30, its official departure was held up for a time when Baylor, concerned that the Big 12 would dissolve, threatened litigation over A&M's exit. With last week's news that Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma intended to keep the Big 12 together, and following the news that the Pac-12 had no plans for expansion, A&M and the SEC moved forward with their official announcement.

A&M, with 50,000 current students and 360,000 former students, will become the SEC's third member of the prestigious AAU – Association of American Universities – joining Florida and Vanderbilt. A&M is the nation's sixth largest university.

"The addition of Texas A&M University as the SEC's 13th member gives our league a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions," Machen said.

What's not certain is if A&M's 117-year-old football rivalry with Texas will continue past this November. New A&M chancellor John Sharp said last week that "if that game isn't (played), it will not be our fault." Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said last week it was unlikely the two would continue playing as nonconference foes.

"I hate that it looks like we're not going to play them," Crow said. "I would love for us to still have that traditional game with Texas, and I hope that can be resolved."

Football, of course, isn't the only sport affected by the SEC move, and on Sunday Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari offered a hearty greeting via Twitter.

"I'd like to welcome (coach) Billy Kennedy and Texas A&M to the SEC," Calipari wrote. "Congrats to Commissioner Slive and our presidents on a great addition to our league."

brent.zwerneman@chron.com