AP source: Texas A&M AD Byrne to retire

Byrne will discuss his decision at a Tuesday afternoon news conference in College Station, a school official with knowledge of the decision. The school said only that Byrne would make an announcement "regarding his future" and the person spoke to The Associated Press late Monday on condition of anonymity because details had not been released.

The 66-year-old Byrne was hired at Texas A&M in December 2002 and has a contract that ends Aug. 31, 2013. School President R. Bowen Loftin said last month that the two were discussing Byrne's tenure.

Texas A&M's programs largely flourished under Byrne, but he will be remembered primarily for the move from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference, effective July 1.

Byrne took heavy criticism last year as it became clear that the Aggies would leave and end longtime rivalries — none of them bigger than the annual football game against the Longhorns.

Last Thanksgiving, Justin Tucker kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas a 27-25 victory over Texas A&M in the Aggies' last Big 12 game and the 118th meeting between the bitter rivals.

The Longhorn band spelled out 'Thanks A&M' while playing "Thanks for the Memories." Earl Campbell, who won the Heisman Trophy at Texas in 1977, and Texas A&M's John David Crow, winner of the award in 1957, watched the game sitting side by side in golf cart in the corner of the stadium.

Many had hoped to continue the game, which began in 1894 and had been played every year since 1915, but the Longhorns said their schedule is full through 2018 and made it clear there wasn't a lot of room for discussion.