Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reports on Texas A&M’s decision to remove 17 positions from the school’s athletic department.

COLLEGE STATION — The Texas A&M athletic department slashed 17 jobs on Thursday in a budget-crunching move.

“The cuts came across the entire spectrum of the department,” Aggies athletic director Bill Byrne said. “This difficult decision came after an exhaustive review of the entire program, and with great reluctance.”

Billy Pickard, set to enter his 45th season with A&M football, declined comment night after a department source said that Pickard had been told to retire as part of the measure. Pickard, 75, the department’s facilities director, had served legendary football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant as a student trainer in the mid-1950s at A&M.

Dave South, longtime “Voice of the Aggies,” also told friends and associates in an email that he’ll focus on his broadcasting duties. South is registered on the A&M Web site as the associate athletic director for sponsorship and broadcasting.

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