Texas A&M Aggies athletic director of almost 10 years Bill Byrne is announcing his retirement on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Kyle Field. Texas A&M associate athletic director John Thornton, a former A&M basketball player and coach, will serve as interim athletic director while a search for a long term solution begins, an A&M official told the Houston Chronicle.

Byrne still has a year left on his contract, which pays him $690,000 annually, and he will be paid the money left on that contract which expires in August 2013. Until September 1, Byrne will serve as an assistant to university president R. Bowen Loftin before leaving the university as an employee altogether.

The Byrne retirement had been in the making for a while, but he still helped lead meetings with SEC officials Monday after returning to campus from a trip.

Read more about the Aggies at SB Nation Houston and for more on the Bill Byrne retirement, follow our StoryStream here.