Texas ATM football fans...What are some of the football traditions?

Question

I am going to the game this weekend and I want to participate with the crowd?

Answer 1

Traditions?
Losing to UT.

Hook'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Once again bevo, your hatred of all things crimson amazes me. Give OU a break. If it weren't for OU, you would never even have the "possibility" of getting beat during the season. After all, you never play anybody in non-conference who's good, and aside from OU have no realistic threat of getting beat on a year in, year out basis in the Big XII. We keep you guys grounded and keep you from being bored. Also, I was an athletic trainer in texas high schools for 6 years back in the 90's and I can safely say that the talent level in texas is far superior to oklahoma high school talent. When i lived down there, i saw a 3A texas school that could beat Jenks and Union here in Oklahoma. Vernon, texas has a weight room the size of a gym and they're 3A and were awesome. I give you crap a lot, but I love the rivalry. I just wish they'd make the RRS a home and home game instead of the dump that is the cotton bowl.

Answer 3

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/BIncI

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
.
Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 4

1

Answer 5

they used to have a bonfire before the games but they've stopped because 7 students were killed when they lit the thing!

Answer 6

Interested in this as well

Answer 7

"ATM"? I think it's A&M. Get drunk.

Answer 8

WTF is Texas ATM? Is it at the local bank?

Answer 9

Traditions of Texas A&M University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Texas A&M University Star LogoThe following is a list of the traditions of Texas A&M University. This list may include traditions not officially recognized by the administration of Texas A&M University.

"The Aggie Spirit"
"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it"; Aggies have always shown great devotion to their school, from the beginning down to the present day, often across multiple generations in some Aggie families.

The 12th Man
Texas A&M is the original home of the 12th Man. In January 1922, Texas A&M was playing Centre College, the nation's top-ranked team. The Aggies had limited reserves on their squad and several players were hurt. A&M coach Dana X. Bible, looking for much-needed players remembered a student by the name of E. King Gill, a former football player who was helping reporters identify players in the press box. Gill was asked to be available for the game, suited up and stood on the sideline ready to go in at a moment's notice. As the game ended, which the Aggies won, Gill was the only remaining man on the sidelines. Similarly, today, the Texas A&M student body acts as the "12th Man" for the football team and stands throughout the entire game, ready to help the team.

Texas A&M Corps of Cadets
An organization that trains students in the ways of the military with the option of a commission to the military upon graduation. The Corps trains more military officers than any school in the U.S. apart from the service academies. See also the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the precision military marching band of Texas A&M University. The Aggie Band is composed of approximately 400 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets and the group is the largest military marching band in the United States, performing at all of the school's football games and in other special events, such as inaugural parades for presidents and governors.

It is known especially for The "Four-Way Crossthrough" requires band members to actually step between each's other's feet in order to complete the maneuver. This has led to the claim that the drill is impossible because it requires two band members to occupy the same physical space at the same time. See also Fightin' Texas Aggie Band for more facts, triva and history about the band.

Midnight Yell Practice
A "Yell Practice" is a much larger replacement for what other schools may call a "pep rally" where over 20,000 students and fans attend the night before the football game to support the team. The principle is the same: to excite the crowd to root Texas A&M on to victory. Yell practice to the students and alumni is regarded as exactly that, practice for the yells to be done the next day at the football game. Many times the yell leaders will choose this time to inform the students, alumni, and fans of new yells and hand signals. Note: fans do not "cheer," they do yells and songs all in unison. At the end of yell practice the lights go out on Kyle Field, it is the tradition for those individuals who have dates to "Mug Down" or kiss. Those who don't have dates are supposed to bring a lighter and strike it at this time to find a "date" for the moment. The term for this has evolved to "Random Mug" Although most don't actually "Random Mug", they still light their lighters.

Gig 'em
At a Midnight Yell Practice before the 1930 football game against Texas Christian University, a Texas A&M board of regent Pinky Downs shouted, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" His muse did not fail him as he improvised, borrowing a term from frog hunting. "Gig 'em, Aggies!" he said as he made a fist with his thumb extended straight up. And with that, the first hand sign in the Southwest Conference came into being.

Yell Leaders
Unlike many schools that feature cheerleaders to encourage crowds to support their sporting teams, Texas A&M has Yell Leaders, five students (three seniors and two juniors) who serve to lead the crowds in yells. Yell Leaders, traditionally male, do not perform gymnastic feats, and they use a variety of hand signals, called passbacks, to direct and intensify crowds. These passbacks are taught to incoming freshman at Fish Camp along with other Texas A&M traditions and have almost remained the same throughout the years as each "yell" has its own hand signal. As a result, the majority of the crowd at Kyle Field knows what the signals are and are able to do the "yells" along with the Yell Leaders. This helps the Yell Leaders and many say it is very effective. Yell Leaders are elected by the Student Body. As of 2006, there has never been a female yell leader.

Texas Aggie Bonfire

The 2005 Student Bonfire.Beginning in 1909, Texas A&M students worked together to build a massive bonfire on the grounds of the school. Students cut down logs on their own and brought them to campus, working around the clock to construct a massive bonfire before the annual game versus the University of Texas at Austin (referred to by Aggies as t.u., or, just another Texas university) on Thanksgiving weekend. The idea behind the bonfire was to symbolize the Aggies' "burning" desire to beat the "hell" out of their rival.

On November 18, 1999, 12 were killed and 27 injured when a huge bonfire structure under construction at the campus collapsed. A memorial to remember the 12 fallen Aggies was dedicated on November 18, 2004.

After the collapse of 1999, Bonfire was suspended on campus until further notice. A group of Aggies have come together to fill that void, and a group of approximately 900 Aggies have built an off-campus bonfire every year since 2002. Aggie Student Bonfire Website

Muster
On April 21 of each year current and former students of Texas A&M University gather together, wherever they are, to commemorate fellow Aggies who have died during the year. Each name is read, and a friend or relative answers "here" for the fallen. In 2004, there were over 400 Aggie Musters worldwide. The largest, with around 13,000 in attendance, was held in Reed Arena on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The on-campus Muster includes Silver Taps as part of the ceremony.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aggies gathered together on June 26,1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and in the classroom. By April 21, 1903, this annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas' Independence on San Jacinto Day. These early meetings included field games and banquets for Aggies to reflect and celebrate their memories of Aggieland. 'Let every alumni answer a roll call' wrote the former students. It was not until 1922, however, that April 21 became the official day of events for all Aggies, thus, the annual tradition of Muster was born. The March 1923 Texas Aggie urged, 'If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.'

Still remembering and honoring the time spent in Aggieland, the tradition of mustering has grown in strength, meaning, and spirit. By 1929, meeting had grown worldwide, and in 1942 Aggie Muster gained international recognition. Twenty-five men, led by General George Moore '08, mustered during the Japanese Siege of the Philippine island of Corregidor. Knowing that Muster might soon be called for them, these Aggies embodied the essence of commitment, dedication, and friendship- the Aggie Spirit. They risked their lives to honor their beliefs and values. That small group of Aggies on an outpost during World War II inspired what has developed into one of our greatest traditions.

Muster is celebrated in more than four-hundred places world wide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. The ceremony brings together more Aggies, worldwide, on one occasion than any other event.

The students of Texas A&M University coordinate the Campus Muster. Because Muster was established to bring Aggies together, each Campus Muster is dedicated to the fifty-year reunion class. The Campus Muster involves an entire day of activities for students both present and past. Alumni enjoy a special program including tours of the ever-changing campus. At noon, all Aggies congregate at the Academic Plaza for the Camaraderie Barbecue that rekindles the tradition of the original Muster celebration. That night, the Muster ceremony consists of an address by a keynote speaker, the reading of poems, followed by the Roll Call for the Absent. The Roll Call honors Aggies that have fallen since the last Muster roll was read. As the names are read, a friend or family member answers 'Here', and a candle is lit to symbolize that while those Aggies are not present in body, they will forever remain with us in Aggie Spirit.

Century-old roots provide the basis of Muster as Aggies know it today. It has changed, yet the Spirit in which it was established remains the same. Since the beginning, every Aggie has lived and become a part of the Aggie Spirit. What is felt today is not just the love of a fellow Aggie, it is the spirit of hundreds of thousands of Aggies who have gone before. Muster is how that Spirit is remembered and will continue to unite Texas A&M and the Aggie family. A&M may change, but the Spirit never will.

[edit]
Silver Taps
Silver Taps is a tradition of Texas A&M University to honor all students who have died. It is a special arrangement of the military song "Taps" composed by Colonel Richard J. Dunn in the 1930s. Following a 21-gun salute by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad in the Academic Plaza, six buglers play Silver Taps three times from the dome of the school's Academic Building: once to the north, once to the south and once to the west. The song is not played to the east because the sun is never to rise on that Aggie again.

[edit]
Aggie Ring

Aggie RingThe Aggie Ring is worn by students and graduates of the University, and each aspect of the ring is used to promote school spirit. It was designed by E. C. Jonas in 1894 and the design has been used since with only the class year changed, as well as the university's official name (it was called the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas until 1963).

The Aggie Ring cannot be purchased unless specific requirements are met. The student must be in good standing with a 2.00 GPR on a 4.00 scale. In addition, the student must have completed 95 hours of coursework, including at least 45 hours from A&M.

The top of the ring depicts an eagle and shield. The shield at the top of the ring symbolizes protection of the reputation of the alma mater. The thirteen stripes in the shield represent the thirteen original states and symbolize patriotism. The five stars in the shield refer to the facets of student's development: mind, body, spirit, emotion, and integrity. The eagle denotes agility, power, and ability.

On one side of the ring is a large star, borrowed from the seal of the state of Texas. The oak leaves symbolize strength.

On the other side of the ring are a cannon, a saber, and a rifle, symbolizing Aggies' preparedness and valor in defending their land. The crossed flags of the United States and Texas symbolize allegiance to both nation and state.

Traditionally, students wear their ring with the class year facing them to signify the fact that their time at A&M is not yet complete. During Senior Weekend at the annual Ring Dance, the student's ring is turned around.

It is tradition, among willing students, to take their newly earned ring to a bar of their choice (usually the Dixie Chicken on Northgate) and "Dunk It." The ring is dropped in a pitcher of beer and the student chugs the entire pitcher, attempting to do it as fast as possible. However dunking has since been 'outlawed' in the Northgate area so the ring dunks are done mostly at home with a large group of friends.

[edit]
Reveille
Texas A&M University adopted its first official mascot, Reveille, in 1931. The "First Lady" of A&M, and the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets is a collie named Reveille that is present at all football games and many other University functions. Reveille I was a small malnourished black and white dog which a group of corps boys smuggled into the dorms to take care of her. The next morning she was found when she barked to the morning reveille, hence the name. Although it was against the rules to keep pets in the dorms, the corps fell in love with the dog and kept her as the mascot. The current mascot, Reveille VII, is a collie, just as Reveille II-VI were. Reveille I-VI are currently buried in front of Kyle Field, facing the scoreboard (so they will always know how the Texas Aggie football team is faring).

[edit]
Maroon Out
On October 10, 1998, a #2 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers football team came to Texas A&M for the first time in school history. Some Texas A&M Students noticed how united Nebraska fans seemed unified dressed in solid red for their home games. So the Class Councils suggested having Texas A&M fans wear all maroon to support their team and beat Nebraska and their fans. The effort to get everyone to wear maroon, titled "Maroon Out," was developed as a way for students and former students who did not already have a maroon shirt to get one. In the week before the game, 31,000 "Maroon Out" shirts were sold at low cost to ensure that tens of thousands of Aggies attending the game would create a sea of maroon spirit throughout the stands. Texas A&M defeated Nebraska 28-21, and another Texas A&M Tradition was born.

While a majority of Aggie fans wear maroon to all football games, one game each season is specifically designated "Maroon Out". In the first five years of the Maroon Out tradition, the Fightin' Texas Aggies have beaten all five opponents including four teams in the national top 10 at the time, one of the most memorable being when the unranked Texas Aggies beat the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in 2002.

Perhaps the most memorable Maroon Out moment was not a Maroon Out at all. After the events of September 11, 2001, five resourceful Aggies decided that Texas A&M needed to do something special to honor America. So, within a five-day period, they had shirts printed up in red, white, and blue with the text "Standing for America" and the date. The shirts were sold by deck: the upper deck in red, the second deck in white, and the lower deck in blue. On September 22, 2001, "Red, White, and Blue Out" was born. Kyle Field became a patriotic symbol of American ingenuity and support. Over $200,000 was donated to the relief effort from the sale of the shirts.

[edit]
Howdy
Texas A&M students keep alive the word "Howdy" by using it as their primary greeting. It is polite to greet as many people as comfortably possible with a smile and a howdy. Howdy's should always be returned if one is received. An unreturned howdy is perceived as bad bull. In the late 70s/early 80s this greeting was sometimes modified to howdy, dammit!, partly to express frustration at unreturned howdys, but this usage has largely vanished. The correct pronunciation of this term is similar to the name "Heidi," with the appropraite phonetic substitutions. The common pronunciation typically used when greeting someone in passing drops the H-sound; if addressing a large group, the "dy" part is drawn-out longer than it would normally be. Howdy is the preferred method for a speaker to get a large group's attention, as the members of the group are expected to return the Howdy back to the speaker.

[edit]
Fish Camp
Fish Camp, a four day orientation program held in Palestine, TX, gives freshmen the opportunity to learn Aggie Traditions, ease their way into college life, develop leadership skills, and create friendships. It began in 1954 when Gordon Gay, a former Student Activities director, took a few new students camping. Fish Camp has since developed into the largest independent student organization in the country, and annually accommodates over 4,500 Texas A&M freshmen.

[edit]
Elephant Walk
The year was 1922. Two Aggie Band Freshmen, or "Fish", from the Class of 1926, wandered out of the football stadium, Kyle Field, after losing their second consecutive game of the year in only the second week of the football season. They began to play a mournful funeral march on a piccolo (played by Oluf G. "Piccolo Red" Carson from Fort Worth, Texas) and a bass horn (played by J. William "Sarge" Dorsey of Harlingen, Texas). The goal of the march was to break the "jinx" that haunted Aggie football at the time. One by one, others joined the march, creating a long, serpent-like column that wandered throughout the campus. For the rest of the season, the fish continued their walk regardless of whether or not the football team lost, or in Aggie lingo, was "outscored when time ran out". After their freshmen year, the Class of 1926 discontinued their marches through campus.

During their senior year, the Class of 1926 decided to give one last Walk to show their spirit for the A&M College of Texas to the rest of the student body. The other three classes on campus had never even seen the ceremony. The Class was led by the same two Aggies who started the original walk, "Sarge" and "Piccolo Red". The Seniors rested their hand on the shoulder of the Aggie in front of them and walked through campus the same as they did when they were freshmen, only this time they were wearing senior boots (a tradition in the Corp of Cadets and part of the senior uniform). They untucked their military shirts and wore their hats backward to indicate that they were "out of uniform". The Aggies cried as they walked through the campus and remembered good times and bad, buddies for life and those that had fallen along the way. Thus, the Class of 1926 "died" much in the same fashion as elephants in the wild do. Thus the solemn tradition of Elephant Walk was born.

Elephant Walk now occurs on the Tuesday before the annual football game against the University of Texas (or more preferably to Aggies "tu") every fall.

[edit]
Aggie Lingo
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Aggie War HymnTAMU's deep history as military school causes confusion for non-Aggies who may not be familiar with certain terminology, places, or events that take place at A&M.

The Aggie War Hymn - A song written by J.V. "Pinky" Wilson while standing along the Rhine River shortly after WWI. This song is definitive of true Aggie Spirit.
Bad Bull - Something that goes against school spirit
B.Q. - Band Qualified, or slang for Band Queer, A Fightin' Texas Aggie Band member
BTHO - Stands for "Beat the hell outta." Usually followed by either t.u. or the next opponent of an Aggie sports team.
C.T. - Cadet in Training, or slang for Corps Turd, A member of the Aggie Corps of Cadets
The Chicken - Short for "The Dixie Chicken," a popular bar on Northgate (a row of establishments lining the north side of campus).
Dead Elephant - A senior in their last semester of study.
E-Walk - The Junior's equivalent of Elephant Walk. This is a relatively new tradition where juniors assume their position as the new leaders of campus.
Fish Pond - One of the many fountains, this one is located near Lechner Hall and the Sbisa Dining Center, after a victory, the aggie yell leaders are 'deposited' here. This was a fish gift to the University from the class of 1938.
Good Bull - Anything that supports Aggie Spirit.
Horse laugh - Instead of booing, Aggies do a "horse laugh," or hissing noise.
Hullabaloo - First word of the Aggie War Hymn (Hullabaloo! Canek! Canek!)
M.S.C. - Memorial Student Center, dedicated to Aggie's who have died in wars, past, present, and future.
Mug/Muggin' down - Kissing your date.
Non-Reg - Aggies not in the corps of cadets.
Off the Wood - Stepping off the bleachers when the Aggie War Hymn or Spirit of Aggieland are played. (Or when a player is injured). The bleachers in Kyle Field used to be made of wood. Although they now are made of aluminum, the term stuck like many others.
Old Army - "Back in the Day" (Refers to the time when TAMU was a military school only). Also used by current students who are sophomores or older to refer jokingly to their freshman year, and by former students to refer to their entire time at Texas A&M.
The other education - Involvement in campus organizations and other aspects of A&M life outside the classroom.
Pisshead - A sophomore in the Corp of Cadets
Pulling Out - Saying the class year, a word, or the wildcat of the year above you. (It is good bull to do this as long as someone is present to make you "push")
Pushing - The consequence for pulling out or watching someone of an equal or higher class push.
Red-*** - A term for an Aggie that goes out of their way to show their Aggie spirit.
R.V.'s - Ross Volunteers, the most prestigious group in the Corps, originally the Scott Volunteers. This unit is also the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas.
The Spirit of Aggieland - The Texas A&M "alma mater," written in 1925 by Marvin H. Mimms.
Serge butt - a junior in the Corps of Cadets. A reference to the pleated serge on the rear of the pants that was formerly a junior privilege. All of the pants now have serges, but the name continues.
T.A.M.C. - Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College, TAMU's original name.
tea sip - Student of University of Texas
t.u. - "texas university," A&M students' name for the University of Texas, since Aggies do not view this as the University of Texas, but merely a Texas university. Also, the school is sometimes called "Texas University".
2%'er - A reference to the two percent of the student body which does not participate in the Aggie Spirit.
Uncover - Taking off one's hat when entering the MSC or doing a yell. Frequently yelled out as a command; it means: "please take your hat off!"
Walk - When a professor doesn't show for class or when Reveille barks in class (in theory, anyway), it means class is skipped/let out early.
Whipping out - In the Corps of Cadets, underclassmen's formulaic introduction of him/herself to an upperclassmen.
Whoop! - An Aggie's exclamation towards anything positive or good bull. Juniors and seniors are the only ones allowed to say this (except for sophomores pulling out, of course!)
Wildcat - Each class has a yell only it can do. Each wildcat also has its accompanying hand motions.
Fish - AAAAAAAAAAAA! (hands held straight overhead): Symbolic of a freshman running, hands over his head, from an upperclassman. Unlike the other wildcats which have a distinct number of A's, the freshman yell is simply one long, drawn-out A sound.
Sophomores - A! A! A! A! A! (index fingers extended with thumbs perpendicular, waved up and down in front of torso in time with the A's): Symbolic of the sophomore's attitude toward upperclassmen (i.e., pushing back).
Juniors - A! A! A! Whoop! (like the sophomore, but for the whoop, join hands together with left hand fingers covering the right. extend the index fingers and point towards the ground): Symbolic of the junior's attitude toward upperclassmen (i.e., readying a gun to kill the upperclassman and take his place). The fingers of the right hand are covered because the student has not earned their Aggie Ring.
Seniors - A! Whoop! (similar hand configuration as end of junior, but with fingers interlocked, and point up in the air and raise right foot off the ground to tuck right toes behind left knee). Symobolic of the expert marksmanship of the senior, taking only one shot, taking the wildcat down, and a whoop for excitement. The fingers are interlocked to show off the student's Aggie Ring.
Zip - Another term for seniors that only seniors may say. It references the black and gold braid on the senior's garrison cap, which resembles a zipper.
[edit]
We've Never Been Licked
We've Never Been Licked, is a 1943 WWII morale film about Texas A&M cadets and graduates fighting overseas. Army brat Brad Craig enters A&M with a chip on his shoulder which upperclassmen quickly knock off. Once adjusted, Craig falls in love with a professor's beautiful daughter, only to find she is in love with his roommate. In the meantime, Craig unwittingly associates with Japanese spies (including William Frawley of I Love Lucy) bent on stealing a secret chemical compound being worked on at the university. Craig is drummed out of the corps for being a suspected accomplice to the spies, but he then bravely infiltrates the spy network to sabotage the Japanese war effort. Many A&M traditions are referenced in this film.