12th Man (Texas A&M)
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The 12th Man is a tradition at Texas A&M University regarding their football team.
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 should the need arise (now through the use of "yells" led by Yell Leaders, in an effort to pump the team up).
In addition, since the 1980s, Texas A&M has lined up members of the student body not recruited for athletics, who have participated in open tryouts, on kickoffs. Currently, one such player represents Texas A&M each year, and wears uniform number 12.
External link
- 12th Man - Texas Aggie Traditions (http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/12thman.shtml)