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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1949)
1 r Many Aggie Traditions and Customs Originated With Sports DeWare Field House Named In Honor of Famous Aggie in ’39 DeWare Field House, the build ing that houses the basketball court and seats for spectators at tending the games, was named for a famous Aggie athlete of many years ago. C. A. DeWare, for whom it was named, played foot- : baU for A&M in ’07, ’08, and '09. He was captain of the football team in ’08, and in ’09, made the All-Southwestern Conference team as an end. He also played base- l ball for A&M and was captain of the team in ’09. The main function of the field house is to house the spectators for basketball games but it has many other varied uses. Tennis, volley ball, boxing and wrestling matches, and handball are some of the other sports that can be ac comodated within its spacious walls. Also included are lecture rooms, lockers, examination rooms, show er batfis, tumbling rooms, training rooms for boxers and wrestlers, arid offices for Physical Edu cation Department. It also contains its own heating plant. The seating capacity of De- Ware Field House is approxi mately thirty-five hundred, half of the seats being placed on eith er side of the basketball court. It was originally intended that there be an upper deck of seats on each side of the court but their construction was never au thorized. With the present enrollment at A&M so high, nothing has been needed worse than that second tier. The field house will now seat a little over one third of the student body. DeWare Field House was fin ished in 1924 at a cost of approxi mately $140,000. It was originally called Memorial Gymnasium but in 1939, it name was changed to DeWare Field House to honor De- Ware, one of the first football greats at A&M. Naturally I Am Pleased . . . the COLLEGE HILLS LAUNDRY Does my clothes the way I want them QUICK 1^ SERVICE i EASY ON THE POCKET- BOOK Family or Individual Laundry Done to Please You College Hills Laundry East Gate — College Hills COLLEGE STATION Line coach BILL DuBOSE emphasizes a point as he talks with thr^e of his most outstanding linemen for the '49 season. Left to right, SAM MOSES, tackle from Lockhart, center JIMMY FLOWERS from Dallas, and guard A. J. DU GAS from Port Arthur. Varsity Cage Coach Expects Better Record This Season Some Claim the Aggie Yell is Descended From Civil War By BILL POTTS By BILL HAILE Varsity basketball Coach Marty Karow is looking forward to a much better basketball season this year. For the first time in many years, A&M wil have some real timber toppers on the hardwoods. The lack of height in the last few years has played havoc with the varsity basketballers, but it looks like that handicap is fading out fast. The two boys that are helping out greatly in overcoming this problem are Buddy Davis, 6,8”, and Ken Sutton, 6,7”. Most of the 1949 season squad will be back for duty. There will be a few names missing from the roster when the basketballers JUNIOR BOOK SPECIALS $ Marketing Agriculture Products—Clark - Weld Business Law — 305 - 306 Economics — 311 - Money & Banking $ Loupot’s Trading Post $ start practice; among them will be last year’s Captain Gene Schrickel, and Jim Kirkland, Bill Batey, and Sam Jenkins. Returning to the squad with let ters will be John DeWitt, Marvin Martin, Jack Miller, Truett Mob ley, Jewell McDowell, Wallace Moon and Bill Turnbow. Up from the Fish team will be Buddy Davis, Ed, Houser, Dick Bentley, Ray Walker, Bill Bybee, Ken Sutton, Mouse Williams, Bob Farmer and Bob Church. These freshmen along with the other Fish numeral winners, will move into the ranks of the varsity squad and will be counted on a great deal in bringing the Aggies back to fame on the hardwoods. The 1949 Aggie freshmen en joyed a highly successful season, winning from the Rice and Bay lor frosh and later from the overrated University of Texas freshmen. The traditions and customs sur rounding athletics at A&M are many and varied. Contained in this article are some of the more spec tacular that have originated in connection with athletics as well as a few notes on the beginning of football at Aggieland. There is much speculation to day among A&M students as to how the Aggie yell and wildcat originated. Some claim that they are both descended from the old Rebel yell of the Civil War per iod while others contend that there is no connection whatso ever. Those that do claim that these traditional ventings of enthusiasm originated from the old confeder ate yell are just as adamnant in saying that the yell today sounds nothing like the one which veter ans of the Confederate armies used to scare the devil out of the “Damn Yankees.” The A&M yell is different from other school’s cheers in that it is called a yell instead of a cheer. Also, those men in white that will be in front of the student body this fall at football games are not “cheerleaders” but yell leaders. The oldest yells used today are the two preserved as part of the words of the Aggie War Hymn: “Chig-ga-raa-gar-em” and “Hullaballo caneck ceneck.” Another old one is “Farmers Fight,” also included in the War Hymn, which dates back to the time when A&M students were called Farmers rather than Ag gies. “Runt” Started T Most of the familiar yells of to day were created shortly before 1916. Yell Leader W. K. “Runt” Hanson probably started more Aggie, more than Sully Ross. For one thing, he introduced a dog mascot, who not only wore a blanket but trousers as well! This took place during the season of 1915, 17 years before Reveille ap peared. Hanson originated the T for mation. It became quite a colorful spectacle, for each cadet carried a maroon handkerchief in one hand, white handkerchief in the other. All signals were given, the T would suddenly become all ma roon, all white, or white on one side, maroon on the other. Another touch of color in Han son’s day was the creation of the letters A M C in the stands. White shirts were worn under the blue blouses as regulation at that time. Cadets seated at cer tain spots in the stands took off their coats, letting their white shirts show—and there was A M C in living letters. Still another touch of color at football games is remembered by students still on the campus. Cam paign hats used to contain red linings, and when hats were flash ed during certain yells, the stands became brilliantly red. Capacity: 500 Before football became import ant at A&M, squads scrimmaged in front of Ross Hall, where the YMCA is now. The Aggies became football “champions of the south” by beating Tulane in 1902. That game was played at the Brazos County Fair Grounds, on College Avenue where Kazmeier’s chicken farm is now. In 1905 a new athletic field was opened, called Kyle Field in honor of several members of the Kyle family, many of whom had been prominent in A&M affairs. The old football field ran East- West, crosswise of the present A&M traditions than any other North - South field. A wooden Everyone’s Talking About Our Rapid Cleaning & Pressing Service Bring your soiled garments to us—in jig time they are perfectly cleaned and pressed! Ready for wearing! COME IN TODAY PARKS CLEANERS This year the Aggie hoop artists (See BASKETBALL, Page 6) Southside Phone 4-8934 grand-stand with the enormous capacity of 500 (that’s right, 500) was hailed as “the finest in the state.” Extensions, in the form of bleachers without sun-shade, were soon added. But students were un happy, even so, because of the lack of a gymnasium or field house. Seven Years Bad Luck Despite the acquisition of Kyle Field, luck went against the Ag gies. For seven years they were beaten by Texas University teams. But the ’09 A&M team was different. Not only did it heat the Haskell Indians—a feat com parable to beating Notre Dame today—blit it walked over TU twice in one year. Playing in Houston the Aggies beat Texas 23-0. Later, in Austin, the Ag gies got a 5-0 victory by virture of a single touchdown (Only 5 points for a touchdown in those days). That same year the A&M base ball team faced the N. Y. Giants in an exhibition game, and lost only 0-7—not bad, when you re- (See TRADITION, Page 8) THE BATTALION Page 2 FRI. SEPT. 16, 1949 WELCOME BACK AGGIES Nita’s Newsstand & Confectionery Owned & Operated By a Student JEROME C. KEARBY Welcome Aggies \ Save on Your School Needs By Buying Second Hand Drawing Instruments Uniforms Slide Rules Pi Study Lamps Books T-Squares > ^ KM** | Radio & Bicycle Repairs STICKERS _ PENS - PENCILS - GIFT NOVELTIES - SPORTING GOODS - SCHOOL SUPPLIES The Student Co-Op (One Block East of North Gate) ED GARNER, Prop.