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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1990)
t We’re a Tradition. We’ve been an Aggie tradition since 1981, helping Aggies with their long-distance needs. At Star Tel you’ll get no gimmicks, just high-quality communications at a price you can afford. A Star Tel representative will be on campus in the MSC Aug. 20-31 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or or call us at 779-2830. Let Star Tel become a tradition with you. STA fiRTEL Your parking Problems are over When you shop at.., SFLOUPOT'S^ BOOKSTORES SOUTHGATE 308 George Bush Drive REDMOND TERRACE 1422 S. Texas AVE. ATTENTION CT’s! TEXAS AGGIES Outfit your feet without missin’ a beat, Just march’em right over to Holick’s. • Heel & sole enamel • Trouser blousers Heel & toe plates Army rims Shoe polish & boot cream (boot bands) HOME OF THE AGGIE SENIOR BOOTS A&M Since 1 89J Conveniently located at Northgate! 846-6721 Page 2E The Battalion Monday, August 27,1S ‘Hump it Ags’ Yell practices flaunt spirit ag Fr R Mi tury ■ dents “to li the v lost i room call,” An enthsuiastic crowd participates in the yells during midnight yell practice. Kattalion Filepk By STACEY COWART Special to the Battalion Texas A&M students have been “humping it” and hollering during yell practices since 1912 in show of school spirit. In the early 1900s, the first yell leaders were freshmen. Since the freshmen often were dateless, the upperclassmen would get them to perform acrobatic stunts and lead songs and chants to entertain their dates during football games. The freshmen began drawing the full attention of the upperclassmen’s dates, so the juniors and seniors de cided they would lead yells. Leading the yells today are five yell leaders: three seniors and two juniors. Many of the yells used in the 1900s were long chants and songs used to make noise. Some of those yells are used to day, along with more organized yells that have developed during the years. Yells are done from a position known as “humping it.” Aggies stand in this position by bending at the waist and placing their hands just above their knees. This position allows more air flow so yells can be deeper and louder. and whoop rather than dap. Yell practices prepare studn for these manuevers duringagais The most popular yell practice at midnight in Kyle Field the frii before a game. T he first midnight yell practio was in November 1932, the nightie fore the game against the Univers of Texas. Each yell has its own signal which the yell leaders use to get the atten tion of the crowd. Signals are passed upward through the stands so Aggies at the top will know which yell to do. The yell leaders then use specific body motions to signal the start of a yell. After a yell, students “wildcat” A handful of Aggies gathered junior yell leader “Peanut” Om dorm room in Puryear Hallandit cided to motivate freshmen by b ing them form a human chain roam the campus. They ended at midnight at i torch-lit YMCA Building. Thei nior yell leaders and the bandit the chain there, and the first it. night yell practice was held. Corps shares long history with A&M Standing football fans represent Twelfth Man By JAMES M. LOVE Of The Battalion Staff By MARY M. CRYER Special to the Battalion Since its founding, Texas A&M has sustained a rich history with the Corps of Cadets, and the two have proved inseparable. The Corps founded the traditions that make A&M unique. It is the keeper of the Spirit of Aggieland. With its distinct uniform, the Corps of Cadets has grown to the largest cadet corps of any state or private college or university in the nation. It produces more officers for the armed forces, excluding the service academies, than any other ROTC source. A&M, however, was not always as robust as it is today. On Monday, Oct. 2, 1876, just 11 years after the Civil War ended, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas officially was opened for registration. It was the first state- supported institution of higher learning. The school is a result of the Mor rill Act of 1862, which provided the donation of public land to the states. This land w as to be sold at a public auction, and the proceeds set aside in a permanent fund. The interest generated from this fund would be used to establish and operate a land-grant college. Two days after registration began, 40 students and six faculty members' began instruction under President Thomas Gathwright. A month later, Maj. Morris, the first commandant of the Corps, organized the small student body into two cadet compa nies. In the first years after its found ing, A&M fought for survival. Be cause of its location. College Station seemed unlikely for the beginning of an institution of higher learning. Students experienced several hardships, including no bathing fa cilities and school grounds that served as an assembly point for cattle drives that took Texas beef to Dodge City, Kan. By the end of the first year, 106 students were enrolled. A&M’s first turning point came when Lawrence Sullivan Ross, then governor of Texas, accepted the ap pointment as president in 1890. Ross, loved and respected by Tex ans for his actions as a soldier, states man and gentleman, led A&M from near failure to a secure and growing learning establishment. By 1900 there were 327 cadets in the Corps. Traditions were in the making, but few' existed during the turn of the century. There was no bonfire, yell prac tice or senior boots in the early years. Even the term “Aggie” was not The well-known sight of Aggie fans standing for hours at a time and waving their Twelfth Man towels vigorously during football games is a Texas A&M tradition that dates back 70 years. In 1922, when A&M played Centre College in the Dixie Classic in Dallas, the forerunner to today’s Cotton Bow'l, many starting players were injured during the course of the game. As the bench’s supply of players was depleted, Coach Dana X. Bible called on E. King Gill, a basketball player and former football player who was watching the game from the grandstand. Gill suited up in an injured play er’s uniform and stood ready on the sidelines in case the team needed him. A&M won, 22-14. Though he was never called on play in the game, Gill’s readiness play led to the Aggie tradition e standing during football games. The entire student body, likefi symbolizes a willingness to helplta team when they participate in tradition. In 1983, former A&M footki coach Jackie Sherrill started Twelfth Man Kick Off Team, ® posed of non-scholarship footli players to cover kickoffs A&M home games. Sherrill got the idea duringF; 1982 when he visited the sjte when the Aggie Bonfire was being cot structed. The Twelfth Man tradition tinues today under Head CoachHC Slocum. Eli Seni Elep tion ai “death membx Duri niors - phants holdin; and lin Whi emn ti atA&f up wil and tli! using ( to mat sion. The mony arounc life as "real”< Late emony the wi acted; “dying on and Tod roam Battalion File phot The Twelfth Man statue stands outside of Kyle Field. See Corps/Page 6E