berl,|| i^ay • December 1, 1995 d re swc: Page 3B • The Battalion inal shootout fitting ending ftr/aKAi.r»Fi a 1*111 s radUl A I. I * 11 A gc^i'n i i y > ln<‘. ® PRESENT THE Nick Georgandis Sports Editor 7,94 f you’ve got this special tion in one nd and a ket to Sat- Jday’s Texas M-Univer- y of Texas owdown in tie other, pat yourself on the lick. You are a part of history. ■ The end of Southwest Con- fe mce football is upon us, and 44-124ntingly enough, the Long- hlrns and Aggies will be there tl duke it out for the final ciampionship. ■ Sure, Rice and the Universi- tl of Houston will really turn tie lights out on the final gpme, but what would you rjther see, a championship game between two old rivals or allame clash for the rusty old B; /ou Bucket? ■ Since the late 1980s, talk of lams bailing out of the confer ence for greener pastures has gen the norm. Rumors had Texas and Al&M going to the SEC, the P; j-10 and just about every Iher conference in the nation. 1 Icbruary 1994 and the subse- gjicnt deals to move Southern ethodist University, Texas [hristian University and Rice the WAC and the University !0| Houston to the newly- 1470.’firmed Conference USA, the r, MaeJealization finally hit a lot ill Leaflj people. h Steele] The SWC was on its death ri d - , withtfl A staple in Texas since 1915 )OOtoi] as much a part of the state k red-hot summers and con- e Cotti spruction work on Highway 6 he wo]- the conference did the state on. iroud by showcasing its finest lesaid pung men week after week, > natio]ear after year, ckl ie early nds yeai ama6: ;l inept was louston, streak.. When the Big 12 merger as finally agreed upon in stage ■ :use t» t CoEf r saifl.‘l (In'tear ,erback, play in The first time I saw a SWC team play was when my family attend ed the 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl between Texas A&M and the Uni versity of Southern California at the Astrodome. The No. 17 Aggies were powered at the time by run ning backs Curtis Dickey and George Woodard. Unfortunate ly the No. 20 Trojans had a certain Heisman Trophy win ner named Charles White, who sealed A&M’s fate. But the game took on very special meaning when my fa ther stood up in a crowd and speared an A&M football. A&M became the team of my heart — watching the SWC, "Saturday's title tilt at Kyle Field is the kind of game that captures the attention of the nation." my favorite weekend activity. As I grew up in the 1980s, there was a fresh new race each year for the right to go to the Cotton Bowl. Sure, the Ag gies were always my favorites through the years, but I was always cheering for the teams from Texas. My family would go to games at least once a season, either at the Astrodome, Rice Stadium or Kyle Field. With the grim reaper bearing down the conference this weekend, I have taken some time to re member what the conference meant to me. It meant a perfect ending to every Thanksgiving Day, with the Aggies and Longhorns throwing out records and rank ings to beat the crap out of each other for the ultimate bragging rights as the best football team in Texas. That changed when ESPN got the rights to the games, and since we didn’t have cable, I was reduced to listening to Dave South call the games. The games were nearly as enjoyable simply because of the competition, but the feeling that the conference was selling out was starting to grow. As I entered high school and began considering where I might continue my academic pursuits when I graduated, I became even more obsessed with the SWC. I got to see some of the great est stars of the last 15 years — Andre Ware, Darren Lewis, Bucky Richardson and Trevor Cobb — the list goes on. And once, even though I’ve tried to bury it deep in my subconscious, I once saw the University of Houston beat the Aggies, 36-31. Although the conference’s national standing has declined greatly in recent years, Satur day’s title tilt at Kyle Field is the kind of game that captures the attention of the nation. If you’re a college football purist, you know what I’m talking about when I envision the first mighty rumble when the seniors are introduced Sat urday, or the first bloodthirsty cry from the Twelfth Man when A&M’s Keith Mitchell in troduces UT quarterback James Brown to a new kind of pain with a bonecrushing sack. If you’re not looking for ward to the game or you aren’t excited about being in that kind of atmosphere, then you never understood what SWC football was about anyway. DEFLIP SYNC FEATURINCi JOE TO % LM M n % •*■'*> -. A* • •<. • .’ v ^ L X ■ HOST OF RUSSEL SIMAAOIMS DEF COMEDY JAM AMD SEEN ON: POETIC JUSTICE, TALES FROM THE HOOD, AND SHOWTIME ATTHE APOLLO SATU R DAY DEC. 2 DOORS OPEN AT 7:30 SHOWSTARTS PROMPTLY ATS RUDDER AU DITORI U/VV FORMETINFOCALL auditorium (409)845-1234 Sio advance $12.50 AT poor AFTER-PARTY FOLLOWINC SHOW! The Battalion Established in 1893 Special Section Staff Rob Clark Editor in Chief Sterling Hayman Managing Editor Stew Milne Photo Editor Nick Georgandis Sports Editor Wes Swift Tim Moog Robin Greathouse Gretchen Perrenot Jody Holley Tickets on sale now at Rudder Box Office, Lurl’s Beauty Salon, and Tip Top Music Persons with disabilities please call 845-15 15 to inform us of your C I special needs. We request notification three (8) working days prior V ^\- to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our alii li ties. were w : were. for 6,33 were our-yei lly toii|! my her teai at to Rice.’ ■os . 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