Meet Texas A&M
Where: College Station, roughly in the middle of a triangle among Dallas, Houston and San Antonio
Nickname: Aggies Colors: Maroon and white
Enrollment: About 38,000 undergraduates on the main campus
Mascot: Reveille, a full-blooded collie
Tradition and history: A&M opened in 1876. Originally a military school, now participation in the Corps of Cadets is voluntary. It was a member of the Southwest Conference from 1915-95 and has been in the Big 12 since 1996. One of the school's proudest traditions is the Twelfth Man, which originated in 1922 when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, the nation's top-ranked team. Aggies coach Dana X. Bible called E. King Gill, a former football player, out of the press box and had him suit up. Gill stood on the sideline throughout the rest of the game as A&M won 22-14. Gill later said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me." A&M students honor the tradition by standing throughout home games. Since the 1980s, A&M has held open tryouts for the student body and included representatives of the Twelfth Man on the kickoff coverage team.
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