Texas A&M Aggies
Encyclopedia
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University
. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports. Texas A&M was a charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution and subsequent formation of the Big 12 Conference
in 1996. The athletic program competes in the Big 12; however, the school plans to leave the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) on June 30, 2012. Texas A&M's official school colors are maroon
and white
. The teams are referred to as Aggies and the mascot is a Rough Collie
named Reveille.
The Texas A&M Aggies compete in the Big 12 Conference and will enter their 117th year of football
competition in the 2011 season. Over the program's history, the Aggies have earned one national title in 1939 and 18 conference titles. A&M has had two perfect seasons having gone undefeated and unscored upon in both 1917 and 1919. The football program experienced a period of little success lasting from 1944 to 1971, when the Aggies won only two conference titles. With Emory Bellard
as head coach
beginning in 1972, the Aggies returned to prominence with two 10 win seasons during his short tenure. He was replaced by Tom Wilson who had little success at Texas A&M before Jackie Sherrill
took over the program. In his seven years at A&M, Sherrill won three consecutive conference titles and two Cotton Bowl Classic postseason games. His defensive coordinator
, R. C. Slocum
, replaced him as head coach in 1989. Slocum finished in the top 25 during 10 of his 14 years at Texas A&M and won 4 conference titles, including the school's only Big 12 title in 1998.
In late 2002, Dennis Franchione
left his position as head coach at the University of Alabama
to take over Texas A&M's football program from Slocum. He finished the 2003 season at 4-8. Franchione finished the 2004 regular season with a 7-4 mark and an invitation to the Cotton Bowl Classic, a game the Aggies lost to Tennessee
. The 2005 team regressed to 5-6 and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush
was fired, and replaced by Gary Darnell
. Due to the much-needed improvements on defense, the Aggies finished the 2006 regular season with a 9-3 record and a 5-3 mark in Big 12 play, including a 12-7 victory over the Texas Longhorns in Austin, the first over the Longhorns in 6 years.
In the 2007 season, when the Aggies finished in a three way tie for third place with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 South, leading only Baylor, which finished last. Although the team pulled out a 38-30 victory over the Longhorns on the day after Thanksgiving, coach Dennis Franchione
was forced to retire. Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman
was announced as his replacement three days later. Unfortunately, Sherman's first year at A&M resulted in one of the worst records in years, finishing at 4-8. The 2009 season showed some improvement with a 5-2 home record and a 6-7 overall record. More coaching changes were made after the 2009 season and the hiring of Tim DeRuyter lead the media coverage. In 2008, DeRuyter was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Airforce where his defense finished 11th in the NCAA in total defense, and 5th in pass defense.
The Aggie Football team was featured in the ESPN
television movie, The Junction Boys. The film dramatized Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's
grueling football practice sessions in 1954 at Junction, Texas
.
Texas A&M basketball
had been dormant for much of its recent history until the mid-2000s. The Aggies have won 11 conference championships, two conference tournament titles, and have 10 NCAA tournament
appearances. Under former head coach Billy Gillispie
, the Aggies finished fourth in conference in 2006 only two years removed from having zero wins in conference play. Gillispie then led the Aggies to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1987, playing as a 12 seed, and to A&M's first NCAA tournament win since 1980 over fifth seed Syracuse
. The Aggies were one point short of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen over fourth seed LSU
, with a final score of 57-58. In the 2007 season, A&M spent most of the season ranked in the top 10 of the polls and became the first Big 12 south team to win against the University of Kansas
in Lawrence since the Big 12 was formed. The Aggies finished with a 27-7 record and finished 2nd in the Big 12. They earned a number 3 seed in the NCAA tournament where they made it to the sweet 16, but fell to the University of Memphis
64-65. Acie Law IV
was named an All-American. Billy Gillispie left for the University of Kentucky
soon after the season. Mark Turgeon
was named head coach a few days later, and has amassed a 73-31 record in his first three years in College Station, along with three more NCAA tournament appearances and a 3-3 NCAA tournament record.
The women's basketball team had two NCAA tournament appearances, an NWIT title, and a Southwest Conference tournament title before entering the Big 12. The program experienced little success in the new conference until current head coach Gary Blair
took over the program. Blair's teams advanced to the NCAA tournament multiple times. He led the 2011 team to the NCAA national championship.
Ground broke on the Cox-McFerrin Center in November 2006, a 68000 square feet (6,317.4 m²) expansion to Reed Arena
which includes new locker rooms, meeting rooms, practice gyms, training rooms, player lounges, and reception areas.
. The team is currently coached by Rob Childress
, who joined the program in the 2006 season, after leaving his assistant coach position with the Nebraska Cornhuskers
. Since conference play began in 1915, the Aggies have won 15 Southwest Conference titles, three Big 12 regular-season and two tournament titles, and have made five College World Series
appearances. 1989 was the high watermark when the Aggies were ranking #1 for numerous weeks before ending the season ranked #2.
The softball
team formed in the 1972–73 season. The team won NCAA championships in both 1983 and 1987, and an AIAW championship in 1982. It also has six College World Series
appearances. The team is currently coached by Jo Evans
, who has led the program since 1996. Under her leadership, the Aggies have won two conference regular season championships (2005 and 2008), one conference tournament championship (2008), appeared in the NCAA Regionals nine times, winning two, and the Super Regionals thrice, winning two. They have also made two Women's College World Series
appearances and finished 7th in 2007 and 2nd in 2008.
.
Women's golf has been coached by Trelle McCombs since the summer of 2007 making 2007-08 her first year as head coach. The golf team won the Big 12 title in 1998, 2006, 2007, and 2010. In 2006, the team finished 19th at the NCAA Championship tournament. In 2008, the team was fifth in their regional advancing to the NCCA Championship tournament.
In its third annual College Golf Guide, Golf Digest
ranked both the men's and women's golf programs among the best in the nation in terms of the team's scoring average, player growth, academics, climate, and facilities/coaches. The men's program ranked as the best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 nationally. The women's program ranked as the second best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 20 nationally.
appearances in 1985 and 1994, finishing in the First Round in both. The Aggies also appeared in the NCAA Region IV Championships from 1994–96, winning the 1994 championship. Tim Cass replaced Kent in 1997, coaching until 2006. In Cass's ten seasons at A&M, he won three Big 12 tournament titles and one conference title. He resigned in July 2006 to accept a position as Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of New Mexico
, his alma mater.
In 2006, former ATP Tour player and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
head coach Steve Denton
was named the new head men's tennis coach. Former Trinity University
coach Bob McKinley became his assistant. Denton won three Southland Conference
regular-season titles, two tournament titles, and had an overall conference record of 19-2, including two undefeated regular seasons, in his five years with the Islanders. In 2008, he was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Hall of Fame, joining former A&M coach David Kent, who was inducted in 1998, and McKinley, who was inducted in 2003. With both of the coaching staff in the ITA Hall of Fame, the A&M men's tennis program is the only program in the country with two ITA Hall of Fame coaches. In 2011, the No. 3 seeded Texas A&M Men's Doubles team of Jeff Dadamo and Austin Krajicek
defeated the No. 4 seeded Stanford University Men's Doubles team of Bradley Klahn
and Ryan Thacher for the NCAA Men's Doubles Crown.
The women's tennis program started in 1980. The women's team has been coached by Bobby Kleinecke since 1985. In 2003 and 2004, he was voted Big 12 Coach of the Year. Kleinecke led the Aggies to two conference titles in 1986 and 2003 and a tournament title in 2004. The Aggies have also made a total of 13 NCAA Tournament appearances under Kleinecke.
since 1995. Of those 16, 4 are Elite 8 finishes, and 6 are Sweet 16 finishes. Since 1999, the Aggies have advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16 during all but three of their NCAA Tournament appearances. The Aggies have never been eliminated in the round of 64.
. In his 17 years at LSU
, Henry won 27 national titles, 17 SEC
titles, 15 SEC Coach of the Year awards, and five National Coach of the Year awards. Henry was hired by Texas A&M prior to the 2005 season, taking over a program that had never won a title in women's track. Within three years, in 2007, his teams won both women's indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference titles. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, he won both the men's and women's NCAA outdoor titles, a feat he has accomplished four times and duplicated by no other coach. Since arriving in College Station, Henry has won two National Coach of the Year and six Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.
, who has been at Texas A&M since 1993. The Texas A&M volleyball team participated in 13 consecutive NCAA postseasons, from Corbelli's first year in 1993 to 2005, reaching the Elite Eight twice and Sweet Sixteen three times.
The Texas A&M women's swimming program has several notable current and former swimmers. This includes 2008 Summer Olympics
medalist Christine Marshall
, who swam for the US, Triin Aljand
, who swam for Estonia
, Alia Atkinson, who swam for Jamaica, and Julia Wilkinson
, who swam for Canada
. Team members Kristen Heiss
and Emily Neal are members of the US National Team and Melanie Dodds is a member of the Canadian team and all will compete in the 2009 Summer World University Games .
The women's program has won three of the last four Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, including in 2010. They finished sixth in the 2010 NCAA championships. The men finished 12th, cracking the top 25 for the fifteenth consecutive year.
Texas A&M won the inaugural Big 12 Classic in 2007, a competition between Big 12 programs with equestrian teams, which includes Baylor
, Kansas State
, and Oklahoma State.
team in 1983 and 1987, while the third was won by the men's golf team in 2009. The fourth and fifth were won in 2009 by the men's and women's outdoor track teams; when the Aggies garnered a rare, double national title. The men's and women's track teams also added the sixth and seventh titles in 2010, repeating the double national title feat. Both teams added yet another two in 2011. The women's basketball team won in 2011.
The 1982 softball team won the AIAW championship, which all women's intercollegiate athletic teams competed for before they joined the NCAA in mid-1982. The 1939 football team was designated national champions by multiple selectors, including the Associated Press
, the Helms Athletic Foundation
, the National Championship Foundation, and the College Football Researchers Association. The equestrian team has won the Varsity Equestrian National Championship (VENC) in 2002, and has won the Varsity Equestrian Western Division National Championship in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009. It also won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
(IHSA) Western Championship in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
* AIAW Champions
hip
** Not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, but competed at the varsity
level
is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Director's Cup are based on order of finish in various NCAA
sponsored championships or in the case of Division I Football media base polls. The award originated in 1993, and was presented to NCAA Division I schools only. In 1995, it was extended to Division II, Division III, and NAIA
schools as well, each division receiving its own award.
Texas A&M's yearly final standings among other Division I schools since the cup originated in 1993 are as follows:
, the Lone Star Showdown's final game will be played November 24, 2011. Another game between Texas and Texas A&M will not happen until at least 2018, according to Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds. The 2011 game will mark the end of the 118-year Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Other rivals include the Baylor Bears
(rivalry officially known as Battle of the Brazos
), the Texas Tech Red Raiders
(Texas A&M – Texas Tech football rivalry
), and the Arkansas Razorbacks
(Southwest Classic).
Historical rivalries that are no longer active include those from its membership in the Southwest Conference (Rice
, the University of Houston
, SMU
, and TCU
) and LSU
(which Texas A&M played annually until the mid-90's, though A&M's 2012 move to the Southeastern Conference
will most likely renew this rivalry).
Athletic training, rehabilitation, and student-services facilities include:
Additionally, Texas A&M houses two dedications to student-athletes of the past: the Texas A&M Sports Museum located at the north end of Kyle Field
and the Erickson Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor.
Texas A&M values traditions very highly, many of which revolve around the sports in which the school competes.
A few of the athletic traditions of Texas A&M include:
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports. Texas A&M was a charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution and subsequent formation of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
in 1996. The athletic program competes in the Big 12; however, the school plans to leave the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) on June 30, 2012. Texas A&M's official school colors are maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
. The teams are referred to as Aggies and the mascot is a Rough Collie
Rough Collie
The Rough Collie is a long coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800's, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and...
named Reveille.
Athletics
Texas A&M competes in the following varsity sports:
|
|
Football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
competition in the 2011 season. Over the program's history, the Aggies have earned one national title in 1939 and 18 conference titles. A&M has had two perfect seasons having gone undefeated and unscored upon in both 1917 and 1919. The football program experienced a period of little success lasting from 1944 to 1971, when the Aggies won only two conference titles. With Emory Bellard
Emory Bellard
Emory Dilworth Bellard was a college football coach. He was head coach at Texas A&M University from 1972 to 1978 and at Mississippi State University from 1979 until 1985. Bellard died on February 10, 2011 after battling Lou Gehrig's disease since the fall of 2010.Bellard is a member of the Texas...
as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
beginning in 1972, the Aggies returned to prominence with two 10 win seasons during his short tenure. He was replaced by Tom Wilson who had little success at Texas A&M before Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
took over the program. In his seven years at A&M, Sherrill won three consecutive conference titles and two Cotton Bowl Classic postseason games. His defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, R. C. Slocum
R. C. Slocum
Richard Copeland Slocum , better known as R. C. Slocum, was the head football coach at Texas A&M University from 1989 until 2002. He has won more games as coach than anyone else in Texas A&M football history.-Personal:...
, replaced him as head coach in 1989. Slocum finished in the top 25 during 10 of his 14 years at Texas A&M and won 4 conference titles, including the school's only Big 12 title in 1998.
In late 2002, Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
left his position as head coach at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
to take over Texas A&M's football program from Slocum. He finished the 2003 season at 4-8. Franchione finished the 2004 regular season with a 7-4 mark and an invitation to the Cotton Bowl Classic, a game the Aggies lost to Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. The 2005 team regressed to 5-6 and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush
Carl Torbush
Carl William Torbush Jr. was the college football Defensive Coordinator for the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, KS...
was fired, and replaced by Gary Darnell
Gary Darnell
Gary Brent Darnell is a former American college football player and coach. Darnell is native of Arkansas and an alumnus of Oklahoma State University, where he played college football...
. Due to the much-needed improvements on defense, the Aggies finished the 2006 regular season with a 9-3 record and a 5-3 mark in Big 12 play, including a 12-7 victory over the Texas Longhorns in Austin, the first over the Longhorns in 6 years.
In the 2007 season, when the Aggies finished in a three way tie for third place with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 South, leading only Baylor, which finished last. Although the team pulled out a 38-30 victory over the Longhorns on the day after Thanksgiving, coach Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
was forced to retire. Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
was announced as his replacement three days later. Unfortunately, Sherman's first year at A&M resulted in one of the worst records in years, finishing at 4-8. The 2009 season showed some improvement with a 5-2 home record and a 6-7 overall record. More coaching changes were made after the 2009 season and the hiring of Tim DeRuyter lead the media coverage. In 2008, DeRuyter was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Airforce where his defense finished 11th in the NCAA in total defense, and 5th in pass defense.
The Aggie Football team was featured in the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
television movie, The Junction Boys. The film dramatized Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
grueling football practice sessions in 1954 at Junction, Texas
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
had been dormant for much of its recent history until the mid-2000s. The Aggies have won 11 conference championships, two conference tournament titles, and have 10 NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances. Under former head coach Billy Gillispie
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
, the Aggies finished fourth in conference in 2006 only two years removed from having zero wins in conference play. Gillispie then led the Aggies to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1987, playing as a 12 seed, and to A&M's first NCAA tournament win since 1980 over fifth seed Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. The Aggies were one point short of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen over fourth seed LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, with a final score of 57-58. In the 2007 season, A&M spent most of the season ranked in the top 10 of the polls and became the first Big 12 south team to win against the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence since the Big 12 was formed. The Aggies finished with a 27-7 record and finished 2nd in the Big 12. They earned a number 3 seed in the NCAA tournament where they made it to the sweet 16, but fell to the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
64-65. Acie Law IV
Acie Law IV
Acie Law IV is an American professional basketball player who plays for KK Partizan in Serbia. In his four seasons at Texas A&M University, Law scored 1,653 points and was credited with 540 assists...
was named an All-American. Billy Gillispie left for the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
soon after the season. Mark Turgeon
Mark Turgeon
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.-Personal:...
was named head coach a few days later, and has amassed a 73-31 record in his first three years in College Station, along with three more NCAA tournament appearances and a 3-3 NCAA tournament record.
The women's basketball team had two NCAA tournament appearances, an NWIT title, and a Southwest Conference tournament title before entering the Big 12. The program experienced little success in the new conference until current head coach Gary Blair
Gary Blair
Gary Claude Blair is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball team. In his 26 years as a collegiate head coach, Blair has only suffered one losing season, and has reached postseason play 22 times, including 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2 Final Four appearances in 1998...
took over the program. Blair's teams advanced to the NCAA tournament multiple times. He led the 2011 team to the NCAA national championship.
Ground broke on the Cox-McFerrin Center in November 2006, a 68000 square feet (6,317.4 m²) expansion to Reed Arena
Reed Arena
Reed Arena is a sports arena and entertainment venue located at the corner of Olsen Boulevard and Kimbrough Boulevard in College Station, Texas. This facility is used for Texas A&M University basketball games and commencement ceremonies, concerts, trade shows, family entertainment, and Texas A&M...
which includes new locker rooms, meeting rooms, practice gyms, training rooms, player lounges, and reception areas.
Baseball
The Aggie baseball team plays home games at Olsen FieldOlsen Field
Olsen Field is a baseball stadium in College Station, Texas, that is home to the Texas A&M baseball program. The stadium was dedicated on March 21, 1978, and is named in honor of Pat Olsen, a 1923 graduate of Texas A&M University and a former baseball player in the New York Yankees farm system...
. The team is currently coached by Rob Childress
Rob Childress
Robert Alexander Childress is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies college baseball team. Before coming to Texas A&M for the 2006 season, he served as an associate head coach and pitching coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers...
, who joined the program in the 2006 season, after leaving his assistant coach position with the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
. Since conference play began in 1915, the Aggies have won 15 Southwest Conference titles, three Big 12 regular-season and two tournament titles, and have made five College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
appearances. 1989 was the high watermark when the Aggies were ranking #1 for numerous weeks before ending the season ranked #2.
Softball
College softball
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
team formed in the 1972–73 season. The team won NCAA championships in both 1983 and 1987, and an AIAW championship in 1982. It also has six College World Series
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
appearances. The team is currently coached by Jo Evans
Jo Evans
Jo Evans is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies college softball team. She has been the head coach for the team since 1997. Prior to that, she served as the head coach for the Utah Utes from 1990–1996 and for the Colorado State Rams from 1986–1989. She started her coaching career as an assistant...
, who has led the program since 1996. Under her leadership, the Aggies have won two conference regular season championships (2005 and 2008), one conference tournament championship (2008), appeared in the NCAA Regionals nine times, winning two, and the Super Regionals thrice, winning two. They have also made two Women's College World Series
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
appearances and finished 7th in 2007 and 2nd in 2008.
Golf
Men's golf is coached by J.T. Higgins, who has been with the program since 2001. He has led the team to three top 15 finishes at the NCAA tournament. His 2009 team captured the NCAA titleNCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, starting in 2009 the competition changed to a stroke play/match play competition with the top 8 teams after 54 holes of...
.
Women's golf has been coached by Trelle McCombs since the summer of 2007 making 2007-08 her first year as head coach. The golf team won the Big 12 title in 1998, 2006, 2007, and 2010. In 2006, the team finished 19th at the NCAA Championship tournament. In 2008, the team was fifth in their regional advancing to the NCCA Championship tournament.
In its third annual College Golf Guide, Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
ranked both the men's and women's golf programs among the best in the nation in terms of the team's scoring average, player growth, academics, climate, and facilities/coaches. The men's program ranked as the best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 nationally. The women's program ranked as the second best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 20 nationally.
Tennis
Men's tennis first debuted in 1978. Richard Barker coached the inaugural season, compiling a 9–12 record. David Kent took over in 1979, and coached until 1996. Under Kent, the Aggies made two NCAA TournamentNCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...
appearances in 1985 and 1994, finishing in the First Round in both. The Aggies also appeared in the NCAA Region IV Championships from 1994–96, winning the 1994 championship. Tim Cass replaced Kent in 1997, coaching until 2006. In Cass's ten seasons at A&M, he won three Big 12 tournament titles and one conference title. He resigned in July 2006 to accept a position as Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, his alma mater.
In 2006, former ATP Tour player and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi is a state university located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, on Ward Island in Oso Bay. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System...
head coach Steve Denton
Steve Denton
Steve Denton is a former professional tennis player for the ATP Tour. He is currently the head men's tennis coach at Texas A&M University....
was named the new head men's tennis coach. Former Trinity University
Trinity University (Texas)
Trinity University is a private, independent, primarily undergraduate, university in San Antonio, Texas. Its campus is located in the Monte Vista Historic District and adjacent to Brackenridge Park....
coach Bob McKinley became his assistant. Denton won three Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
regular-season titles, two tournament titles, and had an overall conference record of 19-2, including two undefeated regular seasons, in his five years with the Islanders. In 2008, he was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs...
Hall of Fame, joining former A&M coach David Kent, who was inducted in 1998, and McKinley, who was inducted in 2003. With both of the coaching staff in the ITA Hall of Fame, the A&M men's tennis program is the only program in the country with two ITA Hall of Fame coaches. In 2011, the No. 3 seeded Texas A&M Men's Doubles team of Jeff Dadamo and Austin Krajicek
Austin Krajicek
Austin Krajicek is a American professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 604 on 1 August 2011, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 431, on 14 November 2011.-Doubles...
defeated the No. 4 seeded Stanford University Men's Doubles team of Bradley Klahn
Bradley Klahn
Bradley Klahn is an American tennis player from Poway, California.Bradley played at the 2010 US Open, taking a set from 20th seed Sam Querrey before being defeated in four sets.Bradley received a wild card into the 2011 SAP Open....
and Ryan Thacher for the NCAA Men's Doubles Crown.
The women's tennis program started in 1980. The women's team has been coached by Bobby Kleinecke since 1985. In 2003 and 2004, he was voted Big 12 Coach of the Year. Kleinecke led the Aggies to two conference titles in 1986 and 2003 and a tournament title in 2004. The Aggies have also made a total of 13 NCAA Tournament appearances under Kleinecke.
Soccer
Women's soccer is coached by G. Guerreri, who has led the program since its inception in 1993. His Aggies have won 11 Big 12 titles (7 regular season and 4 tournament), including 4 straight regular season titles from 2004-2007. The Aggies have made 16 consecutive appearances in the NCAA TournamentNCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
since 1995. Of those 16, 4 are Elite 8 finishes, and 6 are Sweet 16 finishes. Since 1999, the Aggies have advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16 during all but three of their NCAA Tournament appearances. The Aggies have never been eliminated in the round of 64.
Track and Field
Track and field is coached by Pat HenryPat Henry
Pat Henry is the current track & field coach at Texas A&M University. He is also the former track & field coach at Louisiana State University where he won 27 national championships....
. In his 17 years at LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, Henry won 27 national titles, 17 SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
titles, 15 SEC Coach of the Year awards, and five National Coach of the Year awards. Henry was hired by Texas A&M prior to the 2005 season, taking over a program that had never won a title in women's track. Within three years, in 2007, his teams won both women's indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference titles. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, he won both the men's and women's NCAA outdoor titles, a feat he has accomplished four times and duplicated by no other coach. Since arriving in College Station, Henry has won two National Coach of the Year and six Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.
Volleyball
The Aggie volleyball team is coached by Laurie CorbelliLaurie Corbelli
Laurie Flachmeier Corbelli is a former professional indoor volleyball player. She is currently the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies women's volleyball team, a position she has served since 1993....
, who has been at Texas A&M since 1993. The Texas A&M volleyball team participated in 13 consecutive NCAA postseasons, from Corbelli's first year in 1993 to 2005, reaching the Elite Eight twice and Sweet Sixteen three times.
Swimming and diving
Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams compete in the Student Rec Center Natatorium. Long-time assistant Jay Holmes, who has worked at Texas A&M since 1987, became the head coach of the men's swimming program in 2004. Women's swimming is led by Steve Bultman, who has been the head coach since 1999. The diving program is led by Jay Lerew.The Texas A&M women's swimming program has several notable current and former swimmers. This includes 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
medalist Christine Marshall
Christine Marshall
Christine Marshall is an Olympic swimmer from the United States. She attends college at Texas A&M University, and swam for the Aggies from 2005-2009....
, who swam for the US, Triin Aljand
Triin Aljand
Triin Aljand is an Estonian swimmer. She was a member of the Estonian national team that competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and multiple FINA World Aquatics Championships. She competed again for the team in the 2008 Summer Olympics.She currently attends Texas A&M University, where she swims for...
, who swam for Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Alia Atkinson, who swam for Jamaica, and Julia Wilkinson
Julia Wilkinson
Julia Rose Wilkinson is a Canadian backstroke, medley, and freestyle swimmer. She was born in Stratford, Ontario.-2008 Olympics:...
, who swam for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Team members Kristen Heiss
Kristen Heiss
Kristen Elizabeth Heiss is an American backstroke and freestyle swimmer. She is a 3-time collegiate All-American, Big 12 Conference swimmer of the year, an Olympic Trials finalist, and recently won the 200 freestyle at the 2008 U.S. Open.-Early years:Kristen was born May 12, 1987 to Bill and Susan...
and Emily Neal are members of the US National Team and Melanie Dodds is a member of the Canadian team and all will compete in the 2009 Summer World University Games .
The women's program has won three of the last four Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, including in 2010. They finished sixth in the 2010 NCAA championships. The men finished 12th, cracking the top 25 for the fifteenth consecutive year.
Equestrian
Coached by Tana Rawson, the women's equestrian team has been a varsity sport at Texas A&M since 1999. Although a group of administrators and coaches are currently working to make equestrian an NCAA-recognized sport, A&M competes with 18 other equestrian teams from Division I schools. For seven years, from 2000 to 2006, the program participated in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championship, winning the Western division national title three times. The program now competes only in the Varsity Equestrian National Championship, in which A&M won the overall national championship in 2002 and Western division titles in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Additionally, in 2010, Texas A&M won two individual national titles, with Caroline Gunn winning the national title for the second time in a row in Horsemanship, and Maggie Gratny winning the national title in reining.Texas A&M won the inaugural Big 12 Classic in 2007, a competition between Big 12 programs with equestrian teams, which includes Baylor
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, Kansas State
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, and Oklahoma State.
National titles
Texas A&M has a total of 13 team national championships. 10 are NCAA titles, two of which were won by the softballCollege softball
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
team in 1983 and 1987, while the third was won by the men's golf team in 2009. The fourth and fifth were won in 2009 by the men's and women's outdoor track teams; when the Aggies garnered a rare, double national title. The men's and women's track teams also added the sixth and seventh titles in 2010, repeating the double national title feat. Both teams added yet another two in 2011. The women's basketball team won in 2011.
The 1982 softball team won the AIAW championship, which all women's intercollegiate athletic teams competed for before they joined the NCAA in mid-1982. The 1939 football team was designated national champions by multiple selectors, including the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
, the National Championship Foundation, and the College Football Researchers Association. The equestrian team has won the Varsity Equestrian National Championship (VENC) in 2002, and has won the Varsity Equestrian Western Division National Championship in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009. It also won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
-Overview:The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association or IHSA is an equestrian organization established in 1967 by Bob Cacchione when he was a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey...
(IHSA) Western Championship in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
- Football
- 1939
- Men's Golf
- 2009
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 2009, 2010, 2011
- Softball
- 1982*, 1983, 1987
- Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 2009, 2010, 2011
- Women's Basketball
- 2011
- Equestrian**
- Overall: 2002 (VENC)
- Western: 2002 (IHSA), 2003 (IHSA), 2004 (IHSA), 2005 (VENC), 2007 (VENC), 2009 (VENC), 2010 (VENC)
AIAW Champions
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics and to administer national championships...
hip
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
level
Conference titles (142)
- Baseball
- Regular Season: 1931, 1934, 1937, 1941, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2011
- Tournament: 2007, 2010, 2011
- Men's Basketball
- Regular Season: 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1951, 1964, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1986
- Tournament: 1980, 1987
- Men's Cross Country
- 1922, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1962
- Fencing (conference competition ended in 1957)
- 1952, 1954, 1955
- Football
- 1917, 1919, 1921, 1925, 1927, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1956, 1967, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998
- Men's Golf
- 1926, 1948, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1982, 1987
- Men's Swimming and Diving
- 1944, 1945, 1956
- Men's Tennis
- Regular Season: 1994, 2000
- Tournament: 1998, 2000, 2001
- Men's Indoor Track and Field
- 1980, 2011
- Men's Outdoor Track and Field
- 1921, 1922, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1981, 2001, 2011
- Women's Basketball
- Regular Season: 2007
- Tournament: 1996, 2008, 2010
- Women's Golf
- 1985, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2010
- Women's Soccer
- Regular Season: 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010
- Tournament: 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005
- Softball
- Regular Season: 2005, 2008
- Tournament: 2008
- Women's Swimming and Diving
- 2007, 2008, 2010
- Women's Tennis
- Regular Season: 1986, 2003
- Tournament: 2004
- Women's Indoor Track & Field
- 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Women's Outdoor Track & Field
- 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Director's Cup all-time final standings
The NACDA Director's CupNACDA Director's Cup
The NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics...
is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics is a professional organization for college and university athletic directors in the United States. NACDA boasts a membership of more than 6,100 individuals and more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico...
to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Director's Cup are based on order of finish in various NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
sponsored championships or in the case of Division I Football media base polls. The award originated in 1993, and was presented to NCAA Division I schools only. In 1995, it was extended to Division II, Division III, and NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
schools as well, each division receiving its own award.
Texas A&M's yearly final standings among other Division I schools since the cup originated in 1993 are as follows:
| Year | Standing | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 24th | 454.50 |
| 1994-95 | 37th | 329.50 |
| 1995-96 | 20th | 524.50 |
| 1996-97 | 30th | 427.00 |
| 1997-98 | T–38th | 230.00 |
| 1998-99 | T–39th | 230.00 |
| 1999-00 | 27th | 522.00 |
| 2000-01 | 26th | 517.00 |
| 2001-02 | 37th | 519.50 |
| 2002-03 | 28th | 551.25 |
| 2003-04 | 16th | 714.00 |
| 2004-05 | 26th | 566.25 |
| 2005-06 | 23rd | 649.50 |
| 2006-07 | 18th | 881.00 |
| 2007-08 | 12th | 1,031.00 |
| 2008-09 | 13th | 976.00 |
| 2009-10 | 6th | 1,070.75 |
| 2010-11 | 8th | 1090.50 |
Rivalries
Texas A&M's biggest rival is the Texas Longhorns. The university has other significant rivals but few come close to the rivalry shared between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The mutual respect and desire to win has given rise to the Lone Star Showdown, an athletic competition that lasts year-round and encompasses all regular-season NCAA athletic events between the two schools. Though the showdown officially began in 2004, the two teams have been competing with one another for more than a century. With Texas A&M's move to the SECSec
Seč is name of several locations in central Europe:* Seč, a city in Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic** Seč dam next to the Seč village* Seč, a village in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia...
, the Lone Star Showdown's final game will be played November 24, 2011. Another game between Texas and Texas A&M will not happen until at least 2018, according to Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds. The 2011 game will mark the end of the 118-year Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Other rivals include the Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference...
(rivalry officially known as Battle of the Brazos
Battle of the Brazos
The Battle of the Brazos is the official collegiate sports rivalry between the Baylor Bears and Texas A&M Aggies. The rivalry is named for the Brazos River that flows by the two schools, which are only 90 miles apart...
), the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
(Texas A&M – Texas Tech football rivalry
Texas A&M – Texas Tech football rivalry
The Texas A&M–Texas Tech football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Texas A&M Aggies football team of Texas A&M University and the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team of Texas Tech University. The series began as a non-conference rivalry when the first game was played in...
), and the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
(Southwest Classic).
Historical rivalries that are no longer active include those from its membership in the Southwest Conference (Rice
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, SMU
SMU
SMU may stand for:*Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, USA**SMU Mustangs, the athletic program of the above school*St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington, USA*Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada...
, and TCU
TCU
TCU is an abbreviation for:* Tauranga City United, a New Zealand association football club* Telecommunication Control Unit* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic program of the school...
) and LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
(which Texas A&M played annually until the mid-90's, though A&M's 2012 move to the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
will most likely renew this rivalry).
Venues and facilities
Athletic venues and facilities include:- Football: Kyle FieldKyle FieldKyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
- Basketball: Reed ArenaReed ArenaReed Arena is a sports arena and entertainment venue located at the corner of Olsen Boulevard and Kimbrough Boulevard in College Station, Texas. This facility is used for Texas A&M University basketball games and commencement ceremonies, concerts, trade shows, family entertainment, and Texas A&M...
- Baseball: Olsen FieldOlsen FieldOlsen Field is a baseball stadium in College Station, Texas, that is home to the Texas A&M baseball program. The stadium was dedicated on March 21, 1978, and is named in honor of Pat Olsen, a 1923 graduate of Texas A&M University and a former baseball player in the New York Yankees farm system...
- Softball: Aggie Softball ComplexAggie Softball ComplexThe Aggie Softball Complex is the home to the Texas A&M University softball program. The stadium was dedicated on March 30, 1994. The record attendance for the complex is 2,341, set on April 25, 2005 versus the Texas Longhorns. Nineteen of the 20 highest attendance numbers were set during the...
- Golf: Traditions Club Championship Golf Course
- Tennis: George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
- Soccer: Aggie Soccer Stadium
- Track and Field:
- Indoor: Gilliam Indoor Track StadiumGilliam Indoor Track StadiumThe Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium is the home of the Texas A&M Aggies men's and women's collegiate indoor track and field teams. Opened on January 24, 2009, the facility hosted the 2009 Big 12 Conference indoor track championships as well as the 2009 NCAA Division I indoor track national...
- Outdoor: Anderson Track and Field Complex
- Track Building
- Indoor: Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium
- Volleyball: G. Rollie White ColiseumG. Rollie White ColiseumThe G. Rollie White Coliseum is an on-campus arena at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Often referred to as the "Jollie Rollie" or "The Holler House on the Brazos," the arena was the home of Texas A&M's Aggie volleyball team, which played there since its...
- Swimming and Diving: Student Rec Center Natatorium
- Equestrian: Freeman Arena
Athletic training, rehabilitation, and student-services facilities include:
Additionally, Texas A&M houses two dedications to student-athletes of the past: the Texas A&M Sports Museum located at the north end of Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
and the Erickson Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor.
Traditions
A few of the athletic traditions of Texas A&M include:
- The 12th Man — The entire student body is referred to as The 12th Man after E. King Gill stood ready to play on the sidelines in 1922.
- The Aggie War Hymn — The War Hymn is played at athletic events during the game and after a win.
- Aggie BonfireAggie BonfireAggie Bonfire was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn...
— Built and burned prior to the annual football game with the University of TexasTexas Longhorn AthleticsTexas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
. Bonfire is now an off-campus event after the University cancelled it following the 1999 collapse. - Fightin' Texas Aggie BandFightin' Texas Aggie BandThe Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
— The Aggie Band is the largest military-style marching band in the United States and performs at halftime during the football games. - Midnight Yell PracticeMidnight Yell PracticeMidnight Yell Practice, known locally as Midnight Yell or Yell Practice, is a tradition at Texas A&M University. Midnight Yell is similar to a pep rally. On the night before each home football game, Midnight Yell takes place in Kyle Field at midnight; two nights before each away game, Midnight...
— Held the night before a home game, the student body gathers at Kyle FieldKyle FieldKyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
to excite the crowd. - Yell LeadersYell LeadersThe Aggie Yell Leaders are a group of Texas A&M University students that leads Aggie fans in a series of "yells" during athletic events or other school events...
— Attending many events, wearing uniforms modeled after a milkman uniform the yell leaders use hand signals to keep the crowd yelling in unison. - Gig 'em — The slogan used by Aggie supporters, often accompanied with a thumbs-up sign, the first hand sign of the Southwest Conference.
- ReveilleReveille (Texas A&M)Reveille is the official mascot of Texas A&M University. Students adopted the first Reveille, a mixed-breed dog, in 1931. To thank Texas A&M for its assistance during World War II, the US Army designated Reveille a Cadet General , the highest ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.Eight...
— The official mascot of Texas A&M since 1931. Since Reveille II, all A&M mascots have been collies. - Maroon Out — One designated home football game of the year is a "maroon out" game. All Aggies are instructed to wear maroon.
Athletic directors
| Name | Years served | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Utay Joe Utay Joe Utay was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.-External links:*... |
1912–1913 | |
| Barlow Irvin | 1927-1954 | |
| Bear Bryant Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships... |
1954–1957 | |
| Jim Myers Jim Myers -References:... |
1958–1961 | |
| Jackie Sherrill Jackie Sherrill Jackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4... |
1982–1988 | |
| John David Crow John David Crow John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957... |
1988–1993 | |
| Wally Groff | 1993–2002 | |
| Bill Byrne Bill Byrne Clarence William "Bill" Byrne, II is the current athletic director of Texas A&M University, a position he has held since January 2003.-Early life:... |
2003–present | |
Notable athletes and coaches
Former student-athletes and coaches at Texas A&M include:- Sam AdamsSam Adams (football player)Sam Aaron Adams, Jr. is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks eighth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft...
, NCAA All-American and NFL Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
defensive tackle - "Bear" BryantBear BryantPaul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
, head coach, 1954–1957, most successful coach in NCAA Division I college football - John David CrowJohn David CrowJohn David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...
, 1957 Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner - Dean GoldfineDean GoldfineDean Goldfine is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from the United States.-Coaching career:Goldfine was professional tennis player Todd Martin's coach from 1996 to 2002...
, former ATP Tour tennis player, former coach of Todd MartinTodd Martin----Todd Christopher Martin is a former professional tennis player from the United States.-Playing career:...
and Andy RoddickAndy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish.... - Lester HayesLester HayesLester Hayes is a former professional American football player for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League....
, five-time NFL Pro-BowlerPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, two Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
wins with Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Dante HallDante HallDamieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
, two-time Pro-BowlerPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, tied for NFL record - most career kickoff return touchdowns - John KimbroughJohn KimbroughJohn Kimbrough was a college athlete, a member of the Texas Legislature, the star of two western movies and a rancher. His older brother Frank Kimbrough served as head football coach at Baylor and West Texas A&M.-Football:...
, Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
runner-up, actor, former member of the Texas LegislatureTexas LegislatureThe Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin... - Chuck KnoblauchChuck KnoblauchEdward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
, 1991 MLB rookie of the year. four-time all-star, four-time MLB World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
champion - Gary KubiakGary KubiakGary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a...
, former NFL quarterback, Houston TexansHouston TexansThe Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach - Acie Law IVAcie Law IVAcie Law IV is an American professional basketball player who plays for KK Partizan in Serbia. In his four seasons at Texas A&M University, Law scored 1,653 points and was credited with 540 assists...
, Basketball All-American for the 2006-2007 season. 2007 Bob Cousy award winner - Randy BarnesRandy BarnesEric Randolph Barnes is a former American shot putter who holds both the current outdoor and indoor World Records for the event. He won silver at the 1988 Olympics and gold at the 1996 Olympics....
, OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold & silver medalist, Current world record holder in the shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
Indoor-Outdoor - Randy MatsonRandy MatsonJames Randel Matson is a former United States Olympic shot put thrower. In 1968 he stood , and weighed about .-Early years:...
, OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist, former world record holder in the shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action.... - Wally MoonWally MoonWallace Wade Moon, known popularly as Wally Moon, is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Moon played his 12-year career in the National League for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers...
, 1954 MLB rookie of the year, 1960 Gold Glove winner, two-time all-star, two-time MLB World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
champion - Dat NguyenDat NguyenDat Tan Nguyen is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League . He was the first Vietnamese American to play in the NFL. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1999 to 2005. He played college football at Texas A&M. He was the Cowboys' assistant linebackers coach and...
, 1998 LombardiLombardi AwardThe Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
and Bednarik Award winner, former Dallas CowboyDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... - Jackie SherrillJackie SherrillJackie Sherrill is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Pittsburgh , Texas A&M University , and Mississippi State University , compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4...
, head football coach, 1982–1988, three Southwest Conference titles - R. C. SlocumR. C. SlocumRichard Copeland Slocum , better known as R. C. Slocum, was the head football coach at Texas A&M University from 1989 until 2002. He has won more games as coach than anyone else in Texas A&M football history.-Personal:...
, head football coach, 1989–2003, four conference titles, three-time Southwest Conference coach of the year, winningest coach in Texas A&M History - Ty WarrenTy WarrenTy'ron "Ty" Markeith Warren is an American football defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, current defensive end and 2-time New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
champion - Yale LaryYale LaryRobert Yale Lary is a former American football player.After graduating from North Side High School in 1949, he attended Texas A&M University, where he was a standout in football and baseball...
, Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
inductee, DB and Punter from 1952-1964 with the Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - Richmond WebbRichmond WebbRichmond Jewel Webb is a former National Football League offensive tackle with the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals. Webb played college football for Texas A&M University...
, Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 7 time Pro Bowl Selection, 5 time All-Pro Selection, Miami Dolphins Honor Roll - Stacy SykoraStacy SykoraStacy Denise Sykora is an American volleyball player. She was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M University and she competed in both the 2000 and the 2004 Olympics as part of the U.S. women's national team...
, Olympic VolleyballOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, silver medalist, 3 Time Olympian