page_title: Texas A&M University
section_title: Athletics
hierarchical_section_title: Texas A&M University / Athletics
caption_attribution_description: English: Texas A&amp;M Aggies vs. Montana State Bobcats college football game at Kyle Field on September 1, 2007. Texas A&amp;M won the game 38-7.
context_page_description: Texas A&M University is a public research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of 2020, Texas A&M's student body is the largest in the United States. Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution—the only university in Texas to hold all three designations—reflects a range of research with ongoing projects funded by organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. In 2001, Texas A&M was inducted as a member of the Association of American Universities. The school's students, alumni—over 500,000 strong—and sports teams are known as Aggies. The Texas A&M Aggies athletes compete in 18 varsity sports as a member of the Southeastern Conference.
  The first public institution of higher education in Texas, the school opened on October 4, 1876, as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas under the provisions of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
context_section_description: The Aggies are a member of the Southeastern Conference in all sports as of 2012. Previously a charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, A&M competed in the Big 12 Conference until June 30, 2012.  The school's 20 sports teams are known as the Aggies, and the school's colors are maroon and white. As of 2007, Aggies had earned 92 Southwest and Big 12 conference titles and 12 national championships. The women's soccer team, formed in 1993, earned 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995 to 2009, advancing at least as far as the round of 16 in seven of the last eight appearances. The women's volleyball team earned 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1993 to 2004, advancing past the first round each time. In 2004 Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked Olsen Field "the best college baseball venue". Sports Illustrated ranked the university 46th, in a 2002 analysis of "America's Best Sports College[s]" and College Station the 9th best college sports town.
  A&M's archrival was the University of Texas until joining the SEC. In 2004, sporting events between the Aggies and Longhorns became known as the Lone Star Showdown. The most-watched event in the rivalry was the annual football game held the day of Thanksgiving. Other rivalries have included Texas Tech, Baylor University, and the recently renewed rivalries with the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University.
caption: A view from the student section of Kyle Field during a 2007 football game
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