12th man ( football ) The 12th man or 12th player is a term for the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games . This term has a different meaning in cricket , referring instead to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured . As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time , referring to a team ' s fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game . In American football , the first documented use of the term " twelfth man " was in an alumni publication of The University of Iowa in 1912 in reference to its fans . The first documented use of the term " 12th Man " , and the first use of the term to reference an individual , E . King Gill of Texas A & M University occurred in 1922 . Students at Texas A & M adopted the term as their moniker beginning in the 1920s and the school formally trademarked the term in 1990 . Other schools have occasionally also used the term to refer to individuals having a notable connection to their football team . The presence of fans can have a profound impact on how the teams perform , an element in the home advantage . Namely , the home team fans would like to see their team win the game . Thus these fans will often create loud sounds or chant in hopes of distracting , demoralizing and confusing the opposing team while they have possession of the ball ; or to persuade a referee to make a favorable decision . Noises are made by shouting , whistling , stomping and various other techniques . Sometimes , the sideline is also referred to as the " 12th man " or " 12th defender " . Since a player is considered down when he steps out of bounds , the sideline effectively acts as an extra defender . This usage is less common than the one referring to the fans . History . The first recorded use of the term " twelfth man " was in the November 1912 edition of The Iowa Alumnus , an alumni publication of the University of Iowa ( then known as State University of Iowa ) in which E . A . McGowan described the 1903 game between Iowa and the University of Illinois . In his article , titled " The Twelfth Player " McGowan wrote : " The eleven men had done their best ; but the twelfth man on the team ( the loyal spirited Iowa rooter ) had won the game for old S . U . I . " Nearly a decade later , the first recorded instance of the term " 12th Man " referring to an individual was to denote E . King Gill and his actions in Dallas on 2 January 1922 . At the Dixie Classic , the forerunner of the Cotton Bowl Classic , Texas A & M ( then known as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas ) played defending national champion Centre College . In this hard fought game , which produced national publicity , an underdog Aggie team was slowly but surely defeating a team which boasted three All - America ns . During the game , A & M coach Dana X . Bible realized that one more injury would leave him without another backfield player to send into the game . Coach Bible remembered that Gill , an individual who had tried out for the squad but who “ lacked the experience and ability to play for the varsity ” had made the trip as a member of the school ’ s Corps of Cadets and was sitting with his friends in the stands . Bible sent for Gill and asked for him to suit up and be ready if needed . 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 . " Although he did not actually play in the game , his readiness to play was noted . As there were 11 men on the field , E . King Gill was the 12th Man , hence the term . Other individuals have been known as the 12th Man of their team . In 1926 , O . E . Curry of Marlin , Texas , the father of a former Vanderbilt football star killed in action during World War 1 was known as the " 12th Man " of the Vanderbilt football team . In 1930 , W . H . Adamson , Principal of Oak Cliff ( Dallas ) High School was known as the " 12th Man " of the of the school ' s football team for the rousing pre - game speeches he would give to the players . Mike Mesco was a spectator at the 1934 Princeton - Dartmouth game who leapt from the stands to join the Dartmouth defensive line in a failed attempt to keep Princeton from scoring late in the game and was henceforth known as Dartmouth ’ s “ 12th Man . ” Just as the term " 12th Man " was not used during the 1920s and 1930s to refer to one particular individual , it was not used exclusively to refer to one particular fan base . The December 18 , 1938 , " Dallas Morning News " said " Whether they play now on a team , used to play back in the day , follow the game closely or just quarterback from the grandstand occasionally , every football enthusiast well knows how much that twelfth man in the stands means to any football team . But that backing means unusually much in the traditional Thanksgiving game between the University of Texas and Texas A & M College . With an uncertain monotony that has long since made game forecasters exceedingly skittish , these two win where their twelfth men help most . " Thus , at least in this single instance , the term " 12th Man " was used to to refer to the fan base of Texas A & M but also to that of the University of Texas , the then rival of Texas A & M . Texas A & M tradition . The first known instance of Texas A & M referring to its fanbase as the " 12th Man " is contained on page 17 of the November 25 , 1921 edition of " The Battalion " , the Texas A & M campus newspaper . Current Texas A & M students call themselves the 12th Man . To symbolize their " readiness , desire , and enthusiasm " , the entire student body stands throughout the game . A statue of E . King Gill stands to the north of Kyle Field to remind Aggies of their constant obligation to preserve the spirit of the 12th Man . Beginning in 1985 , fans also began waving 12th Man Towels during the game to show their support . The tradition of towels started when coach Jackie Sherrill ' s 12th man squad began carrying them to motivate the student body in the stands . During one kickoff during a tense game , 12th man squad member Tony Pollacia took to the field in preparation for the kickoff , and began twirling his towel over his head to excite the crowd . This was the first time the towel was ever swung around by a player on the field in this way . The act was so well received that during the next kickoff , more members of the 12th man kickoff squad took their towels onto the field as well and imitated Pollacia ' s action . During the season , students began waving their own white towels , and now the towels are ubiquitous . In the 1988 Cotton Bowl Classic game vs Notre Dame , a member of Sherrill ' s 12th Man Kickoff Team Warren Barhorst tackled Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown . He took Brown ' s towel and waved it over his head in celebration . An infuriated Brown tackled Barhorst , earning himself a 15 - yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty . Because the students are always waiting for the opportunity to support their team , they are also willing to take the credit for the team ' s good deeds . A popular Aggie tradition is that " when the team scores , everybody scores . " Whenever the Aggies score points during the game , students kiss their dates . In the spirit of the 12th Man , the football coach Jackie Sherrill created the " 12th Man Kickoff Team " in the 1980s composed of non - athletic scholarship students who tried out for the team instead of players who were recruited , as is the normal practice in college football . Coach Sherrill has written a book entitled " No Experience Required " which details this team and the tradition . These students were placed on the roster for the sole purpose of kickoffs . Each player was given a number to wear ( at the time NCAA regulations did not prohibit more than one person on the field with the same number ) and nicknamed " the suicide squad , " many kick return teams feared the walk - on students who were determined to leave their mark in Aggie lore ; these students often had little regard for their safety and were determined to make a tackle at any cost . The 12th Man kickoff team was extremely successful and eventually held opponents to the lowest yards - per - return average in NCAA Division I Football during kickoffs . Later , head coach R . C . Slocum changed the team to allow only one representative of the 12th Man on the kick off team who wears uniform number 12 . The player is chosen based on the level of determination and hard work shown in practices . Under Dennis Franchione , the " 12th Man Kickoff Team " , entirely made up of walk - ons , was brought back , though used only rarely when the team is up by quite a few points . Use in American football . The term has been used by various American football teams including the NFL ' s Seattle Seahawks , Green Bay Packers , Buffalo Bills , Denver Broncos , Washington Redskins , Indianapolis Colts , and Chicago Bears in marketing practices in reference to their supporters , though many stopped using the term " 12th man " at the request of Texas A & M ( the Bears currently use the phrase " 4th Phase " ) . The Seattle Seahawks continue to use the phrase , having settled with Texas A & M out of court after a trademark lawsuit filed by Texas A & M . The Seattle Seahawks retired the number 12 jersey on December 15 , 1984 . The tradition of raising a 12th man stadium flag before kickoff , by either season ticket holders or celebrities , began on October 12 , 2003 . In 1992 , the Buffalo Bills honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame inside Ralph Wilson Stadium . They were inducted because of their loyal support during the team ' s early 90 ' s Super Bowl runs . The Indianapolis Colts honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2007 . Texas A & M trademark issues and Seattle Seahawks lawsuit . The term " 12th Man " is used non - exclusively to represent the Texas Aggie fans . Intellectual property laws recognize certain common law uses in trademark dispute . In spite of the fact the term originated with University of Iowa , an official registration of the mark was filed by Texas A & M ( U . S . Reg . No . 1948306 ) in December 1989 and the application was approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in September , 1990 . According to statements made by Texas A & M officials , they sent requests to stop using the phrase to the Seattle Seahawks ( 2004 , 2005 ) , Buffalo Bills ( undated ) , and the Chicago Bears ( undated ) . Both the Bills and the Bears responded to the requests stating they would no longer use the phrase , however the Seahawks did not respond to the request . In January 2006 , Texas A & M filed suit against the Seattle Seahawks to protect the trademark and in May 2006 , the dispute was settled out of court . In the agreement , Texas A & M licensed the Seahawks to continue using the phrase " 12th Man " in exchange for financial compensation along with public acknowledgement by the NFL franchise as to Texas A & M ' s ownership of the phrase . Use in association football . The term " 12th man " is commonly used in association football to refer to the fans and occasionally the manager . Large European teams such as Bayern Munich , Rangers F . C , Liverpool F . C , PSG , AC Milan , S . S . Lazio , Feyenoord , Ferencvárosi TC , FC Red Star and Fenerbahçe S . K . have officially retired the number 12 to the fans . Stockport County fans are registered as official members of their squad with the number 12 . Portsmouth F . C . has also retired its number 12 shirt , and lists the club ' s supporters , " Pompey Fans " , as player number 12 on the squad list printed in home match programmes , while Plymouth Argyle have theirs registered to the " Green Army " ( the nickname for their fans ) . Number 12 is also reserved for the fans at CSKA Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia and Grimsby Town from England as well as Odense Boldklub , also known as OB , in Denmark and Hammarby IF in Sweden . PSV Eindhoven from the Netherlands have also a retired number 12 . Dynamo Dresden in Germany also keeps number 12 for their fans , as well as the official team anthem being " We are the 12th man " . Aberdeen F . C . supporters commonly display a large banner in the shape of a football shirt with the text " Red Army 12 " in place of a player ' s name and number . The Hibs 12th Man is “ Powered by Hibs Fans ” followers of the Scottish Premier League club Hibernian F . C . . Set up in June 2010 , by the support , the Hibs 12th Man has the official backing of the Club . The fans of the Northern Ireland national football team and Derry City are referred to as the 12th man as well . In the League of Ireland Shamrock Rovers F . C . retired the number 12 jersey in recognition of the fans who took over the club in 2005 . Cork City F . C . , Clube Atlético Mineiro and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo also retired the number 12 for the fans . The most vociferous fans of Boca Juniors in Argentina are known as " La Doce " or " The Twelfth . " On 18 September 2004 , U . S . Lecce , an Italian team currently playing in Serie A , retired the number 12 to the fans , which was handed to them by the former captain Cristian Ledesma . They symbolically represent a 12th Man in the field . In the beginning of 2009 / 2010 season , Happy Valley AA introduced the club ' s mascot , a panda , on squad list as the fan club captain wearing the number 12 jersey . As of the end of the 2011 / 2012 season Rangers F . C announced that the number 12 jersey would be retired in honour of the fans support throughout a period of financial difficulty . Effects . The effects of the " 12th man " vary widely , but can be put in two categories . The first is simply psychological , the effect of showing the home team that they are appreciated , and showing the away team that they are somewhat unwelcome . The second directly relates to the deafening effects of a loud crowd . In American football , fans are most incited by physical play , especially good plays made by the defense . Additionally , the home team can derive energy from the loud noise of their fans ; former American football players have described the feeling of their adrenaline pumping after hearing the fans yell , which is " like you have a reserve energy tank . " The noise of the crowd can have a significant impact on the players on the field . In American football , an extremely loud crowd can prevent the offensive linemen from hearing the snap count . This can have the effect of making the player slower to react when the ball is snapped , and his eventual response may be weaker than normal because each play is begun " with some indecision and doubt . " The noise can also prevent players from hearing audibles and can make it difficult for the team ' s offense to coordinate plays in the huddle . The effect of the noise can often be measured in mistakes , such as false start penalties . Coaches can take steps to minimize the effect of the crowd noise on their teams . Some American football teams bring large speakers to their practice fields and broadcast loud noises such as jet engines to prepare their teams for the anticipated noise level . Crowd noise tends to diminish after a long lull in play , such as a pause for instant replay . Former NFL player Brian Baldinger speculates that some coaches draw out reviews as part of a coaching strategy to quiet the crowd for their next play . The New York Giants allegedly asked the NFL to intervene in 2006 when they played the Seattle Seahawks . In their 2005 matchup at Qwest Field , the Giants incurred 11 false start penalties due to the crowd noise . For the 2006 rematch between the two teams , the NFL sent observers to verify that the Seahawks were not artificially enhancing the noise level . This has caused 2 . 83 false starts per game , which is the highest in the NFL since 2005 . The Decibel level at Qwest Field has been measured at 112 dB , 18 dB below the roar of a Boeing 747 . In Association Football ( soccer ) , the crowd is very passionate and often sing throughout the whole match . Some occasions where the crowd noise is extra loud can be before kickoff ( Liverpool fans singing You ' ll Never Walk Alone as the players run out ) ; during the buildup to and scoring of a goal ; when encouraging the team to come back from defeat ; to discourage an opposition penalty taker ; or to harass a referee giving a free kick to the opposition team . A researcher from Harvard University discovered in a study that some association football referees appeared to be impacted by crowd noise . His studies revealed that a home team acquired an additional 0 . 1 goal advantage for every 10 , 000 fans in the stadium . Delia Smith , Norwich City ' s joint major shareholder , received some notoriety when , she took to the pitch during the half time interval , with a microphone in hand and Sky TV cameras in tow , to tell fans the side " need their twelfth man . " " Where are you ? " she cried . In the end Norwich City lost the game in the dying seconds , but Smith ' s passion worked to increase the affection the fans held for her .