Texas A & M Aggies football The Texas A & M Aggies football team represents Texas A & M University in the sport of American football . The Aggies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association ( NCAA ) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . Texas A & M football claims one national title and 18 conference titles since becoming a charter member in the Southwest Conference in 1915 . The team plays all home games at Kyle Field , an 83 , 002 - person capacity outdoor stadium on the university campus . Mike Sherman served as the head coach of the Aggies from 2008 until he was fired on December 1 , 2011 . On December 10 , 2011 , Kevin Sumlin was announced as the new head coach of the Aggies . History . Conference affiliations . After the 2010 season , the Big 12 Conference dissolved its divisions and operated as a 10 - team division - less conference . On September 25 , 2011 , Texas A & M ' s application to join the Southeastern Conference was approved , with an effective date of July 1 , 2012 . Championships . National championships ( 2 ) . Until 2012 Texas A & M claimed just one national title , voted No . 1 by the AP Poll shortly after its inception along with No . 1 in 8 of the 12 other major polls , after the 1939 season . Southern California also claim this title through the Dickinson System ; however , this was the only poll in which USC finished No . 1 . The 1919 team finished 10 – 0 – 0 and unscored upon , earning a retroactive national title by ten selectors , including the Billingsley Report and National Championship Foundation . The 1927 team finished 8 – 0 – 1 , with a tie against TCU in Fort Worth , Texas , earning a retroactive national title by the Sagarin Rating and the Sagarin ELO - Chess . The 1917 team finished 8 – 0 – 0 and unscored upon , earning a retroactive national title by 1st - N - Goal and James Howell . Conference championships ( 18 ) . The Aggies have won 18 conference championships ; the first 17 were Southwest Conference championships , and the most recent one was the Big 12 Championship won in 1998 . 2 of the 17 SWC championships are shared . † Denotes shared championship . Divisional championships ( 3 ) . The Aggies were members of the Big 12 South between its inception in 1996 and the dissolution of conference divisions in 2011 . † Denotes shared championship . Bowl history . Texas A & M ' s bowl record is 14 – 19 ( . 424 ) . During their 81 years in the Southwest Conference , the Aggies went 12 – 10 ( . 545 ) in bowl games , winning their only National Championship in 1939 . During their 16 years in the Big 12 Conference , the Aggies went 2 – 9 ( . 182 ) in bowl games . Of the Aggies ' 33 total bowl games , 11 of them have come against future SEC opponents . The Aggies are 4 – 7 in these games . Top 25 poll finishes . The Aggies have finished in the final season rankings of the AP Poll and Coaches Poll 24 times . The AP Poll first appeared in 1934 , and has been published continuously since 1936 . The Coaches Poll began its ranking with 20 teams in 1950 – 51 season , but expanded to 25 teams beginning in the 1990 – 91 season . Record vs . conferences . Current as of the 2010 season . Rivalries . Active rivalries . LSU Tigers . The Aggies have matched up against the LSU Tigers more than any other non - conference opponent ( though they were both members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1903 – 1908 and 1912 – 1914 ) . The Aggies first played the Tigers in College Station in 1899 , winning the game 52 – 0 . The Tigers are the Aggies ' seventh - oldest collegiate - football rivalry . Over the years , the two teams have built strong home - field advantages , and the series ' record is reflective of these reputations . The Aggies are 7 – 1 – 1 in College Station , 10 – 22 – 1 in Baton Rouge , and 3 – 4 – 1 at neutral sites ( including the losses in the 1944 Orange Bowl in Miami and the 2011 Cotton Bowl in Dallas ) . Through 1923 , the Aggies built a 7 – 3 – 2 advantage ( which included neutral site games in New Orleans in 1908 , Houston in 1913 , Dallas in 1914 , Galveston in 1916 , and San Antonio in 1917 ) . The Aggies and Tigers next played every year from 1942 to 1949 during the regular season with all of the games held in Baton Rouge . The Aggies were 2 – 6 in those match - ups . In addition to the regular season match - up in 1943 , the Aggies and Tigers also faced each other in the first bowl match - up of their rivalry . Though the Aggies won the regular season game by a score of 28 – 13 , the Tigers won the January 1 , 1944 , Orange Bowl by a final score of 19 – 14 . The Aggies and Tigers met twice more in 1955 and 1956 with the Aggies taking both match - ups ( the 1955 game was held at a neutral site in Dallas , and the 1956 game was held in Baton Rouge ) . From 1960 to 1975 , the Aggies and Tigers produced the most consecutive match - ups of the series , playing every year , with all of the games played in Baton Rouge . The Aggies were 3 – 12 – 1 over this span . After a nine - year absence , the rivalry renewed in 1986 and continued until their last regular season meeting in 1995 , this time with the games alternating between Baton Rouge and College Station . The Aggies were 6 – 4 over this span , winning the last five meetings , and winning six of the last seven meetings . The most recent regular season contest was won by the Aggies on September 2 , 1995 , by the score of 33 – 17 . Finally , after a 15 - year absence , the Aggies and Tigers faced each other once more on January 7 , 2011 , in the Cotton Bowl Classic . It was only the second time the two have faced each other in a bowl game . The Aggies lost 24 – 41 . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have claimed the largest margin of victory with a 63 – 9 final score in 1914 ( the Aggies also have the next two largest margins of victory with the 52 – 0 win in 1899 and the 47 – 0 win in 1922 ) . The Aggies have shut - out the Tigers 7 times ( including the Aggies ' non - university recognized National Championship Season of 1917 when they did not surrender a point during 8 games , and beat the Tigers 27 – 0 ) . The Tigers have shut - out the Aggies 9 times ( including the Tigers ' non - university recognized National Championship season of 1908 , when they beat the Aggies 26 – 0 , and the Tigers ' non - university recognized National Championship season of 1962 , when they beat the Aggies 21 – 0 ) . Add to those totals the game in which the Aggies and Tigers shut each other out , with a final score of 0 – 0 in 1920 . The Tigers hold the series ' longest winning streak of 6 games from 1960 to 1965 , which were all played in Baton Rouge . That winning streak was part of a 10 - game unbeaten streak for the Tigers from 1960 to 1969 which included a 7 – 7 tie in 1966 ( with all of the games played in Baton Rouge ) . The series will resume in 2012 when A & M joins the SEC . Arkansas Razorbacks . The Aggies first played the Razorbacks in 1903 . From 1934 – 1991 , the two teams played annually as Southwest Conference members . In 1991 , however , Arkansas left the Southwest Conference to join the Southeastern Conference . Arkansas leads the all - time series 41 – 24 – 3 . On March 10 , 2008 , officials from both schools announced the revival of the series , which recommenced on October 3 , 2009 . The game is played at Cowboys Stadium , which was initially expected to hold about 80 , 000 fans . The initial agreement between the two schools allows the game to be played for at least 10 years , followed by 5 consecutive , 4 - year rollover options , allowing the game to be played for a total of 30 consecutive seasons . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Razorbacks 10 times , and been shutout 9 times . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 41 – 0 win in College Station on October 31 , 1942 . The Razorbacks hold the longest winning streak in the series of 9 games from 1958 to 1966 . Missouri Tigers . The Aggies and Tigers ended their affiliation with the Big 12 with the conclusion of the 2011 football season and will join the SEC in 2012 . Though the Aggies will compete in the SEC West division , and the Tigers will compete in the SEC East division , the two teams will be linked as permanent rivals that will play each other every season . Prior to the formation of the Big 12 in 1996 , the Aggies and Tigers had only faced each other four times , and only twice prior to 1992 . The first two games were played in College Station in 1957 and 1958 , and the next two games were played in Columbia in 1992 and in College Station in 1993 . The Aggies won all four meetings , shutting out the Tigers in three out of the four games as well as achieving the most - lopsided victory of the rivalry with a 73 – 0 win in the 1993 game . During these four games the Aggies outscored the Tigers 139 – 13 . Neither team has been shutout since the 1993 game . The Aggies took the non - conference years of the rivalry 4 – 0 . During the Big 12 years , with the Aggies playing in the South Division and the Tigers playing in the North Division , the two teams would face each other in a Home - and - Away series that would alternate two - years off and two - years on . The Aggies would take the first two games in 1998 and 1999 . The Tigers would take the second two games in 2002 and 2003 , with the 2002 game in College Station requiring a decision in overtime . The Aggies and Tigers would split the third two games in 2006 and 2007 with each team winning on its home turf . The Tigers would win the final game under the Big 12 North - South Division format in College Station in 2010 , and follow that up with a win in overtime in College Station in the final meeting between the two schools in the Big 12 . Thus , the Tigers would take the Big 12 years of the rivalry 5 – 3 . The rivalry will continue in the 2012 season as the Tigers face the Aggies in College Station during the first year of both teams in the SEC . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Tigers 3 times , and have never been shutout . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 73 – 0 win in College Station in 1993 . The Aggies also hold the next two - largest margins of victory with the 51 – 14 win in Columbia in 1999 and the 28 – 0 win in College Station in 1957 . The Aggies hold the longest winning streak of 6 games from 1957 to 1999 ( non - consecutive years ) . Inactive rivalries . Texas Longhorns . The Texas - Texas A & M rivalry dates back to 1894 . It is the longest - running rivalry for both teams . It ranks as the third most - played rivalry in Division I - A college football , and the most - played intra - state rivalry . The two teams have played each other every year since 1894 with the exception of six seasons [ 1895 ( when the Aggies did not field a team ) , 1896 , 1897 , 1912 , 1913 , and 1914 ] . During some seasons , the Aggies and Longhorns played each other twice . In an attempt to generate more attention for the rivalry in sports other than football , in 2004 the two schools started the Lone Star Showdown , a trial two - year program . Essentially , each time the two schools meet in a sport , the winner of the matchup gets a point . At the end of the year , the school with the most points wins the series and receives the Lone Star Showdown trophy . Aspects of the rivalry include : Though the Longhorns lead the series overall , the series has been much closer since 1965 ( when Texas A & M dropped compulsory participation in the Corps of Cadets ) . Since that time , the Aggies have accumulated 20 wins to 27 losses . During the last 40 meetings ( from 1972 — when the NCAA introduced scholarship limitations — to the present ) , the series is nearly even at 19 – 21 . The Aggies best years in recent times were from 1984 to 1994 when the Aggies won 10 out of 11 games . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shut out the Longhorns 13 times , and have been shut out 27 times ( including scoreless ties in 1902 , 1907 , and 1921 ) . However , since 1961 , neither team has been shut out . The Aggies and Longhorns have never had a game decided in overtime . The Longhorns hold the largest margin of victory with a 48 – 0 win in Austin on October 22 , 1898 ( the second meeting in the series ) . The Longhorns also hold the series ' longest winning streak of 10 games from 1957 to 1966 . In addition , the Longhorns had a 11 - game unbeaten streak from 1940 to 1950 that included a 14 – 14 tie in 1948 . In the 75 meetings since 1936 when the Associated Press College Poll began , the Aggies and Longhorns have faced each other 59 times when one or both teams have been ranked ( the Aggies have been ranked 25 times , whereas the Longhorns have been ranked 44 times ) . In those 59 meetings , the lower - ranked or unranked team has won 11 times ( the Aggies did it six times — 1951 , 1979 , 1984 , 1999 , 2006 , and 2007 ; the Longhorns did it five times — 1941 , 1955 , 1957 , 1974 , and 1998 ) . Due to Texas A & M ' s move to the Southeastern Conference in the 2012 season , the Lone Star Showdown ' s final game was played on November 24 , 2011 . According to Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds , another game between Texas and Texas A & M will not occur until at least 2018 , considering Texas ' present non - conference scheduling commitments . Therefore , the 2011 game marked the end of one of the oldest rivalries in college football . Baylor Bears . The Aggies first played the Baylor Bears in 1899 , and have competed with them annually since 1945 . It is the Aggies ' eighth - oldest collegiate - football rivalry . The rivalry is nicknamed the Battle of the Brazos , a term coined after the Brazos River , which flows by the two schools . The two schools are only 90 miles ( 145 km ) apart . A & M leads the series 68 – 31 – 9 . The Aggies ' 68 wins against the Bears is the highest number of wins that the Aggies have accumulated against any team . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Bears 29 times ( including scoreless ties in 1903 , 1923 , 1932 , and 1936 ) . The Bears have shutout the Aggies 11 times ( including those same scoreless ties ) . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 73 – 10 win in College Station on October 11 , 2003 , as well as the second - largest margin of victory with a 53 – 0 win in College Station in 1912 . The Aggies hold the longest winning streak in the series of 13 games from 1991 to 2003 . That winning streak is also part of a 18 - game unbeaten streak for the Aggies from 1986 to 2003 ( the Aggies and Bears played to a 20 – 20 tie in 1990 ) . Texas Tech Red Raiders . The Aggies first played the Red Raiders in 1927 . The Aggies lead the all - time series 37 – 32 – 1 . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Red Raiders four times , and the Red Raiders have shutout the Aggies four times . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 47 – 6 win in College Station on November 28 , 1927 . The Aggies and Red Raiders each have win streaks of six games , which are the longest in the series ( the Aggies ' streak included the 1927 and 1932 games as well as the games from 1942 to 1945 ; the Red Raiders ' streak was uninterrupted from 1968 to 1973 ) . TCU Horned Frogs . The Texas A & M / TCU rivalry began in 1897 and is the Aggies ' third - oldest collegiate - football rivalry ( behind the Texas A & M / Texas rivalry which began in 1894 , and the Texas A & M / Austin College rivalry which began in 1896 ) . The Aggies have accumulated 56 wins against the Horned Frogs ( which is their second - highest total against any collegiate program ) . Though the Aggies no longer play the Horned Frogs annually since the Southwest Conference disbanded in 1996 , this series is still notable because it contains the longest , active winning streak that the Aggies have against any opponent , 24 , with the last win coming on December 28 , 2001 , in the Galleryfurniture . com Bowl , played in the Astrodome in Houston , Texas . The Horned Frogs have not beaten the Aggies since October 21 , 1972 , when they won in College Station with a final score of 13 – 10 . Adding further intrigue to this series is the fact that the Aggies ' National Championship Season of 1939 succeeded the Horned Frogs ' National Championship Season of 1938 . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Horned Frogs 21 times , and been shutout 9 times ( including scoreless ties in 1909 and 1927 ) . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 74 – 10 win in College Station on November 22 , 1986 ( the Aggies also hold the next ten - largest margins of victory , with each ranging from 34 to 56 points ) . The Aggies ' current winning streak of 24 games from 1973 to 1995 and including the 2001 galleryfurniture . com Bowl is the longest in the series . Rice Owls . The Texas A & M / Rice rivalry began in 1914 . The Aggies have accumulated 50 wins against the Owls ( which is their third - highest total against any collegiate program , behind the 68 wins they have accumulated against the Baylor Bears , and the 56 wins they have accumulated against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs ) . Though the Aggies no longer play the Owls annually since the Southwest Conference disbanded in 1996 , this series is still notable because it contains the second - longest , active winning streak that the Aggies have against any Division I opponent , 15 , with the last win coming on November 9 , 1995 , in a game played at Rice Stadium in Houston , Texas . The Owls have not beaten the Aggies since October 25 , 1980 , when they won in College Station with a final score of 10 – 6 . Over the life of the series , the Aggies have shutout the Owls 16 times , and been shutout 6 times ( including a scoreless tie in 1942 ) . The Aggies hold the largest margin of victory with a 49 – 7 win in College Station on October 23 , 1982 ( the Aggies also hold the next two largest margins of victory with a 45 – 7 win in 1989 and a 45 – 10 win in 1986 ) . The Aggies current 15 game winning streak from 1981 through 1995 is the longest in the series . Player accomplishments . Individual awards . Texas A & M Football has four players who have won a total of five trophies : Dat Nguyen won the Lombardi Award and Chuck Bednarik Award in 1998 ; John David Crow won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 ; Von Miller won the Butkus Award in 2010 , and Randy Bullock won the Lou Groza Award in 2011 . Several other players received recognition from the award organizations , including : Texas A & M First - Team All - Americans . In the years since 1889 , several organizations and publications have recognized the top players in the nation by naming them to All - America teams . To be considered an All - American , a player needs to be named to the first - team on at least one of the lists of these organizations . In addition , the NCAA further recognizes certain players by honoring them with the " Consensus " All - American title . At present , the Consensus honor is determined by referencing the first , second , and third teams of five organizations and assigning a varying amount of points for each time a player appears on one of those five lists . The points are totaled and the player with the most points at his position is awarded the Consensus honor . The five organizations whose lists are used for the Consensus determination are the Associated Press ( AP ) , American Football Coaches Association ( AFCA ) . , Football Writers Association of America ( FWAA ) , Sporting News ( TSN ) . , and Walter Camp Football Foundation ( WCFF ) . Finally , a player can be recognized with the " Unanimous Consensus " honor if all five of the previously listed organizations have recognized that player as a First - Team All - American . Texas A & M has had 45 players that have been named First - Team All - Americans for a total of 60 seasons ( 15 players have been honored in two different seasons ) . 21 of those were Consensus All - Americans . Texas A & M has had at least one All - American in every decade since the 1930s . The highest number of All - Americans during one decade took place from 1990 to 1999 when 16 players were named All - Americans for a total of 18 seasons . All - time Texas A & M football team . Chosen by " Athlon Sports " on February 28 , 2002 . Offense Defense Aggies in the NFL . As of May 1 , 2011 , 18 Aggies were listed on NFL rosters . 7 other Aggies serve as NFL coaches . " Coaches " On March 1 , 2011 , The Dallas Morning News listed Texas A & M ' s top 5 NFL draft picks of all time : 1 . Lester Hayes S 2 . Richmond Webb OT 3 . Shane Lechler P 4 . Yale Lary S 5 . Jacob Green DE Receiving honorable mention were Ray Childress DT , Aaron Glenn CB , Kevin Smith CB , Charlie Krueger DL , Johnny Holland LB , Ty Warren DT , and Sam Adams DT . Traditions . 12th Man . Aggie football fans call themselves the 12th Man , meaning they are there to support the 11 players on the field . To further symbolize their " readiness , desire , and enthusiasm , " the entire student body stands throughout the game . In a further show of respect , the students step " off the wood " ( step off the bleachers onto the concrete ) whenever a player is injured or when the band plays the " Aggie War Hymn " or " The Spirit of Aggieland " . Seniors wearing either their Senior boots or Aggie Rings are also encouraged to join the " Boot Line . " As the Fightin ' Texas Aggie Band leaves the field after their half - time performances , seniors line up at the south end of Kyle Field to welcome the team back onto the field for the second half . The tradition began in Dallas on January 2 , 1922 , at the Dixie Classic , the forerunner of the Cotton Bowl Classic . A & M played defending national champion Centre College in the first post - season game in the southwest . In this hard fought game , which produced national publicity , an underdog Aggie team was slowly defeating a team which had allowed fewer than 6 points per game . The first half produced so many injuries for A & M that Coach D . X . Bible feared he wouldn ’ t have enough men to finish the game . At that moment , he called into the Aggie section of the stands for E . King Gill , a student who had left football after the regular season to play basketball . Gill , who was spotting players for a Waco newspaper and was not in football uniform , donned the uniform of injured player Heine Weir and stood on the sidelines to await his turn . Although he did not actually play in the game , his readiness to play symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game . When the game ended in a 22 – 14 Aggie victory , Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies . 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 . " In the 1980s , the tradition was expanded as coach Jackie Sherrill created the 12th Man squad led by 12th man standout Dean Berry . Composed solely of walk - on ( non - scholarship ) players , the squad would take the field for special teams ' performances . This squad never allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown . Sherrill ' s successor , R . C . Slocum , amended the tradition in the 1990s to allow one walk - on player , wearing the No . 12 jersey , to take the field for special teams ' plays . The player is chosen based on the level of determination and hard work shown in practices . Coach Dennis Franchione has continued Slocum ' s model , while also keeping an all - walk - on kickoff team that played three times in the 2006 season . Bonfire . Aggie Bonfire was a long - standing tradition at Texas A & M University as part of a college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin , known as T . U . by Texas A & M students . For ninety years , Texas A & M students built and burned a large bonfire on campus each fall . Known within the Aggie community simply as Bonfire , the annual fall event symbolized the students ' " burning desire to beat the hell outta t . u . " The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual game between the schools . The first on - campus Aggie Bonfire was burned in 1909 , and the tradition continued for the next 90 years . For almost two decades , Bonfire was constructed from debris and pieces of wood that Aggies " found , " including lumber intended for a dormitory that students appropriated in 1912 . The event became school - sanctioned in 1936 , and , for the first time , students were provided with axes , saws , and trucks and pointed towards a grove of dead trees on the edge of town . In the following years the Bonfire became more elaborate , and in 1967 the flames could be seen away . In 1969 , the stack set the world record at tall . In 1978 , Bonfire shifted to a wedding - cake style , in which upper stacks of logs were wedged on top of lower stacks . The structure was built around a fortified centerpole , made from two telephone poles . Although tradition stated that if Bonfire burned through midnight A & M would win the following day ' s game , with the introduction of the wedding cake design Bonfire began to fall very quickly , sometimes burning for only 30 or 45 minutes . At 2 : 42 am on November 18 , 1999 , the partially completed Aggie Bonfire , standing tall and consisting of about 5000 logs , collapsed during construction . Of the 58 students and former students working on the stack , 12 were killed and 27 others were injured . On November 25 , 1999 , the date that Bonfire would have burned , Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony . Over 40 , 000 people , including former President George H . W . Bush and his wife Barbara and then - Texas governor George W . Bush and his wife Laura , lit candles and observed up to two hours of silence at the site of the Bonfire collapse . The Bonfire Memorial was officially dedicated on November 18 , 2004 . Bonfire was postponed until 2002 in order to restructure it to make it safer . Delays in the development of a safety plan and a high estimated cost ( mainly due to liability insurance ) , led A & M president Ray Bowen to postpone Bonfire indefinitely . Despite the university ' s refusal to allow Bonfire to take place on campus , since 2002 a non - university sanctioned Bonfire has burned annually . Known as Student Bonfire , the off - campus event draws between 8 , 000 and 15 , 000 fans . Student Bonfire utilizes many changes for safety purposes , and has only recorded two serious injuries since its inception , neither life threatening . The newly designed stack was designed by a professional engineer ( a former student ) and features a center pole with 4 perimeter poles connected via " windle - sticks " . In the new design , the height is capped at 45 feet ( not including the outhouse ) , and all the logs touch the ground . Alcohol is strictly prohibited from all student bonfire functions as it was revealed that a number of the students working on the collapsed bonfire in 1999 had BACs higher than the legal limit . Fightin ' Texas Aggie Band . The Fightin ' Texas Aggie Band ( also known as The Noble Men of Kyle or the Aggie Band ) is the official marching band of Texas A & M University . Composed of over 400 men and women from the school ' s Corps of Cadets , it is the largest military marching band in the world . The complex straight - line maneuvers , performed exclusively to traditional marches , are so complicated and precise that computer marching simulations say they cannot be performed . Since its inception in 1894 , its members eat together , sleep in the same dormitories , and practice up to forty hours per week on top of a full academic schedule . The Aggie Band performs at all home football games , some away games , and university and Corps functions throughout the year . Other events in which the band participated include inauguration parades for many United States Presidents and Texas Governors , major annual parades across the country , and the dedication ceremony for the George H . W . Bush Presidential Library . Midnight Yell Practice . Midnight Yell Practice is a pep rally usually held the night before a football game . If the football game is to be held at Kyle Field , midnight yell takes place the day of the football game at 12 : 00 am If the football game is an away game , a yell is held on the Thursday night before at the Corps Arches on the Texas A & M campus , and Midnight Yell will be held in the city the game is being played . For example , the Midnight Yell for the annual game against the University of Texas at Austin is held on the steps of the Texas State Capitol in Austin , Texas . Wrecking Crew . The term " Wrecking Crew " is a name given to defenses of the football team . The term , coined by defensive back Chet Brooks , became popular during the coach R . C . Slocum ' s tenure in 80s and the 90s . After the coach ' s firing , many fans , coaches , and sports analysts feel that recent Aggie defenses have not " earned " the title . Despite this , the university still owns a trademark on the term . Yell Leaders . Yell Leaders are five students who lead the crowd in yells during the games . The team consists of three seniors and two juniors elected by the student body . The Yell Leaders take the place of traditional " cheerleaders " and perform many of the same functions without the gymnastics and dance routines . They also participate in post - game activities such as being thrown in the Fish Pond if the team wins , or leading the student body in the singing of " The Twelfth Man " if the team loses .