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Texas A & M
Traditions and History:
E. King Gill stands ready :
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The tradition of the Twelfth Man was born on the second
of January 1922, when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, then the nat-
ion's top ranked team.
As the hard fought game wore on, and the Aggies dug deeply into their limited reserv-
es, Coach Dana X. Bible
remember-
ed a squad man who was not in unif-
orm. He had been up in the press box helping reporters identify
players. His name was E. King Gill, and was a former football player who was only playing basketball. Gill
was called from the stands, suited up, and stood ready throughout the rest of the game, which A&M finally
won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King 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 touc-
down, but I did not. I simply
stood by in case my team needed me."
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This tradition took on a new look in the 1980's when Coach
Jackie Sherrill started the 12th Man Kick-Off Team composed of regular students through open tryouts. This 12th
Man team performed very well and held opponents to one of the lowest yards per return averages in the league.
Later, Head Coach R.C. Slocum changed the team to allow only one representative of the 12th Man on the kick
off team. The 12th Man tradition also took musical form. The 12th Man sings this song after each game in
which the Aggies are outscored. |
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