Why Texas A&M football fans are the heart of college football

TaxAct Texas Bowl - Texas A&M v Oklahoma State
TaxAct Texas Bowl - Texas A&M v Oklahoma State | Tim Warner/GettyImages

The Texas A&M Aggies just named their 12th Man for the 2024 season.

Nana Boadi-Owusu will carry the torch this season and eventually have his name remembered in Aggie lore, forever.

The tradition goes back to 1922 when a former football player, E. King Gill was called up by former Aggie coach Dana X. Bible from the stands when the Aggie football team was plagued by injuries.

The Aggies beat the top-ranked Centre College Praying Colonels in Dallas, 22-14. Gill remained the last standing players on the bench.

The Texas A&M 12th Man tradition is known by many as the heart of college football

Tradition. It's the literal definition of college football.

Fans wake up to College Gameday on ESPN. They watch Lee Corso predict the winner with his infamous headgear routine. Then, they watch college football for 14 straight hours. Family and friends may have watch parties at home or at the bar. Fans and students might be preparing to tailgate before kickoff.

But Texas A&M fans are different. Their fans are known for attending "Midnight Yell." ESPN went as far as to make a commercial where the "Gameday" crew attended "Midnight Yell" practice.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit called Aggie fans "the best student section" in college football. In 2011, Sports Illustrated named Texas A&M at the top of gameday environments in college football.

They prepare for games like very few fanbases do. They're as rowdy as any team when the opponents are on offense. Aggie fans have not lost energy in blowout games either. Take a look at when fans were fired up after an all walk-on kickoff team forced a fumble on senior day in front of their own audience.

In a crowd of over 100,000 people screaming while the Aggies are on defense is unlike any atmosphere in the country. The only time it might be matched is when Penn State fans are chanting "Mo Bamba" while the Nittany Lions are on defense.

The Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders have all added their own lore to the Texas A&M's 12th Man. Texas A&M has licensing agreements with whoever wants to use the term.

Texas A&M may have not won a national championship since the 1930s. Their fanbase is what makes the program what it is today. From John David Crow to Johnny Manziel, and from a Big 12 Championship football title to a national championship appearance in baseball, the fans are what makes one tradition special.

Again, it's called tradition. Tradition is what makes college football what it is. The 12th Man is 100 years strong because the fans have kept the torch moving, and they will keep it going even stronger for the next 100.

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