Describing the personalities, events, and facts that any and every Aggies fan should know, this work stands as a complete guide to one of the most accomplished and unique histories in college football. Highlighting the traditions that make Texas A&M football one of a kind—the 12th Man, the Aggie Bonfire, and Midnight Yell Practice—this book details the team’s recent resurgence with their electrifying, Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback Johnny Manziel before taking readers back to the Aggies’ three national championships and describing the larger-than-life figures who have coached at the school, including Paul “Bear” Bryant, Gene Stallings, Jackie Sherrill, R. C. Slocum, and Kevin Sumlin. More than a century of team history is distilled to highlight the essential moments, describing in an informative and lively way the personalities, games, rivalries, and plays that have come together to make Texas A&M one of college football’s most beloved programs. Rusty Burson is a former newspaper reporter and feature writer and is the current associate editor of 12th Man Magazine as well as the senior development officer for the 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M University. He is the author of 10 books, including 100 Things Ranger Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and What It Means to Be an Aggie . He lives in College Station, Texas. Dat Nguyen is one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the Texas A&M football program. 100 Things Texas A&M Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die By Rusty Burson Triumph Books Copyright © 2013 Rusty Burson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60078-839-0 Contents Foreword by Dat Nguyen, Acknowledgments, Introduction, 1. Salute Gen. James Earl Rudder for the Best Decision Ever, 2. Wear a Bow Tie in Honor of Dr. Loftin, 3. Give to the 12th Man Foundation, 4. 2012 Heisman Winner Johnny Manziel, 5. Dat Nguyen, 6. Von Miller, 7. The Bonfire Game of 1999, 8. The 1939 Aggies, 9. The Financial Reward of Winning It All, 10. The 1998 Big 12 Championship Game, 11. The 2012 Upset of Alabama, 12. TexAgs.com, 13. Stopping Bo in the Cotton Bowl, 14. 1957 Heisman Winner John David Crow, 15. R.C. Slocum, 16. The Best Loss Ever in 2011, 17. A November to Remember in 1985, 18. John Kimbrough, 19. Kevin Murray, 20. Bucky Richardson, 21. Jackie Sherrill, 22. Red, White, and Blue Out, 23. Dana Bible, 24. E. King Gill, 25. The 1986 Comeback Against Baylor, 26. Junction, 27. Kevin Smith, 28. Homer Norton, 29. The 1940 Loss to Texas, 30. Kiddie Corps, 31. Ray Childress, 32. Kevin Sumlin, 33. Emory Bellard, 34. Edd Hargett, 35. Luke Joeckel, 36. The 1956 Texas Game, 37. The 1975 Texas Game, 38. Ed Simonini, 39. The 1967 Texas Game, 40. Bear Bryant, 41. The 1998 Nebraska Game, 42. The 1967 Texas Tech Comeback, 43. Quentin Coryatt and The Hit, 44. Chet Brooks and the Wrecking Crew, 45. The Rise and Fall of the '57 Aggies, 46. The 2012 Ole Miss Game, 47. The 1990 Holiday Bowl, 48. The 1975 Loss to Arkansas, 49. Joe Routt, 50. Ryan Swope, 51. Lester Hayes, 52. Darren Lewis, 53. Greg Hill, 54. Terrence Murphy, 55. The Texas Special, 56. Jack Pardee, 57. Johnny Holland, 58. Stay in the Stands for the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, 59. 12th Man Kickoff Team, 60. The 2010 Nebraska Game, 61. Attend Yell Practice, 62. Shane Lechler, 63. The Rice Comeback in 1955, 64. Aaron Wallace, 65. Tony Franklin, 66. Jacob Green, 67. Ryan Tannehill, 68. Billy Liucci, 69. Bob Smith, 70. The 1968 Cotton Bowl, 71. Jake Matthews and His Brothers, 72. Dave Elmendorf, 73. Curtis Dickey, 74. Sam Adams, 75. Dave South, 76. Gene Stallings, 77. Joe Boyd, 78. Pat Thomas, 79. Ray Mickens, 80. Aaron Glenn, 81. Larry Jackson, 82. Alan Cannon, 83. Homer Jacobs, 84. Gabe Bock, 85. Randy Bullock, 86. Forget the Fran Era, 87. Beating No. 1 Oklahoma in 2002, 88. Brent Zwerneman, 89. Antonio Armstrong, 90. Dan Campbell, 91. The McKinney Brothers, 92. Ty Warren, 93. John Roper, 94. Jerrod Johnson, 95. Corey Pullig, 96. Charlie Moran, 97. Stealing Tim Brown's Towel, 98. Reveille, 98. Reveille, 100. Billy Pickard, Sources, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 Salute Gen. James Earl Rudder for the Best Decision Ever If World War II had never taken place, it's conceivable that James Earl Rudder could have been hired as the head football coach at Texas A&M. After all, Rudder, a 1930 graduate of A&M, had already earned his first collegiate head coaching job at John Tarleton Agricultural College (now Tarleton State) by the time he was 28 in 1938. Perhaps Rudder could have succeeded Homer Norton as head coach in Aggieland in 1948 instead of Harry Stiteler, who "led" A&M to its only winless season in school history and lasted only three years in College Station. Perhaps Rudder could have prevented A&M from falling upon such unfortunate football times, as the Aggies were just 28–56 –7 from 1946–54. Maybe Rudder, with his legendary le