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Texas A&M Aggies

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The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggies," and the official school colors are maroon and white. The mascot is a rough collie named Reveille.

Texas A&M Aggies
Logo
UniversityTexas A&M University
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorTrev Alberts
LocationCollege Station, Texas
Varsity teams20
Football stadiumKyle Field
Basketball arenaReed Arena
Baseball stadiumOlsen Field at Blue Bell Park
Soccer stadiumEllis Field
MascotReveille
NicknameAggies
Fight songAggie War Hymn
ColorsMaroon and white[1]
   
Websitewww.12thman.com
SEC logo in Texas A&M's colors

The sports teams compete in Division I of the NCAA. Until the dissolution of the Southwest Conference, Texas A&M was a charter member of that conference. The Aggies became members of the Big 12 Conference with its subsequent formation in 1996. On July 1, 2012, they left the Big 12 Conference and joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Sports sponsored

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Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross country Equestrian
Football Golf
Golf Soccer
Swimming & diving Softball
Tennis Swimming & diving
Track & field† Tennis
Track & field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Texas A&M sponsors 20 varsity programs—nine men's and eleven women's.[2]

Football

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Main article: Texas A&M Aggies football

The Texas A&M Aggies claim three national titles and have won 21 conference titles. They have produced two Heisman Trophy winners—John David Crow in 1957 and Johnny Manziel in 2012, the first redshirt freshman to ever win the award.[3] A&M has had two perfect seasons, having gone undefeated and unscored upon in both 1917[4] and 1919.;[5] named AP National Champion in 1939. The football program experienced a period of little success lasting from 1944 to 1971, when the Aggies won only two conference titles. With Emory Bellard as head coach beginning in 1972, the Aggies returned to prominence with two 10 win seasons during his short tenure. He was replaced by Tom Wilson who had little success at Texas A&M before Jackie Sherrill took over the program. Sherrill won three consecutive conference titles and two Cotton Bowl Classic postseason games. His defensive coordinator, R. C. Slocum, replaced him as head coach in 1989. Slocum finished in the top 25 during 10 of his 14 years at Texas A&M[6] and won 4 conference titles, including the school's only Big 12 title in 1998. Slocum also owns the Aggies' last undefeated season, in 1994, though they were ineligible for the conference title or postseason play due to NCAA sanctions.

In late 2002, Dennis Franchione left his position as head coach at the University of Alabama to take over Texas A&M's football program from Slocum. He finished the 2003 season at 4–8. Franchione finished the 2004 regular season with a 7–4 mark and an invitation to the Cotton Bowl Classic, a game the Aggies lost to Tennessee. The 2005 team regressed to 5–6 and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush was fired and replaced by Gary Darnell. Due to the much-needed improvements on defense, the Aggies finished the 2006 regular season with a 9–3 record and a 5–3 mark in Big 12 play, including a 12–7 victory over the Texas Longhorns in Austin, the first over the Longhorns in 6 years.

In the 2007 season, the Aggies finished in a three-way tie for third place with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 South, leading only Baylor, which finished last. Although the team pulled out a 38–30 victory over the Longhorns on the day after Thanksgiving, Franchione was forced to resign due to fallout from a secret email newsletter that violated NCAA and conference rules. Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman was announced as his replacement three days later. Unfortunately, Sherman's first year at A&M resulted in one of the worst records in years, finishing at 4–8.[7] The 2009 season showed some improvement with a 5–2 home record and a 6–7 overall record.[8] More coaching changes were made after the 2009 season and the hiring of Tim DeRuyter lead the media coverage. In 2008, DeRuyter was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Airforce where his defense finished 11th in the NCAA in total defense, and 5th in pass defense.[9]

The Aggie Football team was featured in the ESPN movie, The Junction Boys. The film dramatized Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's grueling football practice sessions in 1954 in Junction, Texas.[10]

Baseball

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Main article: Texas A&M Aggies baseball
 
Former Head coach Rob Childress (right) with two players in 2008

The Aggie baseball team plays home games at Olsen Field, which went through major renovations and is now Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The team is coached by Michael Earley, who has led the program since his hiring prior to the 2025 season. Since conference play began in 1915, the Aggies have won 15 Southwest Conference titles, three Big 12 regular-season and two tournament titles, and have made eight College World Series appearances. 1989 was the high-water mark when the Aggies were ranking No. 1 for numerous weeks before ending the season ranked No. 2.

Basketball

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Main articles: Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball and Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball
 
Player introductions during the 2007 Lone Star Showdown at Reed Arena

Texas A&M basketball had been dormant for much of its recent history until the mid-2000s. The Aggies have won 11 conference championships, two conference tournament titles, and have 10 NCAA tournament appearances. Under former head coach Billy Gillispie, the Aggies finished fourth in conference in 2006 only two years removed from having zero wins in conference play. Gillispie then led the Aggies to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1987, playing as a 12 seed, and to A&M's first NCAA tournament win since 1980 over fifth seed Syracuse. The Aggies were one point short of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen over fourth seed LSU, with a final score of 57–58. In the 2007 season, A&M spent most of the season ranked in the top 10 of the polls and became the first Big 12 south team to win against the University of Kansas in Lawrence since the Big 12 was formed. The Aggies finished with a 27–7 record and finished 2nd in the Big 12. They earned a number 3 seed in the NCAA tournament where they made it to the sweet 16, but fell to the University of Memphis 64–65. Acie Law IV was named an All-American. Billy Gillispie left for the University of Kentucky soon after the season. Mark Turgeon was named head coach a few days later, and has amassed a 73–31 record in his first three years in College Station, along with three more NCAA tournament appearances and a 3–3 NCAA tournament record.

The women's basketball team had two NCAA tournament appearances, an NWIT title, and a Southwest Conference tournament title before entering the Big 12. The program experienced little success in the new conference until former head coach Gary Blair took over the program. Blair's teams advanced to the NCAA tournament multiple times. He led the 2011 team to the NCAA national championship. He retired in 2022.

Ground broke on the Cox-McFerrin Center in November 2006, a 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m2) expansion to Reed Arena which includes new locker rooms, meeting rooms, practice gyms, training rooms, player lounges, and reception areas.

Soccer

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Main article: Texas A&M Aggies women's soccer

Women's soccer is coached by G Guerreri, who has led the program since its inception in 1993.[11] His Aggies have won 12 Big 12 titles (7 regular season and 5 tournament), including 4 straight regular season titles from 2004 to 2007. The Aggies made 17 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament from 1995 to 2012. Of those 17, 4 are Elite 8 finishes, and 6 are Sweet 16 finishes. Since 1999, the Aggies have advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16 during all but four of their NCAA Tournament appearances. The Aggies have never been eliminated in the round of 64.[12]

Texas A&M does not currently sponsor a varsity men's soccer program. The Aggies fielded a varsity men's soccer squad for just one season in 1981.[13]

Softball

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Main article: Texas A&M Aggies softball
 
Aggie softball player at the Aggie Softball Complex

The softball team formed in the 1972–73 season. The team won NCAA championships in both 1983 and 1987,[14] and an AIAW championship in 1982. It also has eleven College World Series appearances.[15]

In recent years, the Aggies have won two conference regular season championships (2005 and 2008), one conference tournament championship (2008), appeared in the NCAA Regionals nine times, winning two, and the Super Regionals thrice, winning two. They have also made three Women's College World Series appearances and finished 7th in 2007, 2nd in 2008, and 7th in 2017.[16] At the end of 2018, the team played their first games in the new Davis Diamond, the top-of-the-line 2,000-seat stadium, which opened officially in the 2019 season.[17][18]

Swimming and diving

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The Student Rec Center, home of the swimming and diving natatorium

Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams compete in the Student Rec Center Natatorium. Long-time assistant Jay Holmes, who has worked at Texas A&M since 1987, became the head coach of the men's swimming program in 2004.[19] Women's swimming is led by Steve Bultman, who has been the head coach since 1999.[20] The diving program is led by Jay Lerew.[21]

The Texas A&M women's swimming program has several notable current and former swimmers. This includes 2008 Summer Olympics medalist Christine Marshall, who swam for the US, 2012 Summer Olympics gold medalist Breeja Larson and Olympian Cammile Adams, both who also swam for the US, Triin Aljand, who swam for Estonia, Alia Atkinson, who swam for Jamaica, Julia Wilkinson, who swam for Canada, Else Praasterink who represented the Netherlands at the 2024 Olympics, and Aviv Barzelay, who swam for Israel in the 2020 Olympics and has qualified to swim for Israel again in the 2024 Olympics. Team members Kristen Heiss and Emily Neal were members of the US National Team and competed in the 2009 Summer World University Games.[22]

The women's program has won Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, including in 2012. They finished tenth in the 2011 NCAA championships. The men finished 13th, cracking the top 25 for the 15th consecutive year.

Tennis

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Men's tennis debuted in 1978. Richard Barker coached the inaugural season, compiling a 9–12 record. David Kent took over in 1979, and coached until 1996. Under Kent, the Aggies made two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1985 and 1994, finishing in the First Round in both. The Aggies also appeared in the NCAA Region IV Championships from 1994 to 1996, winning the 1994 championship. Tim Cass replaced Kent in 1997, coaching until 2006. In Cass's ten seasons at A&M, he won three Big 12 tournament titles and one conference title. He resigned in July 2006 to accept a position as senior associate athletic director at the University of New Mexico, his alma mater. In 2006, former ATP Tour player and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi head coach Steve Denton was named the new head men's tennis coach. Former Trinity University coach Bob McKinley became his assistant. Denton won three Southland Conference regular-season titles, two tournament titles, and had an overall conference record of 19–2, including two undefeated regular seasons, in his five years with the Islanders. In 2008, he was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame, joining former A&M coach David Kent, who was inducted in 1998, and McKinley, who was inducted in 2003. With both of the coaching staff in the ITA Hall of Fame, the A&M men's tennis program is the only program in the country with two ITA Hall of Fame coaches.[23] In 2011, the No. 3 seeded Texas A&M Men's Doubles team of Jeff Dadamo and Austin Krajicek defeated the No. 4 seeded Stanford University Men's Doubles team of Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher for the NCAA Men's Doubles Crown.

The women's tennis program started in 1980. The women's team is coached by Mark Weaver. Previously, Bobby Kleinecke led the Aggies. In 2003 and 2004, he was voted Big 12 Coach of the Year. Kleinecke led the Aggies to two conference titles in 1986 and 2003 and a tournament title in 2004. The Aggies have also made a total of 13 NCAA Tournament appearances under Kleinecke.[24] In 2011, Howard Joffe, previously at Maryland, was named head coach after Kleinecke's contract was not renewed.[25] Mark Weaver is the current head women's coach, leading the Aggies to the SEC championship and tournament championship in 2022 and 2023, and the regular season championship in 2024.

In 2024, Weaver and the Aggies won the NCAA national championship.

Track and field

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Track and field is coached by Pat Henry. In his 17 years at LSU, Henry won 27 national titles, 17 SEC titles, 15 SEC Coach of the Year awards, and five National Coach of the Year awards. Henry was hired by Texas A&M before the 2005 season, taking over a program that had never won a title in women's track. Within three years, in 2007, his teams won both women's indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference titles. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, he won both the men's and women's NCAA outdoor titles, a feat he has accomplished four times and duplicated by no other coach.[26] Since arriving in College Station, Henry has won two National Coach of the Year and six Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.

Three A&M athletes have been recognized with The Bowerman, an award that honors collegiate track & field's most outstanding athlete of the year. They include: Jessica Beard (2011),[27] Deon Lendore (2014),[28] and Athing Mu (2021).

Golf

Men's golf is coached by Brian Korten who has been with the program since 2021. Recently the Aggies have been in 12 NCAA appearances and 5 top-10 finishes at the NCAA tournament. The 2009 team captured the NCAA title. They have won 11 conference championships:

Women's golf has been coached by Gerrod Chadwell since the summer of 2021. The golf team won the Big 12 title in 1998, 2006, 2007, and 2010. In 2006, the team finished 19th at the NCAA Championship tournament. In 2008, the team was fifth in their regional advancing to the NCCA Championship tournament. In 2011, the team finished 7th at the NCAA Championships, which they hosted at the Traditions Championship Golf Course. In 2024 Adela Cernousek won the Individual

NCAA Women's Golf ChampionshipsIn its third annual College Golf Guide, Golf Digest ranked both the men's and women's golf programs among the best in the nation in the team's scoring average, player growth, academics, climate, and facilities/coaches. The men's program ranked as the best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 nationally. The women's program ranked as the second best in the Big 12 Conference and No. 20 nationally.[29]

Equestrian

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Coached by Tana McKay, the women's equestrian team has been a varsity sport at Texas A&M since 1999. Although a group of administrators and coaches are working to make equestrian an NCAA-recognized sport,[30] A&M competes with 18 other equestrian teams from Division I schools.[31]

For seven years, from 2000 to 2006, the program participated in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championship, winning the Western division national title three times. The Aggies ended their participation in IHSA in 2006, and the program now competes only in the Varsity Equestrian National Championship, in which A&M won the overall national championship in 2002 and Western division titles in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Additionally, in 2010, Texas A&M won two individual national titles, with Caroline Gunn winning the national title for the second time in a row in Horsemanship, and Maggie Gratny winning the national title in reining.

Texas A&M won the inaugural Big 12 Classic in 2007, a competition between Big 12 programs with equestrian teams, which includes Baylor, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State.

Volleyball

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The Aggie volleyball team is coached by Jamie Morrison, who has been at Texas A&M since 2023. The Texas A&M volleyball team participated in 13 consecutive NCAA postseasons, from Corbelli's first year in 1993 to 2005, reaching the Elite Eight twice and Sweet Sixteen three times. After several lean years, the Aggies returned to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2010 and the second round in 2011.

Notable non-varsity sports

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Archery

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Women's archery was a varsity sport at Texas A&M from 1999 to 2004. It was added in 1999 when the NCAA designated archery as an emerging varsity sport for women. Archery was cut from varsity status in 2004, however, due in part to the lack of growth of varsity NCAA programs at other universities. Archery now continues at Texas A&M as a club sport.

Rugby

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Founded in 1968, Texas A&M Rugby plays in Division 1-A in the Allied Rugby Conference against traditional rivals such as Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma.[32][33] The Aggies are led by Head Coach James Lowrey. Texas A&M offers scholarships to in-state and out-of-state rugby players, and qualifying out-of-state rugby players may attend Texas A&M at the in-state tuition rate.[34]

Texas A&M finished the 2011–12 season ranked 16th in the country.[35] The Aggies won the 2012 Allied Rugby Conference 7s tournament, racking up wins against Oklahoma and Texas Tech along the way.[36] The Aggies also won the 2012 Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference 7s, defeating Georgia in the final 28–10. This victory qualified the Aggies for the 2012 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships,[37] where they reached the quarterfinals. In the 2012–13 season, Texas A&M defeated Texas to win the Allied Rugby Conference.[38]

Championship history

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Sport Association Year Opponent/Runner-up Score
Equestrian (3) VENC 2002[39] Georgia 43-28
NCEA 2012 Oklahoma State 4-4 (1116.5-975.5)
2017 Georgia 11-5
Football (3) NCF 1919 N/A
Sagarin 1927
AP 1939
Men's Golf (1) NCAA 2009 Arkansas 3-2
Men's Indoor Track and Field (1) 2017 Florida 46-45.5
Men's Outdoor Track and Field (4) 2009 Three Teams 48-46
2010 Florida 55-54
2011 Florida State
2013 Florida Co-Champions (53)
Softball (3) AIAW 1982 Oklahoma State 4-1, 5–3
NCAA 1983 Cal State Fullerton 2-0
1987 UCLA 1-0, 4–1
Women's Basketball (1) 2011 Notre Dame 76-70
Women's Outdoor Track and Field (4) 2009 Oregon 50-43
2010 72-57
2011 49-45
2014 Texas 75-66
Women's Tennis (1) 2024 Georgia 4-1

National championship notes

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Texas A&M has a total of 21 team national championships in NCAA or NCAA Emerging sports. Of these 21 championships, 14 of them were bestowed by the NCAA. The first two NCAA titles were won by the softball team in 1983 and 1987, while the third was won by the men's golf team in 2009. The fourth and fifth were won in 2009 by the men's and women's outdoor track teams, when the Aggies garnered double national titles. The men's and women's track teams also added the sixth and seventh titles in 2010, repeating the same title feat.[40] Both teams added yet another two in 2011. The women's basketball team won in 2011. The men's outdoor track and field team won the Aggies' eleventh national title at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in its first year of SEC competition. The twelfth NCAA title was won by the women's outdoor track and field team in 2014. The thirteenth NCAA title was won by the men's indoor track and field team in 2017.[citation needed] The twenty-first overall championship was won by the Texas A&M's women's tennis team in a 4–1 win over Georgia in 2024.

The softball team won the 1982 AIAW Women's College World Series, the last softball championship to be conducted by the AIAW, which governed women's intercollegiate athletics from 1972 to mid-1982 (the NCAA began sponsoring women's athletics in 1981). The 1939 football team was designated national champions by multiple selectors, including contemporaneously by Associated Press, followed years or decades later by the Helms Athletic Foundation, the National Championship Foundation, and the College Football Researchers Association.[41] In addition to the 1939 national title, in 2011 the football program laid claim to national titles for 1919 and 1927, each of which was chosen once to appear in different retroactive listings by two selectors in the 1970s. The equestrian team won the Varsity Equestrian overall national championship in 2002, 2012, and 2017, while winning the western-riding style component of that competition in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.[42] The team additionally won the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) collegiate western-style championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004.[43] Before it attained varsity status in 1999, the team had also won this title in 1994.

Other National Team championships

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Below are 169 national team titles won by Texas A&M varsity and club sports teams at the highest collegiate levels in non-NCAA sports:

  • Men's (56)
  • Archery (recurve) (18): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Archery (compound) (10): 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016[44]
  • Archery (barebow) (4): 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Archery (bowhunter) (3): 2013, 2015, 2016
  • Fishing (CBFS) (2): 2007 (Cabela's), 2015 (Bassmaster)
  • Handball (American) (2): 2002, 2003
  • Judo (1): 2022
  • Paintball (1): 2016
  • Polo (11): 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2019[45]
  • Powerlifting (2): 1983, 2015,[46] 2017 (Kingsville, raw)
  • Rugby (1): 1974[47]
  • Weightlifting (1§): 1989
  • Women's (54)
  • Archery (recurve) (16): 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016,[48] 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Archery (compound) (13): 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016[44]
  • Archery (barebow) (1): 2023
  • Archery (bowhunter) (1): 2016
  • Equestrian (AQHA western) (4): 1994, 2002 (tie), 2003 (tie), 2004
  • Equestrian (NCEA western) (6): 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  • Handball (American) (6): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994
  • Polo (4): 1994, 1995, 2018, 2019[45]
  • Powerlifting (2): 2010, 2019[45]
  • Rodeo (1): 2002
  • Combined (59)
  • Adventure racing (1): 2013
  • Archery (recurve) (18): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021, 2023
  • Archery (compound) (12): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2023
  • Archery (barebow) (1): 2021
  • Archery (overall team) (7): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
  • Handball (American) (6): 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2015 (Div. II)
  • Powerlifting (3§): 1991, 1992, 1993
  • Team Tennis (WTT format) (5): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
  • Trap & Skeet Shooting (4§): 1978, 1982, 2015 (Div. II), 2019[45]
  • Wakeboarding (1): 2015 (College Wake)
  • Water skiing (1): 2005 (Div. II), 2022 (Div. II)
§ For this sport, some years may be missing from this list and hence remain uncounted.

Conference titles (178)

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Texas A&M has won a total of 178 team conference and tournament championships. 96 titles were won during play in the Southwest Conference (93 men's/3 women's) while 58 were won in Big 12 Conference play (19 men's/39 women's). Texas A&M has won 25 titles in the Southeastern Conference (6 men's/19 women's) with the 2019 Women's Swimming & Diving title being the most recent.

  • SWC = Southwest Conference
  • B12 = Big 12 Conference
  • SEC = Southeastern Conference

Conference division titles (7)

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Football (3)
  • B12: 1997, 1998, 2010
Soccer (1)
  • SEC: 2012
Volleyball (1)
  • SEC: 2012
Men's Tennis (1)
  • SEC: 2013
Women's Tennis (1)
  • SEC: 2013

Director's Cup all-time final standings

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The NACDA Director's Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Director's Cup are based on order of finish in various NCAA sponsored championships or in the case of Division I Football media base polls. The award originated in 1993, and was presented to NCAA Division I schools only. In 1995, it was extended to Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools as well, each division receiving its own award.

Texas A&M's yearly final standings among other Division I schools since the cup originated in 1993 are as follows:[76]

Year Standing Points
1993–94 24th 454.50
1994–95 37th 329.50
1995–96 20th 524.50
1996–97 30th 427.00
1997–98 38th 230.00
1998–99 39th 230.00
1999–00 27th 522.00
2000–01 26th 517.00
2001–02 37th 519.50
2002–03 28th 551.25
2003–04 16th 714.00
2004–05 26th 566.25
2005–06 23rd 649.50
2006–07 18th 881.00
2007–08 12th 1,031.00
2008–09 13th 976.00
2009–10 6th 1,070.75
2010–11 8th 1,090.50
2011–12 9th 990.25
2012–13 5th 1,131.50
2013–14 10th 1,022.00
2014–15 17th 892.75
2015–16 12th 962.00
2016–17 12th 986.50
2017–18 10th 1005.50
2018–19 15th 933.75
2019–20 Not awarded because of the COVID-19 pandemic[77]
2020–21 19th 846.25
2021–22 25th 794.75
2022–23 24th 808.75
2023–24 6th 1059.25

Rivalries

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Texas A&M has two active, long-time rivals, the LSU Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. After playing LSU sporadically throughout the 20th Century, the LSU–Texas A&M Rivalry is the Aggies' seventh oldest, with the series dating back to 1899. Since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, fans have anticipated LSU to become Texas A&M's primary rival. Texas A&M and Arkansas share a rich history, since both were members of the Southwest Conference, first playing each other in football in 1903. When Arkansas left the SWC in 1991, this rivalry was put on eighteen-year hiatus until the rivalry was reborn with the formation of the Southwest Classic in 2009.

Texas A&M's traditional rival is the Texas Longhorns. The university has had other significant rivals, but few came close to the rivalry shared between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The mutual respect and desire to win gave rise to the Lone Star Showdown, an athletic competition that lasted year-round and encompassed all regular-season NCAA athletic events between the two schools. Though the showdown officially began in 2004, the two teams had been competing with one another for more than a century. The rivalry ended in 2012 when the Aggies moved to the Southeastern Conference, but will be renewed when Texas joins the conference in 2024.

Other historical rivalries that are partially or no longer active include those from its membership in the Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas Tech, Rice, Houston, SMU, and TCU). Texas A&M also competed against Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference.

Venues and facilities

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Athletic venues and facilities include:
Football: Kyle Field

  • The Zone Club[78]
  • Bright Football Complex[79]
  • Football Locker Room[80]
  • Football Players' Lounge[81]
  • Grass Practice Fields[82]
  • Indoor Practice Field[83]

Basketball: Reed Arena

  • Basketball Practice Facility[84]

Baseball: Olsen Field

  • Indoor Batting/Pitching Facility[85]

Cross Country: Watts Cross Country Course

  • Cross Country Running Course[86]

Softball: Davis Diamond

  • Softball Building[87]

Volleyball: Reed Arena
Soccer: Ellis Field

Golf: Traditions Club Championship Golf Course[89]

  • Wahlberg Aggie Golf Learning Center[90]

Tennis: George P. Mitchell Tennis Center[91]
Track and Field:

Swimming and Diving: Student Rec Center Natatorium[92]
Equestrian: Brazos County Expo Complex[93]

  • Equestrian Building[94]

Athletic training, rehabilitation, and student-services facilities include:

  • Netum Steed Laboratory[95]
  • Bright Building Athletic Training Room[96]
  • Nye Academic Center[97]

Additionally, Texas A&M houses two dedications to student-athletes of the past:

  • Texas A&M Sports Museum located at the north end of Kyle Field[98]
  • Erickson Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor[99]

Traditions

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Main article: Traditions of Texas A&M University
 
Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush (right) and Texas Governor Rick Perry (f. left) along with the wife of a veteran (center) give the sign

Texas A&M values traditions highly, many of which revolve around the sports in which the school competes. A few of the athletic traditions of Texas A&M include:

  • The 12th Man – The entire student body is referred to as The 12th Man after E. King Gill stood ready to play on the sidelines in 1922.
  • The Aggie War Hymn – The War Hymn is played at athletic events during the game and after a win.
  • Aggie Bonfire – Built and burned before the annual football game with the University of Texas. Bonfire is now an off-campus event after the university cancelled it following the 1999 collapse.
  • Fightin' Texas Aggie Band – The Aggie Band is the largest military-style marching band in the United States and performs at halftime during the football games.
  • Midnight Yell Practice – Held the night before a home game, the student body gathers at Kyle Field to excite the crowd.
  • Yell Leaders – Attending many events, wearing uniforms modeled after a milkman uniform the yell leaders use hand signals to keep the crowd yelling in unison.
  • Gig 'em – The slogan used by Aggie supporters, often accompanied with a thumbs-up sign, the first hand sign of the Southwest Conference.
  • Reveille – The official mascot of Texas A&M since 1931. Since Reveille III, all A&M mascots have been collies.
  • Maroon Out – One designated home football game of the year is a "maroon out" game. All Aggies are instructed to wear maroon.

Athletic directors

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Name Years served Reference
Various committees 1895–1949 [100]
Joe Utay 1912–1913 [101]
Homer Norton 1934–1947 [100]
J. W. Rollins 1947 [100]
Bill Carmichael 1947–1949 [100]
Barlow Irvin 1949–1954 [100]
Bear Bryant 1954–1957 [102]
Jim Myers 1957–1962 [100]
Hank Foldberg 1962–1965 [100]
Barlow Irvin 1965–1968 [100]
Gene Stallings 1968–1972 [100]
Emory Bellard 1972–1978 [100]
Marvin Tate 1978–1981 [103]
Wally Groff 1981–1982 [100]
Jackie Sherrill 1982–1988 [104]
John David Crow 1988–1993 [105]
Wally Groff 1993–2002 [106]
Bill Byrne 2003–2012 [107]
John Thornton (interim) 2012 [108]
Eric Hyman 2012–2016 [109]
Scott Woodward 2016–2019 [110]
R. C. Slocum (interim) 2019 [111]
Ross Bjork 2019–2024 [112][113]
Trev Alberts 2024- [114]

Notable athletes and coaches

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Main article: List of Texas A&M University people § Athletics

Former student-athletes and coaches at Texas A&M include:

References

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