It’s Fightin Texas Aggie Gameday.
That means the first football game of the season will happen later today. This time, they take on the Demons of Northwestern State University of Natchitoches, Louisiana.
I’m not making this up.
Apparently, big schools pay big money to the teams from little schools to play them early in the football season. This is not a new tradition, but it’s an obscure one.
Speaking of traditions, the first Midnight Yell of the season happened last night at Kyle Field.
They had it at 10 p.m.
I’m not making this up.
While Texas Aggies have been known for their fierce devotion to preserving tradition and “OLD ARMY,” change is inevitable. The Midnight Yell Practice change is only the most recent (though temporary) example.
When you tune in on the radio to the game tonight, you won’t hear Dave South calling the game. Dave retired from that last year. It’s going to sound odd not to hear him after decades of calls.
If you go to Kyle Field, you’ll see that there are already some changes to the stadium. The iconic letters along the second deck “HOME OF THE 12TH MAN” have been swapped out for something new.
For one, I find it easy to get lost on and near campus when I visit. Even the Quad, where the Corps lives looks different after massive renovation and rebuilding.
Gone are the mature post oaks. Gone are a lot of things. Not all change is bad though.
But what’s remained is a spirit that can ne’er be told. The spirit of John Hartwell Moore.
The spirit of C.R. Jaggers.
The spirit of Jason Hightower.
or Chip Stem
or so many of our young men and women who walked that campus, learned the lessons in and out of class, and left legacies much bigger than any tradition or place.
Gig Em.
Charlie Haldeman 