Texas A&M University is a land-grant, research university based in College Station, Texas. Its origins date back to 1876, and its football program was started 18 years later, 1894.
With well over 100 years of existence, Texas A&M students and fans have developed plenty of traditions unique to both the school and student body.
From the gig ’em hand signals to the Midnight Yell, let’s run through some of the weirdest A&M traditions.
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7. Aggie bonfire
- Tradition since: 1909
Believe it or not, this one is directly tied to the Aggies' rivalry with Texas. For decades, A&M students built a large bonfire on-campus ahead of the annual rivalry game with the Longhorns. The motivation behind it was partially to beat Texas.
“The bonfire symbolizes two things,” a 1947 Texas A&M freshman handbook read, via Texas Monthly. “A burning desire to beat the team from the University of Texas, and the undying flame of love that every loyal Aggie carries in his heart for the school.”
The event became so big that it was sanctioned by the school in 1936, with A&M even providing students with axes, saws and trucks to gather trees and debris to fuel the flames. By the 1960s, the bonfires were constructed over the course of several days, with students working shifts to tie and stack logs together. In 1969, it set a world record for reaching 109 feet.
But in 1999, one A&M bonfire that was built by five thousand logs tragically collapsed while 60 men were working on it. Before collapsing, the structure was 59 feet tall.
"It was probably the worst sound I have ever heard in my life," Ethan McDaniel said via Texas Monthly of when it fell. "It was this giant pop, crack — like an enormous branch had been broken. That was the sound of the center pole splitting apart."
Tragically, 12 students were killed and another 27 were injured who were working on the stack. The bonfire was postponed until 2002 to make it safer, but ultimately, it was moved off campus. The off-campus bonfire is estimated to bring in 8,000 to 15,000 students every year.
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6. Gig 'em
- Tradition since: 1930
One of the most prevalent hand signals that Aggie fans partake in is "Gig 'em," which is essentially a thumbs up. You can see Aggie fans making the hand sign constantly.
The tradition, unsurprisingly, is rooted in another A&M rival in TCU. Via Texas A&M's website:
Aggies often flash a thumbs up and say “Gig ’em!” — a phrase that dates back to 1920. It was popularized when P.L. “Pinkie” Downs, a member of the Texas A&M Board of Regents and Class of 1906, asked the crowd at a yell practice before a Texas Christian University football game, “What are we going to do to those horned frogs?” He answered his own question with “Gig ’em, Aggies!” — referencing a sharp-pronged frog-hunting tool called a gig. For emphasis, he made a fist with his thumb extended straight up.
Today, the phrase and thumbs-up gesture are a symbol of Aggies’ optimism, determination, loyalty and the Aggie Spirit.
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5. The 12th Man
- Tradition since: 1922
The "12th Man" is seen throughout A&M athletics, with the "Home of the 12th Man" seen at the Aggies' home football stadium, Kyle Field. The story behind the 12th Man dates back to former A&M student E. King Gill, during a 1922 game between the Aggies and Centre College.
Gill was a former Aggie football and basketball player, and during the game he was in the press box helping reporters identify players. The football team was losing players to injuries, and desperately needed bodies. Then-A&M coach Dana X. Bible, remembering his former player was in the stands, waved King down to suit up in the game. Via the school:
Bible waved Gill down to the sideline and told him to suit up. Gill ran under the bleachers and put on the uniform of injured running back Heine Weir, who had been knocked out of the game in the first quarter.
Gill returned to the sideline, where he stood ready to play for the entirety of the game in case the 11 men on the field needed assistance. This earned him the title of "12th Man." When the last play was run, the Aggies found that they had pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, winning the game 22-14. And Gill remained standing, the only player left on the team’s bench.
In the present day the moniker is used to describe A&M's student section. As a homage to Gill, students stand for the entirety of home football and basketball games.
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4. The Elephant Walk
- Tradition since: 1922
The Elephant Walk dates back to 1922 and is a tradition in which Aggie seniors walk in formation around campus. According to the school, freshmen from the Class of 1926 marched around Kyle Field, hoping to break the team's curse. That season, the Aggies finished 5-4.
In 1926, the same group of students decided to take one final walk around campus together, to reminisce. The students walked single-file with their hands on each other's shoulders, which one onlooker described as looking like "elephants, about to die." Thus, the name Elephant Walk was born.
Today, students do the Elephant Walk before the last home football game of the season. Instead of walking single-file, students join hands.
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3. Kissing and hissing
- Tradition since: Unknown
If you go to any A&M sporting events, you're likely to hear fans hiss instead of boo. Aggie fans hiss with their hands flat together and shaking them. Per the school, hissing is a more polite way to show disapproval.
As for kissing, another A&M tradition calls for couples attending the game to kiss after an Aggie score.
I fondly remember my introduction to this tradition back in 2012," a TexAgs user wrote in 2023. "While watching a game first time overseas I learned about the "kiss your date" moment. 'Every time the Aggies score, tradition says we kiss,' my future husband said."
Fans also kiss during a portion of A&M's Midnight Yell, which we'll get into a bit later.
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2. Yell Leaders and their hand signals
- Tradition since: Early 1900s
One of the most unique parts about A&M athletics are the Yell Leaders, which consist of three seniors and two juniors. The tradition started during an early 1900s Aggie football game, with A&M losing badly. The upperclassmen ordered freshmen to put on white coveralls and lead the crowd in yells, and it was a hit among the fans.
Throughout most A&M sporting events, Yell Leaders help energize crowds by leading chants and cheers, while incorporating a wide variety of hand gestures and things like twirls and jumps. Via the Associated Press:
Each yell is started with a hand signal called a passback that communicates to the crowd which yell is being performed. That’s followed by what they call “hump it Ags,” where fans are directed to lean forward and put their hands on their knees. Then the yell begins and the Yell Leaders do different and sometimes odd-looking gestures with each one.
Yell Leaders are heavily incorporated into our last tradition.
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1. Midnight Yell
- Tradition Since: 1931
Perhaps one of the oddest A&M traditions is that of the Midnight Yell, which takes place each Friday evening before an Aggie home game. The event heavily incorporates Yell Leaders, who are responsible for leading the Aggie band and fans into Kyle Field.
The crowd sings the "Aggie War Hymn," which is essentially A&M's fight song. The Yell Leaders then tell various stories about how A&M will beat its opposing team the next day.
The event also includes a "mugging down" during which students who attend Midnight Yell with a date can kiss their dates. The lights in the stadium are even turned off for the moment.
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