Texas A&M University-College Station

stand throughout the sports game. The tradition of standing for games began on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic, in which Texas A&M played Centre College. Texas A&M had so many injuries Coach Dana X. Bible feared he would not have enough men to finish the game. He called into the stands for E. King Gill, a reserve who had left football after the regular season to play basketball, to prepare to play in the game. Texas A&M won 22–14 but E. King Gill was the only player left available on the sidelines for the team. In recent decades, the 12th Man is represented on the field by a walk-on player who wears a number-twelve jersey and participates in kick-offs.
The 12th Man uses a variety of school yells, rather than cheers, to support Aggie teams. Each year, the student body elects five students to serve as Yell Leaders. At midnight before each home football game at Kyle Field, or at a designated location at away games, fans gather to practice yells for the next day's game at an event called Midnight Yell Practice. …