What It Means to Be an Aggie: John David Crow and Texas A&M's Greatest Players

Few universities can match the football traditions that flourish at Texas A&M: the 12th Man, the Aggie Bonfire, the Midnight Yell, and many more. Supporting Aggie football is an important aspect of being a member Texas A&M student body and alumni family. Saturday afternoons at Kyle Field are always memorable no matter what the scoreboard says. With the Corps of Cadet in uniform, the yell leaders in full voice, and mascot Reveille in place on the sideline, first-time attendees quickly realize that this is more than a game...it s an experience.

In What It Means to Be an Aggie, fans can both celebrate these traditions and relive the up-and-downs of the past eight decades Texas A&M football through the firsthand memories of the men who toiled on the turf at Kyle Field. Authors Rusty Burson and Cathy Capps tracked down some of the greatest names in Aggies history and asked them to share their fondest memories of playing in College Station. The A&M greats profiled include Jack Pardee, Ed Simonini, Cody Riesien, Richmond Webb, Bucky Richardson, Quentin Coryatt, Randy McCown, Stephen McGee, and many others. The Aggies legendary Heisman Trophy winner and former athletics director John David Crow contributed a heartfelt foreword to the volume.
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While not every Texas A&M player enjoyed football success in the professional ranks, all learned important lessons from their experiences playing for the Aggie. With its military background and strong emphasis on building character and high moral standards, A&M is unique among universities. The school instilled in its players a spirit of togetherness, loyalty, and service that has served them well in their postcollegiate careers. The former players stories will remind readers of the value of persevering in the face of challenges and working as a team to achieve lofty goals themes that truly speak to what it means to be an Aggie.

From the 12th Man to the Aggie Bonfire to the Midnight Yell, the football traditions at Texas A&M are an important part of the school s educational experience. Recalling eight exciting decades of football, What It Means to Be an Aggie turns to the men who played in College Station and asks them to share, in their own words, their favorite Texas A&M gridiron memories. Former stars from Jack Pardee to Bucky Richardson to Quentin Coryatt bring to life some of the greatest moments in Aggie football history. Just as important, they reveal the life-changing values they acquired at Texas A&M loyalty, service, commitment to teammates, and much more that helped them succeed once they walked off the football field.

High on my list of things I regularly thank God for is Texas A&M. Becoming an Aggie was one of the most life-altering decisions I have ever made. Dat Nguyen

Being an Aggie involves so much more than going to school at a place for four or five years or merely returning to campus for a few football games each year. Being an Aggie means you are part of a family that is always looking out for each other for the rest of your life. Bucky Richardson

The best thing about going to Texas A&M is going back. The school has grown, the student body has grown, but there is still the same spirit and feeling of togetherness.
Ed Simonini