Aggie Yell Leaders
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The Aggie Yell Leaders are a group of
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
students that lead Aggie fans in a series of "yells" during athletic events or other school events. The Yell Leaders are composed of five students (three seniors and two juniors) who are elected annually by popular vote of the student body. The Yell Leaders use a variety of hand signals, called "pass-backs," to direct and intensify the crowds. Notable former Aggie Yell Leaders include former
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and
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,
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Dr. Red Duke and Texas State Representative
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.


History

The Yell Leader tradition dates to 1907. According to A&M lore, the Aggies were being soundly defeated and a large number of women who had taken the train from
Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University (TWU) is a public coeducational university in Denton, Texas, with two health science center-focused campuses in Dallas and Houston. While TWU has been fully co-educational since 1994, it is the largest state-supported u ...
in Denton were threatening to leave. The upperclassmen ordered the freshmen to find a way to keep the women entertained. Several freshmen sneaked into a maintenance closet and changed into white coveralls. They then began leading the crowd in yells and telling jokes from the track in front of the stands. It was an instant hit and was quickly incorporated into the gameday repertoire for the Aggies. However, the freshmen became a little too popular with the ladies and "it was decided that only upperclassmen would be allowed to participate in this entertainment in the future." While usually a position held by members of the
Corps of Cadets A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes. ...
, non-Corps students have been elected to the position. Ricky Wood, class of 2001, became the first non-corps Head Yell Leader in 2000–2001. In the early 1990s, the student body elected its first
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
yell leader, Ronnie McDonald, Class of 1993. In 1999, McDonald became the youngest African American to become a county judge in the history of Texas. Arouna "Boo Boo" Davies Jr., Class of 2002, became the second African American yell leader. In another exception, neither was a member of the
Corps of Cadets A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes. ...
.Former Yell Leaders – Texas Aggie Yell Leaders
/ref> In 2020, Memo Salinas was elected as the first latino yell leader.


Current tradition


Personnel

The Aggie Yell Leaders are composed of three seniors and two juniors, with one senior designated as "Head Yell Leader."Texas Aggie Yell Leaders
/ref> They are elected annually, making A&M one of the few schools that still elects spirit leaders. Sometimes, more than twice as many students vote for yell leader candidates than vote in the Student Body President elections. Traditionally, the Yell Leaders are members of the
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (often The Corps of Cadets, or simply the Corps) is a student military organization at Texas A&M University. Established with the university in 1876, it is the oldest student organization on campus. Student ...
in keeping with A&M's military history, though "non-reg" students have occasionally earned election. The first "non-reg" elected as Yell Leader was John David Garner, class of 1961. Although women have campaigned for Yell Leader at the main Texas A&M campus in College Station, none have ever been elected. In 2005, however, a female was elected as Junior Yell Leader at
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, which is an extension school of the main campus in College Station.
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rules prevent the Yell Leaders from participating in athletic practices, but the Head Yell Leader can usually be found during two-a-days, running and lifting alongside the football team. The Yell Leaders, along with junior and senior cadets of the
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as the Noble Men of Kyle Field, Kyle or just the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's Texas A&M University Corps of Cadet ...
, and Seniors of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Singing Cadets are the only students on campus who receive a
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without playing a sport. The Yell Leaders attend all home and away football games, all home basketball games, some away basketball games, and selected home and away games for other sporting events. The 2019-2020 yell leaders are Head Yell Leader Karsten Lowe '20, Senior Yell Leaders Reid Williams '20 and Kenny Cantrell '20 and Junior Yell Leaders Keller Cox '21 and Jacob Huffman '21.


Football-specific traditions

Besides their game-day duties, the Aggie Yell leaders are the Masters of Ceremonies at the Aggie pep-rally-type event known as
Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice, known locally as Midnight Yell or Yell Practice, is a tradition at Texas A&M University. Midnight Yell is similar to a pep rally. On the night before each home football game, Midnight Yell takes place in Kyle Field at mi ...
. This event is held the night before a football game, at midnight, at
Kyle Field Kyle Field is the American football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent con ...
for home games or at a designated location in the opposing team's city for away games. During these events, the Aggie Yell Leaders tell stories about ways in which "Ol' Rock" the prototypical Aggie defeats the upcoming opponents' mascots and lead the crowds in yells, so that all attendees know what to do in the coming game.Midnight Yell – Texas Aggie Yell Leaders
/ref> They lead an additional, smaller, Yell Practice on the Thursday night before all away games (even
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
s), called Arch Yell, which is held in front of the 12 arches at the entryway to the Corps of Cadets quad area. At the various yell practices, the Aggie Yell Leaders wear either maroon (seniors) or white (juniors) T-shirts and denim overalls that they decorate with maroon paint, often featuring their graduation year and various depictions of the A&M traditions.Time Capsule – 12 Things to Know About the Yell Leaders , Texas A&M Foundation Spirit Magazine
/ref> During sporting events, they always wear a white button-down shirt and white pants.
/ref> During a game, the Yell Leaders signal the crowd to start a yell by flashing pass backs. Once the signal is passed throughout the crowd, the Yell Leaders give the signal for the crowd to "hump it," or lean forward with hands just above their knees, and the yell begins. The theory behind "humpin' it" is that it aligns the back, neck and throat in the proper position to maximize the noise. They also use pass backs to signal when to sing the various school songs, in much the same way as cheerleaders lead songs at other schools. When the Aggie football team is defeated at home (or run out of time, as Aggie tradition declares the A&M never loses), the crowd remains in the stands at the end of the game while the Aggie Yell Leaders conduct a short yell practice, including the singing of the song 12th Man, in preparation for the next week's game. If the Aggies win a home football game, the freshmen in the Corps of Cadets chase them around
Kyle Field Kyle Field is the American football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent con ...
behind the 20 yard line, and, once they are captured, carry them across campus and toss them into Fish Pond, a fountain full of cold water. Meanwhile, the Aggie fans follow the
Aggie Band The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as the Noble Men of Kyle Field, Kyle or just the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's Texas A&M University Corps of Cadet ...
as they leave Kyle Field and congregate in front of the Sbisa Dining Center, the current location of Fish Pond, for another Yell Practice. After the last Yell Leader has been thrown into Fish Pond, the soaking-wet Yell Leaders lead the fans in a yell practice against the following week's opponent.Fish Pond comes back , News , thebatt.com
/ref>


Pass-backs

Image:Aggie-Yell-Leader 2007Baylor.jpg, The "Farmers fight" rotating arm motion


References


External links


Texas Aggie Yell LeadersA&M Traditions
{{Texas A&M University, traditions Texas A&M University traditions American college cheerleading squads Performing groups established in the 1900s University folklore