I hope no one minds, but I am going to step outside the sports realm for just a moment to remember those lost in the tragic events that transpired 9 years ago today.

Bonfire Memorial

These 12 brave souls should and will, not ever be forgotten.
We did not only lose 12 classmates, we lost 12 brothers and sisters.

Miranda Denise Adams 
Christopher D. Breen
Michael Stephen Ebanks 
Jeremy Richard Frampton
Jamie Lynn Hand
Christopher Lee Heard
Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr
Lucas John Kimmel
Bryan A. McClain
Chad A. Powell
Jerry Don Self
Nathan Scott West

 I feel I do not have adequate words to express the emotions of what happened that day, so I will leave you with the words of two people who experienced this first hand.

The first, a story by Fred Maddox, shows the heroism of one...

A hero...

Subject: The Twelfth Man

The twelve young people who died were truly remarkable kids. They were scholars, student athletes, active in Boy Scouts, 4-H, Church groups,they were leaders. If you had to chose a dozen students to represent the best of Texas A&M, you probably wouldn't do much better than these.

I have just learned about Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr. He was the twelfth student to die, when his life support was disconnected last Friday evening. Let me tell you about this amazing kid.

Tim graduated last year from Germantown High School in Germantown,Tennessee. He was an Eagle Scout, graduated third in his class, and was elected to his High School Hall of Fame. He was a student athlete, and a member of the National Honor Society. He was active in the youth group and drama club at his Methodist Church.

He was actively recruited by Texas A&M, and when he enrolled he tested out of his entire freshman year. That is how this 17 year-old could be classified as a sophomore. Tim's father said that he was thrilled to be at A&M, and especially excited about bonfire.

When the stack collapsed, his pelvis was crushed, his arm was broken, and his (organs badly damaged.)

On the front page of Friday's Dallas Morning News is a large photo of the collapsed stack taken during the early part of the rescue effort. You can see a team working at the base of the logs to save a trapped student. About five feet above the rescue team is Tim Kerlee, reclining on a pile of logs, propped up on one elbow. Unless you look carefully at the photo you will probably not notice that his legs are laying in an odd position. <P>What was happening,according to the rescue teams, was that Kerlee was directing the teams to other students trapped in the stack. He kept telling them that he was O.K., and he directed rescuers to at least five other students before he allowed them to take him down from the stack.

He was taken into emergency surgery, and when they opened him up they found his organs so badly damaged that they couldn't identify much of what they saw. They closed him up, wrapped him in a sheet to hold him together, and placed on life support. He lived long enough to see and speak to his parents. He was aware that he was dying and asked to be removed from life support. When his parents asked him why he wanted to, he asked them why he should fight for a few more days of life when he could be in Heaven with Jesus right now. Well, he got his wish.

I feel sorry that I never had a chance to know Tim Kerlee, but I praise God for kids like Tim Kerlee. If you had to pick a twelfth man you couldn't do much better.

Photo Credit: JP Beato/the Battalion

The second story is from Eric Opiela who was the Student Body Vice President at the University of Texas for the 1999-2000 school year. Here are his thoughts from the memorial service he attended at Reed Arena.

I had the great privilege of attending the memorial service at A&M tonight and was deeply moved by the events I experienced. The A&M student body is truly one of the great treasures of our State.

As part of the UT delegation, we sat on the floor of Reed Arena, and immediately following the end of the service, I heard this rustling sound behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw the sight of close to 20,000 students spontaneously putting their arms on their neighbor’s shoulders, forming a great circle around the arena.

The mass stood there in a pin-drop silence for close to five minutes, then, from somewhere, someone began to hum quietly the hymn "Amazing Grace". Within seconds, the whole arena was singing. I tried too—I choked, I cried.

This event brought me to tears. It was one if not the defining moment of my college career. I learned something tonight. For all us Longhorns discount A&M in our neverending rivalry, we need to realize one thing. Aggieland is a special place, with special people. It is infinitely better equipped than us at dealing with a tragedy such as this for one simple reason. It is a family. It is a family that cares for its own, a family that reaches out, a family that is unified in the face of adversity; a family that moved this Longhorn to tears. My heart, my prayers; and the heart of the UT student body go out tonight to Aggies and their family and friends as they, recover, from this great loss. Texas A&M, The Eyes of Texas are Upon You—and they look with sincere sympathy upon a family that has been through so much  tragedy this semester.

 

 here.

The Aggies and the Bears have squared off 104 times heading into Saturday's match-up in Waco. The Aggies hold the all-time edge by 35 wins.

A&M's overall record v. Baylor: 65-30-9
A&M's record v. Baylor from 1899-1959 (55 games): 33-16-6

Here are some factoids for Texas A&M and Baylor:

 More after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Texas A&M's history against the Sooners from the University of Oklahoma dates back to 1903. Over the last 105 years the teams have only squared off 26 times, with Oklahoma prevailing in sixteen of those meetings.

A&M's Record: 10-16

Here's a closer look into some of the games between these two historic programs.

15-Nov-1997          51-7 Texas A&M
The #18 Aggies took Owen Field by storm on a bitterly cold day. The games result was never in doubt as the Aggies scored 17 points in each of the first three quarters.

The hapless Sooners were unable to stop the Aggie Offense, nor were they able to move the ball against the Wrecking Crew, failing to gain a single yard of offense in the 2nd quarter. The Aggies did little wrong, piling up 405 yards of offense.  A&M ran the ball at will, grinding out  257 yards on the ground. Sensational sophomore Dante Hall paced the Aggies with 12 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Sirr Parker added 123 yards and one score on 22 carries.

This game remains our most lopsided victory over Oklahoma.  Several other accomplishments came with this impressive victory.

With this win:

8-Nov-2003          77-0 Oklahoma
It is painful to even talk about this game as the Aggies did everything they could to set the record for the poorest performance in the history of this program (watch with caution).
Some of the stats from this game are quite mind-boggling:

• First Downs: A&M -  3     OU -  33
• Third Downs: A&M -  0-12     OU -  9-13
• Rushing Yards: A&M - 22 carries 28 yards (1.3 avg)     OU - 61 carries 342 yards (5.6 avg)
• Punts: A&M - 12 for 421 yards    OU - 1 for 37 yards

 There is nothing left to say; on that day, we sucked and they were awesome.

9-Nov-2002          30-26 Texas A&M
The game that really needs no introduction.

No. 1 Oklahoma came to Kyle Field with aspirations of another Big 12 and National Championship. Texas A&M is a team struggling trying to find its way into a bowl game to salvage the season (and their coach). More than 84,000 people crammed into Kyle Field to watch the high-powered Sooners play the Aggies.

Freshman Reggie McNeal came off the bench to throw 4 touchdown passes (enjoy!). Oklahoma's defense had no answer for the phenom. The late Terrence Kiel had the game-clinching interception in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

A&M arguably underachieved greatly during the 2002 season, but for one day, they showed the nation what they were capable of.

Saturday's meeting at Kyle Field will only be the 8th all-time match-up between Texas A&M and Colorado. Though it is a small sample size, Colorado has owned this match-up, winning 5 of the previous 7 contests.

Let's take a look at some of the previous 7 contests:

23-Oct-2004          29-26 (OT) Texas A&M
Reggie McNeal paced the Aggies as he accounted for 382 yards of total offense. However, the CU defense got stops when they needed them to hold the Aggies to 3 FGs in regulation and another in overtime. The Aggies and Buffs made some spectular plays, led by their respective running backs, Courtney Lewis and Bobby Purify, but there was no doubt about the play of the game. After the Aggies added a FG in OT, Lee Foliaki stripped Purify and recovered the fumble at the bottom of the pile to secure the win and send Kyle Field into an absolute frenzy.

8-Oct-2005          41-20 Colorado
This game started off well for the Aggies and suddenly went horribly downhill. On the second play from scrimmage, Reggie McNeal hit a streaking DeQwan Mobley. Mobley was passed all the CU defenders and looked to be able to walk into the endzone. Then inexplicably, he fumbled the ball, untouched, and CU recovered. Now it may not have made a difference in the outcome, considering CU was up 41-6 in the 4th quarter, but it sure did kill any kind of momentum the Aggies would ever have in the game. The Aggie defense was torched by a CU offense that was very average the rest of the year. CU QB Joel Klatt threw for 398 yards and 3 TDs and the ground game pounded out another 158 yards to pace the Buffs.

CU TE Joe Klopfenstein made what I consider the biggest indictment I've heard about our defense the last 6-7 years.

"There were a few times where I'd catch the ball, turn around and expect to get hit, but there was no one there," Klopfenstein said.

23-Sept-1995          29-21 Colorado
The biggest match-up between Texas A&M and Colorado was the FIRST time they ever met. The Aggies went in to Boulder as the 3rd ranked team in the country and Colorado was close behind ranked 7th. A&M QB Corey Pullig, maybe the most underrated QB in Aggie history, has a pass dropped by an Aggie WR which would have been a sure touchdown. Another pass of Pulig's slipped through a WR's hands and into those of a Buffalo to produce Pullig's only INT of the game. That seaon's A&M squad really never recovered from that devastating defeat.

Let's start to turn around this match-up this weekend at Kyle.

gig 'em!

As expected Texas A&M agreed to pay a $2.1 million settlement over the collapse of the '99 Bonfire.

Hopefully with the litigation now behind us, we can put Bonfire back where it belongs...on Campus.

This was a long time coming and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who lost their loved ones on 18-Nov-99.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M University agreed Tuesday to pay $2.1 million to settle a lawsuit over a bonfire collapse that killed 12 people and injured dozens more nearly a decade ago.

The families of four students killed and several of those who were injured sued the university and construction contractors hired to help build the 59-foot-tall tower of logs that collapsed in November 1999.

The administrators had fought the lawsuit, claiming they were immune from such suits, but a court of appeals allowed the lawsuit to continue, and the A&M Board of Regents authorized the settlement Monday.

The cases against the construction firm that provided a crane and the crane operators are still pending; the university is a third-party defendant in those cases.

Under the settlement reached Tuesday in Brazos County court, the university agreed to pay $2.1 million to the victims and their families and to have engineering oversight if the university decides to allow future bonfires on campus. University spokesman Jason Cook said the university will pay $500,000, with the remaining money coming from its insurers.

Calls to attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Since the collapse, the university has prohibited students from building the bonfire on its property – a tradition for the Texas A&M-Texas football game going back to 1909. The fire has been held off-campus by students and alumni since the collapse.

A&M President Elsa Murano, who took over earlier this year, said in a statement that no decision would be made on whether to allow the bonfire back on campus until she has discussed the collapse with those most affected by it and reviewed the event's history.

“It is our hope that today's announcement will help provide some closure to the tragic event for these individuals, as well as for the entire Aggie family, and certainly including those who were injured,” she said.

 

Iowa State and Texas A&M have only squared off 8 times prior to this weekend’s match-up in Ames. A&M has won seven of the eight match-ups. As many of you remember, Iowa State’s only win was the 2005 game at Kyle Field.

Let’s dive into a few of the match-ups: 

• 20-December-1978            28-12 Texas A&M            Hall of Fame Bowl (Birmingham)
  • Texas A&M coach Tom Wilson, who took over the program during the 1978 season, led A&M to a bowl game victory over Iowa State. Aggie halfback Curtis Dickey ran for 276 yards and 1 TD in the win. Dickey’s effort still ranks 2^nd in school history for rushing yards in a game. The Cyclones put up a good fight in the game and at one point midway through the 3^rd quarter they pulled within two points at 14-12. Dickey led the Aggies as they controlled the clock in the 4^th quarter with runs of 21, 24 and 34 yards. The final blow was a 19 yard TD scamper by Dickey. 
• 29-October-2005            42-14 Iowa State
  • Iowa State and wide receiver Todd Blythe came into Kyle Field and annihilated the Aggies. Blythe had 214 yards receiving and 4 TD’s. It was tied 7-7 after the first quarter. Then, the Cyclones reeled off 21 straight points. The Aggies added a score with 14 minutes left to pull within two scores. After that, they were able to do little else, as ISU added two more scores to bring the final to 42-14. 
• 23-September-1984            38-17 Texas A&M
  • The Jackie Sherill led Aggies took care of Iowa State at Kyle Field. Quarterback Craig Stump came off the bench and tossed two touchdown passes in the second half to lead Texas A&M past Iowa State 38-17. Stump was brought in to replace Kevin Murray, the struggling starter.
• 11-October-1997            56-17 Texas A&M

The 15^th ranked Aggies held serve at Kyle Field as they pummeled the Cyclones. Sirr Parker had a 78-yard kickoff return and an 80-yard run to lead the Aggies. Iowa State extended its losing streak to 13 games (the longest in the NCAA at the time).

Tim Keown of espn.com wrote a story about the way to end a game.

And then, on Saturday, I watched the end of the Texas Tech-Texas A&M game. Tech was leading 36-25, A&M was out of timeouts and there was under a minute left. Sound familiar? The game's over, but Tech quarterback Graham Harrell is still in the game and Tech is still trying to score.

At this point, it bears mentioning that I consider Tech coach Mike Leach to be one of the most innovative minds in at least two generations of college football coaches. He doesn't see the game through a conventional lens, and that's as inspiring as it is rare.

However.

With 24 seconds left, Leach called for a replay-review on a play that he thought resulted in a touchdown. The review didn't agree, so Tech ran another play and Harrell ran into the end zone, ball held overhead, the taunting, conquering hero.

So Tech wins 43-25 and everybody who questions Leach publicly couches it by saying or writing, "That's just the way Leach is." Well, he shouldn't be that way. He's better than that. Being consistent is no excuse for being classless and inconsiderate. It's instructive to note the announcers on the game barely addressed the issue, either because they're afraid of alienating Leach and Tech or because we're so numb to displays of crappy sportsmanship that it didn't even occur to them.

I am conflicted on this issue.

Side A: When the result of the game has been decided, there is no reason to pile on.

Side B: Since when do teams pull up against conference opponents? Imagine if A&M's poll position was based on the score against an opponent. Would we want Sherman to poke it in at the end?... I think we might.

I think what I had a problem with in this situation was Graham Harrell.

Let me preface by saying, I've met Graham Harrell and had the chance to hang out with him at a bar in Lubbock just before the start of the 2007 season. He was very nice and he talked about how much he liked playing at Kyle Field. Harrell seemed like a real down to earth guy, almost shy.

I think there is nothing wrong with running your offense until the final gun, but if you do score on a team you have already put away, just toss the ball to the ref and head to the sideline. On the field, that shy Graham Harrell comes off as very arrogant; it is difficult to believe it is the same person.

While talking to Coach Sherman this week, he gave me his mid-season review of the team.

I said "Coach, people and especially students need to hear this. You should put all your thoughts down and have the Battalion run it this week."

Looks like he took my advice....

Since I have always considered this football team an extension of the student body at Texas A&M, I want to give you a mid-season update of your team.

Whether you are a football fan or not, the reality is that Aggie football has been a big part of Texas A&M history and tradition for a long time. A lot of you came to Aggieland not only because of great professors and academics, but also because of the people and traditions that exist - traditions that are unique to Texas A&M. It goes without saying that football has been part of that history and responsible for many of its traditions.

With that said, I want you to know I feel a huge responsibility to you, the students, to make sure you can take great interest, pride and ownership of this football team. I do not take that responsibility lightly. You deserve a team that represents you and this University with class, character and a competitive spirit. I fully understand many of you are disappointed with the way things have gone so far this season, as you should be.

To say I am disappointed with this season would be an understatement, but I want you to know I am far from discouraged.

On the contrary, I must say I am extremely encouraged by the evolving culture, attitude and accountability of our team. No one is making excuses for our lack of success to this point, and no one is pointing fingers blaming others. We got ourselves into this and only we can get us out.

It is because of total accountability both on and off the field that I believe this team is heading in the right direction, despite its disappointments. It isn't until you become totally honest with yourself and those around you that you can begin to fix what needs to be fixed and then begin to take steps forward. That is where we are as a team and that is a positive.

I have told our team time and time again, even as we have endured much adversity this season, that there is something special out there for us. I have told them that the adversity we are facing as a team and how we handle it internally will not only define us now but for years to come.

Continued...

I had the opportunity to interview A&M Quarterback Jerrod Johnson this week as a guest host on the Nick Adams Show. The interview took place on campus at A&M on 1580AM KANM Student Radio.

I have edited the show down to just the interview. Our goal was not to sit there and beat up JJ with questions about why A&M isn't playing well this year. Our goal was to get to know him as a person.

Enjoy.
Jerrod Johnson Interview 1 (Windows Media Player)
Jerrod Johnson Interview 2 (iTunes)

My apologies for having to listen to the interview in two different formats.If someone wants to convert the 2nd file to Windows Media Player please e-mail me: jarrett116@gmail.com 

 
courtesy of Mary Wesson of curlypics.com

Same story 3rd verse.

For the 3rd time in seven weeks, Kelly Dyer has been named the Big XII Player of the Week following her dominating performances in shutting out Iowa State and Nebraska last week. Gig 'em Kelly!

ESPNU has an article about the leaders in each conference on their homepage.

In other Futbol news, on Sunday the #6 Aggies will take on the #20 Mizzou Tigers live on ESPNU. The game is at the Aggie Soccer Complex at 1:35pm.