The Texas A&M Nomenclature and Tradition Guide
On Saturday, #21 Mississippi State will head to College Station, Texas to play #14 Texas A&M. It’s the first time since LSU in 2011 and 2012 that MSU has faced an opponent in back-to-back years when both teams were ranked.
If you’re going to the game this weekend, here an informational post to inform you of the ways of the Texas Aggie, how to understand what they’re saying when they say and do weird stuff.
Midnight Yell – every Friday night before a football game a group of Aggies will start practicing their cheers. They will sing some songs and do other Aggie stuff.
Reveille – this isn’t just a dog mascot. No, this is the first lady of Texas A&M. The “most powerful dog in the world” (I’m not joking, that’s what the official website says). She is the highest ranking of the Corps of Cadets. If a Texas Aggie starts gazing into the wondrous eyes of the Collie, don’t be alarmed…it’s normal behavior.
The 12th man – their student section who are sure to stand the entire game. If you’re sitting near some A&M students you’ll need to know the following:
- Fish = freshman
- Pisshead = sophomore
- Serge Butt = junior
- Zips = senior
Good Bull – I always thought the website “Good Bull Hunting” was just using the similar movie title in reference to Texas until I did this research. Apparently a “good bull” is an Aggie who conforms to A&M traditions. Conversely, “bad bull” would be an Aggie acting like a normal fan.
Gig ‘Em – this is their battle cry, like we use “Hail State” or “go State”.
Hiss – Aggies don’t “boo”, they “hiss”. This is not to be confused with the term “boo hiss”.
Hullaballo, Caneck! Caneck! – I just can’t picture an actual human saying this but if it happens I warned you.
Yell leaders – cheerleaders. They are all male – no females (this might be a violation of SEC rules). They save the girls for basketball.
Whoop – it’s a big privilege to be able to say “whoop”, you have to be an upperclassman. I’m not kidding.
Wildcat – Aggies have a name for the hand motion they do after each yell, and this is it.
War Hymn – this is their fight song, and when they sway back and forth with their arms around each other.
Spirit of Aggieland – their alma mater.
This seems like a lot, but there are actually many more. These just pertain to football, and you will see these used in mass at and around Kyle Field on Saturday.