We working on a little historical mystery. I posted this elsewhere first, but I was told a bunch of 1960s Aggies hang around these parts, and those are the guys who can probably help us:

Aggies from the 1950s don't recall "whoop" sounds at Aggie events at all, and they certainly were never taught to do it.

Most Aggies from the 1960s tell us they yelled "whooah!" but never whoop.

Aggies from the early to mid-1970s say they whooped and wildcatted -- but they only had one wildcat (put your hands in the air and yell Aaaaa").

Aggies by the 1980s were learning different wildcats for each class year (both hand gestures and sounds, with only juniors and seniors allowed to whoop).

So why do we do this stuff, and exactly when/how/why did it start? What's the earliest "whoop!" or "whooah!" on record? (As of now, the earliest printed reference to the Aggie whoop is from 1970.) When did an Aggie first incur wrath for pulling out an upper class's wildcat?

Fun items that may spark recollections:

• A Class of 2009 yell leader collected research on old yells and reproduced some of the 1906-1932 "yell books" from A&M's Cushing Archives:http://www.goodbullhunting.com/2013/10/23/4867844/aggie-yell-leaders-history-yells-texas-am-aggies
  
• Video with old wildcat photos and research:
• We've found a 1978 Batt story describing only one wildcat (same as today's freshman wildcat). Then we've got a 1988 Aggieland description of different Class wildcats. So that changed somewhere in between '78 and '88.
  
• The '84 Aggieland says this: "After 95 hours, a student's wildcat begins to change, ending with a casual 'EY!'"
  

If we can put together a good picture of the history and evolution of "whoop" and wildcats, we'll run it as a story in Texas Aggie magazine and elsewhere.

We are particularly interested in any physical records (photos, recordings, book or newspaper mentions) but please also feel free to share your personal recollection of "I was a fish in 'XX and learned xxx" or other bits of memory.

Post on this thread, or join the discussion on our Facebook page, or email us at AggieNetwork@AggieNetwork.com.

Thanks, y'all.

-scot

When I joined the Aggie Band as a fish in the fall of '84, there was definitely the distinctive wildcats between the classes. fish could only say "AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY", Sophomores (I will refrain from using the class nicknames since this is a family channel) said "Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay!" (five times), Juniors said "Ay! Ay! Ay!" (three times) then whooped, and Seniors only had to yell "Ay!" and whoop. There were specific hand signals that went with them as well. So, by '84 at least, the distinctive class wildcats had come in to use.

I was there fall '81 and remember it like Tailgate88 said.

And now there's a graduate student wildcat too! Looking forward to this article

In '77 there were four different wilcats. Everyone seemed to know what they were so, I think the class wilcats appeared before 1977.

Many thanks! This is Sue Owen '94 from The Association, the nerd who's gathering all this research. Anyone who wants to contact me directly, too, is welcome to -- sowen94@aggienetwork.com.

I think 1977 is the earliest point we have yet for distinct class wildcats! Another Ag did find a 1974 Aggieland reference that whooping was a junior privilege in the Corps,

If y'all recall: Had the "whooah" sound morphed into "whoop" by 1977?

I'm having fun with this and have had some great conversations with Ags from many generations. It's kind of a side project of mine, and I greatly appreciate your help!

Freshmen in 1980, had whoop and wild cats for each class, freshman raising hands and yelling eh. My older brother taught me this and he started in 76 and had always done it so I think this started pre 1976...

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And now there's a graduate student wildcat too! Looking forward to this article

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Interesting. Hadn't heard about this.

Does this mean former students can make their own wildcat? I vote for the Johnny money sign with a whoop (since we're now bankrolling our sports teams).

Details from The Eagle:

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The wildcat differs in a few distinct ways. For the hand gesture, the thumbs are pressed down against the forefingers "because as grad students we're always aiming high," Kiser explains in the video.
There is also no "A" in the wildcat. Freshman start off with only "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and the duration of the As decreases each class. Seniors say "A-Whoop!"

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When I was a freshman ('78-'79) there were four classes of wildcat. But, this was only among the Corps--non-Regs just did whatever (with the notable exception of Davis Gary).

Seniors had a "privilege" of appending an "ahh" to their whoops, giving them a WHOOPaaahh!" sound.

"Reload!" was "5th year Zip" privilege, and was not heard very much. (Get a copy of "Live at Kyle Field," the "B" side includes yells from 1976; "Reload" is inaudible.)

By '80-'81, all non-regs were shouting "Reload!" About '85 or so, non-regs changed to the present n-r wildcat of "AA!-WHOOOOP!"

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I think 1977 is the earliest point we have yet for distinct class wildcats! Another Ag did find a 1974 Aggieland reference that whooping was a junior privilege in the Corps,

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I was a fish in the Corps in 1967. Each class had a distinct wildcat. The "hoo-ah" or "whoop" sound was a junior privilege.

Interesting how we're all led to believe this stuff is longstanding tradition but then when you start looking at it, it's only been around for a few decades and has continued to change during that time.

IIRC, in We've Never Been Licked, all the students do what is now the freshman wildcat.

Why/who decided that a collie would be our mascot? Tradition says it was a mixed breed of some sort?

You guys are great!! So I think we have individual class wildcats backed up to 1967 now within the Corps. Can anyone else attest?

I have no data points (yet) for "Whooah!" being used before 1959. And it's possible "whoop" diverged from "whooah!" around 1975.

It sounds like "Whoop" was not originally part of class wildcats. Sometime in the 1970s?

First reference I have to modern-day wildcats with all of today's hand gestures and attached junior/senior "whoop" is now 1981, thanks to you guys! (AgCPA, wasn't sure if all hand gestures etc. were in place when
you were a fish?)

By the 1990s, I can say, class wildcats were commonplaceamong non-regs, at least those of us in the dorms.

Incidentally ---
An Aggie's book recalling his student days in 1934-38 describes sophomores making a battle-cry type noise during nighttime "air outs." He says he was later told that this was supposed to be a descendant of the rebel yell, but he didn't believe it.

I rewatched "We've Never Been Licked" (filmed 1943) and it records some yelling during the surprise turn-out for Midnight Yell (I just learned that Midnight Yell was only held sporadically and as somewhat of a surprise during this era!) but to my ears none of it sounds like whooping or "whooah!" as we knew them in later years.

Everyone, again, this is so helpful, thank you!! Like I say, it's a little side project, but if I can come up with anything that contributes to Aggie knowledge, I definitely will share it.

-- Sue '94

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I was a fish in the Corps in 1967. Each class had a distinct wildcat. The "hoo-ah" or "whoop" sound was a junior privilege.

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OldArmy71, by any chance did you know Fish (Jimmy) Wilkinson? Had to withdraw in summer '68 due to multiple sclerosis. Squadron 5.

No, sorry, I was in Army ROTC and did not have much interaction with folks in AFROTC. He may have been in one of my classes, but I was shy and shell-shocked from being a fish, and many of the classes were large.

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Interesting how we're all led to believe this stuff is longstanding tradition but then when you start looking at it, it's only been around for a few decades and has continued to change during that time.

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Kind of like " ring dunk" or the pennies on Sully. None of that existed in the 70's yet they are claimed as " age old" traditions.

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No, sorry, I was in Army ROTC and did not have much interaction with folks in AFROTC. He may have been in one of my classes, but I was shy and shell-shocked from being a fish, and many of the classes were large.

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Ok, it was worth a try. Thanks!