we could boost our NCAA title count by beating some of these ***** teams:

http://www.ncaa.com/rifle/default.aspx?id=362

Title IX would be my guess, although a co-ed rifle team wouldn't really affect anything.

Send $Bill an e-mail, maybe he'll answer in his next Wednesday Weekly.

If memory serves, we had one in the early 90's.

Whoop coo ca choo

We did have a varsity team in the 90s. I was in contact with the head coach to get a schollie then they got the axe. Still steamed over that one.

I was on the team from '91 to '95. We ran a co-ed NCAA Rifle Team competing in 3-position indoor rifle and Air Rifle competitions. The team fielded some amazing talent over the years and probably won more national titles than any sport in A&M history.

Probably the best member was Eric Uptagraft of the 80's team, who transferred after 2 years because A&M kept reducing support to the team. Eric ended up on the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) and eventually the Olympics, while the rest of us faded into obscurity by the late nineties.

We ran a 12 member team with an annual budget of around $17K. That included equipment and annual trips to matches in KY, OH, and NM. Practice ammunition was provided by the U.S. Army because the majority of us were members of the Corps and competed both as NCAA and ROTC.

My understanding is that in the late-90's, the Army pulled its support and the teams days were numbered. As a non-scholarship sport with no financial assistance aside from operational requirements, the team was non-competitive and seen around the athletic department as a resource drain. Granted, $20K a year on a NCAA sport is NOTHING, but it was what it was.

We used to enjoy some rock-star status with the athletic department under John David because we cost nothing and returned some high-ass GPA's and difficult majors in return. John David let us enjoy all the priviledges of any other athlete at A&M. It wasn't like we didn't put in the work. Most of us practiced over 20 hours a week. I personally burned up almost two thousand rounds a week in practice. But aside from the Army providing the practice ammunition, the school could not get us the equipment or training to keep us competitive. Although by brother and I owned all our own gear, almost all the other shooters fired equipment that was as old as they, or in some cases, older.

Most schools use a Rifle as a Title IX offset because it's cheap. Hell, compared to any other sport except maybe bowling and archery, it's probably the cheapest NCAA sport out there.

They could bring it back as a women's sport but they would have to hire a coach which they never wanted to do. My first coach was a volunteer from the ROTC department, the second, a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer named Mike Eubanks. He too was a volunteer, but even with a second job and a military retirement check, he couldn't afford to do it for free.

I believed when he made a case for some type of compensation, the program was ended.

[This message has been edited by 94 Killer (edited 5/4/2008 7:46p).]

Cause rifles are too easy.

BTW, Eubanks kept coaching the club sport even after the varsity part of the team got pulled. He tried to get me to shoot for the club, but I just couldn't justify spending that much time on the back end of a rifle during school. I did it in high school to the detriment of my grades so I didn't want to do it in college.

There was still a rifle team going through 05 when I graduated. I think it was dying out because I was on it, never really went to any competitions, but we got kicked out of the trigon and were made to practice under the stands at kyle field.

my father actually coached the A&M rifle team back in the early 70's and if my memory serves me correctly, i think they won a few national championships back then. i could be wrong though.

[This message has been edited by txbb6 (edited 5/5/2008 2:59p).]

I was on the team from '84 through '89. Then, Richard M. Pitts was the coach and we had a co-ed team. Some of us were cadets, some were not, but all that was OK. We traveled quite a bit (mostly eastern-half of U.S.) and had something of a budget. I understand our funds was an allocation of from the girls' volleyball team? (Memory does not serve here.) We stored our gear and practiced in the small range in the basement of the Trigon; I spent a LOT of time down there. Even then, logistical and funding support from the school was waning.

Eric Uptagraft was my teammate and roommate. We stayed in touch for a bit after graduation but eventually fell out of touch. Even with his folks in Spokane, WA. I've no idea where all my other teammates are. I think Coach Pitts and family still live in Missouri.

I was getting ready to make a financial gift to the team when I found this thread and the news that there's not a team anymore. Rather saddening for me to learn but not surprising.

Very sad,
Eric Abbott '89

The Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Team is alive and kicking ass in most every competition they go to.

Their coach posts here occasionally.

Based on everything I've ever seen reported about them (even by people with no connection to or understanding of Texas A&M), they are not only outstanding competitors but outstanding representatives of our university.

If you're still looking to support some Aggie shooters, I'd consider them.

http://www.cocmu.com/

skipper0802 said:

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I was on the team from '84 through '89. Then, Richard M. Pitts was the coach and we had a co-ed team. Some of us were cadets, some were not, but all that was OK. We traveled quite a bit (mostly eastern-half of U.S.) and had something of a budget. I understand our funds was an allocation of from the girls' volleyball team? (Memory does not serve here.) We stored our gear and practiced in the small range in the basement of the Trigon; I spent a LOT of time down there. Even then, logistical and funding support from the school was waning.

Eric Uptagraft was my teammate and roommate. We stayed in touch for a bit after graduation but eventually fell out of touch. Even with his folks in Spokane, WA. I've no idea where all my other teammates are. I think Coach Pitts and family still live in Missouri.

I was getting ready to make a financial gift to the team when I found this thread and the news that there's not a team anymore. Rather saddening for me to learn but not surprising.

Very sad,
Eric Abbott '89

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Nice bump, I missed this thread back in '08. I was on the team for two years, '88-'89. I don't remember you, Eric, but I do remember the team being in a rebuild mold in '88. I tried out and made the team without any prior experience competing in small bore or air matches. Mike Winzeler was the Army ROTC cadre that coached the team for those two years, but I left the team about the time he did as they were adding folks that could actually compete at the NCAA level. Another Army ROTC guy (Dvorak?) was taking over IIRC. Some of the guys I remember are Jeff Fell, Ron Wood, Ron Roberts, and Joe Lyons.

I do remember having my name "randomly" drawn at least once per month for a piss tests. Would head over to Billy Pickard's cave under the west side of Kyle Field to fill the cup. I always figured the Rifle Team was there to insure they met their quotas for % of athletes that got tested.

23 NCAA Div 1 schools have collegiate rifle teams. Only 2 in Texas (TCU and UTEP have women's teams). I recently talked with the former UTEP coach and she indicated it is getting tougher to field a team (except for service academies). I don't know a lot about college shooting teams, but this seems like a doable thing for A&M. Citadel and VMI have teams. Even Ole Miss has a women's team.

Just thinking out loud but if anyone is interested in starting up a little outdoors board shooting club that meets once a month. Anyone interested? I live in West Houston. Obligatory, have ammo will travel.

I'm sure you could gain traction on that if you started a new thread, particularly as the weather cools.

It's been tried before. Never materialized into an actual event.

The Corps has a marksmanship unit that shoots Clay's, 3-gun, action, precision rifle, etc. They are the best in the country in the collegiate ranks

Army ROTC has a marksmanship team as well that shoots service pistol and service rifle. They have also done very well be in service shoots, particularly the annual match held by the AMU.

BenderRodriguez said:

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The Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Team is alive and kicking ass in most every competition they go to.

Their coach posts here occasionally.

Based on everything I've ever seen reported about them (even by people with no connection to or understanding of Texas A&M), they are not only outstanding competitors but outstanding representatives of our university.

If you're still looking to support some Aggie shooters, I'd consider them.

http://www.cocmu.com/

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They are awesome. I understand the logistics issues and why it is a Corps outfit, but still wish TAMU itself sponsored a team like it used to. Purely for selfish reasons of course.

brs4688 said:

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Just thinking out loud but if anyone is interested in starting up a little outdoors board shooting club that meets once a month. Anyone interested? I live in West Houston. Obligatory, have ammo will travel.

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There's a bunch of USPSA and IDPA clubs in the Houston area. I've run across a few Aggies out here, and there's of course the Brazosland Pistoleros up in Cawthorn/Navasota.

On the west side of Houston, you have West Houston IDPA (can't remember where they meet), and in Rosenberg you have Area 59 and Generation Practical Shooters. For multigun/3 gun stuff I forget the club name but I think they meet up at Impact Zone.

Eliminatus said:

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They are awesome. I understand the logistics issues and why it is a Corps outfit, but still wish TAMU itself sponsored a team like it used to. Purely for selfish reasons of course.

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This is one of those "we should have both" situations, for sure.

User name DOES NOT check out! An artillery captain should have moved beyond basic marksmanship to the persuit of the higher art: gunnery!

Remember seeing an article about a "Texas A&M Cadet Sniper Team" doing well in a competition - sent to me by a career Army buddy that was a Master Sargent who instructed an Army team.
https://www.ammoland.com/2019/02/texas-am-cadet-sniper-teams-compete-in-grueling-2019-mammoth-sniper-challenge/#axzz5eahElxbf

Where does this fit in discussion?