Someone out there with knowledge please clarify. I think these were around a bit before the Tim Brown incident.

In 1864 some peaceful Southern states made a plea for a classier football program in their country, and a gentleman name Johnny Towel-Seed stepped forward and journeyed around the countryside, distributing the 12th Man Towels and painting all orange water coolers a lustrous hue of maroon, leaving in his wake peace and goodwill towards all men (and Pam Ward.)

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In 1864 some peaceful Southern states made a plea for a classier football program in their country, and a gentleman name Johnny Towel-Seed stepped forward and journeyed around the countryside, distributing the 12th Man Towels and painting all orange water coolers a lustrous hue of maroon, leaving in his wake peace and goodwill towards all men (and Pam Ward.)

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This!

A couple members of the original (all walk-on) 12th Man kick-off squad used to run onto the field waving their towels (no logos, just white hand towels). That became all of them. Then it spread into the rest of the 12th man. Then someone came up with the idea of printing them and selling them (used to be a buck) and all of a sudden everyone in the stands has them. Ta-da.

Oh, I think that original 12th man kick-off guy was named Johnny somethingoranother.

Maybe it is from the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970's and their "Terrible Towel". Jackie came to us from Pitt right?

[This message has been edited by AEK (edited 12/15/2009 4:11p).]

CapCity nailed it.

More information.

The towels originally went on sale in Nov. 1985, when A&M did a 'Notre Dame' type contract with ESPN for Saturday night games. SMU, Arkansas and Texas were featured.

Those were some of the best games I've ever attended, I still pay to this day hoping for a return to this atmosphere. (sigh)

Still have my original maroon towel and use it once a year for maroon out.

Jim '85
West Side 311
Steers and Queers, no place but Austin.

"Well, let's see. First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and they bought Mercedes Benzes. And Prince Charles started wearing all of Lady Di's clothes. I couldn't believe it."

- Johnny Jacobs, Airplane II

Johnny Towel-Seed sounds like a Rivalries sock.

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TXAggieBand 85 has it right - those were the games that built the program.

AMEN

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The towels originally went on sale in Nov. 1985, when A&M did a 'Notre Dame' type contract with ESPN for Saturday night games. SMU, Arkansas and Texas were featured.

Those were some of the best games I've ever attended, I still pay to this day hoping for a return to this atmosphere. (sigh)

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The ESPN contract was not with A&M, it was with the CFA which we were a part of (and so was Notre Dame for that matter). We just kept getting picked for the ESPN games.

You are right, though, an incredible string of games with great atmosphere.

Mid 80s a corps outfit (Gator 2) I think began selling them in the MSC. I think it was 84. They did it as a fundraiser. Eventually the university took it away from them. I think is was about the time A&M trademarked everything

[This message has been edited by Haricougar (edited 12/17/2009 8:38p).]

It was 1985, my freshman year. What a great time to be a student - Kyle Field was something else, especially for those night ESPN games.

1985! What a year that was! I just happened to keep a scrapbook with the cutout articles from the sports pages from around the state that year since it was my senior year. Someday it will belong to my son. Way cool!!



"Desire, determination, spirit, the will to win, love of contact - call it what you like; it still can cover a multitude of sins in a football game." Coach Dana X. Bible

"Ten Aggies can yell louder than a hundred of anyone else." Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant