NEW ARMY ROCKS!

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How is it that lacking this new image makeover that you insist we need we were able to garner such success in Women's Basketball, Track & Field, and a host of other sports?

You may not care about Track and Field, but I guarantee you that to cindermen all over the country A&M is not just A national brand right now, it is THE national brand. And it isn't because the Corps doesn't get to sit in a block at the meets.

Just win. The rest takes care of itself.

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"Cindermen"? WOW, way to pull that one right out of your ass!!!

Through your bizarre logic, you just reinforced my point b/c the new culture band called "Hullaballo"-- that Bill Byrne created b/c the Fighting Aggie band would not reliably support other sports-- plays popular music like Ozzy & AC/DC at WBB games. In addition, WBB actually has the "new culture" Aggie dance team performing throughout the games (yes, that means girls in skimpy outfits). Yet somehow, with all these new "culture" changes, WBB went from being a running national joke to current national champions.

Similarly, track not only lacks an outdoor facility deemed suitable to even host games here at TAMU, but they also have ZERO official support from the yell leaders, the band or the corps of cadets...yet they seemingly still manage to win back-to-back-to back men's & women's national championships...despite being deprived / shunned of Aggie "culture" altogether.


"Better to Fight for Something than Live for Nothing" - George S. Patton

[This message has been edited by AGECO95 (edited 11/29/2011 6:00a).]

I think what people are failing to realize is that this cultural change does not need to be drastic. Let's ask the players what traditions they like and what they would like changed. We cheer for our Fighting Texas Aggie team to win not for style. I am sure most players would give great advice to us fans.

We will win if we become like everyone else!

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Jackie Sherrill came to Texas A&M University and proceeded to kick a**.

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Jackie also instituted one of the biggest cultural changes in Aggie football history called the "12th Man Kickoff Team". This rebranded TAMU football and infused excitement into generations of Aggies to come.

I agree that winning is the most important element for success, but sometimes you have to change the culture to start winning...just ask Jackie.


"Better to Fight for Something than Live for Nothing" - George S. Patton

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Yet somehow, with all these new "culture" changes, WBB went from being a running national joke to current national champions

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That's quite a leap you're taking there. Coach Blair had nothing to do with their success, but a band playing Ozzy did.

How many lies can you tell in one thread?

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Were you ever in the military bq. And can you even run 3 miles nonstop?

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Yes, yes I was. I proudly wore my country's unifrom for 20 years. Been shot at, too. How about you? And yes I could run 3 miles non-stop, in fact, I used to run 4.8 miles four times a week when in garrison. But now that I'm in my 60's, I can't do it. Nature has it's way ...

So, why don't you just grow the hell up and quit knocking that which made A&M great?

AGECO95: I am not arguing that a culture change would prevent success. I am arguing that it isn't necessary for success. In WBB and in T&F we obviously managed to get the right coaches and athletes to succeed and did it without a change in culture.

Plus, I recognize that there is culture change and then there is CULTURE CHANGE. Some here are merely talking about adding some stuff. No biggie. But several others, not all, are talking about completely doing away with stuff like Yell Leaders, or essentially hiding the Corps from view, etc. It is to those posters that I am really directing my posts.

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That's quite a leap you're taking there. Coach Blair had nothing to do with their success, but a band playing Ozzy did.

How many lies can you tell in one thread?

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You sir are a complete idiot.

I never once stated that WBB won a national championship b/c the band began playing Ozzy at the games...so it is you telling lies. Nor did I ever once try to argue a cause and effect relationship between WBB success and any of the culture changes I mentioned.

However, the culture changes which took place on Gary Blair's watch certainly didn't hurt his ability to win games, and subsequently provided more entertainment to the fans watching those games. Even though fan support has been dismally low for WBB compared to football, who's to say some of those culture changes weren't able to retain enough fans to help Gary Blair better recruit a national championship squad.

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I am arguing that it isn't necessary for success...It is to those posters that I am really directing my posts.

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I completely agree...the notion of doing away with the yell leaders and hiding the corps is completely asinine. In fact, this would be suicide b/c our national identity, or that which makes us truely unique from every other university in the nation, is directly tied to our yell leaders & corps of cadets.

However, I still think BB should bring in a marketing genius to enhance the visibility and branding of our yell leaders & corps of cadets to the rest of the nation. i.e. with upgraded uniforms, stronger corps ties with the U.S. military, etc.

There are simply too many stud high school recruits that don't understand our culture and we need to do a better job making them aware that A&M is not a cult (which our opponents cleverly use against us), but an institution based on honor and tradition.


"Better to Fight for Something than Live for Nothing" - George S. Patton

I'm outside looking in and this is my opinion;

A&M has great tradition and that's a selling point, not a problem. Your uniforms are recognized everywhere at first glance and that's a very cool thing.

IMO, your coaching staff is suspect and your recruiting could be better.
How are your facilities for your student athletes? Are they up to the standards of competing schools?

(link to LSU facilities)http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=177538


http://www.lsusports.net/PhotoAlbum.dbml?&KEY=SLDRYBSYRDQXWVO.20060510145936&PALBID=3585&DB_OEM_ID=5200&FLASH=YES


You can have the greatest players in the world and a poor coach and not win. You can have the greatest coach in the world and poor players and not win. You need to have something desirable to offer to both coaches and students. Every competing school has football, girls, and bars. A&M needs to put together something special for their atheletes it makes it much easier for the coached to recruit the players and that makes it much easier for the school to recruit the coach. Winning will follow the investment and that investment isn't cheap.

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Nor did I ever once try to argue a cause and effect relationship between WBB success and any of the culture changes I mentioned.

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Of course you did. How ****ing disingenuous can you be?

I am asking because I do not know.....

When we bring recruits to campus how long do they stay and what do they actually see and do? Because unless we make them spend the night with the Corps and never let them off of the Quad I just can't imagine them coming away with the impression that we are not a monster, co-educational, non-military institution.

Frankly, I don't see how you get that idea even watching on TV.

I'm not reading 7 pages of this garbage.

If this thread has figured out our program's issues once and for all, someone send me an email. Otherwise, delete this piece of ****.

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I am asking because I do not know.....

When we bring recruits to campus how long do they stay and what do they actually see and do? Because unless we make them spend the night with the Corps and never let them off of the Quad I just can't imagine them coming away with the impression that we are not a monster, co-educational, non-military institution.

Frankly, I don't see how you get that idea even watching on TV.

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I personally feel more recruit interaction with the corps & quad, under the right circumstances, might actually be a good thing. We have some good kids in the corps and I feel recruits would respect and understand their committment on a personal level, but sometimes not when thrown into a football game without any explanation of our traditions or culture. In the long run, all we're selling is a die- hard fan base rather than using the synergy of our traditions to reinforce the experience.

I was here during Jackie's reign, so it's been a long time since I've been involved in the process and admit things may really have changed. Traditionally, recruits would be brought in for big football game weekends, paired with an Aggie Hostess (referred to by players as "hoarstesses" and shown a good time. However, there was very little time spent explaining A&M traditions or culture. In fact, we were sitting in the cafeteria eating one day when coach Toledo walked up with a bunch of recruits, and as he opened the lid for the freezer and began proudly exclaiming that it was "all-you-can-eat Blue Bell ice cream at Cain Hall". One of the kids turned and said he was lactose intolerant, and we all started LOFAO. Regardless, this was still the golden age.

Shortly after beginning my pro career, one of the recruits I helped show around campus saw me in a bar in L.A. and we sat down and had drinks. He apoligized for his odd behavior on the recruiting trip, wanted to convey his decision that signing with Florida had nothing to do with me and said he had "just gotton a little freaked out by the whole experience at the game". Keep in mind, this former recruit is still considered a living legend & one of the best all time. After I explained all the traditions, the corps of cadets, yell leaders, "hump it" didn't translate to bromance, "we've never been licked", the junction boys, 12th Man, etc. he admitted to hating attending Florida and now genuinely regretted not signing with A&M. A few years later, I ran across another equally dominating former recruit that ended up at UCLA and told me a similar story.

Whether it's on national TV or among recruits, we have awesome traditions and an incredible story to tell. There is no doubt that winning is everything for the program, but we haven't been able to get that done in some time. By adding a few culture changes that new fans and recruits could better relate to, I think it would have a positive impact on the road back to a winning program.

AGECO95:

It sounds as if, whether culture changes happen or not, you are indicating that we don't do anything at all to try and explain the culture we do have and how it got there.

It seems that building that particular "fish-camp in 30 minutes or less" into the recruiting process is something that could be done painlessly and immediately.

Culture Change?

No university in the WORLD has changed as much as A&M in that time. It compares less and less to what it used to be every year.

No, some of you guys just want it to be like every other school in the country. Maybe keep Muster and Silver Taps. Maybe let Silver Taps go too. It doesn't matter. You hate the way A&M was and think that you know best what it should be. Well, I'm here to say that it is great today because of its heritage, not despite it.

calm down seventy, no one wants A&M to be "like everybody else", we love our idiosyncrasies, but a bit of tweaking wouldn't hurt.

No one? Really?

Well, let's see. A few demands I read on these boards the past two weeks:

Some want to get rid of the Corps, that means no Aggie Band, too. Yep, maroon unforms with pom poms on the hats marching sideways while making circles and squares. Maybe even play "Hey Jude." Wow, nobody does that! That also solves the Corps block problem.

Get cheerleaders and have a dance team for eye candy. Don't do yells. Get rid of humping it. Get a student to dress up in a rubber mascot suit. Neat idea. Original thinking.

Do away with Fish camp. And, Elephant Walk has to go, too. What's the point?

"Howdy" is a vestigage of our hick days and has to go. And no Farmers Fight yell, either. See above about yells. We aren't farmers anymore, anyway.

Need a homecoming game to help recruiting.

Some even suggesteed we need to dress differently so we look more "SEC like."

And ...


Should I go on? What's left of A&M uniqueness after those ideas become reality? Not very damn much.

First - the Corps needs to be strenghtened, and become more Red Ass, not less.

Second - frats, sororities and non-regs need to get on-board and work toward a closer unity rather than ragging on bull*****about the Corps.

Third - Student/Athletes need to mix more with the rest of the herd, and refrain from acting like prima donnas, they ain't that special.

Fourth - perhaps its time to think about an AGGIE Renaissance; there was a time when the entire University behaved as a "unit". Bonfire was not and is not the only unifying event we have or had. Is there a reason we cannot do it now?