(Battalion photo by Greg Gammon '81)


Howdy, Ags -- I'm working on a book about Aggie traditions, and I would like to ask your help!

My basketball chapter will be largely based on this story I wrote awhile back: https://www.aggienetwork.com/news/158993/aandm-students-drive-aggie-basketball-fan-traditions/

The earliest reference I have to "reading copies of the Batt to show how uninterested we are" while the opposing team is introduced is 1981. One source even claims that's when it started, is 1981 (photo above).

Do you know of this happening before 1981, or would you agree that's when it started? Are you willing to swear to it in a court of law? OK, not swear in court, but if you will, talk to me on the record and give me your name and stuff. I'm at aggietraditionsbook at gmail dot com -- I'll watch this thread for replies, for certain, but I'd want to talk with you offline and get your name and stuff in order to use it in the book.

Please feel free also to correct or add anything about the article you think is important, too -- I welcome y'all's help!

Gig them,
Sue '94

I would post this on history board you might get some more responses

Thank you!! I also wanted to add: I got this comment on Facebook awhile back, but I need some evidence if this is correct:

"The paper stunt was first done in G. Rollie White in '74-'75 school year. Coach Shelby Metcalf came up to me and asked if I could round up some folks to pass out Battalions to the student body so everyone could hold up at least one page of the newspaper while the t.u. intros were taking place. What a sight to behold! Shelby got a big kick out of it!"

I can almost hear the "bor-ing" chant

Bobinator's time with the Reed Rowdies was pinnacle of student performance. Interview him. Not kidding.

Thank you! Bobinator, i summon thee into this thread if thou art available

I remember bringing newspapers to the 1988 cotton bowl, but I was a young pup, can't help you with pre 1981.

Definitely was in place in fall of 79 when I matriculated!

'79. I was there!

Pre bobinator, there was like 15 Rowdies… and it looked more like a bad cosplay convention.

I can only say this , it was a well entrenched tradition during the 79-80 season so it wasn't started in 1981.

I'm not much help on when this started other than I don't think we were the first school to do it.

It would be kind of weird if some other school was reading the Batt

Y'all are awesome! greg.w.h, Southlake, halfastros81, could y'all email me at aggietraditionsbook at gmail dot com just for me to get your names and class years? I'd be very grateful!

The first time I saw this done anywhere was at G. Rollie White before a game against TCU. It was sometime in the late 70s or perhaps early 80s.

Pretty sure it was a thing mid 70's with Sonny Parker and Barry Davis et al. I was a kid and went to a few games in that era with my sister who was class of '78


Ask Dr John Thornton!!! Surely he knows


Or drop by Tupinamba's for dinner in Dallas and ask Eddie Dominguez!!!!

Y'all are the best. I have a 1974-75 student staff member confirming it started in 1975 WHOOP!

And what a great day!! BTHO everybody!

i'm '74. We did it while I was in school.

having said that, it might have been just a big bunch of us and not 100%.

Games were so loud and so much fun in G Rollie.

We did it 83-8? in the Holler House on the Brazos. I remember the powers that be decided it was rude and asked us to stop.

To which I say: hhhhhssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I can say "it's been going on since at least the mid-1970s" -- that should cover bases. I think what the Powers That Be objected to in the '80s was crumpling and tossing the papers everywhere afterward? And now that isn't done (as far as I know)

At Reed for a few years we'd rip them into confetti and toss it up. I think that actually started by Kansas' student section, but they super didn't like that.

So then we started having trash bags in the front row and it was like a thing where people would hold the bags open and everyone would shoot the balls of newspaper in them and then everyone would pick them up.

Sue94 said:

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I can say "it's been going on since at least the mid-1970s" -- that should cover bases. I think what the Powers That Be objected to in the '80s was crumpling and tossing the papers everywhere afterward? And now that isn't done (as far as I know)

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We definitely crumpled them and threw them on the court in the mid to late 90s.

I remember The Batt and camping out for basketball tickets in 1980 and 1981.

A frisbee was always tossed around and the Battalion was read during opposing team introductions. G. Rollie fall of '78, my freshman year.

1975 sounds about right. Dr. John Thornton and Barry Davis may know more details.

But, that gigantic bass drum and the band doing Wabash Cannonball…damn what a memory.

David Britton approves.

I am class of '77 and went to a good many basketball games as we had some fun teams in those years. I have no recollection of doing this but at this point, well, memory. Perhaps it wasn't an every game thing?

class of 78'
it was certainly going on in 75

Class of 79 here. I remember this.

Southlake said:

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But, that gigantic bass drum and the band doing Wabash Cannonball…damn what a memory.

David Britton approves.

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What's the backstory on this? I remember David Britton being hoss (or dawg I guess).

One of my favorites was "Ghost Riders".

Sue94 said:

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(Battalion photo by Greg Gammon '81)


Howdy, Ags -- I'm working on a book about Aggie traditions, and I would like to ask your help!

My basketball chapter will be largely based on this story I wrote awhile back: https://www.aggienetwork.com/news/158993/aandm-students-drive-aggie-basketball-fan-traditions/

The earliest reference I have to "reading copies of the Batt to show how uninterested we are" while the opposing team is introduced is 1981. One source even claims that's when it started, is 1981 (photo above).

Do you know of this happening before 1981, or would you agree that's when it started? Are you willing to swear to it in a court of law? OK, not swear in court, but if you will, talk to me on the record and give me your name and stuff. I'm at aggietraditionsbook at gmail dot com -- I'll watch this thread for replies, for certain, but I'd want to talk with you offline and get your name and stuff in order to use it in the book.

Please feel free also to correct or add anything about the article you think is important, too -- I welcome y'all's help!

Gig them,
Sue '94

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Class of '86 here. Lived on campus (Moses RAB) freshman and sophomore years. Yes, we read the BATT. The Police report was always humorous.

Well, as one of the originators of this tradition I can enlighten you about about it. It did start in 81. I was one of several diehard students that gathered at the entrance facing Rudder Tower prior to the doors opening. One game, I don't remember who we were playing, maybe Arkansas, we were sitting there and Shelby came by. He visited for a few minutes and told us how the Arkansas fans had given the team a hard time up there (that's why I think it may have been the Arkansas game). I'm not actually sure if he suggested something or someone, not I, came up with the idea. We ran over to the MSC and grabbed all the Batts out of the wooden boxes they were in. I remember that several games into the tradition it became an issue with wadded up papers being thrown out towards the court and the custodial staff handed out the big trash bags for those of us down on the bleachers to pick up all the papers into.
Buckey Turk 83'

buckeylee said:

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Well, as one of the originators of this tradition I can enlighten you about about it. It did start in 81. I was one of several diehard students that gathered at the entrance facing Rudder Tower prior to the doors opening. One game, I don't remember who we were playing, maybe Arkansas, we were sitting there and Shelby came by. He visited for a few minutes and told us how the Arkansas fans had given the team a hard time up there (that's why I think it may have been the Arkansas game). I'm not actually sure if he suggested something or someone, not I, came up with the idea. We ran over to the MSC and grabbed all the Batts out of the wooden boxes they were in. I remember that several games into the tradition it became an issue with wadded up papers being thrown out towards the court and the custodial staff handed out the big trash bags for those of us down on the bleachers to pick up all the papers into.
Buckey Turk 83'

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Pay no attention to those that did it in the 70's. I started it in '81!