TexAgs Radio Special Edition: Aggie Muster 2020

The most important day on the Aggie calendar is April 21. In honor of Muster, we heard stories from Jordan Pugh and Brandon Leone, a tribute to Dr. Stephen Holditch, and E. King Gill's on-campus Muster speech from 1964.

Key notes from Jordan Pugh interview

• Business for us is just like it is everyone else right now. Everything is shut down and moving slowly, so everything has been virtual. We've been going over game plans on Zoom, so being able to do all of this virtually has been a blessing.
   
• I also view this extra time with family as a blessing in disguise. It's time I probably otherwise wouldn't have gotten, and I cherish it.
   
• My wife is a teacher and is on conference calls constantly with the school figuring out what the future plans are. As of what I know today for us, they are trying to get the teachers and schools back going in August. Hopefully, that is what will happen.
   
• I'm confident that everything will be back to normal by the time the season gets here. You have to keep these guys trained, though. At home right now, people can get complacent, and I'm hoping we can get the season start on time to combat that. This will end at some point, but when everything is back to normal and this all ends, will you be prepared? I think football needs to come back so that we put this behind us and focus on the camaraderie with the game. I believe getting football back will give everyone something to look forward to.
   
• If we are able to start the football season on time and if I was still a player, I would be playing. You couldn't keep me off the field. Maybe my perspective is a little skewed now that I'm retired and not playing anymore, but one thing you miss more than anything is being around the locker room and being in that atmosphere. If I were still a player and if we get this opportunity to start the season on time, I would be full-go.
   
• I tell people all the time, it is one thing to not play the game, but it’s another thing entirely to not be able to finish what you started. Looking at the baseball and basketball seasons, a lot of these players did not get to go out on their own terms. I know there are many players out there that are ready to get back and take back the game that has been taken away from them. I think, as a result, these players will have a new appreciation of their time and sport, and you'll see just how these kids respond when they get their opportunity back. It's going to be special to watch.
   
• The thing I love most about A&M is the community and the Aggie Network. What got me to commit to A&M was an A&M event in Dallas where I just saw how many Aggies were there and how active they were and how kind they were. Being out in the world and seeing Aggies now, it's the exact same thing I saw way back then. There's so much pride in being an Aggie. Seeing people walking down the street with an Aggie ring is amazing because you can strike up and conversation with a complete stranger and leave as friends. You can't do that anywhere else, and I love that.
   
• If I had to choose my favorite football memory, it would probably be when we played Texas during my senior year. It was the ten-year anniversary of the Bonfire game. Jerrod and I got to go out and experience Midnight Yell, and it was rocking. That energy followed us into the game the next day, and even though we lost, I just remember that feeling so strongly. I built community and bonds with people that day that I didn't realize until later. That is most certainly one of my favorite memories from my time at Texas A&M.

Key notes from Brandon Leone interview

• I was invited to speak at the Wharton County Muster this evening, and they’re on of the ones that can be viewed online on the Aggie Network website. I’m going to go on and do it virtually. I should begin my speech around 6:00 tonight. This will be my fifth Muster to speak at.
   
• I was bummed out that we can’t be in-person tonight. I love getting the meet and talk with Aggies. It’s so much better in person than it is virtually. But it’s still about making an impact and sharing the moment with everybody as we gather virtually.
   
• I have a speech that I’ve done, and I’ll change it up a little bit every year depending on where I’m at. For me, Texas A&M has been such a blessing for me. I’ve been blessed to work for an Aggie after I left TexAgs in 2012. My wife is an Aggie. Her whole family are Aggies. Every opportunity I’ve had since leaving Texas A&M has been a door opened or blessed by an Aggie.
   
• It’s crazy that this is the 138th celebration of Aggie Muster. I always think it’s cool that in 1903, 400 cadets marched to the president’s home to celebrate the battle of San Jacinto. It’s amazing that it’s all over the world, Aggies are getting together to talk about their time at Texas A&M. The feeling that we all get on Muster Day about being an Aggie is still alive and well in 2020.
   
• I like to talk about our core values: integrity, excellence, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service. All of these things are special to us.
   
• Feeding the Frontline has partnered with local restaurants because those owners need help during this time to feed nurses, doctors, first responders and everyone who needs some kind of help during this pandemic. That is selfless service.
   
• For me personally, when I think of Muster, other things come to mind. When I see all of the hurt that is going on in our world right now, I’m reminded that life is short and can be taken from us in an instant. Life is precious and I talk about how important it is as well as legacy and what kind of legacy we want to leave.
   
• I grew up with a pretty challenging childhood. My mom raised me and my brother by herself for a large part of our life. My dad left when I was about 15 or 16 months old. He left a trail of wreckage behind. He was mentally and physically abusive as well as a cocaine and alcohol abuser. That took a heavy toll on my mom. She ended turning to substance abuse as well. She was the sweetest woman I’ve ever met in my life, and when she was sober, she treated everyone with love and kindness. She was my best friend. She always taught us to be loving and strong and resilient.
   
• We left Texas for a while as my mom spent a couple of stints in rehab and a couple of stints in jail. We came back to Texas when I was in the sixth grade. We moved in with a man who has become like a father, Steve.
   
• I grew up a Cowboys fan, but I was also an Aggie fan. I had no choice because my brother would have literally beat me up if I watched anybody like Texas or anything like us. I watched us beat Texas multiple times as a kid growing up. I always knew if I had the chance, I wanted to go to Texas A&M.
   
• When I got to high school and my talent started to grow, things got pretty hard at home. My mom went to prison for about a year and the man that was like my dad went to rehab. I went through much of the recruiting process by myself. I was very fortunate that I had friends in Oak Ridge that supported me. I started getting some offers, but I was always holding out for that one: Texas A&M.
   
• One day, Shawn Slocum reached out to me and invited me to one of the A&M day camps. I was so fired up. Everybody outside of my mom, my brother and Steve thought I was crazy for dreaming of playing Division I football. In my heart, I thought it was finally happening. At the camp, I had an amazing day. I clocked high 4.3s and had a 36-inch verticle. I was just working so hard for this. I wasn’t a big-name recruit at the time, but some big-name guys were there like Reggie McNeal. At the end of the camp and after RC spoke to the whole group, he said he needed to speak Reggie McNeal and Brandon Leone. They said they were impressed with us and wanted us both to be Aggies. Remember, I had never been to Kyle Field. Shawn Slocum walked me out onto Kyle Field. I’m trying to be cool, but my heart is just racing. Shawn asked how I would feel about playing at Kyle Field. I was trying not to cry. He said they were going to offer me and I was going to be the only safety they recruited that year. I told him that if they offered me, it was going to be a done deal. I committed on the spot.
   
• Being at A&M was a really tough time for me because I was always with my mom growing up. The day she dropped me off, it was terrifying for me. She was still struggling and Steve was struggling too. Alcoholism is a tough disease. At the time, they weren’t the best for each other, and they were both unhealthy. I worked so hard for this opportunity, and as soon as I got here, I flushed it. I got involved in the wrong crowd and turned to drugs. I was skipping class and practices. I made some bad decision and got into a dark hole. By the grace of God, I got involved with some great teammates who were inviting me to bible studies and Breakaway. I went to a thing called After Dark, which comes to A&M from Joe White. That was the first time I had heard the gospel communicated clearly. I changed the trajectory of my life right there.
   
• After I graduated, my mom got really, really sick. During my senior year, she went into the ICU after a massive stroke. I would drive back and forth to see her. I graduated and decided not to pursue a career in football. I got a job in San Antonio.
   
• I talked to my mom on June 27th. I told her she was going to move to San Antonio with me to get her out of the situation she was in. July 1st, I moved in. As I pulled into the driveway, my uncle called. He was crying on the phone and told me that my mom had gone to be with Jesus. That was really tough. I was supposed to come to pick her up a few days later. When I first became a Christian, I would pray to God about saving my mom and asked Him to please save her because she had been through so much. She deserved the best. I got to the point where I asked the Lord that if He wasn’t going to save her, could He please take her home. After I cried and prayed that day, I had peace in my heart because I knew my prayer was answered, even if it wasn’t in the way I preferred. I refused to let that be something that made me angry at God.
   
• At A&M, I became a Christian, I learned integrity and hard work and I also found a family: the Aggie family. It has been huge for me in so many ways. I learned not to get bitter and get better. I learned to make an impact and not an impression. I am indebted to Texas A&M.
   
• Aggie Muster is so special because we celebrate Aggies that have come before us. We know that life is short. I always say to cherish your loved one and the people around you. Impact those around you.
   
• There is no telling what my life would look like without A&M. My career never became what I thought it would be. I would not trade being a reserve at Texas A&M for being an All-American anywhere else. The way that so many people have been dropped into my life because of this university, it has changed my life. I love this university.

Tribute to Dr. Stephen Holditch '69

E. King Gill’s 1964 On-Campus Muster Speech

Courtesy of Sue Owen and The Association of Former Students

2020 Texas A&M Lettermen’s Roll Call

Mr. Roy L. Angermiller '60
Mr. Winston G. Beam '70
Mr. Eugene N. Byrd '63
Mr. Bob R. Clendennen '57
Mr. D. R. Crowley, Jr. '54
Mr. James H. Dimmitt, Jr. '53
Joe D. Ecrette, Sr., LTC USA (Ret) '52
Mr. David Edwards ‘94
Mr. Raymond E. Garlington, Jr. '46
Dr. Arthur E. Garner '55
Mr. Richard W. Hickman '60
Mr. William R. Howard '71
Mr. Billy P. Huddleston '56
Mr. Samuel L. Jenkins '46
Mr. Jack Kovar ‘70
Paul J. Leming, Jr., Col. USAF (Ret) '52
Mr. Mel Mehrtens '80
Mr. Mortimer L. Mertz '45
Mr. Tom C. Morris '33
Mr. Alfred H. Ogletree '52
Dr. Norbert K. Ohlendorf '54
Mr. Richard E. Scott '50
Mr. David R. Shipman '77
Mr. Edward C. Simonini '76
Mr. Bill M. Soyars '47
Mr. Ronald W. Trammell '74
Mr. Richard P. Vick '55
Mr. William R. Wade '68
Mr. Donald A. Watson '56

Roll Call for the Absent

A poem, written in 1943, by Dr. John Ashton, Class of 1906