In April of this year, TexAgs and Texas FilmWorks announced the documentary “Breaking Tradition: The Hugh McElroy Story”.
Now, “Breaking Tradition” will make its public debut, sponsored by The Association of Former Students, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Rudder Theater on the campus of Texas A&M University.
With the premiere set for 7 p.m. CT, and tickets are on sale NOW through the MSC Box Office.
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the rest of the public.
“I’m really proud of the work that our team has done in bringing this beautiful story to the screen,” TexAgs and Texas FilmWork CEO Brandon Jones said. “We set out with a plan to tell Hugh McElroy’s story but ultimately went in a much deeper and richer direction than originally expected. For the public to finally see this touching and inspirational film is something we are very much excited about.”
The film explores the life of Hugh McElroy ’71, a Texas A&M University student-athlete in the 1960s who chose a different path from his family's military legacy amidst a period of cultural shifts.
“I wonder how the public will perceive the title ‘Breaking Tradition,’ and I’m wondering if they will think it’s about breaking a color tradition or breaking tradition with my family’s military history,” McElroy said. “The mention of them juxtaposed on one another doesn’t have to be either or. It can be all-encompassing. While each thing can be true, neither excludes the other from being true as well.
“If you were a product or of reasonable age during the birth and height of the civil rights movement, then you probably view it from one perspective. I’ve told that life story to a couple of friends of mine who were either military or members of the Corps, and they view it from another perspective.”
Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, “Breaking Tradition” spotlights McElroy's courage as he navigates a period of significant change at Texas A&M. The film relives the moment when McElroy caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Baton Rouge in 1970 — a defining play that also marked a personal triumph over traditional expectations and experiences that Hugh and other athletes had on campus, and Hugh’s touching relationship with his grandfather, Hugh G. McElroy.
Through a blend of interviews, archival footage and expert commentary, the film paints a vivid portrait of Hugh’s commitment to his own ideals and his impact on the Bryan-College Station community. “Breaking Tradition” is a powerful exploration of how one person’s choices can resonate and catalyze change within a larger community.
“I have family members who didn’t know the whole story, and it wasn’t necessarily about the military as much as it was the interaction between me and Grandpa,” McElroy said. “Hopefully, that means it will be appealing to more people because there are more vantage points from which to view it and find something satisfying in it.”
The team at TexAgs is excited to invite the public to see this inspiring story!
“Breaking Tradition” Premiere Details
- When: Wednesday, October 23, at 7 p.m.
- Where: Rudder Theater on Texas A&M’s campus
- Tickets: MSC Box Office
- Students: $5
- Regular: $10
