12th Man Kick Off Team

About

The 12th Man Kickoff Team Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 2007 to provide scholarships to Texas A&M University students based on need. Coach Sherrill always knew the story of the 12thMan Kickoff Team would make an excellent book and in 2007 he called a small group of former players. They all thought it was a great idea!  One by one, they voiced their opinions that if the book was to be written the proceeds would go back to Aggies.

The Foundation is comprised of over 80 former Texas A&M University 12thMan Kickoff players,the majority who were on Coach Sherrill’s team, along with other former players of Coach Sherrill. These players, along with Coach Sherrill, are the creators of the book “No Experience Required” that chronicles the 12thMan Kickoff Team.

Board of Directors:
David Coolidge, Robert Crouch, Dennis Mudd, Barry Stevens, Sean Page, Ronnie Glenn, Dean Berry, Dana Baptiste, Mark Wurzbach, Tom Arthur, Ike Liles, Dr. John Koldus, Billy Pickard, Ray Barrett, Jackie Sherrill

History of the 12th Man
The tradition of the Twelfth Man was born on January 2, 1922, when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, the nation’s top ranked team at the time. As the hard fought game wore on, the Aggies dug deeply into their limited reserves. Coach Dana X. Bible remembered a squad man who was not in uniform. He had been up in the press box helping reporters identify players. His name was E. King Gill, and was a former fooball player who was only playing basketball. Gill was called from the stands, suited up, and stood ready throughout the rest of the game, which A&M finally won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Gill later said, “I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me.”

This gesture was more than enough for the Aggie Team. Although Gill did not play in the game, he had accepted the call to help his team. He came to be thought of as the Twelfth Man because he stood ready for duty in the event that the eleven men on the gridiron needed assistance. That spirit of readiness for service, desire to support, and enthusiasm helped kindle a flame of devotion among the entire student body; a spirit that has grown vigorously throughout the years. The entire student body at A&M is theTwelfth Man, and they stand during the entire game to show their support. The 12th Man is always in the stands waiting to be called upon if they are needed.

This tradition took on a new look in the 1980′s when Coach Jackie Sherrill started the 12th Man Kick-Off Team composed of regular students through open tryouts. This 12th Man team performed very well and held opponents to one of the lowest yards per return averages in the league.