Maroon & Orange

I still get excited when I see "the tower" as I drive through or past Austin, Texas. My ears still perk up when I hear the words "Mack Brown" "Major Applewhite" or "Texas Fight." It was instilled in me, handed down to me, expected of me - love and devotion for all things at the University of Texas at Austin.

But, I'm an Aggie now. A proud one. The maroon sheep of the family. Sure, I don't wear an Aggie ring and it's still hard for me to put on maroon, but, I'm no 2%. I stood in line for football- and basketball!- tickets for hours. I was involved with five student organizations on a regular basis, and I graduated from the original college - College Of Agriculture. I learned the history and the traditions. (Three out-of-state friends this past weekend were convinced I was a tour guide as a student. Example: off the top of my head I can tell you that in 1907, five freshman were told to lead yells on the field during halftime and entertain the student body while they were dressed in janitor uniforms that were found in a closet of the stadium. Did you know how the yell leaders began? Or that revielle was a mutt that a member of the corps adopted after hitting her with his car one foggy night?)

Bottomline, Texas has a lot of great universities. TCU, UofH, Southwestern...I guess you could add a few others to the list. But the two largest and oldest have ties that date back more than 117 years, that connect almost every family and literally every town that dots a map of our great state. Yet somehow, we're letting money, and pride, and a few "good old boy" athletic directors change all of that. Both sides are in the wrong, and both sides think they're right.

I won't ramble about the negative stuff of which I haven't paid close attention. But, I will leave you with a great article my burnt-orange bleeding father sent me, and 2 minute clip of the band in 1999 - after 12 aggies died at the bonfire collapse. It tells everything you need to know about this college rivalry and why it's more than just a game. Article is here, video is here.