Vol. 4 No. 1
Year of the Aggie While Sports Illustrated recently named 1998 as the best sports year ever, the preceding 12 months could go down as the Year of the Aggie, as well. If you bleed maroon, casually clap from afar or remember your daily stroll to class more than your Elephant Walk, you still have to look at the Texas Aggies and admire what they accomplished in 1998. With all due apologies to any Garth Brooks fans out there, last year will be remembered by Aggie fans for 10 athletic events that, in some cases, reshaped Texas A&M forever. At No. 10... The signing of Ja’Mar Toombs. Had Florida State or Ohio State signed the burly fullback, where would the Aggies had landed in 1998? Maybe in a season-long funk. With a rash of injuries to their running backs and with the ineligibility of senior Tiki Hardeman, the Aggies were quaking in their cleats. Then came the Big Rumble, his 71-yard jaunt against Nebraska and eventually a Big 12 championship. At No. 9... The grit and fastball of Ryan Rupe. Coming off a potentially career-ending thoracic injury, the A&M fifth-year senior helped lead the Aggies to the 1998 Big 12 baseball title. A&M clinched the title in dramatic fashion, holding off challenger Baylor in Waco. Coach Mark Johnson’s emotions on the field following the victory over Baylor the first week of May described it all: There is nothing quite like being called "Champion." At No. 8... The Kickoff Classic game vs. Florida State. Yes, the Aggies lost the primetime matchup to Florida State. But the exposure and respect the Aggies received was immeasurable. The Aggies bagged a season’s worth of confidence in the 23-14 showing after leading 14-10 at halftime. A&M players knew they could have won that game, and then realized they could win a lot of games against some big-time opponents. Simply put, it may have been the best loss in recent A&M history. At No. 7... The Aggie men’s tennis team taking home the 1998 Big 12 tournament title. The Aggies have been competitive nationally in football and baseball, but coach Tim Cass’ team rising to No. 13 in the national rankings in just one year gives hope to all non-revenue sports that, with facilities and dogged recruiting, beating Texas and winning a title can taste twice as sweet. At No. 6... Dat Nguyen. What would any reference to Texas A&M athletics be without any mention of the Aggies’ heart and soul at inside linebacker? His career was amazing in the maroon and white, and his awards tour was well-deserved. Winning the nation’s most prestigious defensive honor, the Lombardi Award, put Texas A&M in a glowing light on a national scale. For that, Dat, and everything else you’ve done, we thank you. At No. 5... The hiring of Melvin Watkins and Peggie Gillom as the Aggies’ men’s and women’s basketball coaches. Athletic director Wally Groff made his two biggest hires since he took over the job of hiring and firing in 1993. Watkins’ Aggies won more games in November and December than A&M won in all of 1997-98. But it’s how the A&M men are playing that should have every hoop fan (hopefully there’s more than 4,000 around here) geared up for another winter sport that doesn’t involve 1-900 lines. At No. 4... Actually, there are two events under the same umbrella: The opening of Reed Arena for Aggie basketball and the groundbreaking for The Zone at Kyle Field. A&M’s physical appearance has changed so dramatically over the last year that you would have thought you were in Gainesville, Fla. or Knoxville, Tenn. With Reed Arena, the Aggies showcase a most pleasant — and surprisingly loud — place to watch a basketball game. As for the The Zone at Kyle Field, I guarantee one of the top stories for 1999 will be when the Texas Longhorns try to snap the ball out of the shadow of the north end zone next November. At No. 3... The Ricky Williams show the day after Thanksgiving. No matter how much you loathe the Longhorns, there was no mistaking the historical significance of Williams’ run to history. Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium was actually electric, and the fourth quarter of the game will go down as one of the most exciting 15 minutes in the rivalry’s history. Imagine if the Aggies had won that game? At No. 2... The weather was perfect. The maroon was out. The Huskers were in town. A magical day, for sure. In fact, Oct. 10, 1998 could be remembered as the most glorious date in A&M home football history. The Aggies merely stopped mighty Nebraska’s 19-game winning streak and beat their first top-two team, just 10 months removed from a 54-15 pasting in the 1997 Big 12 title game. With the 28-21 win over then-No. 2 Nebraska, that day could have been remembered as the single greatest day in Aggie football history had it not been for... At No. 1... Texas A&M 36, Kansas State 33. Until A&M wins its second national championship, Dec. 5, 1998 forever will be remembered as the most stunning, remarkable, spine-tingling day in A&M sports history. Maybe it was the suddenness of the comeback. Maybe it was the rise of Branndon Stewart and Sirr Parker from obscurity to celebrity. Maybe it was the double overtime drama or the shock on the faces of the Kansas State fans and players. Probably it was the fact A&M beat a top-ranked team on national television for its first Big 12 title. In the game of the year in college football, the Aggies pulled off a miracle. Yes, Aggie lore has changed completely. Right alongside the vision of Bo Jackson being stopped four times inside the 5; or Edd Hargett on the scramble; or John David Crow securing the Heisman; now sits Sirr Parker on the slant. A once-in-a-lifetime event will occur Jan. 1, 2000. But, perhaps, the play of the Aggie millennium already has come and gone. |
