2010 Keynote Speaker
Coach Jackie Sherrill
When Jackie Sherrill arrived in College Station to
take charge of the Texas A&M football program during the
early spring of 1982, he was recognized nationally as
one of the top five coaches in the country. Four years
later, he led the Aggies to their first Southwest
Conference Championship in forty-three years, ultimately
beating Auburn and the great Bo Jackson in the Cotton
Bowl. Under his guidance, A&M won three consecutive SWC
titles, and in 1988, defeated Notre Dame and
Heisman-trophy winner Tim Brown.
The 12th Man had long been one of A&M’s most revered
traditions, and Sherrill, against all odds, decided to
make it a reality. He believed that the 12th man kickoff
unit, formed from all-volunteer, non-scholarship
students, would be the missing link to connect his
football team with the student body. The 12th man
kickoff team became the stuff of legends. It either led
the nation in the fewest number of yards allowed on a
kickoff or finished ranked in the top five.
Because of the traditions and culture of the school,
Sherrill said, the 12th man kickoff team could have only
happened at Texas A&M. He built a winning tradition
because Sherrill took time to recruit great athletes,
understand the school, appreciate the importance of its
past, embrace its traditions, and reach out to the
students themselves.
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