There's a train a-coming: the recruiting class that changed college football



I was on the faculty at Texas A&M for 27 years and taught sociology of sports. Now my son and I are writing a book about the 1972 recruiting class and the fascinating story of the integration of Aggie sports.

That recruiting class - Bubba Bean, Ed Simonini, Pat Thomas, Jackie Williams, Carl Roaches, Garth Ten Napel, Skip Walker, Alvin Bowers, Richard Osborne, Edgar Fields, Bucky Sams, and other Aggie legends - was arguably Texas A&M's best ever. It was also one of the most important in college football history, and it accelerated desegregation in the sport across the South.

We've interviewed many of the players and coaches. We've watched the games and read the press reports.

Now we need to hear from you - the students and fans who saw it all happen.

• Were you at the game against Texas in 1975?
• Did you go to bonfire?
• Where did you celebrate afterward?
• Did you go to the airport to celebrate the big win in Baton Rouge in 1974?
• How about the near brawl with the band at Rice in 1973? Or the melee at the basketball game in Waco in 1972?

Any other interesting stories about great games, campus life or the social scene?

Drop your stories in the thread below, and let us know if you'd be happy for us to reach out for a quick interview and possibly a quote in the book.

Don Albrecht
Mathew Albrecht '03

I'm a cradle Aggie. I came into this world when my class of 1950 dad was in school. My first memory of A&M football is the 1952 Rice game. Fast forward to Thanksgiving 1976. One of my Aggie Band buds is staying with us and another is coming to pick us up to go to Austin for the t.u. game. My wife was due to give birth any time. When my BQ bud comes to pick us up, he takes me aside and tells me, it's just a football game and if anything goes wrong, you'll never forgive yourself. I took his good advice and stayed home. I'd always, from the time I was a child, knew that the birth of my son was going to keep me from seeing us beat t.u. in Austin. I was right on both counts. We beat t.u., and my son was born two days later. He kind of took the scenic route to A&M. He's class of 2018

Just one: Dec 1st,1979- we beat the sips 13-7 and a bunch of my fish buddies fired the sip's pop gun. And Dr. Vandiver gave us that Monday off

You should Call Coach Robertson "Mad Dog" D. Coordinator - Assist Head Coach under
Emory.
I was at A&M when Coach (Dad) was coaching there. Went to all the Home games and Bowls
Message me and i can get you in touch.

I don't have any great stories to tell, but I started as a freshman in the fall of 1974 so those pictures and those names are all very familiar to me and bring back great memories. I did work bonfire my freshman year.

I didn't go to the 1975 tu game. But, the following week my roommate and I went to the Big Bend area to do some deer hunting with my dad and others. There was no TV or radio reception in the remote area where we were, so my Aggie dad and another guy drove into Marathon to watch the Arkansas game while my roommate and I stayed and hunted. When my dad came back and told us the score we were sure he was kidding with us. Unfortunately, he wasn't.

Brutal.

That would be fantastic. 346 573 1008.