Gator, the exact reasons you are using for your conspiracy theory are the exact reasons this is the right game to do this for. Nobody will be at the stadium. I'm not even sure the stadium will be half full at kick off, much less for the Corps march-in.

If the Commandant comes on here and states what's going on I have no reason to not believe him.

Did you believe what was said about the cannon at face value as well? We were told all along these traditions would be included in the stadium re-design only to find out the week before the game that that wasn't true.

Now we are supposed to believe this march in plan is for increased Corps visibility (even though we pick the most obscure and earliest game) and that this idea just so happened to occur the same year we have our new stadium? The attendance inside the stadium has been what it is for years. Why the sudden change now?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I wasn't born yesterday either.

90% of the distance marched during a march in is outside of the stadium. March arounds aren't really creating any more visibility arojnd campus, they are just making the experience less cool for the cadets. Anyone who doesn't have a ticket still has a ton of locations they can watch their cadets march in from. In short... March arounds don't contribute anything that a march in doesn't.

I hated march ins as a cadet so I don't know why I even care.

Obviously conspiracy theorists abound! I've stated it before, but once again for those who "don't believe:" THIS IS A ONE GAME EVENT ONLY. You can all join me INSIDE the stadium for the Missouri and LSU games to watch the Corps march-in, just as we have the previous games this season.

I would really be curious to know just how many of the few who have complained about this "March-in on Campus" actually attend the games, and actually are INSIDE the stadium when the Corps marches in. I'm willing to bet that not many do attend the march-ins INSIDE the stadium.

Whether we marched in at 1:00 PM, 5 PM, 6:30 PM, or 9:30 AM, like we will this weekend, there are ALWAYS more people OUTSIDE the stadium than there are INSIDE the stadium. I have attended every home game for 4 years now, and have been there for every march-in. The result is always the same: literally THOUSANDS line the streets outside the stadium to watch the Corps march to Kyle Field. Nowhere NEAR that many go inside the stadium to watch the Corps march around the field, dodging footballs, then immediately exit to go back to the Quad. That became especially true when we joined the SEC and SEC rules state that once you enter the stadium, you can NOT exit. A LOT of people do NOT want to go into the stadium an hour and a half before the game, leave their tailgate with beer and BBQ, and have to STAY there, where they have to buy their food and there is NO alcohol. There have been games over the last 4 years where literally more people were on the field warming up and throwing or kicking footballs than were in the stands.

However, despite all of that, I have NO intention of doing away with the tradition of the march-in to Kyle Field. As long as I am the Commandant, we will march-in to Kyle Field for football games - despite all that I told you above. I have said before that if this Saturday's march-in on campus goes well, that I'd look at doing it again for ONE GAME again next year. But the march-in to Kyle Field will continue, despite all the "prophets of doom" who have been bemoaning the demise of the march-in after this coming weekend.

I hope this clears things up for one and all. I realize that there are some who don't agree with this concept, and I'm ok with that. I'm an Aggie, a former member of the Corps, and I understand the concern. I also respect your right to disagree. But please don't start crying that "the sky is falling" because of this one event. NOT the case at all. I would recommend that before you start raising the "Bad Bull" flag, that you come to the march-in this weekend, and watch the Corps march through campus, in front of what I'm sure will be large crowds. Go watch the Corps march up Military Walk toward Sbisa Dining Hall and then tell me thats "bad bull."

We're going to give this march-in on campus a try for this weekends game only, then will return to the march-in to Kyle Field again for the Missouri and LSU games. Period.

And for the record, the cannon IS back in Kyle Field, and WILL shoot for this weekend's game. Not sure why some are still clinging to the notion that the cannon is "gone," but its back in the southeast tower and will fire for scores this Saturday.

Thanks to all of you for your support of our Corps. I respect and appreciate your passion for the organization that we all love and care about. Gig 'em and Beat the HELL Outta ULM!

Like many have said, this is a great idea. Parents, etc., can finally see the Corps at the reviewing stand. If this became permanent, the majority would not have an issue.

As the young ones say, haters are going to hate.

Lastly, back in Ol' Army, we didn't march into Kyle Field; we marched onto Simpson instead. That isn't feasible today with tailgates, but the Corps will be right next to it. Many "traditions" have changed and they always will.

The team is doing throwback uniforms, and we are doing a throwback march-in. Seems fitting.

Thanks for your open response sir. I think it is clear based on your email that there are some questions about the viability of march-in based on the new stadium and the SEC entrance rules that you alluded to.

In your email alone this has gone from a one game event, to possibly one game next season already. The guarantee we have that march-in continues only lasts the length of your tenure. To me that leaves the door cracked and a test run having already been performed.

Meanwhile I see a cannon that is indeed inside Kyle after a couple game respite, but it is barely audible to many and on a makeshift, improvised structure, that was hardly well thought out or pre-planned in the stadium build.

I am not against informed change to traditions with sufficient reasoning, but I am against change for the sake of change. My concern is many of these decisions that us former cadets hear about appear to be made hastily against cadet's wishes and often in a retroactive manner.

In my mind the march-in to Kyle is for the cadets. If the cadets don't want to continue the tradition to march in to Kyle due to light attendance in the stands, then that is a good enough reason for me. However, I would like them to make that decision, even if it is just for one game.

As you posted, this is something you are trying out and seeing how it goes and gathering information. So if nothing else you have this former students opinion.

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However, despite all of that, I have NO intention of doing away with the tradition of the march-in to Kyle Field. As long as I am the Commandant, we will march-in to Kyle Field for football games

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The average term of a Commandant is 6 years.

In 1984 Col Burton told us that there would never be women in the Aggie Band. In 1985 women joined the Aggie Band and Col Burton retired.

In 1991 march in uniforms were changed from Class A's to Class B's, and remain mostly to this day, because for some reason it is explained it is much hotter now than prior to 1990.

The fact is sir is you will leave, and the door will be left ad-jar to a future commandant to be convinced by football facility management that Kyle Field is much too narrow now to allow for a march in prior to a game, and they'll say "you know in the past the Corps has marched around campus with much more success and fanfare."

But really that is what A&M is about, change. My dad, class of 1958, told me that in his day they marched to the gates of Kyle Field and then broke formation and ran to their seats, with no marching around the field at all.

In the 80's we marched in 2 hours before kickoff, so there truly was no one in Kyle Field at that time, except for parents and band dates

I like the idea of marching around campus. It gives an old army feel to gameday, especially with the Aggie War Hymn being played on Military Walk.

To be clear, I have never tried to speak for FUTURE Commandants. That would be really stupid for me to try and do. I clearly stated that "as long as I am the Commandant..."

I have made a LOT of changes since becoming Commandant 4 years ago, and you can bet that the next Commandant will too. I can't speak for that at this time, and certainly won't try. I will control what I can control, and right now, that means we WILL march-in to Kyle Field for home games. Just because we chose to march-in on campus for ONE GAME this season - and yes, if it goes well this year, for ONE GAME next season too - does NOT mean we are doing away with march-ins to Kyle Field. Once again: As long as I am the Commandant, we WILL NOT do away with March-in to Kyle Field for Corps March-ins, despite what all the nay-sayers claim.

As for change, its ever constant, and always will be. When I was in the Aggie Band, we marched into Kyle Field through the tunnel in the north "horseshoe." Its now gone. The Aggie Band used to stand on Kyle Field and play while the Corps marched around the track. The Band no longer does. In my day, the Corps would march-in, then break up and go to their seats. The Corps no longer does. In the late 70s, we had NO cannon. When I was in the Aggie Band, we stood on Kyle Field for Midnight Yell. The Band no longer does. The only others on the field for Midnight Yell were the juniors that "protected" the Band and the field. That is no longer the case. I could go on and on with things that have changed from MY days in the Corps to today. Change is constant, and always will be.

The cannon IS back inside the stadium, and its going to fire when the team scores. We're still working the loads to determine what works best, but you have to accept that this is NOT the "old" Kyle Field, with an open south end zone, where the cannon could be heard very clearly. Its a "closed" stadium - designed deliberately to seal in the sounds of 100,000+ fans yelling for their team, the Aggie Band playing, and a mongo jumbotron blaring music, announcements, and advertisements. Its going to be different from the old Kyle Field, and that includes the acoustics - especially after a score. We fought a good fight to get the cannon back inside the stadium. Give us time to work the details out now that its back inside, but expect that its going to be different, if for no other reason than the stadium is different - especially acoustically.

I appreciate and respect the different perspectives, and to be honest expected it when we made this decision. We ALL love our Corps, and our traditions, and ANY change to that is seen as a threat to all we hold dear about our alma mater. I hope I've made it clear that such is not the case here. Again, I can't speak for what a future Commandant is going to do, and personally think its ridiculous to try and speculate about it. I CAN control what happens under MY watch, and I WILL assure you that the Corps WILL continue to march-in to Kyle Field as long as I'm the Commandant.

Thanks again for your support of or Corps. Gig 'em and Beat the HELL Outta ULM!

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and its going to fire when the team scores

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After watching the last game... That is a big IF, sir!

Doing a little Facebook photo link testing. Not sure if this will work.

Looks like it worked. And I love the location of the band. They should be able to drown the reviewing stand in sound. I know, the band is more "technical" now and less about hitting you in the face with a side of beef

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Lastly, back in Ol' Army, we didn't march into Kyle Field; we marched onto Simpson instead. That isn't feasible today with tailgates, but the Corps will be right next to it. Many "traditions" have changed and they always will.

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I would love to hear more from Olaf about Ol Army march-ins.

What years were you in the Corps?

Any idea when the shift occurred to Kyle?

Man, I would love to see the reviewing stand on Simpson (and take Simpson back). This would also free up more time between the march-in and the game so folks can actually return to Quad, drop extra gear and gloves, pick up a date and walk to Kyle.

And the family could see the march-in, instead of running from step off to Kyle, so we can watch (through the various equipment pieces on the field) the Corps march-in.

Preach on brother.

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In 1991 march in uniforms were changed from Class A's to Class B's, and remain mostly to this day, because for some reason it is explained it is much hotter now than prior to 1990.

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I like the idea of marching around campus. It gives an old army feel to gameday, especially with the Aggie War Hymn being played on Military Walk.

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There is an error in your math.

March-ins, certainly through at least Fall 1992 (personal knowledge), and likely through Fall 1996 (recollection), were conducted in Alphas with white gloves. Bravos were never for march-ins or reviews.

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Lastly, back in Ol' Army, we didn't march into Kyle Field; we marched onto Simpson instead. That isn't feasible today with tailgates, but the Corps will be right next to it. Many "traditions" have changed and they always will.

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I would love to hear more from Olaf about Ol Army march-ins.

What years were you in the Corps?

Any idea when the shift occurred to Kyle?

Man, I would love to see the reviewing stand on Simpson (and take Simpson back). This would also free up more time between the march-in and the game so folks can actually return to Quad, drop extra gear and gloves, pick up a date and walk to Kyle.

And the family could see the march-in, instead of running from step off to Kyle, so we can watch (through the various equipment pieces on the field) the Corps march-in.

Preach on brother.

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I was mistaken. Wrong march in. BUT, we did not march into Kyle, but broke before we got in. Either way, marching into Kyle is not some sacred thing in my book.

My dad, class of 1958, told me that in his day they marched to the gates of Kyle Field and then broke formation and ran to their seats, with no
marching around the field at all.

Thanks for the map, Hollywood! I am looking forward to seeing the parade.

I like that route.

Every March-In I've made this year has seen a large crowd of people excited to watch the cadets march by on the way to Kyle Field. Last year I was in the stadium when the cadets marched through and there was always a decent number of people watching. It would be a shame to see another long held tradition be thrown away, like some of the others it is often not a single change but a gradual chipping away that eventually leaves us with nothing.

The March-Around was underwhelming.

On the northern crowds were where you expected them to be, on the south side of the MSC near Kyle Field. North of the MSC and on Military Walk it was nearly a ghost town. I would wager more people were in Kyle Field than were north of the MSC.

I feel bad for the all of those JROTC high school kids who traveled for the opportunity to march with the Aggie Corps of Cadets, since not only did they not get to march into Kyle Field with the band playing, over half of the route had nearly no people watching.

On the upside the lack of people made it easier to get moving through the route to get multiple opportunities for a photographer like myself to capture unique shots.

You have an early game
With two underwhelming teams
On the opening day of deer season
The day after Halloween/night of slooty costumes


I'm betting most students were barely awake at 1100.
I know my brother and his friend only woke up at 1045 because I had game day on and they were sleeping on the couch. They still can't get a response from several of their friends (still sleeping, just at their places).

Have to respectfully disagree with you, DB. Large crowds were exactly where we expected them to be. The smaller crowds were exactly what we expected also, given an early game and a 9:30 AM step-off. Regardless, the crowds were very appreciative, and I had MANY parents, former students, and members of the administration who really liked the march-in on campus, and offered that they hoped we would do it again.

Keep in mind that this was the first time we have done this, and as Scruffy pointed out so well, it WAS an early game and an early step-off. A friend of mine who keeps stats for the game said there were less than 50 people in Kyle Field when the Corps marched. It was EMPTY - exactly what I've seen before at every 11 am game that I've attended the last 4 years. The crowds were OUTSIDE the stadium - NOT INSIDE the stadium.

As for the JCAP students, I talked to them after the game, and they were THRILLED to have had the opportunity to march with the Corps at this game. For most, it was the largest crowd they had ever marched in front of, and to do so on the Texas A&M campus was the experience of a lifetime. They enjoyed the chance to march-in with the Corps of Cadets, and I can guarantee you that we will get many future cadets out of this group that marched today. YOU may be disappointed for them, but THEY certainly weren't.

Again, this was the first time we did this, and we learned a lot from the experience. But all in all, it was a great march-in on campus, and we got a LOT of positive feedback afterward. We will go back to marching-in to Kyle Field for the Mizzou and LSU games ( and no doubt "underwhelming" crowds), but we will probably do this march-in around campus for a game next season.

Thanks again for your support of our Corps. We may disagree, but I respect your right to disagree, and appreciate your love and support of our Corps. Gig 'em and Beat the HELL Outta Auburn!

Thank you for the reply General.

If you believed it was a success my only hope is that the march-around is something saved for "special" occasions and that the march-in still actually marches in to Kyle Field. If more exposure is needed for the cadets then reverse the route from today and have them enter Kyle Field at the end. All that is lost is an earlier step off time and a few more dents in on the low quarter taps.

On the upside, the 50th anniversary of The Flight Of The Great Pumpkin was a huge success!

I attended today's "March Around" just like I've attended the all the March Ins for quite a few years. Here are my take aways:

1) The area in front of the MSC is congested on a normal game day. Putting the reviewing stand where it was and "parking" the band where it was, completely stifled that entire area. No one could move. If you watched step off on the Quad there was almost no way to get to a place near the reviewing stand to see the pass in review there.

2) As someone with a vested interest in watching the march in, people were 3 and 4 deep and pressing in in the area in front of Rudder and the MSC. I could hardly get close enough to see.

3) Without the PA to announce the outfits, we missed out on the recognition of the outfits and who was leading them. Especially today when there were Platoon Leaders getting to lead some outfits for the first and only time, it would've been nice to hear them recognized.

4) Maybe the solution, if there is another March Around next year, will be to move the reviewing stand to the drill field side of the MSC and let the band be stationary i one lane and allow the Corps to march in the other. Also, by the time the cadets marched all the way back to the quad, then walked back to Kyle Field, it was almost time for Kick-off. I like the previous suggestion to reverse the route and go straight into Kyle. Saves time and is more efficient and clears out the most populated part of the campus on game day. I'm a huge fan of showcasing the Corps but we need to be wise about it.

I have often wondered why the march-in didn't take a longer route thru campus so that it become more of a "parade" and still finish with the traditional Kyle Field pass in review. Sounds like a few others are having that thought too.

As others have suggested, isn't there a reasonable compromise that would include an altered route around campus, as well as marching into Kyle? As the Corps is generally standing on Houston for some period of time, it would seem that a little longer, or different, route might keep them in motion. Since joining the SEC and complying with the no in-and-out rule, the march-in crowd has understandably declined. I would like to see the tradition continue, while finding a way to feature the Corps to the folks milling around outside of the stadium.

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Keep in mind that this is the VERY FIRST TIME we have done this, and no doubt there is much we can improve on IF we choose to do it again next year.

As with all other events we conduct with the Corps, we will have an After Action Review (AAR) for this event, and determine what went well and what we need to improve IF we decide to do it again next year. We have already just informally talked about the location of the Reviewing Stand, the positioning of the Aggie Band, the route, timing, crowd control, how to get the word out better, etc. We'll conduct that AAR this week, and some of you have already given me some good suggestions to consider as we look at potentially doing this again next year.

Just to remind everyone once again, however: we are marching-in to Kyle Field, as we have always done in the past, for both the Missouri game on 15 November and the LSU game on Thanksgiving night. There will be NO MORE "March-ins on Campus" this year. IF we decide to try it again, we will do it for ONE GAME again next year, and will look at ways to do it better, including some of the suggestions that some of you have provided. The March-in to Kyle Field is STILL going to continue, and this one March-in on Campus is NOT going to replace it.

All in all I thought the March-in on Campus went very well, although we can definitely look at ways to do it better if we decide to do it for one game again next year. Thanks again for your suggestions and recommendations, and for your support of our Corps.

Gig 'em, and Beat the Class of '79 HELL Outta Auburn!!

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All in all I thought the March-in on Campus went very well, although we can definitely look at ways to do it better if we decide to do it for one game again next year. Thanks again for your suggestions and recommendations, and for your support of our Corps.

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Agree. It was a very acceptable first effort. People should remember it's a process that can be continuously improved. I enjoyed seeing the HS cadets marching with the Corps. I must have been a big thrill for them.
Congratulations, General, on a vey good effort.

To avoid making a second post, I was in the second deck, 40 yard line on the West side of Kyle Field and neither saw nor heard the cannon during the game. VERY disappointing. Those whose intention it has been from the start to minimize/eliminate the cannon from the Kyle Field game-day experience may think they are winning, but this fight is FAR from over.

Now that I have thought about this I wonder if a review on SImpson wouldn't be more appropriate for something like this. Go for the whole 9 yards with the Cav and the Spirit of '02 a vehicle for the reviewing officers to review the troops in. Then after passing in review march around the MSC and back to the quad. Get the cadets to the game in time for kick off and show off a unique military experience that few get to see any more.

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I think doing something like this for visibility makes some sense, but if you modify or end a tradition, even for a game then it devalues that tradition. This can slide over to other areas and can open the door for a significant modification of traditions. When you allow the little things to slip they add up over time and the organization can lose a lot of its identity and traditions through seamingly small things. I see the cannon and this as signs of that occuring just this football season.

The question should be asked, if it makes sense for exposure and visibility to not March around Kyle this game, then why does it ever make sense to March into Kyle? The answer is tradition, but if we are willing to throw that tradition away for one game, then who is to say the next Commandant or subsequent leadership isn't willing to expand on this philosophy to more games or even all the games. I am glad we have the current commandants assurances, but those leave when he leaves. What remains are our traidtions, if we kept them strong while we had ownership and the capability to do so.

For that reason I am not for this and think you could easily add a loop around Kyle to the expanded route of March to continue a long standing tradition of Marching into Kyle and still having a longer March-in if you need visibility increased for marketing purposes. There are reasons to modify many of our traditions if you want increased visibility. I mean why is silver taps on a mid-week tuesday and late at night? Why not move it to friday night behind the chicken to gain attendance and visibility? Sometimes it is ok to keep traditions how we have always done them.

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I couldn't agree more.


Out

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Dave South, about an hour into the game, said it was something "they are considering" for the future.

I can assure you that Dave South has absolutely NOTHING to do with the decision on March-ins. NOTHING.

I have already told you what we are doing wrt march-ins ad nauseum. Won't say it again - it hasn't changed.

While there are some prophets of doom out there who are foretelling the demise of the march-in to Kyle Field, they are WRONG. I have been very straight forward in my responses here to tell you that the march-in to Kyle Field is going to continue. THAT is the truth. Period.

Let Dave South stick to what he knows best, and leave the business of making decisions concerning the Corps to those of us who get paid to do so - every day.

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Let Dave South stick to what he knows best, and leave the business of making decisions concerning the Corps to those of us who get paid to do so - every day.

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Dave South: "The Corps of Cadets is commanded by That Guy."

What IS it that Dave South knows best?






BTW, I love the guy and his enthusiasm for A&M. He just drives me insane when I only have the radio to follow Aggie games. Make him color guy and let someone else do play-by-play.

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Dave South, about an hour into the game, said it was something "they are considering" for the future.

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I've finally seen Texags come full circle when something Good Ol Dave said is used as gospel for what will happen in the future despite what people actually in charge of things are saying.

I love this place.

General, quit injecting reason and facts into this thread...you're ruining a good Texags pitchforks and torch rant!

If flight of the great pumpkin made a curtain call this year, I hope it continues. I always loved that tradition when I was a BQ.

As a c/o '98 B-Co Streetfighter, we had a great rivalry with C2 leading up to Flight and hope it comes back.

Lots of word among current cadets that march ins will be a thing of the past starting when the field is finished.