Aggie Flashback with A&M legend Ed Simonini

Key quotes from Ed Simonini interview:

"Times change. Player change. But it is nice to be recognized."

"The whole [G.Rollie White] coliseum was rockin' and rollin'. Of course they started with the war hymn and everyone got to 'Sawin Varsity's Horns Off.' I looked up and saw the whole place rocking and sawing... that sold me. I was convinced [A&M] was the place to go."

"R.C. Slocum, he always said... for our recruiting class, they weren't looking for people who had big names; to just look for great athletes... look for someone who is athletic."

"As an 18-year-old kid, the main thing was to get out [on the field] and survive... around my sophomore or junior year is when we really started to realize that we were moving in the right direction and things were taking off."

"You know from the very start, it's about leadership and the guys at the top. When you have guys like [Emory Bellard]... you have a good feeling that this is going in the right way."

"All of the linebackers coming out of A&M have their unique style and their unique way of playing... What Dat accomplished... he stands alone. He stands on his own. I will be honest, I am in awe of him. I am in awe of a lot of the guys over the years. When you talk about Von Miller now and how his career has taken off..."

"I don't look at it as 'Who is the best?' Everybody has played in a different era, time and game. But there are great players out there. It is great to see A&M coming back and I am very proud to see the history and be a part of that."

"We were the best out of A&M at that time. I won't go so far as to say that some of the teams that came out later didn't put out some great teams and great defenses as well. You're not going to get me in to that debate, sorry! But we stand apart... we were very good at what we did."