Kyle Field - Home of the 12th Man
Photo: Oldag07, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
A stop on Texas A&M Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.
The steel wall before you is Kyle Field, one of the largest stadiums in college football. Its story began in 1904, when horticulture professor Edwin Jackson Kyle, Class of 1899, built the first bleachers with $650 of his own money. Rebuilt in 2014 and 2015, it now holds more than 102,000 fans.
The 12-foot bronze here shows E. King Gill. On January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic in Dallas, the Aggies were running out of healthy players against Centre College. Coach Dana X. Bible called Gill, a basketball player who had left the football squad, down from the stands. Gill put on an injured teammate's uniform and stood ready on the sideline for the rest of the game. He never went in, and the Aggies won 22 to 14. Ever since, the student body has stood through every game as the 12th Man, ready if called.
Just outside the stadium's north end lie the graves of past Reveille mascots, placed so they can always see the score.
Getting here: Walk northwest about 7 minutes to the north side of Kyle Field, where the tall bronze of E. King Gill stands on the plaza.
Did you know?: The November 1921 game against Texas, played here, was the first college football game broadcast live play by play.
Photo op: Stand in front of the Gill statue and tilt up to catch the stadium's upper deck behind him.
More on Wikipedia: Kyle Field · 12th man · Edwin Jackson Kyle · Dana X. Bible
Stops on this tour
- Academic Plaza - Where Silver Taps Is Held
- Academic Building - A Dome Built From Ashes
- Cushing Library - From Clay Tablets to The Hobbit
- Bonfire Memorial - Twelve Portals Facing Home
- Corps Arches - Gateway to the Quad
- Haynes Ring Plaza - The Aggie Ring Writ Large
- Kyle Field - Home of the 12th Man
- Memorial Student Center - A Living Memorial
- Rudder Tower - The Ranger Who Remade A&M
- George Bush Library - Horses Over the Wall
- Century Tree - Where Aggie Stories Begin