The Texas A&M Aggies used to build and set ablaze a bonfire every year before their annual rivalry game against the University of Texas. In 1999, the bonfire collapsed during construction, killing 12 students and injuring 27 more, some seriously. This month not only marks the 25th anniversary of that tragedy, but this weekend the Aggies and Longhorns will meet on the football field for the first time since 2011, renewing their legendary rivalry.
To mark the occasion, ESPN staff writer Dave Wilson penned this article about the halftime show of the 1999 Texas-Texas A&M game, which occurred shortly after the bonfire collapsed and featured a solemn commemoration of the catastrophe and its victims by both the Aggie and Longhorn bands.
When Wilson reached out to me a couple of weekends ago about this game, I at first thought it was a joke. It turns out he had tracked me down based on a YouTube comment I made about the halftime show many years ago. He wanted me to share some memories of the show for his article.
Although I had finished my courses and moved from Austin to Denton several months before, I was still technically enrolled at the University of Texas as a graduate student at the time of the game because I was still completing my thesis (I officially received my Masters Degree in December 1999). I got tickets to the Texas-Texas A&M game for Lori and myself through an Aggie acquaintance of mine a few months beforehand. We drove to College Station from Temple, where my grandmother and aunt lived and where my family ended up gathering for Thanksgiving that year. We were up on the third level of Kyle Field and were probably the only Texas fans in our section.
In the first quarter, the Aggies scored on an interception return for a touchdown, but then the Longhorns blocked the Aggies' extra point attempt and ran it back for two points of their own. Texas scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to lead the game 16-6 at the half.
(Texas Longhorn Band Director Kevin Sedatole) was already concerned with how to manage the rah-rah pageantry of a marching band on such a somber occasion, and he struggled to find a balance.
"The first time that we played 'Texas Fight' was weird," he said. "It felt like we shouldn't really be doing this. But there are also people saying, 'Look, we need to treat this as normal as it can.'"
But the occasion called for more than a standard performance. Sedatole and his counterparts in College Station were all friends, despite their bands being a study in contrasts. Texas' Showband of the Southwest is known for elaborate themed shows, while the Aggie Band is defined by discipline and tradition.
"All of us here have always had a great deal of respect for the Longhorn Band," Dr. Tim Rhea, the current director of the Aggie Band said. "They do what they do extremely well. And I think we do what we do extremely well. They've always been wonderful colleagues for us."
The Longhorn band came out first and ended their show with "Amazing Grace" and "Taps." At the end of the show the entire Texas band took their hats off and quietly walked off the field.
Thomas Gray of Houston, a Texas fan who said he was one of the only Longhorns fans in his section on the third deck, remembers Aggies turning around and thanking him personally.
"I felt weird accepting compliments on their behalf," he said.
In retrospect, maybe "weird" isn't the right word for me to have used because it might come across as ungrateful. The Aggie fans were simply expressing their appreciation to the Longhorn fans nearest to them, which happened to be Lori and me. But it was unexpected, so at the time I was a bit befuddled; I think I simply said "I'm glad you enjoyed the performance" or something to that effect.
Once the Longhorn band was finished, the Aggie Band came out and did their usual precision military march, which ended with them forming a big block "T" and walking off the field in complete silence. The memory I shared in the YouTube comment (and in this blog entry from a few years ago) is the same one I related to Wilson:
"It was so silent that you could hear the spurs clinking on the cadets' boots, even up in the third level," Gray said. "There have only been a few times in my life where the hair on the back of my neck stood up; this was one of them."
Over 86 thousand people were in that stadium. They were all completely silent. It is still astonishing to think about, and it's something I will never forget.
In the second half, the Aggies scored two touchdowns while holding the Longhorns scoreless. Texas A&M sealed the game when they sacked Major Applewhite and forced a fumble with 23 seconds left on the clock. The Aggies won, 20-16.
"We had the thought and memory of those 12 in our hearts and minds every single play," offensive lineman Chris Valletta, who had the names of the victims written on his undershirt, said after the game. "I hope this win can ease the pain a little bit. I personally want to send this to all of them, from all of us."
In 2013, (Texas Head Coach Mack) Brown resigned after 16 years in Austin, and once again showed his respect for the Aggies in his farewell news conference after being asked if there was anything he wished he could've changed during his tenure.
"I would want the bonfire [collapse] to not have happened at A&M," he said. "Playing A&M on Thanksgiving, I thought about the families. ... When you lose your children, there is nothing worse than that in the world. I think about that every Thanksgiving because there are 12 families that don't have a good Thanksgiving. That'll never go away."
I know a lot of Aggies, and I know how seriously they take their traditions. I know how deeply the bonfire collapse affected them. The Aggies to this day have not resumed the bonfire tradition.
I'm grateful that Dave Wilson was able to find me and allow me to share my experience of this somber yet remarkable halftime show with the rest of the world.
