Texas A&M University does not have cheerleaders, it has male ‘Yell Leaders’ instead. It is among the funniest (and funniest-looking) traditions in college football, and a video of the Aggies dancing to Taylor Swift at Tennessee on Saturday is the ultimate cringe.
The ‘Yell Leader’ tradition dates back to the early 1900s when Texas A&M was an all-male school. Its football team was getting blown out early and often during that era.
As a result, the female guests in attendance from Texas Women’s University would leave the game early. In an effort to keep some semblance of a male/female ratio in tact — and not lose their chance to interact with a member of the opposite sex — the upperclassmen made the freshman serve as entertainment.
To do so, they raided a janitor’s closet for outfits and started some “yells.” Thus, basically, the coveralls that have become a storied A&M “tradition” are really just the clothes of a janitor.
That’s the actual story. It’s on the school’s website.
Yell Practice became a regular after-dinner ritual in 1913, but the first Midnight Yell wasn’t held until 1931. It began when a group of cadets was gathered in Peanut Owens’ dorm room in Puryear Hall, when someone suggested that all of the freshmen should meet on the steps of the YMCA Building at midnight to practice yells. The freshman asked the two senior yell leaders at the time to attend.
The two said they couldn’t authorize the event, but they just might happen to show up. Word about the midnight gathering quickly spread, and that evening, Midnight Yell was born. When Owens became a yell leader, it became a tradition to walk back and forth.
This was because Owens’ feet were too big to fit on the steps of the YMCA Building, the original location of Midnight Yell, so he paced in order to keep his balance — and the other yell leaders joined in.
— Texas A&M University
In summation, an underclassman donning janitor clothes had giant feet and couldn’t keep his balance on stairs. That is what “makes Texas A&M so special.”
Videos of the Yell Leaders go viral on a near-weekly basis. Especially on the road. Everybody piles on with jokes and the Aggies have even tried to scrub the videos from the internet in the past.
The Yell Leaders were in full form in Knoxville for Texas A&M’s game against Tennessee. They just so happened to lead one of their “yells” during a Taylor Swift classic, which made for a hilarious video.
The Aggies ended up losing to the Vols, and the Yell Leaders were photographed leaving Neyland Stadium together. They looked so, so sad.
Texas A&M Yell Leaders are the gift that keeps on giving. It’s cool that the people of College Station are proud of their storied tradition, because it never fails to create incredible content.