CREDITS EDITOR: Steve Miller GRAPHIC DESIGN: Bill Bridgeforth, Bridgeforth Design PHOTO CREDITS: Glen Johnson, Texas A&M Athletics; ESPN; Shawn Price, Texas A&M Athletics; The Heisman Trust; NFL; WNBA; Bill Kallenberg; Steve Dykes; Wom- en’s Basketball Hall of Fame Special thanks to Matt Simon and Jon Lee of 2AggieAthletics.com who originally compiled the content for an online tribute entitled Year One: Texas A&M’s Journey Through the Inaugural Season in the SEC. Howdy! An NCAA Championship, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament Championship, AT&T Cotton Bowl Championship, and a Heisman Trophy were just a few of the highlights from Texas A&M’s inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference 2ur student-athletes ŵlled the SEC Academic Honor 5olls and nearly graduated with degrees from our prestigious 8niversity 2n and off the ŵeld, courts, and pool, our student-athletes exceeded expectations and provided us memories for a lifetime. Texas A&M has been the talk of the nation since we raised the Ŷags of our new SEC family on July , 2012. The exposure our University received in the past year has been record-setting, while also provid- ing tremendous beneŵts in recruiting student-athletes and new supporters of Texas A&M Athletics and our 12th Man Foundation. One of the goals when our University joined the SEC was to elevate and enhance the Texas A&M brand. Through the efforts of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and supporters, we have done that more successfully than most could have imagined. Along the way, we embarked on the redevelopment of Kyle Field. This $450 million endeavor could not be possible without the shared vision and shared sacriŵce of so many. Enclosed is a look back at the achievements from the historic 2012-13 athletics season. It is a special time to be a part of Texas A&M Athletics and the 12th Man Foundation. We thank each and every one of you who played a role in our special Year One in the SEC. Gig ’em! Eric Hyman Skip Wagner Director of Athletics President, 12th Man Foundation 3 © 2013 Texas A&M Athletics. Printed in the USA. 4 Year One Texas A&M’s Journey Through the Inaugural Season in the SEC Texas A&M’s move into the Southeastern Conference has often been called the “100-Year Decision.” It was a decision that carried great magnitude and would shape our culture for generations to come. Year One of this 100-Year Decision has been simply remarkable. With a national championship, several conference championships, a Cotton Bowl victory, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, and numerous All-Americans, the Aggies’ ŵrst trip through the SEC gauntlet was nothing short of extraordinary. The story of the 2012-13 season will be told forever as a beloved piece of Aggie tradition. Here is the story of our historic ŵrst season in the SEC. 5 6.30.2012 A New Leader in Aggieland With a new conference also came a new athletics director. One day before ofŵcially joining the Southeastern Conference, President 5. Bowen Loftin hired former South Carolina AD Eric Hyman, a man with proven success in the SEC, to lead the Aggies into the Conference of Champions. “It is a tremendous honor to lead Texas A&M into this new era of the SEC.” 6 — Eric Hyman, Director of Athletics, Texas A&M University Following months of anticipation and excitement, the day so many Aggies never thought would arrive ŵnally came. July 1, 2012 will forever be known as the day the Aggies joined the ŵnest conference in collegiate athletics. The wait is over. sociation of American Universities (AAU). The SEC now has four schools that are part of the AAU, as the two new members join As of midnight today, July 1, Missouri and Texas A&M ofŵcially Florida and Vanderbilt. became the 13th and 14th members of the Southeastern Confer- ence and will enjoy full league membership immediately. It is the This marks just the fourth time in the history of the conference that ŵrst expansion of the SEC membership since Arkansas and South the SEC has expanded its membership. In a landscape that has Carolina joined the conference in 1992. seemed ever-changing in recent years, the SEC has exempliŵed stability, as 10 of its original 13 members remain. Missouri was a charter member of the Missouri Valley Intercolle- giate Athletic Association in 1907, which became the Big Six Con- The SEC began as a 13-team league until Sewanee’s departure ference in 1964, the Big Eight Conference in 1964 and the Big 12 from the conference in 1940. After Georgia Tech’s move to inde- Conference in 1996. pendent status in 1964, the league had 11 members before Tulane departed in 1966, leaving the SEC as a 10-team conference for Texas A&M was a charter member of the Southwest Conference more than two decades. during its formation in 1915. Current SEC member Arkansas was a fellow SWC charter member until its move to the SEC in 1992. Fol- At the start of the decade of the 1990s, a similar shift in conference lowing the dissolution of the SWC in 1996, the Aggies have been a alignment allowed Arkansas and South Carolina to join the SEC. member of the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. The beneŵts have been nothing short of outstanding. Both Missouri and Texas A&M are among the select group of — Sean Cartell, SEC Digital Network public universities invited to membership in the prestigious As- 7.1.2012 7 7.2.2012 SEC Flag Raising Ceremony A ceremonial SEC Ŷag-raising was conducted outside the Texas A&M University McFerrin Athletic Center adjacent to Kyle Field on the morning of July 2 to commemorate the entrance of the Aggies to the SEC. Texas A&M President Dr. 5. Bowen Loftin and Interim Director of Athletics Dr. John Thornton gave opening comments. Flags of the 14 8 SEC institutions were raised on the Ŷag poles in front of the McFerrin Athletic Center by Aggie student-athletes representing the 20 intercollegiate sports sponsored by Texas A&M. 7.12.2012 A FRESH LOOK adidas and Texas A&M unveiled new Lone Star TECHFIT football uniforms for the Aggies’ debut season in the SEC. Inspired by the team’s jerseys from the 1970’s, the Aggies’ new look pays homage to the rich tradition of Texas A&M football and celebrates the bright future in College Station. “Our team is really excited about the new uniforms for the upcoming season,” Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. “adidas has done a great job of developing a uniform that pro- vides a look that blends our great history and tradition, with a modern look that our players and recruits will really like. We are looking forward to wearing them this inaugural season in the SEC.” 9 ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY COMMERCIAL SHOOT Earlier in the year, thousands of Aggies world- wide logged on to vote for ESPN’s College GameDay to ŵlm a commercial on the campus of Texas A&M. Aggies have developed a repu- tation for never losing an online poll, and they did not disappoint on the biggest stage. Fans from 120 FBS schools battled for their opportu- nity to bring the College GameDay commercial shoot to their campus, but it was the Aggies who proved victorious. Fast forward to July, ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, Sa- mantha Steele and Tom 5inaldi all made the trek to Aggieland to ŵlm their College GameDay commercial. In 100 degree heat, thousands of Aggies ŵled into the student section on the East 10 side of Kyle Field to help recreate the Midnight Yell atmosphere we are accustomed to seeing here during Friday nights in the Fall. 8.15.2012 Manziel Named Starting Quarterback Following a tightly-contested battle, Kerrville Tivy product - and Texas high school football legend - Johnny Manziel was named starting QB by head coach Kevin Sumlin. “Johnny has performed the best at this stage, and we “My policy is will proceed until the season opener with him getting the ŵrst-team reps,” Sumlin said. “My policy is simple simple really; the really; the best player plays. Competition is a great thing and we need more competition at all of our po- sitions. All of our quarterbacks have competed well, best player plays.” and I expect them to continue to push Johnny.” — Kevin Sumlin, Head Coach Sumlin’s decision to tab Manziel, a redshirt freshman, as the man to lead the Texas A&M offense against the vaunted defenses in the SEC sent shockwaves through the nation. Stories and opinions poured in from across the country. Little did anyone know the true ramiŵcations of the choice made this day during Fall training camp. #LONDONAGS2012 A total of 23 athletes and two coaches with Texas A&M ties participated in the London Games. 5epresenting 15 different countries, Aggies saw action in four different sports - swimming and diving (12), track and ŵeld (), archery (2) and basketball (1). Current Aggie women’s swimming head coach Steve Bultman was on the Team USA staff and swimming letterman 5ick Walker. 11 8.21.2012 First Game as a Member of the SEC The 14th-ranked Aggie Soccer team led Texas A&M into competition as members of the SEC as they traveled to California for a pair of matches at UC Irvine and San Diego. Sophomore Shea Groom contributed two assists as the Aggies opened the 2012 season with 2-1 victory over UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium.