Aggies Legend Jackie Sherrill Named to TSHOF Ballot
The Texas A&M Aggies' long-standing traditions take many forms.
When fans aren't dressed in all maroon as they pack one of the country's biggest college football stadiums, they're greeting each other with a "Howdy" or putting a penny at the foot of Sully, one of the campus' central statues.
But one of the biggest traditions known by programs across the country is the Aggies' 12th man — an 100-year-old story that saw Texas A&M sophomore E. King Gill suit up for a football game after a string of injuries threatened the Aggies' game eligibility.
And while the legend is forever cemented in Aggie lore, one man took took the helm of Texas A&M football and brought the tradition to life more than anyone had before.
He was Jackie Sherrill, the Aggies' coach and athletic director from 1982-88.
Sherrill was named to the Texas Sports Hall-of-Fame Ballot Thursday for the 2024 class, joining other sports figureheads like Houston Astros second-basemen Jose Altuve, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, who will be inducted posthumously.
Sherrill left his mark on Texas A&M during his seven-year tenure, leading the Aggies to a 52-28-1 record, including three straight Southwestern Conference championships.
The Aggies went on to win two of their three Cotton Bowl appearances, including a victory over Auburn and its Heisman-winning running back, Bo Jackson.
But aside from wins, Sherrill also established the 12th Man Kickoff Team — a way to continue the long-standing tradition that set the Aggies apart.
His proposed team was set to be made up of Texas A&M students that weren't on scholarship, even advertising the tryouts to be for students with "no prior experience."
"I knew that I could find, out of 40-some-odd thousand students, 11 guys that would cover kickoffs, but have no regard for their body and be tough as nails," Sherrill said. "I just knew it would work."
Sherrill was right. In the five years of its existence, his kickoff squad only allowed 12.5 yards per return on average, leading the country twice and finishing top five the other three times.
"I don't think the decision was widely accepted by the scholarship players," kickoff squad member Tom Bevans said. "There was a lot riding on us, a bunch of guys who had no business being out there. But coach had so much trust in us."
Sherrill's legacy was built on the trust he had in his players, but if that — paired with the sheer amount of success he had on the field — wasn't enough for him to be beloved by Aggie fans everywhere, it was his long-standing dislike of the Aggies' bitter rival Texas Longhorns.
Back when Sherrill was the coach of Mississippi State, he decided to use a rather unconventional method of motivating his team prior to their matchup against the Longhorns, castrating a bull on the practice field a week before the game.
"The whole story came when I asked our players what a steer was and none of them knew what a steer was," Sherrill said. "[It was] educational. That was probably the biggest reason."
His unprecedented practice received some backlash, but when asked about it, the coach kept it simple:
"We didn’t do anything inhumane to an animal," Sherrill said. "The calf is standing in living color today going about his business. Let me put it this way: I don’t think that calf was embarrassed."
The former Aggies coach brought his unconventional attitude to College Station, and with it, found success. In short, he brought the meaning of the 12th man to life and gave Aggie fans a newfound sense of hope in their football team.
That wasn't without controversy, however.
At the end of his stint with the Aggies, Texas A&M was placed under a two-year probation following accusations of improper employment, extra benefits, unethical conduct and lack of institutional control. The coach wasn't found guilty of any infractions personally, however, though he did resign from College Station after the incidents.
Sherrill was inducted into Texas A&M's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 for his accomplishments in Aggieland, but now that he's 24 years removed from his role with the Aggies, he's set to be recognized on an even larger scale, which Texas A&M fans will have no problem with.
Voting for the Texas Sports Hall-of-Fame begins July 17 and runs until August 17, with the official announcement coming in the fall.
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