Former Faces Of Lone Star Rivalry Weigh In On Aggies-Longhorns Meeting In SEC
For now, Texas A&M can consider itself as the Southeastern Conference's crown jewel in the Lone Star State, but all that changes come this time next summer.
Among multiple points of interest found at SEC Media Days was the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma to the conference come July 1, 2024. Some believe that the move by the two Big 12 flagships is nothing more than a cash grab to up the annual revenue of a new conference.
Others believe the move will stamp the conference as the NCAA's best factor of teams moving into a new era of college athletics.
“You have two great programs that have great traditions [and] and have great fan support,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. “I think it continues the map of the SEC that is stronger than ever. I think the competition is going to be even more challenging.”
The Lone Star Showdown was a staple in Texas since its inaugural game in 1894. Fans from both sides would bustle their cars across the state for a Thanksgiving feast often found inside parking lots outside Kyle Field or Royal-Memorial Stadium to watch the two most prominent programs due battle to kick off the long holiday weekend.
The rivalry ceased once Texas A&M and Missouri left for the SEC in 2012. Playing in-state foes is common among programs that do not share conference lines. Clemson and South Carolina meet despite playing in the SEC and ACC. The same goes for Kentucky and Louisville or Florida and Florida State, or even Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Older fans have clamored from both sides to lay down their differences and bring back the rivalry. Come next fall, the two sides end their 13-year hiatus to meet to settle the score at Kyle Field.
"It’s great for the state, there’s a lot of pride in both schools," former A&M quarterback Gary Kubiak said last week at the 91st Annual Texas High School Convention & Coaching School in Houston. "I was a kid who grew up in that rivalry and was a part of that. I just think it’s really good for the state, I’m looking forward to seeing it happen again and hopefully, it will continue to happen for a long, long time. [It’s] two great schools, a great rivalry, two great programs and a lot of people go to work every day taking a lot of pride in where they came from.”
The state of the rivalry is mixed these days among the older folks who have fond memories of the series and the newest alums that don't have the same connection. It's from both sides, too. The millennials and Gen-Z crowd in Austin view Oklahoma as Texas' prime rival. In College Station, Alabama and LSU often come up in conversations as the "team to beat."
Kubiak, 61, a former A&M standout from 1979-82, knows what the rivalry entails. During his time in College Station, the Aggies went 2-2 against the Longhorns, with Kubiak playing a vital role in the 1980 matchup that culminated in a 28-14 win at DKR.
Families are made on the foreground of the Lone Star Showdown. Kubiak, who later on would lead the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl title as head coach in 2016, has ties on both sides of the fence. His brother-in-law, David Pierce, currently serves as Texas' head baseball coach. Multiple nieces and nephews have attended both universities as well.
"I just have great respect for both schools and what they do," Kubiak said. "And I look forward to seeing them tee it up again.”
Kubiak was one of several prominent names with ties to the series that spoke last week in Houston. Mack Brown, the last coach to lead Texas against A&M, was another.
Brown, who enters his fifth season in a second stint with North Carolina, had a front-row seat to the 2011 27-25 upset at Kyle Field. Justin Tucker's game-winning 40-yard kick secured bragging rights for a decade-plus in Austin. It also ended the impact of what the rivalry meant for the state in more than just recruiting.
"It’s one of the best games that I’ve ever been involved with and because it’s all about the state of Texas, it highlights high school players in the state of Texas," said Brown. "And it also highlights high school coaches in the state of Texas. Football in this state is unbelievable, high school football.'
A native of Tennessee, Brown's ties to Texas are based on employment, not ego. As the Longhorns' head coach, he navigated through a pair of rivalries each season with the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and later the in-state spectacle played during the holidays.
One thing Brown noticed as differing factors in the rivalry was the fanfare dynamics. When playing OU, the stadium was often split down the middle with little integration. Against A&M, colors meshed in the stands, symbolizing that while foes were on the football field, all sides were still Texans first.
"I just think it was one of the coolest things to see that many families joining together," Brown said of the series. "And to show you the power of it, my family used to watch the Texas-Texas A&M game on Thanksgiving when we were kids and I didn’t have any affiliation at all, but the game means that much. One thing I hate about realignment is we’ve lost some great rivalries and I hope this one gets back together.”
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