“The Spirit of Aggieland” is the alma mater of the Texas A&M University…..which was originally written as a poem by Marvin H. Mimms….while he was a student at Texas A&M…..when Richard J. Dunn, the director of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band at the time, composed the music. Students, faculty, and former students of the A&M sing the song at Aggie sporting events and other major events. The Spirit of Aggieland also refers to the “spirit can ne’er be told”….as many people describe Texas A&M University as having a unique school spirit that “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” It has perhaps best been stated by a former Vice Student Body President of the University of Texas at Austin, Eric Opiela, when discussing the loss of life in the 1999 Texas A&M Bonfire collapse….“I learned something tonight. For all us Longhorns who discount A&M in our never ending rivalry, we need to realize one thing. Aggieland is a special place, with special people. It is infinitely better equipped than us at dealing with a tragedy such as this for one simple reason. It is a family. It is a family that cares for its own, a family that reaches out, a family that is unified in the face of adversity; a family that moved this Longhorn to tears. My heart, my prayers, and the heart of the UT student body go out tonight to Aggies and their family and friends as they recover from this great loss. Texas A&M, the Eyes of Texas are Upon You–and they look with sincere sympathy upon a family that has been through so much tragedy this semester.”
As seen in this video herewith….“The Spirit of Aggieland” is played by the Aggie marching band and followed by the Aggie yell at halftime of the 1987 Cotton Bowl Classic between Ohio State vs. Texas A&M.
