Interesting (semi-)football story

[tamu33]

While salivating about the upcoming football season, I read this article that talks about the highs and lows of the old SWC. This was definitely a wierd event in my eyes.

Oct. 30, 1926: During halftime of an A&M-Baylor game in Waco, A&M students try to climb into a processional car carrying Baylor co-eds. A fight breaks out and senior cadet Charles Sessums of Dallas is struck over the head with a chair. A&M's quick-thinking band director orders the national anthem be played. A&M students come to attention, effectively ending the fight. Sessums, however, dies the next day. As a result of the incident, athletic competition between the two schools is suspended, and does not resume for four years.

[Brent Burns]

While salivating about the upcoming football season, I read this article that talks about the highs and lows of the old SWC. This was definitely a wierd event in my eyes.

Oct. 30, 1926: During halftime of an A&M-Baylor game in Waco, A&M students try to climb into a processional car carrying Baylor co-eds. A fight breaks out and senior cadet Charles Sessums of Dallas is struck over the head with a chair. A&M's quick-thinking band director orders the national anthem be played. A&M students come to attention, effectively ending the fight. Sessums, however, dies the next day. As a result of the incident, athletic competition between the two schools is suspended, and does not resume for four years.

I heard about that several times, and that explained why the Corps of Cadets did not march in Waco for a very long time until several years ago that the Corps finally were allowed to march on Franklin Avenue on the way to Floyd Casey Stadium. It is quite a sight to watch the Corps march.

[Campbell]

I was on that Corps trip.

Actually there used to be an old story (aggie myth perhaps) that following the death of the cadet the corps returned to College Station assembled their arms, including some field artillery pieces, hijacked a northbound train and proceeded to Waco, presumably to lay siege to Baylor. According to the story the train was stopped by the National Guard and the Aggies forced to return to College Station.

I always thought the story was untrue, but having been in the Corps I wouldn't put it past them. Either way, I believe Brent is correct that the death of the cadet was the reason the Corps never marched in Waco until the 1990s.