Elijah Robinson got chills from Texas A&M's 12th man kickoff team

Elijah Robinson couldn’t believe his eyes. In Texas A&M’s 38-10 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday, the interim head coach honored Texas A&M’s walk-on players by allowing them to man the Aggies’ kickoff team for one play.

The rag-tag group, known as the 12th Man Kickoff Team, rushed down the field in the fourth quarter like a pack of wild dogs. The group smashed into Abilene Christian’s returner, forcing a fumble. Kyle Field erupted, showering praise down on the unlikely group.

At a press conference on Monday, Robinson reflected on the storybook moment.

“That’s what it’s all about, man. How awesome was that?” Robinson said. “Those guys will remember that for the rest of their life. I’m sure their family will. I’m sure the crowd will. Twelfth man, to me, is what it means to be an Aggie. That showed it right there.

“Those guys had the time of their life. I loved the fact of seeing how hard they played, how fast they ran and then to watch them celebrate — man, that was that was special. It put chills through my body when I watched it.”

Robinson isn’t the first Texas A&M head coach to feel a rush of pride watching the 12th Man Kickoff Team. Former head coach Jackie Sherrill created the team in 1983 as an all walk-on unit to provide kickoff coverage.

He publicized the idea in the school newspaper, with a simple message: “Persons interested in trying out for the Twelfth Man Kickoff Team need to report to the Kyle Field Dressing Room on Monday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. No prior experience is required.”

Sherrill later discussed his thought process behind the out-of-the-box idea.

“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.”

Texas A&M loves its tradition

Not did it work, it’s become a storied tradition in College Station. Although the program no longer uses an all walk-on unit for its kickoff team regularly, it still embraces the 12th Man. Every season, the team selects a walk-on who wears No. 12 and participates on special teams.

Senior defensive back Sam Mathews is the 12th Man this year. However, Robinson wanted to find a way for all the team’s walk-ons to get involved.

“On Senior Day, I was trying to figure out how we could get as many seniors out there as much as possible, especially the guys who come out here every day,” Robinson said. “They’re on scout team, they get no recognition, they don’t get to play. How could we get those guys an opportunity to go out on the field? They’ll never forget that.”