Texas A&M's 12th Man Blocks Punt for a Safety; Gives Aggies Early 9-7 Lead

The 12th Man is making its presence known in the last home game of the season for Texas A&M. The actually 12th Man made his presence known late in the first quarter as well when he blocked a punt that went out of bounds for a safety that gave the Aggies a 9-7 lead.

From Bleacher Report

For most fan bases the 12th Man just refers to the fans, and while that is true for Texas A&M the Aggies take it a step further. To understand and appreciate what the 12th Man means to the Aggies it helps to know the story behind the tradition.

From Wikipedia:

The tradition began on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic where A&M played Centre College. A&M had so many injuries in the first half of the game that Coach Dana X. Bible feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. He called into the stands for E. King Gill, a reserve who had left football after the regular season to play basketball. Although he did not actually play, his readiness symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game. A&M won 22–14, but E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies.

I'm not sure exactly when it started, but each year there is a walk-on player that is selected to wear the coveted No. 12 on game days. He is a back up--often a linebacker or defensive back--that will see some time on special teams.

With the blocked punt for a safety I think it is safe to say that Sam Moeller is making the 12th Man proud today.

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