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from The Battalion, TA$M's student newspaper:

For one week during football season, "fish," or freshmen, in the Corps of Cadets walk around campus with bottle cap spurs attached to their shoes. These are known as "fish spurs," said Chris Johnson, a junior political science and history major.

The spurs are made of bottle caps usually collected at Northgate on the short alley known as "bottle cap alley," Johnson said. These spurs are removed before going in and out of buildings, but otherwise must be worn by the (freshmen) cadets at all times that they are in their uniform, Johnson said.

Johnson said the bottle caps are flattened and then attached to the shoe by being strung on a coat hanger that is bent around to make a stirrup that fits over the heel. Since the "fish" class color changes each year, so does the spur color; this year, the spurs were spray painted red. Johnson said that each fish has 54 bottle caps per spur, because with both shoes combined, that is 108 total, for the Class of 2008.

Johnson said the tradition of fish spurs began when the Aggies used to play the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

"We were 'spurring' the Mustangs," Johnson said.

Now fish wear the spurs the week before the football game against Texas Tech because the Aggies no longer play SMU, Johnson said. If A&M is outscored by Tech, the fish wear their spurs the week after the game as well," he added. He hasn't looked at the upcoming schedule, has he?

allDallasfan: if you are new to SMU or this board, you will soon learn that some of the SMU fans love to hate...no matter win or lose. True Tradition is something that most don't understand. Welcome to Ponyfans!

Maybe you missed this announcement on Sept. 1, 2004.

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU has signed an agreement with Texas A&M for a three-game football series beginning with the 2005 season.

The series will begin when SMU travels to College Station for a game on Sept. 17, 2005, and will also include games for the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. The Mustangs will again travel south in 2011 before A&M visits Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas in 2012.

”We’re very excited to add an old regional rival like Texas A&M to our schedule,” said SMU Athletic Director Jim Copeland. “Along with our move to Conference USA next season, this game is just another step towards our goal of providing a challenging, fan-friendly schedule.”

SMU will open its 2004 season Saturday, Sept. 4, when SMU hosts another old Southwest Conference rival, Texas Tech, at 7 p.m. in Ford Stadium. For tickets, call the SMU Ticket Office at 214-SMU-GAME.

I suspect that the Aggie$ will start this 'tradition' again next year. There are two teams I can't stand: the Teasips and the Aggie$. Any chance to further my hatred of them is a blessing.

Mr. Mustang, don't count on A&M forgetting about TT anytime soon and going back to the caps only for SMU...Either way, I am thrilled SMU is playing A&M next year. Good luck to both teams!

True...'bad blood' has developed between the Red Raiders and the Aggie$ in recent years.

I wonder if that is b/c TT doesn't know how to behave? We saw their true colors at Ford Stadium this year I think….

I'm one SMU fan tired of the pathetic envy displayed by SMU fans toward UT & A&M. Its almost as if they think that those two programs actually care what we think. Get this straight the SWC broke up more because of what TCU, SMU, Rice, Baylor and UH didn't do than what UT, A&M and Tech did do. The private schools had piggybacked on the public school for far too long and there were no capital improvements at any of the left behinds for decades prior to the split. Why should UT and A&M even consider playing in a conference where a school play in a dump like Ownby. You add Ken Pye's nauseating diatribe about increasing the SWC eligibility standards above the Big 12 and rest of the NCAA, Rice's historic ineptitude and the almost equal ineptitude of the TCU program at the time and you have a divorce. Alumni of SMU, Rice and TCU don't want to hear it-but it is the truth.

of subject, Stallion, is this why Baylor could be booted from big 12 (b/c they don't bring any $ to the table)

Stallion wrote:I'm one SMU fan tired of the pathetic envy displayed by SMU fans toward UT & A&M. Its almost as if they think that those two programs actually care what we think. Get this straight the SWC broke up more because of what TCU, SMU, Rice, Baylor and UH didn't do than what UT, A&M and Tech did do.

So? That doesn't mean we cannot still enjoy the pleasure of harboring disdain for all things burnt orange and cultish.

How about in 1934 when the Aggies tried to "steal" Peruna I, he got away, bolted into traffic on Mockingbird and was killed. So the PETA faction should also be anti-Aggie as well.

Stallion wrote:I'm one SMU fan tired of the pathetic envy displayed by SMU fans toward UT & A&M.

I display no envy whatsoever towards the Teasips or the Aggie$. Envy of those schools is not even in my mind. I despise both schools for reasons that are personal. The arrogance of both schools knows no end.

I despise them (a&m) also - but only becuase they are pathetic goons, 85% of which would rather have gone to UT if they only could.

Aggies and Sand Aggies you knew they'd get around to hating each other sooner or later. While certainly SMU, Rice, TCU and Baylor did not help matters due to their various problems when the SEC came calling to Ark., the fact is that Ark., UT and A&M did not attempt to pull Colorado, OU and Nebraska south to the SWC. The Big VIII had OSU, Missouri, Kansas, KSU and Iowa State who were just as pathetic back then. Had they done so, the SWC would have been stronger and better and have had a twelve team alignment. Ark, OU, CO, Neb, SMU, TCU. UT, A&M, UH, Rice, TT, Baylor. Travel would have been much cheaper and easier for all schools. It could have been a great conference. The problem was that Frank Broyles ran east without trying to see if a better deal could be forged where they were. Once Arkansas left, UT and A&M were looking out for No. 1.

Here we go….just listen to the jealousy! By the way gostang…the Aggies are successful b/c we don’t spend our time despising anyone, we simply enjoy traditions and rivalries. Maybe SMU could learn something here, or at least some of the fans could. When I graduated and was able to walk into jobs b/c of the ring on my finger, and no not the one of my left hand (which I am just as proud of) I wasn’t wishing I had gone anywhere else but TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY!

smuaggie wrote:By the way gostang…the Aggies are successful b/c we don’t spend our time despising anyone, we simply enjoy traditions and rivalries. Maybe SMU could learn something here, or at least some of the fans could.

So are you saying SMU should learn to arm it's student body? So that we can "not despise" opponents with a sword? We should enjoy the tradition of threating other people's lives?