Notable Aggies and Longhorns Open Up About the Texas–Texas A&M Rivalry’s Greatest Moments
- Jasmine I Wright
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
By Sarah Brager, Jasmine Wright and Angela Lim
What were the greatest moment in the 130-year history of the Texas–Texas A&M football rivalry? Was it Justin Tucker’s game-winning field goal in 2011? Was it the Aggies’ emotional win in 1999, just weeks after the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy? Or was it something off the field, a Thanksgiving Day memory that has more to do with family tradition and football on TV than winners and losers on the gridiron? Nearly every Texan has an answer. Texas Monthly asked a number of Aggies and Longhorns who experienced the rivalry up close to recall their own greatest moments. Their answers are below.
Tre Thomas, Texas Longhorns safety, 1993–1996
Texas–Texas A&M is a very homegrown rivalry. As players, you compete with a lot of these guys growing up and in high school—almost all of your existence. When you choose a college, it draws lines but there’s still that sense of familiarity among football players.
I remember when Bryant Westbrook knocked out Leeland McElroy during the 1995 game. The rivalry makes it fun to jab at the other side. Bottom line, A&M will always be UT’s baby brother.
Mark Berry, Texas Longhorns defensive back, 1988–1991
In my years as a starting defensive back, A&M usually got the better of us. My fifteen minutes of fame came during the 1990 rivalry game. We had A&M at home and this was for the Southwest Conference championship. We went back and forth with one another—it was a very competitive game. In the last minute of the the game, the Aggies essentially drove the ball down the field and scored a touchdown to make it 28–27, and they decided to go for a two-point conversion and the win.
On the pivotal play, I wanted them to run the ball to my side, which they did. The marquee running back for A&M, Darren “Tank” Lewis, was a big-time rock star and from Dallas, and I had to tackle him to stop the two-point conversion and preserve our lead. When I did, I became the toast of the town.
Ashley Gibbons, 2014 Texas graduate from a Texas A&M family
I grew up going to Kyle Field for football games. I went to A&M’s basketball camps. I remember when the bonfire fell; that was a huge deal. I remember having crushes on boys in elementary school and thinking, “Well I can’t like him because he likes UT.” Texas A&M was honestly the only school I was considering until my sophomore year of high school when I realized they did not have the major I wanted to study. That’s when I realized UT was more of a fit for me.
I didn’t get tickets to the 2011 game because I was a freshman, and I had been away from home since August, so I wanted to go home for Thanksgiving. My dad and I stayed up late watching, and my dad loves Aggie football. That’s number one to him. I remember it was all quiet and tense in the room and Justin Tucker kicked the winning field goal for UT. My dad just stood up, walked out the door, and turned off the lights without saying anything.
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