Midnight Yell Practice is a Texas A&M tradition. Dianne’s and my son Mr. A., a rising sophomore Aerospace Engineering major in Aggieland, heads for College Station this weekend. This fall football season, with its return of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, probably means Mr. A’s life will include Midnight Yell.
Midnight Yell Practice was born in 1931 before the Texas-Texas A&M football game. Senior Yell Leader John Parker asked Aggie YMCA President (the “Athletic Director” of its day) Mason Cashion if the student body might gather at midnight at the YMCA building to build Aggie spirit for the game. Cashion agreed and was on hand with Parker at that first ever Midnight Yell.
This was not the first partnership between Parker & Cashion.
John Parker hailed from Sherman, TX. A 1928 graduate of Sherman High School, Parker was manager of the Sherman football team during his years as a Bearcat. Sherman played home games at the AC football stadium, named in 1924 after the sitting AC YMCA President: Mason Cashion. Cashion may have known Parker in Sherman; Parker definitely knew Cashion.
Mason Cashion left Austin College for the Texas A&M YMCA in 1927; Parker enrolled at A&M one year later. After becoming Yell Leader as a cadet, Parker was a frequent presence at Cashion’s YMCA building on the A&M campus. So, it’s no surprise that when Parker came up with his idea for Midnight Yell, he then consulted with his old Austin College contact Cashion.
John Parker was a cherished alumnus of Texas A&M. He remained an influential member of the Aggie Association of Former Students until his passing in 2000. Although he never returned to live in Grayson County, Parker still has extended family in Sherman. He is best remembered at Texas A&M for his cadet nickname: “Two Gun Herman from Sherman.”
Mason Cashion remained President of the YMCA in Aggieland until 1952, establishing roots in College Station. His son “Red” Cashion, a graduate of Texas A&M, became a beloved NFL referee. His grandson Jim Cashion was an A&M Consolidated high school teammate of AC All-American Larry Fedora. In Aggieland, folks know the name Fedora. And the name Cashion.
Mr. A. will probably be at Kyle Field around midnight this fall, practicing the nearly 100-year-old yells alongside tens of thousands of Aggies both young and old. Like many of your own kiddos, he’ll be enjoying the experience of a big-time college.
Little will he realize though, that this big Aggie hullabaloo called Midnight Yell traces its roots to little Austin College, when “Two Gun Herman from Sherman” and the namesake of AC’s “Cashion Field” reunited later in College Station to establish what might be the biggest tradition at Texas A&M.
Have a great semester Mr. A!
http://artemis.austincollege.edu/archives/lost/losts.htm
