“Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then
It’s a love without end, amen.” – George Strait
George Strait played Kyle Field this Father’s Day weekend. Nearly 111,000 saw the highest attended concert in U.S. history. The event was also the largest in Kyle Field history. At 119 years, Kyle Field is one of the oldest stadiums in Texas.
Today, Kyle Field is football only (plus the occasional visit from George Strait). But at its birth in the spring of 1905, Kyle was an athletic park for all sports. Its grand opening took place in April of 1905 as the new home of Aggie baseball.
After a Kyle Field series against the Texas Longhorns on April 14-15, Aggie baseball hit the road to take on the Roos in Sherman. That A&M team, managed by Professor Edwin J. Kyle himself, returned to Kyle Field for a two game homestand against Austin College on April 28-29. It’s likely that the April 1905 Aggie-Roo baseball game attendance did not exceed George Strait.
George Strait sings about fatherhood in his song “Love Without End, Amen.” Fathers know that while fatherhood might not be what we most write or talk about, it will still be the most important thing we ever do. When released during my sophomore year at Austin College, the song spent five weeks at #1 and became (at the time) Strait’s biggest hit ever.
My own son Mr. A. is now a sophomore in his college years. His school of choice is Texas A&M; he’ll be living in the shadow of Kyle Field this fall. Mr. A. will also be enjoying the return of the UT-A&M rivalry this November, now that both schools are once again conference rivals. That rivalry is an historic one, with Kyle Field roots stretching back to April of 1905.
Annoying Dad that I am, I’ll be sure to remind him that after the Horns his Aggies then departed for Sherman and returned to Kyle Field host Austin College. That will surely elicit eye rolls as well as inquiries. “Dad, what’s up with all the Marc love for little AC?”
I’ll look him right in the eyes and reply with my best rendition of the King, Mr. George Strait. “Son, let me tell you a secret about a father’s love.” A Happy Father’s Day to all.
https://insitebrazosvalley.com/arts-culture/history-kyle-field-growing-stadium-since-1905-mp-1
