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Posted
1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

It was the year that convinced me that playing them was not worth it anymore. They absolutely cannot act like rational human beings when it comes to us. Our benevolence was met with hostility.

There was no way we could have won the bonfire game, on the field or otherwise. They are classless, juvenile trash.

This morning I was listening to a local Dallas station do their bit on aggy wanting to bring back their bonfire and the news casters were talking that aggy is now 35,000 over where they were when they did their stunt in 1999.

35,000 over where they were.

How does anyone figure that those kids care about the bonfire, the silly aggy band, or any number of 1990's aggy things.

A&M received 43,422 applications and they took 27,203 freshman students. Astonishing. https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/how-to-get-into-texas-am

UT Austin only admitted 38,250 in all undergraduate disciplines. 

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Randolph Duke said:

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

 

talkiebird prime.jpg

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Posted

"Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be."

image.png.8f27fd1b8aae13911d82ac96adaf199d.png

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Posted
15 minutes ago, statsman said:

I remember hearing that the largest hirer of SHSU grads is Alamo Rental Car.
 
The Sewell car dealerships like to hire Aggies, though. 

So does Buc-ee’s 

Posted
They'll force the construction firm to hire students and have all their people wear overalls and put those stupid "pots" on their heads.
And the jizz jars will show up in the first week of the entire endeavor. 

They’d just pick a firm full of ex ags or whatever they like to call themselves.
Posted
4 hours ago, Randolph Duke said:

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

How do you know the 27k FNGs don't wanna be redass, nut-squeezin, jizz jar fillin' yokels? It's turdition or their applications would've been denied.

Posted
6 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I've got to think at least half of aggy's 29 were in meat judging.  Amirite?

Don’t forget “equestrian” and “shoving arms up cow asses”.

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Posted

Wikipedia lists 21 SEC conference championships, plus four more division championships.

Men's

Basketball - 1 reg season

Baseball - 1 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season, 2 tourney

Outdoor T&F - 1

TOTAL - 6

 

Women's

Basketball - 1 reg season, 1 tourney

Soccer - 2 reg season, 3 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season

Golf - 1

S&D - 4

Outdoor T&F - 1

Volleyball - 1

TOTAL - 15

 

We will pass them in five years or less.

Posted

Wait, they count regular season and tourney championships separately?  So winning out in Soccer counts twice as much than an SEC championship in football or volleyball?  Forgive my ignorance here...

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Posted
45 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Wait, they count regular season and tourney championships separately?  So winning out in Soccer counts twice as much than an SEC championship in football or volleyball?  Forgive my ignorance here...

In sports where they have conference tournaments, there are trophies awarded for both the regular season and the tournament. It's that way in all conferences.

Posted
22 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

I wonder, just to take it up a notch, if they can incorporate guns into the bonfire tradition?

Depends what type of "gun" you're talking about.  If they did it the Steel Shank way, they'd incorporate pipe laying into their traditions, amiright?

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Posted
16 minutes ago, South Austin said:

It's really not fair.  This guy is like the John Wooden of meat judging.  

Register the handle "Meat Pimp" snd send him the password. This neeeds to happen.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Tex Long said:

Register the handle "Meat Pimp" snd send him the password. This neeeds to happen.

didn't someone here say they know his family? or live close to his parents/know them?

Posted
17 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

@GreenspointTexas

He gets together with the Meat Pimp's dad on the regular and they compare paychecks or some shit.

Meat Pimp’s dad is a murse?  Man, no one mentioned that meat pimp was one of them ultra wealthy dudes on top of his natural talents. 

Posted
9 hours ago, TrashMaster G said:

Wikipedia lists 21 SEC conference championships, plus four more division championships.

Men's

Basketball - 1 reg season

Baseball - 1 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season, 2 tourney

Outdoor T&F - 1

TOTAL - 6

 

Women's

Basketball - 1 reg season, 1 tourney

Soccer - 2 reg season, 3 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season

Golf - 1

S&D - 4

Outdoor T&F - 1

Volleyball - 1

TOTAL - 15

 

We will pass them in five years or less.

We’re gonna pass them by NSD 2026

Posted
29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Someone tell Elko that's not how the roller coaster works.

The aggy roller coaster is the only roller coaster strong enough to get that tub of lard off the ground.

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Posted
4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

The Elk has confessed to his audience, after the first aggie scrimmage, that things are ... not so great right now.

https://247sports.com/college/texas-am/longformarticle/texas-a-m-football-notebook-aggie-coach-mike-elko-says-team-remains-a-work-in-progress-230249778/#2404181

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

Spoilered the full article in case the link is subscriber only:

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko covered a variety of topics in his mid-spring press conference Wednesday. Here are five highlights from what he discussed with the media.

The Aggies are still a 'work in progress'

A&M is beyond the halfway point of spring football, completing nine of its 15 practices so far. The Aggies also held their first spring scrimmage Tuesday. But in his three spring football press conferences, Elko has seemingly refrained from giving many revealing takeaways.

Elko does not appear to be playing coy with his answers. He has simply suggested that his Aggie team remains far from a finished product, describing them as a "work in progress." With a new coaching staff and 30 scholarship newcomers this spring, A&M certainly has a learning curve.

"Every time our kids are going out on the field, they are doing something for the first time," Elko said. "I think that is always a challenge, and that is what makes the first spring so challenging. Very happy with our guys in terms of their mindset, how hard they are working, the things that they are doing to try to get this thing in the right direction. 

"We have managed to stay relatively healthy, which is huge, and getting a lot of guys out there and getting a lot of reps and a lot of work."

With six practices remaining, the Aggies should only continue to progress and have a better understanding of the scheme and depth chart. They are expected to have two more scrimmages this spring – one next Tuesday and the other for the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field next Saturday.

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

QB Conner Weigman is not exactly cemented as the starter

Going into the spring, Elko named redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman as his starting quarterback. However, that label should not be considered permanent. If quarterbacks Jaylen Henderson or Marcel Reed outperform Weigman in practice, they could conceivably leapfrog him on the depth chart. At least, that is how Elko seemed to describe the situation.

"Just because you go in the spring as the number one (quarterback), that does not really mean anything other than your number one going in the spring," Elko said. "Conner had earned that right, we felt like from how he had performed. But like every kid in our program, competition is there. So Conner knows there is a level of play that he needs to reach in order to continue to be number one and be number one when we play Notre Dame."

Weigman began last season as the top option and impressed in his four starts. He completed 68.9% (82 of 119) of his passes for 979 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 12 carries into 63 yards and two scores.

However, Weigman remains limited from the season-ending left foot/ankle injury that he suffered against Auburn last September. He has been practicing with restrictions throughout this spring.

"He is not 100%," said Elko of Weigman. "He is not going to be 100% coming out of spring. He is still recovering from the ankle. So he is able to go. He is a tough kid, and it is a testament to him that he understands how important it is to get these reps."

After what they showed last season, Henderson and Reed appear to have the talent to push Weigman in the coming months.

Henderson started the last four games last season, though he permanently exited the TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State early after going down with a right arm/elbow injury. In his three full starts combined, Henderson completed 67.5% (52 of 77) of his passes for six touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 40 carries into 97 yards and two scores.

As a true freshman last season, Reed initially served as the fourth-team quarterback. But he replaced Henderson in the bowl game and shined, completing 20 of 33 passes for 361 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 29 yards and a score on 10 carries.

"Jaylen Henderson is getting a little bit more and more comfortable functioning within the system," Elko said. "He is obviously extremely athletic. He does have the ability to throw the football well. Just seeing the game and getting the game to slow down for him a little bit so it can be a little bit more consistent, the way he delivers the football, I think would help. 

"Then Marcel Reed as a young kid – and you saw it in the bowl game. I think he has really high potential. It is very similar, though. It is, can we get it to be out there every single play? A little less peaks and valleys and a little bit more consistent execution and operation is what we need to get."

New transfers who have stood out this spring

A&M has landed 24 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, and only three of them are not on campus yet. After fielding a question about who has stood out among the new transfers, Elko initially dodged it with a quip.

"I could reword that question," Elko said. "'Hey, coach, you brought in 24 guys. Are there 22 you would like to really get upset by singling out only two?' I am trying to figure out how to word it without doing that."

Elko eventually named defensive end Nic Scourton (Purdue), offensive lineman Ar'maj Reed-Adams (Kansas) and tight end Tre Watson (Fresno State) as three transfers who have made a solid first impression this spring. He added that Watson has been dealing with a shoulder injury, though, and did not participate in the scrimmage Tuesday.

Scourton impressing is no surprise. He led the Big Ten in sacks last season with 10 and received second-team all-conference honors. Reed-Adams and Watson emerging are the more interesting developments.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Reed-Adams brings versatility and significant experience. In four seasons with the Jayhawks, he appeared in 31 games with 14 starts. Reed-Adams started his first eight games of the 2023 season at left guard before lining up at right tackle for the final three. His other three career starts came as a true freshman in 2020 and were all at right guard. Reed-Adams will likely compete for one of the two starting spots at offensive guard for the Aggies.

A&M lacks a cemented starter at tight end, and Watson has the talent to be in consideration. He is seen as more of a receiving tight end but had a productive 2023 season with the Bulldogs, catching 38 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Watson and Henderson were teammates at Fresno State in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Elko also named most of the eight new transfers in the secondary as standout performers. Safety Trey Jones III (Central Michigan) and cornerback Dezz Ricks (Alabama) have been dealing with injuries. Safety De'Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt) is not set to join the Aggies until June.

"From Marcus Ratcliffe to Will Lee to Donovan Saunders to BJ Mayes … every one of those kids has flashed at times," Elko said. "They are going to add a lot of value back there."

Bryce Anderson affirmatively moving to safety, other DB tidbits

As a sophomore, Bryce Anderson entered last season with lofty expectations. He stepped into a starting role at nickel cornerback and looked ready to fill the void that the previous starter, Antonio Johnson, left. But while Anderson had his moments, he mostly produced mixed results.

Perhaps because he played out of position.

"Bryce is a safety. We recruited Bryce to play safety," said Elko, who as the former A&M defensive coordinator helped pursue Anderson out of the 2022 recruiting class. "I have always envisioned him being a safety in this defense. He is not playing nickel. I do not think he is a nickel."

Anderson seems like a lock to secure one of the two starting safety jobs. Which player will claim the other starting spot remains unclear. Jones and Wright bring the most starting experience, but one has not been 100% healthy and the other is not with the team yet.

Elko noticeably raved about Dalton Brooks, who played a lot of high-leverage reps as a true freshman last season.

"Dalton Brooks has taken a huge step forward this spring and been really happy with him," Elko said. "He is an elite run-and-hit safety. He still has a little bit of a gap to close in terms of processing and understanding everything that we are doing, which he is doing every day. But I do think he has got some really elite traits, and we are excited about that one."

With Anderson permanently leaving the nickel unit, that position group will be worth monitoring as well. 

Going into the spring, Florida transfer Jaydon Hill seemed like the favorite to win the starting nickel job. He started 11 games at nickel for the Gators last season. However, Elko mentioned that incumbent starting cornerback Tyreek Chappell has been cross training on the outside and at nickel. He said cornerback Bravion Rogers has seen action at nickel, too.

"Nickel is probably a little bit harder than corner," Elko said. "You are a little bit closer to the ball. There is a little bit more going on. From a scheme standpoint, the more reps you can get at nickel, it probably benefits you than always needing them to be out at corner."

The next step for running back Rueben Owens II

In an interview with the media last week, A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein opined that the days of a workhorse running back are "probably not there anymore." The Aggies using a committee approach in 2024 would certainly make sense. Running backs Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II shared an equal workload last season, and they all produced similar numbers.

Still, Owens will be worth monitoring as someone who could emerge from the group this offseason. He has the recruiting pedigree, receiving a five-star rating in the 2023 class. And despite being a true freshman last season, Owens played about as well as Daniels and Moss.

To reach another level as a player, though, Owens will probably need to improve his pass protection and ability to gain yards after contact. Pro Football Focus gave Owens a 16.8 pass-blocking grade last season. Among the 119 FBS running backs who played at least 50 pass-blocking snaps, that grade came in last. His 2.53 yards after contact per attempt ranked 143rd out of 157 FBS running backs (minimum 100 attempts).

"He has had a really good spring in terms of doing the things he needs to do to take his game to the next level," Elko said. "He is extremely athletic. He does a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield. 

"He needs to just learn how to be a running back in the SEC and how to get four and five yards sometimes. He does a really good job of getting the 30 and 35 yards. That is his natural athleticism. We have to get him to be a little bit cleaner at the four and five yards, and that is what he is working on. I think he is getting really good at it."

For the tl/dr crowd, Weigman isn't working out as much as Elko thinks he needs to, so Elko is hinting that he might not be QB1 after the spring; Reuben Owens is a pussy who still can't pass protect and goes down immediately on contact; Bryce Anderson is a safety and they don't know who the other safety will be, nor do they have a clue who the corner will be; outside of Nick Scourton and a guard from Kansas, they are in deep shit regarding transfer talent.

what the fuck is “recruiting pedigree?”

Posted
35 minutes ago, MontereyMX said:

what the fuck is “recruiting pedigree?”

In scouting parlance, there's a notion that where a player was ranked and/or drafted matters years later when looking at the player's performance and expectations in the future. So if a 1st rounder, 4 years later, is busting down in A ball, another team may still trade for him at a discount because "somebody saw something". So what he's saying is that even though Reuben Owens plays like a pussy and can't pass block for shit, maybe he'll eventually turn some sort of corner because, hey, 5 star!

In other arenas, this would be called "valuing loss".

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Posted
2 hours ago, pch said:

Speechless regarding the talking to parents who lost children in the '99 collapse hoping their undying loyalty to ATM would have diminished the grief enough for them to approve of and endorse the revival of this turdition.

“The members of the committee and I are extremely sensitive to your loss. I do not want to reopen the many wounds that you have but it is important to me to have your opinion,” Bellinger wrote in the letter, asking to meet with the families.

Sweet Jesus on a joystick there is no end to the insensitive moron who wrote this letter.  As a parent who has lost a child, I just shake my head in disgust at these people who have no concept of what pain still must remain for those unfortunate families.

School loyalty aside, it's just objectively truly sickening and enraging. 

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Posted
 

So good. Go read some of the thread that umlang quoted. The fifth quarter ag goes on to let us know that he actually believes that and that he’s also an Econ major at aggy.
Posted
2 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

 

There's a 24-hour pump/we never run out of time joke in here somewhere.  

The Aggies don't understand that drunk kids on top of 50' structures made of unstable logs isn't a good idea.  I doubt they'll grasp how global commodity trading works.  

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Posted

a perfect example of aglogic and agspeak....

https://www.kbtx.com/2024/04/11/families-reflect-potential-return-aggie-bonfire-am-campus/

here's the closing paragraph (emphasis mine)

+++

"Despite the differing perspectives there is a shared sentiment among these families that the revival of Aggie Bonfire, if undertaken, will entail significant changes and challenges. They express hope that the committee tasked with this decision will address their concerns effectively and navigate the complexities to ensure a meaningful and safe experience for all involved.

"The committee has a difficult job addressing all the concerns and hopefully they’ll be able to resolve the issues and be able to proceed with the new bonfire experience,” said Richard.

Texas A&M University has confirmed that no action has been taken regarding the regent’s proposal to bring back the bonfire. Any potential reinstatement would need to adhere to the university’s settlement agreement with the affected families, which includes provisions for professional oversight to ensure safety and accountability."

+++

The differing perspectives are from the parent(s) of 3 of the dead

That's it

3 differing perspectives

2 of those parent(s) want the stack back with university control.  The other is concerned about the return of the stack WITH TOO MUCH ADMINISTRATION INTERFERENCE

And that's it.  That's the full rundown of the "complexities" which will have to be "navigated"

That last paragraph is like reading the aggy version of NewSpeak.

Then, in the last sentence we see something I have never seen in print or in video: in order for the return of stack, aggy (allegedly) negotiated provisions for professional oversight in the settlement agreement (which one?) with the families (which ones?)

Thus begins the quest which may result in the need to "file a freedom of information" (TM-texags 2024)

Does anyone have access to or a copy of the document(s) defining these "negotiated provisions"?????????

here's the full article spoiled but you can skip ahead to the next spoiled article because, wait, there's moar!

Spoiler
Families reflect on potential return of Aggie Bonfire to A&M campus“No one connected was unscathed. And it did not end there. The hurt continues, even today.
 
KBTX News 3 at Ten
Published: Apr. 10, 2024 at 10:38 PM CDT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -Nearly 25 years after the tragic collapse of the Aggie Bonfire at Texas A&M University claimed the lives of 12 individuals, discussions surrounding the possibility of reviving the cherished tradition have resurfaced, sparking a range of emotions among the families affected.

The memories of the lives lost in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire tragedy remain deeply ingrained in the Aggie community. Now, as a committee explores options to commemorate the renewed rivalry with the University of Texas, one proposal under consideration is the revival of the bonfire tradition on campus.

On Tuesday sources close to the discussions revealed that A&M System Regent John Bellinger proposed reinstating the tradition of Aggie Bonfire as a university-sanctioned event. However, the decision-making process involves careful consideration and consultation.

Susan Ballabina, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President at Texas A&M, provided a statement to KBTX indicating the university’s approach to the matter. President Welsh has tasked the Rivalry Committee with exploring options and recommending activities as the university prepares to welcome UT into the SEC. The committee’s ideas will be presented to President Welsh in May, following which he will make decisions on their implementation.

The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire tradition, which symbolized the Aggie spirit and determination to triumph over the University of Texas in football, came to an abrupt halt on November 18, 1999, when the stack collapsed, claiming the lives of 12 individuals and injuring 27 others. In remembrance of the tragedy, the Bonfire Memorial now stands at the site where the 1999 Bonfire fell.

In these discussions, Bellinger sought input from the families affected by the 1999 Bonfire collapse regarding the potential reinstatement of the tradition. Their perspectives offer a glimpse into the complexities surrounding this decision.

Richard West, father of Nathan “Scott” West, a 19-year-old victim of the collapse, believes that the bonfire held special significance for his son as it fostered unity among students. He advocates for student involvement in the event’s revival, emphasizing its unique value to the Texas A&M community.

Judi Hedstrom and Richard Frampton, parents of 22-year-old Jeremy, express support for the return of the bonfire, mindful of its importance to their son and his peers. However, they emphasize the need for stringent safety measures, suggesting professional inspections alongside student participation.

“I would like to see the Bonfire back on campus. I know how important it was to Jeremy and his friends. I believe that if it is back on campus, there can be better oversight and safety measures can be implemented,” said Hedstrom. “I imagine not all of the parents feel the same, so I believe it is important to consider all of the different perspectives in making the decision. I appreciate the committee having this conversation with us.”

“Despite losing my son Jeremy in the tragic collapse in 1999, I would like to see the Bonfire tradition start up again. Jeremy loved Bonfire and I feel like he would completely agree with me if he was here to speak,” said Richard. “Although I know it would not be able to be a totally student-managed endeavor in the future like it was in the past, maybe it could be “inspected” by professionals as the students build it. That was one of the amazing things about Bonfire – the students did it all and learned tremendous management skills while doing it.”

Neva Hand, the mother of 19-year-old Jamie, holds reservations about the potential return of the bonfire, fearing that administrative oversight might diminish the tradition’s authenticity. She underscores the importance of student-driven participation in preserving the essence of the event.

“Students began the tradition, not because the board of regents said they could but because it was important to “be in charge” themselves—a sort of “coming of age” or “independence marker” for those young men. By returning it to campus, University administrators take that responsibility away from the students and make it their own cross to bear,” Neva said. “The “owners” of the tradition will no longer be the students who will be expected to build it with their own hands, sweat, and hearts. No matter what the final verdict is, Bonfire will never be the same. I can only pray that the outcome will not lead to the same set of circumstances that resulted in the catastrophe of November 18, 1999.”

Despite the differing perspectives, there is a shared sentiment among these families that the revival of Aggie Bonfire, if undertaken, will entail significant changes and challenges. They express hope that the committee tasked with this decision will address their concerns effectively and navigate the complexities to ensure a meaningful and safe experience for all involved.

"The committee has a difficult job addressing all the concerns and hopefully they’ll be able to resolve the issues and be able to proceed with the new bonfire experience,” said Richard.

Texas A&M University has confirmed that no action has been taken regarding the regent’s proposal to bring back the bonfire. Any potential reinstatement would need to adhere to the university’s settlement agreement with the affected families, which includes provisions for professional oversight to ensure safety and accountability.

Copyright 2024 KBTX. All rights reserved.

 

game on, birches

search: <aggy bonfire settlement agreement with families>

result 1: the above article

result 2: the below article, first published 081029, but updated ELEVEN YEARS later 191212 (hmmmm.....)

https://myaggienation.com/archive/bonfire-lawsuit-settled/article_9b56ce78-f3c1-11e2-8b9a-001a4bcf887a.html

(emphasis mine)

Spoiler

Bonfire lawsuit settled

    Matthew Watkins
    Oct 29, 2008
    Oct 29, 2008 Updated Dec 12, 2019

A $2.1 million settlement was announced Tuesday between Texas A&M and several families of those killed and injured when a bonfire collapsed almost nine years ago. The announcement did not state how the funds would be disbursed.

Texas A&M University and several former administrators cleared the final lawsuit against them related to the tragedy that killed 11 students and a former student, while injuring 27 others early Nov. 18, 1999.

Lawyers representing the university and seven of the victims -- four of those killed and three who were injured -- formally signed the settlement in the crowded 361st District Court. The suit was one of the oldest cases on the dockets at the Brazos County Courthouse.

The settlement money will be shared by the families of the four who died: Chad Powell of Forth Worth, Jerry Self of Arlington, Bryan McClain of San Antonio and Christopher Lee Heard of Harlingen; and three of the injured victims: John Comstock, Dominic Braus and Matthew Robbins. Because of a confidentiality clause, it was unclear how much each would receive.

A&M will pay $500,000 of the settlement, the maximum amount a public institution can pay because of a state law limiting awards in lawsuits against government agencies. The remaining money will be paid by the Texas Aggie Bonfire Committee; Ray Bowen, former A&M president; John Koldus III, former vice president for student affairs, who was not in that post in 1999; and Maj. Gen. M. T. Hopgood Jr., former commandant of the Corps of Cadets.

The $1.6 million due from administrators and the committee will be paid by two insurance policies the educators and group bought to protect them from lawsuits, university officials said. The amount each administrator agreed to pay also is confidential, lawyers said.

Lawyers and families of the victims said Tuesday that they pursued the suit to hold the university responsible for the collapse and to prevent another deadly accident.

"The whole goal was that we wanted to make sure that no other family had to endure this," said Greg Powell, father of Chad Powell. "Our hearts go out to the 11 other families who lost their child. We filed this for you guys, too, and we just want you to know that this is not over. We want to make sure that no one has to stand on the grounds of a bonfire and ask what happened again."

The eight others killed in the school's deadliest disaster were Miranda Adams of Santa Fe, Texas; Christopher Breen of Austin; Michael Ebanks of Carrollton; Jeremy Frampton of California; Jamie Lynn Hand of Henderson; Timothy Kerlee Jr. of Tennessee; Lucas Kimmel of Corpus; and Nathan West of Houston.

University officials said they were pleased that the legal dispute had been resolved but stopped short of publicly accepting responsibility.

"While the university has actively contested the claim that the university employees were legally responsible for the deaths and injuries that occurred as a result of the bonfire collapse, the university deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries that occurred on its campus," they said in a statement released after the settlement became final. "Again, the university extends its condolences and continued sympathies to all of the victims of this tragic event as well as their friends and families."

Reached by phone after the hearing, Bowen, who was president of the university at the time of the collapse and now is an engineering professor at A&M, said the resolution brought him little comfort.

"I don't see this as a situation where there is a victor or a loser on either side," he said. "The tragedy was a loss for everyone, and the fact that this is over is just one dimension of an extremely horrible event in A&M's history."

Years of legal battles

Bonfire was an Aggie tradition dating back to 1909. A stack of logs that grew with each year was ignited to signify the Aggies' "burning desire" to beat the University of Texas football team each November.

The 59-foot bonfire structure built in 1999 was a six-tier wedding-cake design of 5,000 logs that weighed more than a million pounds. It collapsed before dawn Nov. 18 as students worked on it.

"It was an enormously difficult time for the A&M community," Bowen said. "The students enrolled at the time had a horrible time, and it was horrible for everybody, no matter what their role was in the A&M family."

Bowen created a commission to investigate the collapse soon afterward, and it released a report that faulted the engineering and design of the stack as well as the lack of training and supervision during construction.

The first lawsuit was filed against the university and its administrators in 2001 on behalf of Jacki Self, the mother of Jerry Self. Eventually, about a dozen plaintiffs joined in and the cases were consolidated into one in the 361st District Court in Brazos County.

The original suit listed 64 defendants, but most -- including all student leaders -- had settled through insurance companies before Tuesday.

Now the only defendants remaining are the Zachry construction company and several of its employees. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the company was negligent in renting a crane for an unprofessional project.

"These defendants have been unwilling to accept responsibility for any connection with the bonfire , and we intend to turn our focus on those subjects," plaintiffs' lawyer Darrell Keith said. "Zachry workers were the only professional folks on the site of the bonfire ."

Lawyers for the construction company did not return calls requesting comment Tuesday.

A separate lawsuit was filed in federal court by many of the same plaintiffs. It was dismissed twice, and the most (recent? (this word was missing)) appeal was dismissed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In that suit, the plaintiffs have argued that the university created a danger through indifference to preventing a collapse. The case was dismissed, however, because the doctrine of "state-created danger" was not recognized at the time of the collapse, a federal judge said.

At the time of Tuesday's settlement, most of the A&M defendants listed no longer filled their current positions. Eight of the nine current members of the university system's board of regents were not serving at that time, and Koldus, Bowen and Hopgood have all since been replaced.

Future of a tradition

Soon after the settlement was made public, current A&M President Elsa Murano released a statement saying that she planned to look further into the future of bonfire in the coming months by initiating a dialogue with bonfire victims and reviewing the history of the tradition.

"I understand that many people have strong feelings and thoughts about bonfire , and it is important for these feelings and thoughts to be heard as part of a fact-driven process in due time," Murano said. "First and foremost, as Aggies we should respect those who have suffered the greatest loss through the death of a loved one as a result of the bonfire collapse in 1999."

Murano was traveling Tuesday and could not be reached for further comment.

Bill Jones, chairman of the Board of Regents, said when reached by phone Tuesday that he would leave the decision about the future of bonfire up to Murano's office.

"They will come to the board with whatever recommendation they have," he said. "The board doesn't weigh in on that until there is a recommendation."

Erik Gnaedinger, a senior industrial engineering major, said he had seen a significant decline in interest in bonfire during his time at A&M. He was president of The Bonfire Coalition -- a student organization promoting the return of an on-campus bonfire -- last year. He said the group disbanded for the current school year because it could not attract enough members.

"Although we still have a lot of public funding (???) and support from people bringing it back on campus, the student interest has declined to the point that we have had to go inactive," he said. "The waiting game kind of outlasted the students' desires."

An independent, student-run, off-campus bonfire has been burned annually since 2002. This year's fire is scheduled for Nov. 22, and students will raise the center pole for the stack Friday near Hearne.

Standing in the courtroom Tuesday, Braus, one of the injured plaintiffs in the lawsuit and the only one present at the hearing, said that he would not mind if another bonfire were built on campus.

"One way or another isn't the issue for me personally," he said. "If they do bring it back, I want it to be safe. The collapse will never happen again and, if people do participate in this again, they won't be maimed and killed."

0 comments

there are 10 different tangents in that article from 15 years ago that need discussion

i don't remember reading that article although i'm sure in 2009 during the heyday of Shag1 it was probably posted but no one gave a shit because the 2002 report that cited institutional juvenile delusion and a culture of obsession seemed to have put to bed forever the idea of killing more kids

the immediate segue from the kbtx article 2 das ago is this: i want to see these alleged provisions for professional oversight to ensure safety and accountability supposedly memorialized 15 years ago in the university’s settlement agreement with the affected families

that would likely require a fully public disclosure of a legal settlement in court 15 years ago between citizens and a public university

which should be public

and accessible

game on, birches

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