The Way Back: Anatomy of a Rivalry

The longstanding rivalry between the Longhorns and Aggies didn’t start out so hot for the farmers. The first game went so poorly for them—a 38-0 Texas win in 1894—the cadets from Bryan called it off at halftime, then failed to field a team the following season. 

The second game went even worse, and remains the largest margin in the series—a 48-0 shutout by Texas in 1898. It would take eight years for the Agricultural and Mechanical College to score their first point in a game against The University of Texas. After 15 years, A&M had lost 14 times to UT.  

But the rivalry soon grew so intense, it was Texas who called it off entirely. “Unless we can come to an understanding about rules, we are not going to play them at all,” wrote UT President Sidney Mezes in 1910. The following year, Texas guard Marion Harold had his leg broken (intentionally) on the game’s first play. It was their final matchup until L. Theo Bellmont formed the Southwest Conference in 1915.  

Football was gruesome in its early incarnation, even deadly, as teams would fight to advance the ball downfield, often quite literally. It required President Teddy Roosevelt to help influence a series of rule changes, including implementing the forward pass. Gone were the interlocked arms and rugby-style mass formations. By the 1920s, the game was free-flowing and more familiar.  

Such was the case on Thanksgiving Day in 1926, pictured above, when Texas completed 13 of 15 passes for more than 160 yards in a 14-5 win that featured UT Hall of Honor members “Ox” Higgins and “Tiny” Gooch. Despite the win, and an overall winning record, head coach “Doc” Stewart—the man who coined the phrase “Texas Fight!”—was ousted amid a power struggle and replaced with Clyde Littlefield by the next season.  

CREDIT: Texas Athletics