No Experience Required: Jackie Sherrill And Texas A&M'S 12Th Man Kickoff Team

The story of the 12th man kickoff team is one of personal triumph and occasional tragedy. Some memories and recollections have dimmed with the years. Others remain as vibrant as the day they occurred. And the complexity of the truth lies deep within the woven layers of fact. Perception so often is founded on truth that has been colored by layers of high anxiety and high excitement that people recall or choose to recall. For them, life was at its pinnacle. They were playing football, college football, big-time football, Texas A&M football. The truth for others may have suffered from the dismay of a few bad days, hard times, bruises, and disappointment. Neither is necessarily right, and neither is necessarily wrong. It just happens to be the way it is - and the way it was. Jackie Sherrill reached into a bunch of unknowns and plucked a few who would forever form the backbone of a legacy. The story of the 12th man kickoff team is one of personal triumph and occasional tragedy. Some memories and recollections have dimmed with the years. Others remain as vibrant as the day they occurred. And the complexity of the truth lies deep within the woven layers of fact. Perception so often is founded on truth that has been colored by layers of high anxiety and high excitement that people recall or choose to recall. For them, life was at its pinnacle. They were playing football, college football, big-time football, Texas A&M football. The truth for others may have suffered from the dismay of a few bad days, hard times, bruises, and disappointment. Neither is necessarily right, and neither is necessarily wrong. It just happens to be the way it is - and the way it was. He gave them a chance when no one else would. And they were forever indebted. None of them ever really knew Sherrill. None of them ever had many if any conversations with Sherrill. As one said, I can count every word I ever spoke to Coach Sherrill on one finger. They feared him. They respected him. They became his disciples. He taught them the game. He taught them about life. He taught them how to be better than any of them thought they could be. He made a difference. Then. And now. Their day in the sun was a magical time. They were the little engine that could in a world that said they couldn t. They were the student body. They were Texas A&M. They were the 12th Man.ReviewI was given the privilege of an early peek at this wonderful story, and I was fascinated. If you're an Aggie, you'll love the stories, but if you love college athletics, you'll love it even more. This is a sports story that will inspire young people to never give up on themselves and their future. The members of the 12th man kickoff team are a terrific example of where hard work and inspiration lead. It will make you proud. --Bill Byrne, Director of Athletics, Texas A&M UniversityThe book is really the story of 70 Rudys-a reference to the famous Notre Dame walk-on player-who meet a storied coach. It s an important story about a bunch of common, ordinary guys who stepped onto the field who were hoping to play one play. --Vince PalasotaAt first glance, you expect a good Texas football story. When you finish the book, you realize that it is an inspirational story that can provide that 'feel good' sensation to anyone that reads it. Read the book and motivate yourself to have a life bigger and better than anything you've ever contemplated. Why? Because with true heart and determination, you can achieve even your wildest dreams. Just as the 12th Man Kickoff Team players did at Texas A&M University. --Michele Hasten '92About the AuthorNo Experience Required is the fifty-first book written by Caleb Pirtle III, of Lindale, Texas. He spent almost a year interviewing more than sixty former members of the 12th man team, even tracking two of them down in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Theirs is a story that has indeed ne'er been told. Theirs is a story that could have only taken place at Texas