A yell leader delivers a pass back during a TAMU football game, signalling to the student section what yell to perform next

The Yell Leaders use a variety of hand signals, called "pass-backs," to direct and intensify the crowds.

Credit: Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications

When people want to know where the cheerleaders are during Aggie games, they quickly learn Aggies don't cheer — they yell. Yell Leaders are a team of upperclassmen — three seniors and two juniors — elected each year by the student body.

The job of Yell Leaders is to entertain and energize the crowd at all Texas A&M football games, as well as other events. They do this by leading Aggie fans in yells, such as Farmers Fight and Old Army, accompanied by hand signals. Yell Leaders are also known to be role models of the Aggie Spirit for current students and embody the spirit of the 12th Man.

The tradition of Yell Leaders began during a football game in the early 1900s. The Aggies were losing badly, and the audience was growing bored. The upperclassmen ordered the freshmen to find a way to entertain their guests, many of whom had been invited from Texas Woman’s University. The freshmen found white coveralls and began leading the crowd in yells. They had so much fun and received so much attention from their audience that it was decided that only upperclassmen would be allowed to participate in leading yells in the future.

Aggie Yell Leaders still wear white during games and attend all home and away football games and all home basketball, volleyball and soccer games. They also attend post-season football, basketball and volleyball games. They can always be found on the sidelines of the playing field in front of the student section, encouraging the Aggies to show their Aggie Spirit.

Learn more about Yell Leaders

More Texas A&M Traditions

Explore more of the traditions that unite our current and former students, build camaraderie and foster the Aggie Spirit.