Aggie Ultimate
The Origin and Story of the Aggie Ultimate
Texas Hall of Famer and original Aggie, Tim “Limb” Hackney (throwing) often played barefoot.
early 1980’s there were an increasing number of Texas A&M Aggies playing and sharing their enjoyment of Ultimate.
Original members included Mike Barry, Scott Gunn, Tim Houseal, George Kramer, and Kevin Sullivan. They were soon followed by additional members that helped form the initial core of Aggie Ultimate included Chris Luckay, Rich (Rico) Menicke, Dave Conley, Scotty Epps, Bill (Murch) Murchison, Tim (Leroy) Hackney and his brother Tony, Tony Hodgson, Mike Reily, Tom Lednicky, Rick Airey, Kevin Waters, Kevin McCauly, Kenny Saunders, Bob Cain, Dwayne Roberson, Terry Strickland, Cuatro Hunley, Steve Veale, Carl Gerrard, plus awesome Aggie women: Henny Groschel, Lisa Rotunno, Cindy Gorman and Laura Selensky.
Regular ultimate pickup games were played multiple afternoons a week on the Drill field on the northeast side of campus. The fields could be treacherous after heavy rains because the puddles might have rafts of fire ants. Tuesday games were popular since a local pizza shop had a salad and pizza bar – all for one price. Carbo’ loading got to be competitive. Another popular ‘practice’ was on weekend mornings on Kyle Field, the on-campus football stadium with artificial turf. It was a spongy though ‘grippy’ surface. You felt especially fast, but diving or sliding for a disc was painful – possibly more painful than the fire ants. After sweating on Kyle Field, many players rehydrated at Dudley’s Draw that included free refills of iced tea.
In October 1979, DAAM hosted the “Aggie Ultimate Experience” featuring three divisions for participants in golf, field events, and Ultimate. A custom 122g disc was produced with a player-designed graphic that echoed the yin-yang symbol. The ancient Chinese symbol represents complementary parts that support and interconnect each other. The inclusive and playful character of the “spirit of the game” permeated the group.
The Aggie Ultimate team, UL-TAMU, grew out of DAAM, and in April 1982 hosted the first on-campus competition with teams from around Texas. The Aggies took second behind the Houston AeroDynamics. The tourney included the Austin Ether Bunnies, Sam Houston State, and North Texas State. The Saturday party was epic and added to the UL-TAMU reputation.
Throughout the early 1980’s, UL-TAMU traveled around Texas regularly for competitions. Austin and Sam Houston State were common destinations due to their proximity, though Houston, Dallas, Denton, and Galveston were also visited.
The fun-loving character of the UL-TAMU competitors was evident in two gents who seemingly never left the beach: Tim (Leroy) Hackney and Scotty Epps. They much preferred playing barefooted with almost no regard for the playing surface. The lack of cleats never stopped them from out-running everyone for a disc, even if it required going full horizontal.
The goofy playfulness of UL-TAMU was shared with many other teams, though a special kinship developed with the AU Snakes. Spontaneous “hokey pokey” circles and chugging of 165g disc filled with beer were proper post-game celebrations. There was no surprise when Leroy, Rico, Murch, and others joined the Snakes for tournaments.
The talents of UL-TAMU players were not limited to the athletic field. The artistic skills were evident in T-shirts and discs. The skyline of College Station inspired Dave Conley, while Tony Hodgson imagined something more fanciful.
On 3-4 March, 1984, UL-TAMU hosted the first annual Savage 7 tournament. The idea of seven team members, no substitutes, was new. A Frisbee disc design by Turbo Tom Lednicky marked the occasion. The teams included the Nasty Notions, the Clear Lake, the Austin Snakes, Houston, and an amazing young team of players from the Texas School of the Deaf, and others.
UL-TAMU, Aggie Ultimate, started their own traditions at TAMU:
– Compete wherever, whenever there is a tournament;
– Respect your opponents and the spirit of the game;
– Celebrate with all competitors afterwards as intensely, as joyously, as you competed on the field.
The growth and vitality of Ultimate at TAMU reinforces the 10th commandment of Frisbee:
The single most difficult move with a Frisbee is to put it down.