As anticipation builds in the leadup to the annual Texas A&M football game against Arkansas, the sound of bottle caps clinking together can be heard all across campus. Members of the Corps of Cadets attach these flattened and painted “spurs” on their shoes the week before an important SEC football game. 

The red bottle caps strung together on the wire of a clothing hanger are known within the Corps as “fish spurs” — a tradition with a rich history that has been practiced for almost 100 years on campus.

“The tradition was started by the fish class during 1930,” international affairs freshman Judson Smith said. “Before the SMU game, every year, fish would wear spurs to ‘spur the ponies’ and get them going.”

Though the Aggies don’t play the SMU Mustangs yearly anymore, the spurs tradition lives on. It’s one of several Corps of Cadets traditions the organization is known for. 

“My favorite tradition is probably what we call ‘pull out,’” international studies senior Zach Miller said. “For the last formation of the year, every other member of the Corps besides the seniors will pull out privileges above theirs, wear uniform items for a class above theirs and just mix and match into ridiculous outfits.” 

The Corps is much more than just the spur treatment imposed on their ‘fish,’ however; it’s also a bonding experience for each cadet. 

“One thing that a lot of people misunderstand about it is that we just discipline people, but it’s not all about that,” Miller said. “In essence, the entire Corps is leadership development — not just leadership development — but also personal development.”

The sentiments and bonds formed as a cadet are something the Corps prides itself on. It is this connection that helps freshmen enjoy their first year in the Corps. 

“While they’re [freshman] on the quad, the spurs fall off,” Miller said. “They have to pick them both up and put their hands over their heads and wildcat like crazy while running all the way to the arches. While that may sound a little humiliating, the first day of the week that they do that, there’s always a bunch of seniors just parked out on benches who are just cheering them on, clapping, whooping, having a grand old time.”

According to Miller, the Corps respects each other regardless of their classification status. Their friendships are built off of shared experiences and time spent together. 

“If you just embrace how much work you’re having to do and you really get into it, it eventually becomes a lot of fun,” Miller said. 

Fish spurs and similar traditions help unite the Corps throughout the year. 

“Sometimes, the pledges for frats will attempt to steal your fish spurs, and if they do successfully take them, you’re supposed to yell ‘Old Army fight’ and every single cadet in the area will come rushing in to help you get your fish spurs back by whatever means necessary,” Smith said. “Which often ends in lost teeth, blood, sometimes, but they chose to do that and mess with the Corps.”

The freshman class of cadets each year is referred to as the ‘buddy class.’ They make their fish spurs together, and each is responsible for their pair.

“We spent this entire past weekend making literally over 1,000 bottle caps for my entire buddy class and then shaping coat hangers to fit around our low quarters so that way we can have spurs on the back of our shoes,” Smith said.

Some cadet upperclassmen collect the bottle caps and have a collection that they sometimes share with the fish class to help them make their spurs. Each class gets to keep their spurs to make a collection of their own and pass on the tradition. 

The result of the game against Arkansas decides the length of time the spurs have to be worn.

“Fish wear those spurs the week leading to the Arkansas game, but if we lose the game, they have to wear it for another week, and continuously until we win a game,” Miller said. “Thankfully, that hasn’t been a problem for the years that I’ve been in the Corps.”

Though fish continue to wear the spurs up until the big game, the Corps is confident they’ll be able to remove them as soon as the weekend ends. 

“We’re the Aggies,” Miller said. “We win by 90.”