TheBattalion11272012 by The Battalion

thebattalion ● tuesday,

november 27, 2012

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

Ol’ Army Spirit

Aaron Cranford — THE BATTALION

Albert Bradley sits on a bench in the Quad after receiving the Saber Award at morning formation. Known to the Corps of Cadets as “Ol’ Army Al,” Bradley holds the highest attendance record for the twice daily Corps formation. He has attended formation every day — health permitting — since 1974.

Tradition lives through honorary Corps member Camryn Ford The Battalion Fighting the battle of sleeping through formation versus finding the will to come to life at 5:30 a.m. every day is a battle for some Corps of Cadets members. Even if they had a choice to begin with, waking up before the crack of dawn wins every time. Although cadets are required to be at formation in the morning alongside their outfits,

one man voluntarily stands in the background at every Corps formation, morning and night. “When he first started coming, they thought he had a son or brother in the Corps or something, but he didn’t,” said Eric Gil, senior industrial distribution major and sergeant major of the Corps. Albert Bradley, often referred to as “Ol’ Army Al,” has been attending the Corps formations since 1974 — the year he became a

permanent resident of College Station. He was awarded for his honorary service this past Saturday before the Missouri game. Bradley was presented with the Saber Award, which consisted of a shadow box with medals, a campaign cover band and tags stamped with his name. He also received a framed and mounted saber with a sheath. Typically, when a student hears about someone so dedicated to a particular section

of A&M culture, they assume the person is an Aggie. Uncommonly enough, Bradley never attended the University. “My early morning routine began when I was a senior in high school,” Bradley said. “They told me I could have an agriculture job for a year and then graduate. So I went to work on an Amish farm in Philadelphia, See Bradley on page 4

volleyball

Aggies take championship hopes to Austin in tourney Michael Rodriguez The Battalion The Texas A&M volleyball team is on its way to the NCAA Tournament beginning Thursday as the Aggies will open their playoff push against the wolf pack from North Carolina State. The Aggies enter the tournament with a full head of steam as the accolades from the regular season are showing. A&M finished the season with a 24-5 record (16-4), claiming the SEC West division crown and finishing behind No. 15 Florida in the SEC. Under the direc-

tion of head coach Laurie Corbelli, the Aggies finished strong with a nine-game win streak. This is the 16th time the Aggies will appear in the tournament in 20 years under Corbelli. “It’s certainly a huge, huge benefit for us to be in great conferences — the Big 12 over the past 15 years and then this year in the SEC — to get to compete against some of the best,” Corbelli said. “It prepares us really well for the tournament and it allows us to get the kind of seeding and See Volleyball on page 3

FILE PHOTO

The Texas A&M volleyball team faces off against Florida on Oct. 21. The Aggies finished behind Florida in the SEC and are headed to the NCAA tournament in Austin.

johnny football

corps of cadets

Manziel breaks media silence in teleconference

Cadets inducted in honor society for academic excellence

Chandler Smith The Battalion Speaking exclusively through his statistics for the entirety of a magical 10-2 season and Heisman Trophy warpath, media and fans alike got a chance to speak to the mysterious phenom Johnny Manziel on Monday afternoon. Manziel put up video game numbers through the 2012 football season. His 4,600 yards and 43 touchdowns surpassed Cam Newton’s SEC record for total yards in a season and Newton’s touchdown total from his own Heismanwinning year. Manziel said winning the Heisman would be a surreal experience. “It’s something that you dream about as a kid,” Manziel said. “When you’re sitting there playing all of these NCAA games as a kid and you create a player and you win the Heisman as a freshman because you just put up crazy numbers, it’s something that you can always sit back and dream

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about. It’s the biggest, most prestigious award in college football, so it would definitely be a dream come true.” As for “Johnny Football,” the nickname caught fire at A&M and is now renowned nationally upon Manziel’s surge to the summit of the college football world. “It was something that started to be thrown around a little bit when I first got here to Texas A&M,” Manziel said. “My feelings on it — I think it’s something that’s funny. I think it’s something that a lot of people here in Aggieland enjoy that I find kind of funny. I think it fits.” Even so, Manziel said he still pictures himself as a football player with humble small-town beginnings. “I don’t see myself as ‘Johnny Football,’” Manziel said. “I still see myself as Jonathan Manziel, a small-town guy from Kerrville who’s extremely fortunate and extremely blessed to be able to play football here at A&M.”

Barrett House

Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION

Johnny Manziel, sophomore business administration major and starting quarterback, kneels during an injury timeout Saturday at Kyle Field. Manziel spoke to media Monday in a press teleconference.

The Battalion Buildings and organizations at Texas A&M are tributes to former students who achieved great things, both during their time as students and in their careers. More than 100 cadets were recognized Monday night in Rudder Tower for their academic achievements as they were inducted into the O.R. Simpson Corps Honor Society — the Corps’ academic elite. “What’s our number one priority in the Corps of Cadets? Academics,” said Brig. Gen. Joe E. Ramirez, Class of 1979 and commandant of the Corps of Cadets. “This [organization] ought to be the forefront of what we talk about and what we do in our Corps.” Ramirez, who had the privilege of meeting the namesake of the organization in the late 1970s, said Simpson would be proud of the academic excellence and service the organization strives for. “He would be a very proud man today looking out at the audience, at all these great young cadets and what you stand for, as part of an organization that bears his name,” Ramirez said. See Corps on page 3

11/26/12 11:41 PM