5 Ways You Know You Are a Texas A&M Fan

Do you always spell Bonfire with a capital "B"? If you do, then you are probably a Texas A&M fan. Texas A&M fans are some of the most loyal and passionate fans of any school or sports team in the world.

Ever since Texas A&M opened its doors in 1876, it has been producing former students who are dedicated to the school. The fact that Aggie graduates are referred to as "former students" instead of alumni or ex-Aggies is indicative of the connection that the school has with its students.

Once you enroll at A&M, you are always an Aggie. There is no such thing as an "ex-Aggie."

As should be expected from a former all-male military school, there are many traditions and rituals associated with being part of the Aggie family. Often times, it seems that Aggies speak their own language.

This is a look at many of the ways that indicate you are a Texas A&M fan. If you are reading this article, you might be an Aggie fan.

The sports world learned about Johnny "Football" Manziel during the 2012 football season. Texas A&M fans on the popular fan site TexAgs.com have been referring to Manziel as "Johnny Football" since 2010.

During the fall of 2010, Manziel was at quarterback at Kerrville (TX) Tivy High School who was committed to Oregon. Mike Sherman and the Texas A&M coaching staff continued to pursue him despite his commitment to Chip Kelly and the Ducks.

Manziel was putting up 300-yard passing and 200-yard rushing games during his senior year at Tivy. Fans on TexAgs began referring to him as "Johnny Football" because of how he easy the game appeared to him.

If you knew who Johnny Football was back in 2010, then you are probably a Texas A&M fan.

College football realignment heated up during the summer of 2010 when the Texas Longhorns attempted to split the Big 12 in half and take five members along with them to join the Pac-10.

There was a vocal group of Aggies who did not want Texas A&M to join the Pac-10. They felt that the Southeastern Conference was a much better fit for A&M.

This group started a grass-roots campaign for the Aggies to join the SEC. Bumper stickers, t-shirts and caps were printed up encouraging the Aggies to "SECede" from the Big 12 and join the SEC.

It did not happen in 2010, but eventually Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin saw the light and the Aggies joined the SEC. If you have anything in your residence that shows support for the Aggies moving to the SEC, you might be a Texas A&M fan.

Dan Branch is a state legislator in Texas. He represents part of Dallas and is the head of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education.

In 2011, when the Aggies were making their move to join the SEC, Branch scheduled a meeting to put a roadblock in the Aggies' way and slow down the realignment process.

The meeting was eventually cancelled, but not before Branch's office was inundated with letters, e-mails and phone calls from Aggies upset that Branch would try to interfere with A&M joining the SEC.

There was an unconfirmed rumor that a couple of Branch's biggest donors were Aggies and that unless he got out of the way, he would not be re-elected. That was never proven, but most Aggies now know who Dan Branch is.

In a tradition that no doubt dates back to when A&M was an all-male military school which shipped in women on the train, Aggie fans score in the stands when the team scores on the field.

Aggies kiss their dates after the football team scores a touchdown, kicks an extra point or makes a field goal. In 2012, the Aggies averaged 44 points per game, so there was a whole lot of kissing going on in the stands.

No one at A&M should be more appreciative of Kevin Sumlin's prolific offense than the students in the stands.

When Johnny Manziel became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy, he also became a household name. People have been trying to cash in on his popularity ever since.

Manziel and his family have had to resort to trying to trademark his nickname "Johnny Football" and his likeness in order to protect his name. The Manziel family has been forced to file lawsuits to protect the "Johnny Football" trademark.

Every move Manziel makes is covered by the media. If he goes to an NBA game, it makes the front page of multiple websites.

Aggie fans have become experts in trademark laws and NCAA regulations when it comes to Manziel and his off-the-field activities.