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As the fans were singing the Aggie War Hymn, a bus blaring the War Hymn drove up and parked along the street adjacent to the soccer field. Beside the fact that the bus was playing the song at a different time than the stadium PA system, it didn't draw too much attention.
Once the vehicle hit some main College Station streets, like University Drive, things were a little different.
Bus 12 is a virtual Aggiemobile. Once a yellow school bus, it now stands as a shrine to A&M traditions and sports. It serves, in the words of owner Roger Lane, as a means of spreading the word about this special place known as Texas A&M University.
"We want them to come here and feel welcome; see song 'after they've boosted all the rest, they will come and join the best'?"
For Lane, the culture of Aggieland was not something that he experienced firsthand as a student, but something that he has come to admire and experience vicariously during the time three of his children attended A&M.
"I began to see how different this place is, and I really believe God's hand is on Texas A&M," he said. "I believe it with all my heart."
One tradition that speaks to him about the spirit of Aggieland is Aggie Muster.
"I remember when my oldest boy sent me an e-mail telling me about Muster, telling me that they would call his name, I said, there are not a lot of schools that realize that we're going to die," he said.
The dream for Bus 12 began in Kansas. The Lane family attended an A&M football game during the 2005 season and came across the Cat tracker, a bus created by Kansas State University fans. Lane said he didn't get on the bus because he knew that if he got on there, he would likely want to do something like it.
But, he said, his kids got on the bus and thought it was great. After talking about raising some money and maybe starting the project a few years down the road, Lane said he became convinced that the time was now.
"I thought, man, I'm 53 years old," he said. "She's (his daughter Ellen) class of '07. That's not that far away. My kids are growing up; you know it won't be long. We're not on this earth all that long, and I thought 'I don't want to wait.'"
From the outside, the bus is distinctly Aggie. It has a maroon and white exterior with a large cutout of Ol' Sarge on one side and a "Gig'em" sign on the other. A porch makes up the tail end of the bus and a rooftop deck offers prime viewing for any event.
The inside contains a mock Kyle Field viewing section with two bleacher rows. A background picture of Kyle Field allows television viewers to feel like a part of the game.
Two booths, situated toward the front of the bus, offer comfortable seating along with pictorial collages of Aggie sports and traditions.
The bus uses a sound system that blasts Aggie songs, as well as any other music the family wants. A burnt orange Longhorn with sawed-off horns decorates the front hood, and the traditional school bus stop sign remains, albeit with an Aggie twist. It has the acronym B.T.H.O. (Beat The Hell Outta…) painted on it and a blank spot to insert whatever school A&M plays that week.
The project wasn't completely out of the ordinary for the family. Lane said they had already operated what they called the Yell truck, a 1963 maroon truck with signatures from Coach Fran to children who could barely write.
"The idea was to drive around campus and hype people up, get 'em excited that there's a football game or a basketball game or something happening," he said. "And it morphed into this thing and you know, I like this more than the truck, but the truck has a unique place too."
The bus is used mainly as an attention getter and spirit builder, particularly on Friday nights as the family drives around town. Ellen Lane said it recently served as a backdrop at yell practice for the Army game in San Antonio. It is a staple outside the Association of Former Students for Saturday tailgating, but Lane still has higher hopes for Bus 12.
"Our eventual goal … is to have it in a … national championship parade with people on top, the War Hymn blasting out the sides," he said. "I mean like the Rose Bowl, but it would be Bus 12."
Lane is clear about the fact that the bus is not simply something for the family to enjoy.
Bruce Slover, Class of 1969, said he met the Lane family after seeing the bus. He regularly tailgates with them and is planning a possible trip with the family.
"This is what Aggie hospitality is all about," Slover said. "These are some of the nicest people we've ever met."
Lane said he wants the knowledge of Bus 12 to spread.
"I want not only us, cause this isn't just for us, it's stupid to be just for us," he said. "This is something that hopefully, and it's not there yet, but hopefully all Aggies will understand that this is for them. That's really what it is for."
