 On January 19, 1982, Jackie Sherrill was hired away from Pittsburgh by A&M as the replacement for Tom Wilson, signing a record six-year contract over $1.7 million.Sherrill was the head coach of the Texas Aggies for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1988.While head coach at A&M, Sherrill started the tradition of the "12th Man Kickoff Team", this tradition is still observed by A&M today only in a significantly scaled back form, including a single walk-on rather than an entire return team unit.