Texas A&M Celebrates Black History Month
Texas A&M Athletics is proud to celebrate Black History Month.
Throughout the month of February we'll highlight trailblazers, champions, leaders and role models who have made a difference and an impact not only on Aggie Athletics but the 12th Man and beyond.
DONAVAN BRAZIER
Donavan Brazier (2016) spent just one season with the track and field program but left an indelible mark on the Aggies' championship legacy.
Brazier broke records from the moment he stepped on the track. In his first conference indoor meet, he won the SEC Championship in the 800.
He would claim the NCAA outdoor title in the event later that semester with a collegiate and American record time of 1:43.55.
Brazier would turn professional following the meet and make many big showings on the global stage, including winning the 2019 World Championship in the 800m.
MICHELLE COLE
Michelle Cole was a four-year starter for the volleyball team, helping the program to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1999 and 2001. As a senior, she earned First Team All-Big 12 and AVCA All-Region honors.
Cole finished her collegiate career in the maroon and white with 1,037 kills, 17th-overall, and 1,373 digs, sixth-overall, in addition to an array of records, before playing professionally in Spain.
She's currently the head coach at Seattle University.
ADAORA ELONU
Women's basketball star Adaora Elonu was one of the critical parts of Texas A&M's run to the 2011 National Championship.
A starter on the team that went 33-5, knocking off Stanford and Notre Dame in the Final Four to win the title, Adaora ranked fourth on the team in scoring (averaging 8.4 ppg) and second in rebounds (averaging 5.9 rpg). She is one of just six players in school history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 700 rebounds.
Following her time in Aggieland, Adaora began playing professionally and still does to this day in Europe. Additionally, she's made the Nigerian national team and, after the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo games, is on track to become the first A&M women's basketball player to ever compete in the Olympic Games. 12thman.com featured her Olympic team selection in this February 2020 article.
AARON GLENN
Aaron Glenn was a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection and earned consensus first-team All-America honors as a senior in 1993. He helped lead the Aggies to consecutive SWC Championships and trips to the Cotton Bowl. For his career, the Aggies were undefeated in conference play (14-0) and at Kyle Field (12-0).
Glenn was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets in 1994 and enjoyed a 15-season playing career that included three Pro Bowl trips.
Since retiring as a player, Glenn served as a NFL defensive assistant for Cleveland and New Orleans before being named the defensive coordinator on former Texas A&M standout Dan Campbell’s initial coaching staff with the Detroit Lions in 2021.
He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
LESTER HAYES
Lester Hayes played four seasons for the football team (1973-76).
He helped the Aggies to 10-win seasons as a junior and senior, including a share of the Southwest Conference crown in 1975. It was Texas A&M’s second and third 10-win campaign in program history.
With Hayes patrolling the secondary, the Aggies posted three straight seasons ranked in the top five nationally in total defense from 1974-76, including leading the nation by allowing just 183.8 yards per game in 1975.
Hayes finished his Texas A&M career as the school record holder with 14 career interceptions, a record that stood for 14 years. He remains No. 2 on the Aggies’ all-time interceptions list.
A first-team All-American and two-time All-SWC selection (1975 and 1976), Hayes was drafted in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and enjoyed a stellar 10-year NFL career that included two Super Bowl Championships, five Pro Bowl selections and a spot on the All-1980s team. He was the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year and an NFL All-Pro in 1980 after leading the league with a then-modern day NFL record 13 interceptions.
At his best in big games, the “Judge” made eight career interceptions in the NFL Playoffs, which was the second-best in NFL history when he retired.
He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.
BERNARD KING
Bernard King (1999-2003) left Texas A&M as not only the all-time leading scorer in school history, but also as the leading scorer in Big 12 history.
He is first in points and free throws made and second in assists and three-pointers made in the Aggie record books. He also received All-Big 12 honors all four years, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2000.
One of the Aggies' all-time greats, King helped set the groundwork for A&M's rise to prominence in the mid-2000s.
JOE WILBERT
Joe Wilbert was a two-year letterwinner (1994 and 1995) on the basketball team.
Wilbert had a stellar career in the maroon and white, earning first-team All-SWC honors both seasons and was the league's Newcomer of the Year in '94. He led the Aggies to their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade (NIT, 1994).
Finishing with 1,123 points, Wilbert is a member of the Aggies' exclusive "1,000-point club" and closed his career with an 18.7 scoring average.
Following Texas A&M, Wilbert played professionally in France and also in the Southwest Basketball League.
