COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko was working at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, on Sept. 11, 2001, directly across the water from lower Manhattan.
Elko said he walked down to the water and saw the city when the first plane hit, and that people he was close with were affected.
“It still hits close to home, as a kid, being from up north working at the Merchant Marine academy on 9/11 I was right on the other side of the water,” Elko said at his weekly press conference at the Kyle Field Media Center. “I walked down to the water and saw the city when the first plane hit so a lot of feelings and emotions when that day rolls around. Some people that I was close with were really affected so it is a very meaningful day for me.”
Texas A&M hosts the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, one day after the 25th anniversary. The school is running its Red, White and Blue game for the first time since 2021, in recognition of the anniversary and of America’s 250th celebration.
Kyle Field Trades Maroon And White For The Flag
Kyle Field will trade its maroon and white for the colors of the flag. Rather than the usual stripe, each deck has been assigned a color: red in the third deck, white in the second, and blue in the first.
Elko said he expects the sight of it to land differently for people who were there.
“I think that day hits a little different to people from up there. It’s not a memory that I like to bring back and it’s not something I like to think about,” Elko said. “It’s an extremely tragic event for the people that were up there. There will probably be a little bit of emotion when you see it more than anything else.”
Terry Price Enters The Texas A&M Hall Of Honor This Week
Former Texas A&M defensive line coach Terry Price will be inducted into the Hall of Honor this week. Price died in 2022.
Elko, who arrived in College Station in 2024, said Price took him in as a first-time SEC head coach with no obligation to do so.
“His passing was unbelievably unfortunate. I think we still kind of feel that in this building. He was a guy that was beloved, not only to his family, but to Aggies and certainly to the people in this building who worked with him,” Elko said. “He certainly was a guy who took me in as a first time SEC coach and first time Texas A&M coach. He showed me the respect that I really appreciate because for as long as he had been doing it and as good as he had done it, he certainly had no reason to have to pay attention to me or respect me the way he did.”
“I was always appreciative of TP, the job he did, the work that he put into it, the impact he had on not only his players but really all of our players on defense,” Elko added. “Any way that we can continue his memory and continue to keep him a part of people’s thoughts, I think is really cool. It’s awesome that he’s getting nominated and put into the Hall of Honor. It was great to call his wife and let her know. That was a really cool experience for me.”
Kyle Field drew 107,782 for the Missouri State game on Sept. 5, the largest season-opening crowd in stadium history and the ninth largest of any game there. It was the 12th consecutive game at Kyle Field with a crowd above 100,000.
Arizona State will be the first Big 12 opponent to play at Kyle Field since Texas A&M’s final Big 12 season in 2011. Kickoff is 11 a.m. CT Saturday on ABC. Both teams are 1-0.
