after the regular season to play basketball, to prepare to play in the game. Texas A&M won 22–14 but E. King Gill was the only player left available on the sidelines for the team. In recent decades, the 12th Man is represented on the field by a walk-on player who wears a number-twelve jersey and participates in kick-offs. The 12th Man uses a variety of school yells, rather than cheers, to support Aggie teams. Each year, the student body elects five students to serve as Yell Leaders. At midnight before each home football game at Kyle Field, or at a designated location at away games, fans gather to practice yells for the next day's game at an event called Midnight Yell Practice. Led by the Yell Leaders and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, the 12th Man practice yells, sing the War Hymn, joke about their opponents, and practice celebrating. Sports Illustrated named Midnight Yell as one of the "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate". At home football games, the 12th Man consists of more than 36,000 Texas A&M students and forms the largest student section in college football. When singing the war hymn, A&M students cause the stands to sway; visiting press are warned prior to the game. Almost every year since 1909, Texas A&M students have built a large bonfire to celebrate their rivalry with the University of Texas. Aggie Bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual college football game between the universities. Although it began as a trash pile, Aggie Bonfire evolved into a massive, six-tiered structure, achieving a then-world-record height for a bonfire of . On November 18, 1999, the Aggie Bonfire collapsed during construction. Eleven enrolled students and one former student died and twenty-seven others were injured. The accident was later attributed to improper design and poor construction practices. The victims' family members filed six lawsuits against Texas A&M officials, Aggie Bonfire officials, and the university. Half of the defendants settled their portion of the case in 2005, and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against the university in 2007. Following the collapse, the university suspended the official sanction of the bonfire, but the tradition continues off-campus. Athletics Texas A&M University has been a member of the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA for all sports since 2012. It was previously a charter member of the