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Texas A&M: '12th man' tradition started here, not Seattle

Texas A&M folks evidently are a little tired of all the "12th man" talk emanating from Seattle's CenturyLink Field on Saturday for the NFC playoffs.

The Aggies' football team's official Twitter account sent out a gentle reminder that A&M is the real home of the 12th man.

The two sides actually were involved in a lawsuit over the "12th man" phrase. It was settled in 2006; the upshot was that that the Seahawks acknowledge A&M's ownership rights of the trademarked phrase but were able to continue using the phrase under license.

A&M's 12th man tradition certainly predates the Seahawks' version: It started in 1922. These days, the Aggie students in attendance at home games are considered the 12th man, and they stand throughout the contest. There are a lot of marvelous sights in college football, but trust us: The A&M students standing throughout a game -- and standing through thick and thin -- is wondrous to behold. Is it corny? Yes, in a way. But a lot of cool things are corny.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.