There is a new mascot in Aggieland.
During a rainy Corps of Cadet’s final review at Kyle Field on Friday morning, Reveille IX officially retired from her post, and Reveille X became the First Lady of Aggieland.
Reveille IX will live out her retirement at the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center.
Hear from Lucas Scroggins, 2021-2022 Mascot Corporal, Batie Bishop, 2020-2021 Mascot Corporal, Colton Ray, 2019-2020 Mascot Corporal; trainer for Reveille X, and Dr. Stacy Eckman, Associate Dean of Hospital Operations -Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital during Reveille X’s first media news conference.
Listen to “Reveille X is named the First Lady of Aggieland” on Spreaker.
News release from Texas A&M:
Reveille X has officially ushered in a new era as Texas A&M University’s 10th mascot, a role she’s been preparing for since February, when she began shadowing outgoing mascot Reveille IX.
Now eight years old, Reveille IX will move to the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center operated by the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, where she’ll live out a comfortable retirement just as Reveille VIII did until her 2018 death. Her successor was selected after a search process that lasted more than a year and a half.
Reveille X, a sable-and-white American Rough Coat Collie, comes to Aggieland from Juell Collies in Topeka, Kansas – the same breeder that donated Reveille VIII. She spent the last three months training under Reveille IX, acclimating to her new home – a campus of more than 70,000 students – and adjusting to the demands of mascot life.
At her side will be Mascot Corporal Lucas Scroggins, an engineering major from Little Elm, Texas.
“Being selected as the first handler of Reveille X means that she and I have a big year ahead of us,” Scroggins said. “It’s going to be a new experience for both of us, and we couldn’t be more excited to get to know each other along the way.”
Each year, a sophomore from Company E-2 – the Corps of Cadets outfit responsible for her care – is selected to serve as Reveille’s handler. Scroggins was handed the leash earlier this month by his older brother, Jacob Scroggins, who was Reveille IX’s handler four years ago.
Scroggins and Reveille X have spent their first days together bonding and easing into their roles, he said. She’s been to a few classes and gone on walks around campus to meet fellow Aggies, Scroggins said, and they’ve also been working on basic commands. “Rev is a very fast learner,” Scroggins said, and she’s also been getting used to being in front of a camera.
They’ll have a full schedule. Not only does Reveille serve as the highest-ranking member of the Corps of Cadets, she also goes to classes with her handler, attends football games and makes many appearances at charitable and promotional events on- and off-campus.
“Rev and I are equally excited for this upcoming year and our new positions,” he said. “We can’t wait to see everyone at her events and across campus. We love seeing everyone’s smiles and saying ‘Howdy.'”
The transition between mascots was completed Friday at the Corps of Cadets Final Review at Kyle Field.
Called the “First Lady of Aggieland,” Reveille embodies the pride and values of Texas A&M. Reveille X is now the 10th in a long line of Reveilles dating back to 1931, when a group of cadets adopted a dog they found along Highway 6. Her name was inspired by her habit of barking when the bugler called reveille to wake the cadets each morning.
Learn more about Reveille X and the tradition of Reveille at reveille.tamu.edu.