 ot
too long ago the empty stands of Texas A&M's Kyle Field
witnessed a titanic struggle. A large backhoe was breaking up the
asphalt base of the old artificial surface and loading dump trucks
with the rubble. The faded green of the plastic gridiron was no
more. Now, after a quarter century, the playing field will once
again be natural grass. In the foreseeable future, even the
horseshoe at the North end of the stadium is expected to be
demolished to make way for yet another addition, another
improvement, to Dean Kyle's old vegetable patch. If anything is
constant in Kyle Field's history, it is change.
The documented history of Kyle Field in the
Texas A&M Archives is voluminous. And yet, there are gaps in
the early history that make it difficult to reconstruct those
early days. Long-time Archivist Ernest Langford '13, when asked
about the early days of the stadium replied: "First, we have
to define Kyle Field, and believe me you can get your head cracked
over that. All that I can state as a fact at this moment is that
our board of directors did not get around to naming officially
until April 28, 1956." What Langford alluded to was the
smoldering controversy over who the stadium was named for that
flared up from time to time. No one knows why or how the dispute
got started, but for much of the early part of the 20th Century
small but vocal groups promoted their champion. Was it Edwin J.
Kyle ‘99, professor of horticulture and staunch supporter of
Texas A&M athletics, or was it Dr. J. Allen Kyle '90, a
prominent Houston physician and member of the board of directors
from 1911 to 1914?
Documents located in the University Archives clearly
indicate that E. J. Kyle deserves the credit for both the location
and the construction of what became known as Kyle Field. Indeed,
the researcher is left wondering what caused the controversy in
the first place.
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The story begins in 1904 when E. J. Kyle, a young instructor,
became president of the General Athletic Association, a precursor
to Texas A&M's Athletic Council. At the time, athletic
contests were held on the drill field about where Simpson Drill
Field is currently located. During these events a hat was passed
among those in attendance to pay for expenses. The results were at
best unsatisfactory.
Kyle realized that if athletics were ever
to amount to anything it would need a fenced off area dedicated
just to athletics. So, he took matters into his own hands. A
goodly portion of College lands at the southern edge of the campus
had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments. Since he
had more space than he needed, it seemed the perfect place for
another kind of experiment.
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Edwin J. Kyle '99
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In March of 1905, he persuaded his good
friend G. S. Parker, a prominent Bryan citizen and lumber yard
owner to sell him $378.07 worth of fencing materials on account.
Later that same year, Kyle purchased an additional $312.63 worth
of lumber to build two bleachers which could seat approximately
500 people. It was not much, but Texas A&M had its first
stadium.
In 1906, a grateful Corps of Cadets met in the
old chapel to express their appreciation for Kyle and name the new
athletic field for him. It wasn't official, but the name stuck.
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