Research Catalog

Battle of the Brazos : a Texas football rivalry, a riot, and a murder

Title: Battle of the Brazos : a Texas football rivalry, a riot, and a murder / T. G. Webb ; foreword by John A. Adams.
Author: Webb, T. G., 1974-
Publication: College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2018]

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 18-8288	Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Additional Authors

Adams, John A., Jr., 1951-

Description

xii, 170 pages; 25 cm

Summary

During halftime of the October 30, 1926, football game between Baylor University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, a massive riot erupted between the two student bodies that resulted in the death of Texas A&M senior cadet Charles Sessums. Though various newspaper articles have chronicled this infamous "cold case" over the last ninety years, none has placed the riot in its proper context, nor has any official determination ever identified the person responsible for Sessums's death. T. G. Webb has pored over related historic documents, including contemporary newspaper accounts, records in the library archives of both universities, personal correspondence of the victim's family, and the original report of the Pinkerton detective hired by Texas A&M to investigate the incident. In Battle of the Brazos, Webb examines and explains the riot, its origins, and its aftermath, untangling many enduring myths that grew up around the event over the years to establish the definitive record. He allows readers to witness the heart-breaking arrival of Cadet Sessums's parents at the Waco train station as they came to receive the body of their deceased son, and he places readers amid the swirl of charges, recriminations, and allegations that clouded the atmosphere at both Texas A&M and Baylor. Most significantly, Webb provides previously unpublished indications of a cover-up designed to shield the killer's identity from public knowledge. This "historical whodunit" is a must-read for sports fans and historians, devotees of "leather-helmet" football, local history buffs, and Texas football enthusiasts alike.

Series Statement

Swaim-Paup sports series

Uniform Title

Swaim-Paup sports series.

Subject

Genre/Form

History.

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Foreword / by John A. Adams Jr. -- Introduction: the Battle of the Brazos -- The rivalry -- The most tragic event -- Brazos bottom -- Friendly enemies -- A perfect day -- The riot -- All Hades broke loose -- Hard for wisdom to find its way -- Through! -- There shall be no regrets -- The murder -- The Baylor incident -- The city with a soul -- "He is just away" -- Epilogue: Taps -- Appendix A. Announcement of the cancellation of athletic contracts between the A & M College of Texas and Baylor University -- Appendix B.A letter from Samuel Palmer Brooks to the parents of Charlie Sessums -- Appendix C. Account of Charles M. Sessums' death following A & M-Baylor football game, October 30, 1926, and the later death of his assailant -- Notes.

Call Number

JFE 18-8288

ISBN

9781623496616
1623496616

LCCN

2018006358

OCLC

1029089211

Author

Webb, T. G., 1974- author.

Title

Battle of the Brazos : a Texas football rivalry, a riot, and a murder / T. G. Webb ; foreword by John A. Adams.

Publisher

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2018]

Edition

First edition.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Swaim-Paup sports series

Swaim-Paup sports series.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chronological Term

1900-1999

Added Author

Adams, John A., Jr., 1951- writer of foreword.

Other Form:

Online version: Webb, T.G., 1974- Battle of the Brazos. First edition. College Station : Texas A & M University Press, [2018] 9781623496623 (DLC) 2018013534

Research Call Number

JFE 18-8288

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