CANYON, TEXAS (RFD NEWS) — College football season brings mascots to the field across the country, but at West Texas A&M University, the school spirit comes in the form of a live buffalo named Thunder.
Thunder runs onto the field before each home football game, accompanied by a small group of students known as the Herdsmen. The Herdsmen are responsible for caring for, protecting, and training the school’s live buffalo mascots.
The Herdsmen tradition began in 1977, while West Texas A&M’s live buffalo tradition dates back to 1922.
Jacque Ghormley, a senior animal science major from Rockwall, Texas, and Taylor Goin, a junior animal science and pre-veterinary major from Valley View, Texas, joined us on Market Day Report Weekend to discuss what it takes to be a Herdsman and carry on the tradition.
Finding Community in Becoming a Herdsman
In their conversation with RFD News Anchor Eliza Petry,m Ghormley said becoming a Herdsman is a student-led process. Applications typically open during the spring semester as the team prepares to replace graduating seniors.
Students go through an interview process, with outgoing seniors interviewing applicants.
“In the past, we’ve had anywhere from roughly 50 applicants, and roughly 30 of those will make it onto the interview process where they are then interviewed by former members of the Herdsmen team,” Ghormley said.
The process gives outgoing members an opportunity to help select the students who will continue the tradition.
For Goin, the buffalo itself first sparked her interest in becoming a Herdsman.
She saw the buffalo during her campus tour and later attended an interest meeting, where she said she saw the community the Herdsmen had built.
“When I went to an interest meeting, I saw the community that they built together,” Goin said. “It’s a family that I wanted to be a part of.”
Ghormley said a close friend who was already on the team encouraged her to apply after she arrived at West Texas A&M.
“I went through it, the application and the interview process, and it has been one of the best things that I’ve ever done,” she said.
She said the Herdsmen support each other on and off the field.
“We have each other’s backs, 24/7 on the field, off the field, in and out of the barn,” Ghormley said.
What Goes Into Caring for a Buffalo
Taking care of Thunder is a daily responsibility, and the Herdsmen say working with bison comes with its own challenges.
“One of our favorite things their advisor likes to tell us is that there’s no handbook to bison,” Ghormley said.
The team consists of 12 students, along with graduate student and faculty advisors.
The work involves more than caring for the animal. The Herdsmen also prepare Thunder for the energy and environment of a football game.
Training practices change depending on the time of year. During football season, the Herdsmen practice on the football field, sometimes with other athletic teams present.
The goal is to help Thunder become accustomed to the sights and sounds of a game, including music and crowd noise.
“We try to simulate what they’re going to find on a football field as close as possible,” Goin said. “That way when we get there, it’s a much easier transition for them.”
Connecting Agriculture and the American West Through University Traditions
For the Herdsmen, running onto the field with Thunder is both an adrenaline-filled experience and a responsibility.
“Truly, it’s an adrenaline rush,” Goin said. “It is so much fun coming through the tunnel with the crowd roaring and the football team behind us.”
She said being one of the 12 students selected to carry on the tradition is an honor.
“We called the spirit of West Texas,” Goin said. “As much as it is an adrenaline rush, it’s a legacy. It’s an honor that we get to be here and that we get to do this.”
Both students said being Herdsmen connects their animal science studies to the region’s history and agricultural identity.
Goin said she came to West Texas A&M because of its history and values.
“Being part of that history is really important to me,” Goin said. “It’s being able to run out on the field with the buffalo and being able to carry on that legacy is such a heavy weight that I’m very proud to be able to carry.”
Ghormley, who grew up in Dallas, said becoming part of a smaller community rooted in agriculture has been one of her favorite parts of the experience.
The Herdsmen also participate in community events, where they meet people and educate them about bison.
“We’re getting to educate people on the bison itself,” Ghormley said. “Not only about the animal and what they are, but where they came from.”
She said the experience has given her an opportunity to honor the history of Canyon, the Texas Panhandle and the agricultural community.
“It’s honoring to know that we get to be a part of that legacy and that we get to be the ones to keep pushing for this legacy too,” Ghormley said.
