TABA : Texas Aggie Band Association

04/13/2026

I had the privilege, for the first time, of attending, and judging, the annual Fighting Texas Aggie Band BBQ competition held during family weekend (used to be called Parents Weekend back in our time). What an honor to see all the setups each outfit has, meet and visit with the current cadets, and a few family members that were present too. Even though the weather didn't cooperate completely, everyone had a great time.

All 6 outfits within the band cranked up their respective trailer mounted BBQ pits Saturday afternoon and spent the entire night smoking briskets, sausage, pork bellies, etc. to have them ready by Sunday at lunch. A panel of 5 judges (me, Jay Brewer '81, Tim Rhea, Russell Tipton, and Mark Johnson '78) dove in to tasting each of the outfits briskets at noon. Grading was based on taste, texture, tenderness, moistness, and creativity. Samples were numbered and brought to us so we didn't know which outfits brisket we were judging. After scores were tabulated, B-Battery was declared the winner, followed by A-Company in 2nd place and A-Battery in 3rd. The TABA awarded B-Battery $500 for 1st place. A-Company took home $300 and A-Battery $200. All the funds will be deposited into each of the individual outfits Student organization account.

Hunter Ritchie '26, the Combined Band XO, did an outstanding job of organizing and pulling this 100% cadet run event all together. Especially since they had to change plans midstream and move the serving of all the food into the MAC due to the rain. All the outfits were organized and helped make it all happen.

I'm already looking forward to next year. Gig'em. Phil Gougler '80

03/18/2026

***DID YOU KNOW***

The Texas Aggie Band Association, in conjunction with the Corps of Cadets Association, has an online store where you can purchase hats, t-shirts, short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, light jackets, etc. with the Aggie Band logo. And we just recently added the Bugle Banner logo as an option too.

We have also recently added a new casual short sleeve shirt made by Game Guard in 7 color choices. This is an outstanding shirt that fits tall people well.

To order, go to: corpsofcadets.org. Then go to the pull down menu, click on “Shop”, then “CCA Online Store”. 3 styles of hats are currently available with the 2 band logos…. and 1 style hat with the 6 band outfit logos. Plus numerous shirts, jackets, etc., all with the 2 band logos to choose from.

Please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to be completed as the logos are added after your order has been placed. Shipping is available.

02/16/2026

For those of you that may not receive the emails that go out to the TABA database, the following regarding the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band "Baritone Replacement Campaign" went out earlier today.

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Howdy Ags,

The FTAB routinely replaces a few horns and woodwinds from various instrument sections on a yearly basis. However, this year they have 30 baritones that are quite old and well beyond their useful life. Further repair is both expensive and untenable due to the age and condition of the instruments. The cost for replacement is approximately $100,000…. or about $3300 each.

Due to the large scope of this need, the directors approached the TABA in late December asking for financial assistance, with the goal to have the baritones available and ready for use at the beginning of the upcoming 2026 fall football season. The TABA officers and board members convened on January 9, and voted to contribute $25,000 from our general fund for the new baritones. We have also had an extremely generous donation from another former bandsman that will go directly towards this replacement campaign.

Earlier this month, Dr. Tim Rhea had two different makers of baritones ship sample instruments for the band to try out. After the directors evaluated them, and a few of the baritone players tested them, the decision was made to order 30 baritones this month.

If you would like to make a one time contribution and have 100% of your gift go to this baritone replacement campaign, we now have it set up at member.tabaonline.com to do exactly that. It’s simple, click on the link, go to the “Membership & Gifts” header, and click on “Special Purpose Gift”. Type in your email address and follow the instructions from there. You do not have to be an active TABA member to make this one time donation.

If you prefer to make a donation by written check, please include a note stating it is for the “Baritone Replacement Campaign”. Then mail to:

Texas Aggie Band Association
1507 S. College Ave.
Bryan, TX 77801-1214

Please consider getting behind and supporting this organization that means so much to so many! The more financial assistance we can provide for the replacement of this large number of baritones, the more the band can utilize what they have budgeted towards the normal yearly replacement and repair, of all the different instruments, throughout the band.

Thank you. And Gig’em!

Phil Gougler ’80
President - Texas Aggie Band Association

02/10/2026

Last week, I sent a message to everyone in the TABA database entitled “BY THE NUMBERS: A YEAR IN REVIEW… AND WHAT’S AHEAD FOR 2026”. In case you did not receive this email (maybe it went to your spam folder), or you are not on our email list, you can click on the TABA website link below and scroll down to “Read the latest TABA Communication” to see it. It’s a good synopsis of exactly how your contributions are spent, along with our plans for the rest of this year.

tabaonline.com

Thanks and Gig’em 👍.

The Texas Aggie Band Association (TABA) was formed in 1966. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the primary purpose of supporting the FTAB and the current Aggie Band Cadets. The TABA Officers and Board of Directors are all strictly volunteer positions. With the generous contributions from....

02/08/2026

For those of you that may not follow us yet 👍.

Jay and Judy Brewer hosted the Combined Band Staff of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band this past Thursday at their house. My wife Jody and I had the privilege of attending and meeting this group of truly exceptional young people. Jay treated them to a fine chicken spaghetti dinner…. along with plenty of stories throughout the course of the evening. A great time was had by all 👍!!!

Phil Gougler ‘80
President - TABA

02/08/2026

Jay and Judy Brewer hosted the Combined Band Staff of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band this past Thursday at their house. My wife Jody and I had the privilege of attending and meeting this group of truly exceptional young people. Jay treated them to a fine chicken spaghetti dinner…. along with plenty of stories throughout the course of the evening. A great time was had by all 👍!!!

Phil Gougler ‘80
President - TABA

12/23/2025

Howdy All!

As this year comes to an end, I wanted to send out a heartfelt thank you for your support of the Texas Aggie Band Association. Without you, we could not provide the financial assistance we have been able to offer our current FTAB cadets in 2025. From Thanksgiving meals, to travel and practice shirts, to Junior sweaters, to funding a $25K scholarship and the annual BQ Ball in the Spring, etc., you make all this possible. Thank you from all of us at the TABA !!!

For those of you not current on your yearly membership contributions, or have not been an active member in the past, please remember we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization totally led by volunteers. So if you would like to consider a contribution for tax purposes prior to the end of the year, there is still time. The link is:

member.tabaonline.com

I will be sending a newsletter out in mid-January. It will be a review of the calendar year 2025. Included will be membership growth, dollars spent in support of the current cadets, and what we want to achieve in 2026.

Again, thank you to all those that have been so generous and willing to give back to an organization that was such a large and influential part of our lives back when we were cadets of the FTAB !!! I know the current cadets are very appreciative of this support.

From the entire TABA Staff, we wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Gig’em.

Phil Gougler '80
President TABA

12/17/2025

Quick note for any of you that may be coming in early for the game this weekend…. regarding Aggie Band practice this week. Band cadets report back to campus Thursday evening and will practice from 8 to 10pm. Friday from 10am to noon… and 2-4pm. And then Saturday morning at 7am. Keep in mind the first half hour (except for probably Saturday morning) is usually inside before they go out to the drill field.

Come on out to the drill field and watch if you can. Gig’em and BTHO Miami 👍.

Phil Gougler ‘80

12/15/2025

Howdy Ags,

My name is Phil Gougler-President of the TABA. We have decided to resurrect this Texas Aggie Band Association page 👍. Dec 2nd was the first post made here since 2019. We plan to post news, stories (such as below), how contributions are utilized, etc. on at least a monthly basis now. An Instagram page will be coming soon! PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE WITH YOUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS

Saturday, my wife and I hosted the majority of the cadets from A Battery in the Band (my old outfit) at our house. I cooked fajitas for everyone. We had horseshoes, corn hole, washers and even a pick up football game going on. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I’m trying to do something like this on a yearly basis.

I tagged a few of the former “old” A Battery alum that attended…. you’ll notice a few in the back and on the right side of the photo. Plus Zoe Barnhart, bottom left hand corner and the current CO of A Battery.

I would highly encourage other BQs living in the College Station / Bryan area to do the same for your old outfits if you aren’t already doing so. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet and spend time with these kids. All are such impressive young adults 👍.

Gig’em and BTHO Miami !!!

Phil Gougler ‘80

12/02/2025

🎺 It’s Giving Tuesday, Ags! 🎺

Today is the perfect day to show your support for the organization that continues to shape, uplift, and honor the proud legacy of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band.

The Texas Aggie Band Association (TABA) plays a vital role in providing resources, financial support, and ever-expanding scholarship opportunities for the cadets who carry on our tradition of excellence.

Whether you’re a current TABA member, a former Bandsmen who hasn’t joined yet, or someone whose membership is up for renewal—your support directly impacts the future of our cadets.

🤝 Become a TABA Member
🔁 Renew Your Membership
🎁 Give a gift that helps us grow more scholarships and strengthen the Band experience for generations to come

Join us today and make a difference:
👉 https://member.tabaonline.com/

Let’s come together and give back on Giving Tuesday! 🎶✨

11/04/2019

We've received some questions regarding how to get the 125th Anniversary apparel. You can order it directly from our supplier at the following link:

08/22/2019

Registration for the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band's 125th Anniversary & Celebration is now OPEN!

We had a link previously for the reunion band signup but we're asking everyone to sign up again via the link below. This will help us keep all of the event registration info together in one place.

Register here:

Please fill out the form below to register for the events in which you would like to participate. For detailed information on each of the events, visit the 125th FTAB Celebration & Reunion Information Page.