twelfth man (1926)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

Texas A&M is griping over the Seattle Seahawks' usage of "the 12th
man" to refer to the fans. The Aggies say they've been using the term
since 1922, and they've registered the trademark (though only from
1990).

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/news/story?id=2309668

The earliest cites I can find on the databases do indeed come from
Texas in the '20s, though there's no mention of A&M.

1926 _Port Arthur (Tex.) News_ 3 Oct. 10/1 Coaches of this day and
time realize the value of the "twelfth man" in a football game. This
"twelfth man" is the rooting section.

1926 _Port Arthur (Tex.) News_ 7 Nov. 8/1 The "twelfth man" -- the
Port Arthur rooting section -- must carry out his assignment in a
perfect manner.


--Ben Zimmer

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