About 12 hours before kickoff, Joe Windham arrives on the Texas A&M campus.
At 6:30 a.m. Saturday, he -- along with a group of dedicated family members and close friends -- began unloading three trucks full of tailgating supplies.
Windham, who graduated from Texas A&M University in 1975, said he hasn't missed a home football game since 1974. He makes the nearly two-hour drive from Crosby as often as necessary to support the Aggies, he said.
"We've been tailgating like this for about 10 years now, and sometimes we have upwards of 70 people with us," he said. "And we come to every game. They all count, because they're A&M football games."
On Saturday, there were about 30 people huddled around Windham's tents. On any given game day, about nine out of every 10 people roaming around his tailgating area are current or former A&M students, he said.
Sometimes, he'll cook game-specific dishes, which have included alligator in the past.
"This time, though, I didn't know what to do with a dragon," he said, referring to the University of Alabama-Birmingham's mascot. "And I wasn't real sure anyone would eat a lizard."
Saturday's pre-game feast included chicken and, when the meat was ready, Windham pulled out an impressive 13-piece knife set, a Christmas gift from his wife, and got to work carving up the meat for the hungry crowd.
Will Winkelmann, a senior ocean engineering major from Dallas, has been a close family friend of the Windhams for years, along with his mother and father.
He's been attending the couple's tailgate party for four and a half years, and besides visiting with family, one thing keeps him coming back for more: the food.
"The old Ags, they sometimes have tailgates so good you don't even want to go to the game," he said. "Plus, this tailgate is a tradition now -- and you know how we kinda get stuck on those."
Windham's two children, Ross and Jeanelle, both graduated from A&M with degrees in poultry science. They've been loyal to the tailgate for years, a devotion Windham hopes continues for years to come.
"It's just really fun being out here with the kids," he said. "And hopefully, when I get old, they'll love it enough to wheel me out here to the games."
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