By Robin Nelson '22, Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets - November 7th, 2024
One of the Corps’ oldest traditions, gameday march-ins occur ahead of each home football game and feature an active duty reviewing officer. Brigadier General Craig McPike, deputy commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service and a former student at Texas A&M, returned to Aggieland to serve as the reviewing officer ahead of the game against Bowling Green.
As a student, McPike spent his time on campus as a member of Company E-1 in the Corps of Cadets, Texas A&M’s Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) and the 1989 Texas A&M Football team. While on the football team, McPike was a part of the 12th Man Kick-off Team, a unit comprised entirely of walk-on players.
After graduating from Texas A&M and completing his time in AFROTC, McPike began a career of service in the United States Air Force. Over the course of his Air Force career, McPike has flown in various combat and combat support missions, accruing over 3,700 flying hours across different flight operations. Today, he serves as the Deputy Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service.
McPike cites his time as a cadet and a member of the football team as the foundation for his success as an Air Force Officer.
“I am very thankful for the leadership opportunities that Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets gave me throughout my time as a student. The leadership foundation that Texas A&M instilled in me was something that I was directly and efficiently able to translate into my career with the Air Force.”
The Journey to Texas A&M
After initially planning to attend the United States Air Force Academy and play for their football team, McPike was encouraged by his local congressman to explore Texas A&M and their Corps of Cadets.
“My congressman, Joe Barton, had himself attended Texas A&M and encouraged me to check out membership in the university’s cadet Corps. So I went home and visited with my high school counselor and he just so happened to know the head admissions counselor at Texas A&M,” McPike said.
“The counselor at Texas A&M immediately asked if I was interested in the Corps of Cadets and my question back was, ‘does that mean I get to potentially go into the Air Force?’. Of course he said, yes. So that’s where it all happened, that’s how my choice to attend Texas A&M came to be,” McPike continued.
McPike’s dreams of playing football at the collegiate level carried over onto this new path, impacting the Corps unit he chose to join.
“I played four years of varsity football and baseball in high school, and knew it was something I wanted to continue to pursue. The admissions counselors at the time recommended that I join Company E-1, the Athletic Company, because there’d be some more flexibility for me to pursue membership on those teams.”
A Unique Aggie Experience
After arriving on campus, McPike, a Civil Engineering major and freshman in Company E-1, tried out for both the baseball and football teams.
“I tried out for the baseball team in the fall of my freshman year, and they didn’t take any walk-ons that year. But, that spring, I made the upcoming football team and found myself a part of the 12th Man Kickoff Team,” McPike said.
“So my sophomore year, I was able to play for R.C. Slocum in his first year as head coach. Being in Company E-1 gave me the flexibility to miss the Corps’ evening formations and march-ins to Duncan Dining Hall for football practice. The company was comfortable with me doing that because being athletic is what we’re known for,” he continued.
The support of his Corps buddies throughout his time on the football team continues to be a stand out detail of McPike’s Aggie experience.
“After I made it, I wasn’t a starter but there was one moment against SMU that stands out to me. We were winning by quite a lot and the coaches had decided to send out the 12th Man Kick-off team, and that was my first time physically on the field,” McPike said.
“My buddies were just so proud of me following that experience. After the game, they came up and just expressed how excited they were for me. It's one thing to be on the team, but to get to actually go out there and run a play was so amazing,” he continued.
Following his time on the football team, McPike spent his junior and senior years in leadership positions within Company E-1.
“It all worked out really well because I was fortunate enough to be selected to serve as E-1’s First Sergeant my junior year and the Commanding Officer my senior year. In all, it was a great experience and I gained a lot of friends and leadership experience,” McPike explained.
“To be a company commander was a big responsibility, but it was also very rewarding. The chances I was given to lead here at Texas A&M inspired me to continue on and lead airmen in the future.”
For McPike, his experience as a cadet leader was summarized in one defining interaction.
“I just remember that, at the end of my senior year, one moment in particular gave me the assurance that I had done a good job as a leader. At Parents Weekend, we gave the reins to the junior class and they gave each of the seniors a Company E-1 t-shirt with a nickname on the back,” he continued.
“The nickname they gave me was ‘The Example’. That was a great assurance for me that I was the example that they needed to follow as rising commanders. It was also a great testament to the year we had spent together in E-1.”
Advice to Future Leaders
For those interested in pursuing membership in the Corps of Cadets, McPike says that the experience is worth it.
“If you’re interested in membership in the Corps of Cadets, take a hard look at what that looks like. I think it's an accomplishment that you’ll be really proud of, being able to join, get through all four years and wear those senior boots. There’s a lot of magic and emotions there in that experience that I can hardly explain,” McPike said.
“Being an Aggie in itself is a brotherhood and a sisterhood like no other. The ring that we all wear is recognizable world wide. I’ve been all over the world and I’ve seen someone with an Aggie Ring and there’s just an instant bond. Then, to find out that they were in the cadet Corps is just an even bigger embracement of that bond.”
No matter what path you choose to take, McPike says there’s importance in doing the right thing and pushing yourself toward excellence.
“Make the right choices, even when no one is watching. The lessons I learned on the football field and in the Corps were that you get what you put into it, so if you’re working out and you don’t put in that last set or if you’re supposed to be running and you just jog through the finish line, we’re all going to know it on gameday,” he said.
“Just make sure that you’re always working as hard as you can because you’ll really be proud of yourself at the end of the day if you’ve left everything out there on the field.”