B - Company History -

Compiled and Edited by Danny Hernandez, B Company Commander ‘09

As the Aggie Band grew larger in the late 70’s, it became necessary to split up the Maroon and White band’s even more: into four separate outfits. A-Battery, B-Battery, A-Company, and most importantly, B-Company came into existence, even though they originally had no real personal individuality or identity. After a few years the Street Fighter identity was created based on the childhood and upbringing of General Joe Ramirez.

According to Senior Band Director, Lt. Colonel Jay Brewer, B-Company Class of ‘81, “there was a brotherhood in B-Co that was unmatched by the almost reverence that we all had for a guy named Joe Ramirez.” Joe Ramirez was class of ‘79, and he grew up in the 5^th Ward in Houston, a gang-ridden, neighborhood hosting many impoverished families. He came to Texas A&M, and joined B Company where his legacy continues to live today. Ramirez was the First Sergeant and eventually became the Commanding Officer. This leader they called “Taco”; the same leader who carried a switchblade to class everyday and who brought a new meaning of perfection to the outfit. He was a tough Commander who set a high value of military proficiency. When he motivated the freshmen as an upperclassman, he would tell the fish to be strong, to be like “street fighters,” referring to his home in Houston. One morning in the spring of 1979, a box appeared on the Quadrangle full of black t-shirts with red lettering and a unique symbol. This logo was designed by Mark Ran, class of 1980, and is the logo that is still used today. Ramirez and his fish class made these shirts as a freshmen pullout. This display of outfit pride sparked a change in B-Company which could not have been foreseen. B-Company was never the same after the whole outfit, fish through seniors, out on the coveted black and red shirt. Two years later, A-Company followed B-Company’s shirt idea and declared themselves as the “A-Company Nads.” Although there were similar intentions, no other outfit would ever have the same amount of pride in their outfit as the B-Company Street Fighters who started it all. The Street Fighter name stuck with the outfit even after Ramirez graduated, and was officially adopted as the nickname by the class of 1981 in his honor.

The class of 1981 during their junior and senior years also wrote the “hump it” that is still used today:

“B…(drawn out)

Company…(drawn out),

Hell Bent Street Fighters!

What’s it to ya Corps Turds?

A!”

B-Co lived with D-2 during the first few years of its existence. Thus, a good portion of B-Company’s hump-it was taken from D-2’s hump it. D-2 would draw out the letter D, and the number 2 to begin their hump it and they would call themselves the “hell bent canines.” Similar in the B-Company hump-it, the B and Company are drawn out, and it mentions the “Hell Bent Street Fighters.” The last part comes from the F-2 hump it. F-2 ends their hump it with, “What’s it to yaw snake?” due to a rivalry with company C-1, the cobras. Since the members of the Corps of Cadets who are not in the band are called “Corps Turds,” B-Company adds “What’s it to ya Corps Turds?” to the end of the hump-it.

B Company does more than develop cadets into leaders. It transforms them into young men and women, and forever binds them with a family of brothers and sisters who will forever be known as Street Fighters. The first few classes of Street Fighters set the stage for the current stretch of B Company’s success that continues today. It started off as simply performing to a standard that would put B-Company among the top outfits in the Corps. Eventually that goal was changed from competing against other outfits to simply striving to achieve personal excellence in everything B-Company did. B-Company has won the General Moore award more than most outfits in the Corps, and has won the “Best Outfit in the Band” award more than any other band outfit. In the words of Senior Band Director, Lt. Colonel Jay Brewer, B-Company Class of ‘81, “Today’s B Co Street Fighters have surpassed and exceeded the dreams that all of us had in the late 70’s and 80’s.”