The Start Of Something Big

Prior to the football game against TCU in 1930, A&M regent, Pinky Downs (Cass of 1906), shouted, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" Sticking with the theme of frog hunting he said, "we're going to Gig'em, Aggies!" As he shouted, he made a fist with his thumb sticking straight up as if holding a spear used to "gig" frogs. On that night, the first hand sign in the history of the Southwest Conference was born. This statue represents the oldest collegiate hand sign in Texas, and is a mold of Aggieland outfitters owner and founder, Fadi Kalaouze (Class of 1990). Kalaouze first began his entrepreneurial journey while attending Texas A&M in the late 1980s selling t-shirts in the hallways of the MSCon game days. After graduation he and his wife, Hege Kalaouze (also Class of 1990), opened Inspirations in College Station's Post Oak Mall. In 2000, the couple launched Aggieland outfitters, now known as the Leader in Gifts. Our mission is to provide our customers with the best possible Aggie selection of Texas A&M merchandise, well as unmatched customer service. We as welcome you to Aggieland and to Aggieland outfitters Gig'em Aggies!