SAN ANTONIO — Desiree Crawford says she pours her heart into every coffee she makes. It’s why her East San Antonio coffee shop is called The PourBox.

While she wears her heart on her sleeve, she also sports her alma mater, Texas A&M University. 

“I went in at ‘81 … I graduated class of ‘85,” Crawford said. 

Crawford said it was her dream to attend the College Station university since third grade, when she wanted to be a veterinarian. 

“I only applied to two schools, Texas A&M and Howard University. I got into both. Of course, I went to Texas A&M,” Crawford said. 

Twenty-four years later, her daughter, Bianca Crawford, became an Aggie and graduated in 2013. 

“Being in that student section, being part of the 12th Man, it’s an experience you never forget,” Bianca Crawford said. 

Even Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko credits the 12th Man—the 108,000-plus fans at Kyle Field—for helping the Aggies dig themselves out of a 27-point deficit to defeat South Carolina. 

“Just the environment (at Kyle Field) is a defense mechanism against other teams,” Bianca Crawford said. 

Angel Martinez says the “Spirit of Aggieland” is strong in the Alamo City, especially at San Antonio’s Aggie Park, where watch parties for the currently undefeated Aggies are held. 

“I think that’s the opportunity you have is for Aggies to share that Aggies spirit,” Martinez said. “That, I think, is so meaningful for the rest of the country and the world to understand.” 

Martinez, who graduated from A&M in 1994, says the No. 3 ranked Aggies are reminiscent of the 1992 team led by R.C. Slocum. 

Martinez’s friend Marissa Alanis, who graduated from Texas A&M in 1999, says there have been many great Aggies teams of the past. However, she says this season feels different. 

“We are on the verge of playing for our first SEC championship, and we are poised to be in our first College Football Playoff series,” Alanis said. 

Aggies fans have experienced a lot of heartbreak, but win or lose, their spirit can’t be broken. 

“I think for me and a lot of other Aggies, this is a season of validation,” Alanis said.