Dec. 24, 1956: Gen. James Earl Rudder was recognized among Sports Illustrated's Silver Anniversary All-America award recipients. The magazine annually recognizes the accomplishments of 25 football lettermen from 25 years prior.
At the time of the award, Rudder was the Texas land commissioner. He returned to A&M in 1958 as the vice president, and then president in 1959. Rudder is credited with changing the name of the college to Texas A&M University and ushering in important changes, including opening enrollment to women and black students and making participation in the Corps of Cadets voluntary.
