Silver Bugle Hunt links students to their legacy

BY BROOKLYN MCKINNEY

Multimedia Journalist

Every year on the first night of homecoming week, hundreds of students are scattered across the lawn of the Trogdon House reading questions to each other in groups – but they’re not studying for midterms.

They’re going over trivia questions about the history of Tarleton State University, buzzing with excitement as they prepare for the game ahead. Although they may be separated into teams, they are all united in one common goal: to be the first team to uncover the clues hidden around campus that will lead them to the silver bugle.

The Silver Bugle Hunt remains one of Tarleton’s oldest and most sacred homecoming traditions because it was once the symbol of the Tarleton football team’s traveling trophy.

After the 13-year long football team rivalry between the John Tarleton Agricultural College (JTAC) and North Texas Agricultural College (NTAC), NTAC won the final game in 1958.

The trophy they claimed was a silver bugle as a nod to JTAC’s military roots with the Corps of Cadets and their strong training program.

Bugles were regularly used in military drills and assemblies to represent unity and pride, and they are still an important part of Tarleton’s homecoming game festivities today.

Over the years, the Silver Bugle trophy had mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again. As time passed without the real trophy, the idea of a scavenger hunt around campus emerged.

William McMillan, a Tarleton ambassador, has created lasting memories competing in this well-loved homecoming event in his freshman year.

“I think it was just fun to participate because my team knew we weren’t going to win,” McMillan said. “Whenever we got hit with some of those questions, we were like, we had never even heard about this before.”

Now as a student ambassador, McMillan is eager to be the one asking questions rather than answering them, passing on this experience to other students who are just as excited to be a part of campus traditions as he is.

“I’m sure I’ll see a lot of happy faces run up and be super giddy and just enjoying the process,” McMillan said.

Destiny Pena, another Tarleton ambassador, is looking forward to kicking off homecoming week festivities with the competitive spirit this event brings to campus.

“I just like seeing everybody run around. I think everybody’s so interested in it, and they put all of their effort into it. It just makes it fun to watch everybody try to win,” Pena said.

This year, cadets Carter McKay, Max Hoogendorn, Olivia Ray and Kaleb Roberts claimed the win as the 2025 Silver Bugle Hunt champions.

The Silver Bugle Hunt is an important tradition because it goes beyond hyping up students for the big game. It weaves together Tarleton’s legacy as a university, connecting the students of the future with its rich history as a military academy and school of agriculture.