Dixie Chicken (bar) - Ring Dunking

Ring Dunking

In the late 1970s, the Aggie tradition of "ring dunking" began at the Dixie Chicken. In this tradition concerning Ring Day, a student drops their class ring into a pitcher of beer which is then chugged on the back porch of the Dixie Chicken. This is not a university-sanctioned tradition, though some estimate that anywhere between 25 to 75 percent of students dunk their rings. Along with a drinking provision that went into effect on April 3, 2005, instead of pitchers, students are only allowed to buy 32 ounce (950 mL) mugs of beer on Ring Day at the Dixie Chicken. Ring Dunking elsewhere, however, remains unregulated. In his comments to the Texas A&M graduating class of Fall 2008, President George W. Bush stated that, "Back in my day, I think I would have enjoyed dunk my ring." The president also joked about the absence of his Secretary of Defense (and former president of A&M) Robert Gates from the ceremony by stating, "It's not like he's over at the Dixie Chicken.”