With ring season in full bloom, I can't help but wonder who invented the ring dunk. Who was the first person to drop their beautiful (and expensive) Fightin' Texas Aggie ring into a pitcher of beer, then drink it out as fast as they can while their family and friends cheer them on?

For those of you who don't know what a ring dunk is (freshmen…), it's when you have completed 90 hours of college and received a class ring. Then you drop that ring into a pitcher of beer and drink it out as fast as you can while your friends chant your name and your mom asks everyone whether she should be proud of ashamed of how fast you finished. 

This fun and slightly tacky festivity is the perfect way to let everyone know that you are intelligent enough to get your ring, but crazy enough to drink it out of a pitcher of alcohol. 

Don't get me wrong, this is my favorite tradition at Texas A&M, I'm just curious about why we have it. Receiving your Aggie Ring is such a prestigious honor. It symbolizes all of the hardwork and dedication it takes to finish at the number 1 university in the state of Texas. The ring is the "you're a little over halfway to the finish line!" or the "don't stop now because your parents have already spent too much on tuition for you to fail!" So, the ring is definitely something to celebrate.

Ring Day celebrations can vary. From a modest dinner with Mom, Dad and Granny to a night out on Northgate. It's your day, champ. Do what you want.

Then there are ring dunks: the happy median between a pleasant supper with the fam and passing out outside of the Dirty F. This is the most popular form of celebration on this day, and the route I will take when I finally get that little ring made of gold. My dad, Fightin Texas Aggie class of 1987 said that ring dunks weren't a thing when he was in school. So somewhere between '87 and '14, someone pioneered a new method of ring glorification. We thank you, whoever you are. 

If you have never been to a ring dunk and are attending one sometime in your life (which I suggest you do), here are a few tips: 

• Don't stand in the front row to watch the participants drink. You will get thrown up on. 

That's actually the only advice I have on that subject. Go and have fun, too, I guess. 

Congratulations to everyone who received their Fightin Texas Aggie rings this past weekend! Hope you dunked them and finished under a minute.