The Battle for the Iron Skillet: October 1st

On October 1st, we will partake in a very important part of higher education: the college rivalry.

Fort Worth's Texas Christian University Horned Frogs and Dallas's Southern Methodist University Mustangs will meet at the Amon Carter Football Field to battle for... a skillet.

Located less than 45 minutes from one another, the crosstown rivals have been battling each other on the field of competition since the early 1900s with over 300 games played on the gridiron and hardwood.The rivalry was created during the 1915 season when the Frogs recorded a 43-0 victory over the Mustangs followed by 48-3 and 21-0 triumphs over the following two seasons (a combined 112-3 score during that period).
During the post-World War II college football boom, the student bodies at TCU and SMU created a traveling trophy called the Iron Skillet that was presented to the winner of the annual football game. Over the next few decades, the tradition of the Iron Skillet died, but the rivalry continued to be as heated as ever between the two schools. (TCU Athletics)

 Why a skillet? One story claims that "an SMU fan in the 1950s was caught frying frogs legs in a skillet at a tailgate before the game, and a TCU fan wagered that the winner should take the pan home".  However, the real story is probably more boring: the student councils for each school decided to have a "trophy" and decided to pick something similar to Michigan's and Minnesota's Little Brown Jug.

Whatever the origin, this is a long-standing tradition in the DFW area, and we want you to experience it. We will meet at MVC at noon (buses will pick you up at the schools), have lunch at MVC, then head to Fort Worth. We will take a tour of the TCU campus before the game, which starts at 2:30. After the game, we will have dinner, then head back to MVC. We should be back on campus by 8:00.

We have a limited number of tickets for this event, therefore only those who have signed up will be able to attend. If we have more students than tickets, we will choose who will go based on attendance (at Saturday Academies and at tutoring), and behavior.

Photo from TCU Magazine's The History of the Iron Skillet