SMU–TCU football rivalry

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SMU–TCU football rivalry
First meetingOctober 18, 1915
TCU 43, SMU 0
Latest meetingSeptember 23, 2023
TCU 34, SMU 17
Next meetingSeptember 21, 2024
TrophyIron Skillet (See below)
Statistics
Meetings total102
All-time seriesTCU leads, 53–42–7[1]
Largest victoryTCU, 56–0 (2014)
Longest win streakSMU, 15 (1972–1986)
Current win streakTCU, 2 (2022–present)

The SMU–TCU football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the SMU Mustangs football team of Southern Methodist University (SMU) and TCU Horned Frogs football of Texas Christian University (TCU). The winner of the game receives an iron skillet as a trophy.

History[edit]

The teams have played all but seven years since their first meeting in 1915. They did not face each other in 1919, 1920, 1925, 1987, 1988, 2006 or 2020. Although no longer in the same conference, SMU and TCU have agreed to play each season through 2025 on an alternating home-and-away basis.

The 2020 game originally scheduled for September 11 was canceled due to TCU team members testing positive for COVID-19.[2]

Iron Skillet[edit]

Two different versions of the story. In recent years SMU's website has claimed the following. TCU and SMU fans began the tradition back in 1946. During pre-game festivities, an SMU fan was frying frog legs as a joke before the game. A TCU fan, seeing this desecration of the "frog", went over and told him that eating the frog legs was going well beyond the rivalry and that they should let the game decide who would get the skillet and the frog legs. SMU won the game, and the skillet and frog legs went to SMU. The tradition eventually spilled over into the actual game and the Iron Skillet is now passed to the winner.[3]

An article from TCU magazine tells the following story. "The first "Battle for the Iron Skillet" occurred on November 30, 1946, as college football boomed after World War II. Weeks prior to the game, SMU’s Student Council proposed the idea of presenting a trophy to the winning team. TCU accepted the idea, and the two schools' governing bodies met in Dallas to set up the rules of the traveling trophy, which became the Iron Skillet."[4] The TCU magazine article has this to say about the other story "One mystery remains: Why a skillet? History books provide scant details. Some claim 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, but that conflicts with a published report of the skillet originating with the councils."[citation needed]

Notable games[edit]

1935: For the Rose Bowl[edit]

TCU and SMU again met to decide not only the SWC title but the first trip to the Rose Bowl for a team from the SWC. Grantland Rice of the New York Sun called it the "Game of the Century" and reported the following:

In a TCU Stadium that seated 30,000 spectators, over 36,000 wildly excited Texans and visitors from every corner of the map packed, jammed, and fought their way into every square foot of standing and seating space to see one of the greatest football games ever played…this tense, keyed up crowd even leaped the wire fences from the top of automobiles…"[5]

SMU scored the first 14 points. TCU, led by All-American quarterback Sammy Baugh, tied the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Then, with seven minutes left in the game SMU, on 4th and 4 on the Frogs' 37 yard-line, lined up to punt. Quarterback Bob Finley threw a 50-yard pass to running back Bobby Wilson who made what is described as a "jumping, twisting catch that swept him over the line for the touchdown."[5]

Game results[edit]

SMU victoriesTCU victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinning teamLosing team
1 October 9, 1915[6] TCU campus TCU 43 SMU 0
2 October 18, 1916 State Fair grounds (Dallas) TCU 48 SMU 3
3 October 20, 1917 TCU gridiron TCU 21 SMU 0
4 October 12, 1918† Armstrong Field SMU 1 TCU 0
5 November 11, 1921 Fair Park Stadium TCU 13 SMU 6
6 December 9, 1922 Panther Park Tie0Tie0
7 November 3, 1923 Fair Park Stadium SMU 40 TCU 0
8 November 1, 1924 Clark Field SMU 6 TCU 0
9 November 25, 1926 Ownby Stadium SMU 14 TCU 13
10 November 24, 1927[7] Clark Field SMU 28 TCU 6
11 November 29, 1928 Ownby Stadium TCU 15 SMU 6
12 November 30, 1929 Clark Field Tie7Tie7
13 November 29, 1930 Ownby Stadium TCU 13 SMU 0
14 November 28, 1931 Amon G. Carter Stadium Tie0Tie0
15 November 26, 1932[8] Ownby Stadium TCU 8 SMU 0
16 December 2, 1933 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 26 SMU 6
17 December 1, 1934 Ownby Stadium SMU 19 TCU 0
18 November 30, 1935 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 20 TCU 14
19 November 28, 1936 Ownby Stadium Tie0Tie0
20 November 27, 1937 Amon G. Carter Stadium #14 TCU 3 SMU 0
21 November 26, 1938 Ownby Stadium #2 TCU 20 SMU 7
22 December 2, 1939 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 14 TCU 7
23 November 30, 1940 Ownby Stadium #16 SMU 16 TCU 0
24 November 29, 1941 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 15 SMU 13
25 November 28, 1942 Ownby Stadium TCU 14 SMU 6
26 November 27, 1943 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 20 TCU 0
27 December 2, 1944 Ownby Stadium SMU 9 TCU 6
28 December 1, 1945 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 34 TCU 0
29 November 30, 1946 Ownby Stadium #3 SMU 30 TCU 13
30 November 29, 1947 Amon G. Carter Stadium Tie19Tie19
31 November 27, 1948 Cotton Bowl Tie7Tie7
32 November 26, 1949 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 26 SMU 13
33 December 2, 1950 Cotton Bowl TCU 27 SMU 13
34 December 1, 1951 Amon G. Carter Stadium #11 TCU 13 SMU 2
35 November 29, 1952 Cotton Bowl TCU 14 SMU 7
36 November 28, 1953 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 13 SMU 0
37 November 27, 1954 Cotton Bowl SMU 21 TCU 6
38 November 26, 1955 Amon G. Carter Stadium #7 TCU 20 SMU 13
39 December 1, 1956 Cotton Bowl #14 TCU 21 SMU 6
40 November 30, 1957 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 21 SMU 0
41 November 29, 1958 Cotton Bowl SMU 20 #7 TCU 13
42 November 28, 1959 Amon G. Carter Stadium #8 TCU 19 SMU 0
43 November 26, 1960 Cotton Bowl TCU 13 SMU 0
44 December 2, 1961 Amon G. Carter Stadium Tie28Tie28
45 December 1, 1962 Cotton Bowl TCU 14 SMU 9
46 November 30, 1963 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 22 SMU 15
47 November 28, 1964 Cotton Bowl TCU 17 SMU 6
48 November 27, 1965 Cotton Bowl TCU 10 SMU 7
49 November 26, 1966 Cotton Bowl SMU 21 TCU 0
50 December 2, 1967 Cotton Bowl SMU 28 TCU 14
51 October 12, 1968 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 21 TCU 14
52 October 10, 1969 Cotton Bowl SMU 19 TCU 17
No.DateLocationWinning teamLosing team
53 November 28, 1970 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 26 SMU 17
54 November 27, 1971 Cotton Bowl TCU 18 SMU 16
55 December 2, 1972 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 35 TCU 22
56 December 1, 1973 Cotton Bowl SMU 21 TCU 19
57 October 12, 1974 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 33 TCU 13
58 October 10, 1975 Cotton Bowl SMU 28 TCU 13
59 September 11, 1976 Cotton Bowl SMU 34 TCU 14
60 September 10, 1977 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 45 TCU 21
61 September 9, 1978 Cotton Bowl SMU 45 TCU 14
62 September 15, 1979 Amon G. Carter Stadium #20 SMU 27 TCU 7
63 September 20, 1980 Texas Stadium SMU 17 TCU 14
64 September 26, 1981 Amon G. Carter Stadium #20 SMU 20 TCU 9
65 September 25, 1982 Texas Stadium #6 SMU 16 TCU 13
66 September 24, 1983 Amon G. Carter Stadium #18 SMU 21 TCU 17
67 September 29, 1984 Texas Stadium #11 SMU 26 TCU 17
68 September 28, 1985 Amon G. Carter Stadium #6 SMU 56 TCU 21
69 September 27, 1986 Cotton Bowl SMU 31 TCU 21
70 September 30, 1989 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 28 SMU 10
71 September 29, 1990 Ownby Stadium TCU 42 SMU 21
72 November 2, 1991 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 18 SMU 10
73 October 17, 1992 Ownby Stadium SMU 27 TCU 17
74 September 25, 1993 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 21 TCU 15
75 November 12, 1994 Ownby Stadium TCU 35 SMU 14
76 November 4, 1995 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 19 SMU 16
77 November 21, 1996 Cotton Bowl SMU 27 TCU 24
78 November 20, 1997 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 21 SMU 18
79 October 17, 1998 Cotton Bowl SMU 10 TCU 6
80 November 26, 1999 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 21 SMU 0
81 November 24, 2000 Gerald J. Ford Stadium #13 TCU 62 SMU 7
82 September 8, 2001 Gerald J. Ford Stadium TCU 38 SMU 10
83 September 14, 2002 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 17 SMU 6
84 November 29, 2003 Gerald J. Ford Stadium #19 TCU 20 SMU 13
85 September 11, 2004 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 44 SMU 0
86 September 10, 2005 Gerald J. Ford Stadium SMU 21 #22 TCU 10
87 September 22, 2007 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 21 SMU 7
88 September 20, 2008 Gerald J. Ford Stadium TCU 48 SMU 7
89 October 3, 2009 Amon G. Carter Stadium #11 TCU 39 SMU 14
90 September 24, 2010 Gerald J. Ford Stadium #4 TCU 41 SMU 24
91 October 1, 2011 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 40 #20 TCU 33OT
92 September 30, 2012 Gerald J. Ford Stadium #15 TCU 24 SMU 16
93 September 28, 2013 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 48 SMU 17
94 September 27, 2014 Gerald J. Ford Stadium TCU 56 SMU 0
95 September 19, 2015 Amon G. Carter Stadium #3 TCU 56 SMU 37
96 September 23, 2016 Gerald J. Ford Stadium TCU 33 SMU 3
97 September 16, 2017 Amon G. Carter Stadium #20 TCU 56 SMU 36
98 September 7, 2018 Gerald J. Ford Stadium #16 TCU 42 SMU 12
99 September 21, 2019 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 41 #25 TCU 38
100 September 25, 2021 Amon G. Carter Stadium SMU 42 TCU 34
101 September 24, 2022 Gerald J. Ford Stadium TCU 42 SMU 34
102 September 24, 2023 Amon G. Carter Stadium TCU 34 SMU 17
Series: TCU leads 53–42–7[1]
† TCU forfeited the 1918 game[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Winsipedia – SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. ^ Sparber, Sami (September 5, 2020). "Coronavirus cases postpone TCU-SMU game, the season's first college football matchup involving a Texas Big 12 team". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 16, 2020. The game against Southern Methodist University, scheduled for Sept. 11, was canceled Friday after some TCU football athletes and support staff tested positive for the virus, said Jeremiah Donati, TCU's director of intercollegiate athletics, in a statement.
  3. ^ "The Battle for the Iron Skillet". smu.edu.
  4. ^ "TCU Magazine : Magazine Article". Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan; Fitzgerald, Francis J., eds. (1996). Greatest Moments in TCU football. AdCraft Sports Marketing. p. 55. ISBN 1-887761-04-7.
  6. ^ "New Methodist Team Loses to Christians in Onesided Game". The Austin American. October 10, 1915. p. 6. Retrieved November 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mustangs Wallop Horned Frogs in First TCU Homecoming". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 25, 1927. p. 10. Retrieved November 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Frogs Trim Ponies, 8–0 to Take Conference Title". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 27, 1932. p. 10. Retrieved November 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "TCU Eyes Neighbor SMU". TCU Magazine. September 5, 2018.