It could be the sight of Frog Fountain glistening in the sun or the sound of the Frog Horn that brings you back to the Amon G. Carter Stadium stands every time you hear it. Physical objects can and do impact our love for TCU, much like long-held university traditions as well as academic and social experiences. Over 150 years, students, alumni, faculty and staff have forged emotional connections with many objects at TCU.
Discover and reconnect with many of the items that bind us.
What It Is: A campus icon and a location for student gatherings.
Its Significance: Frog Fountain debuted on campus in 1969 in front of the former Brown-Lupton Student Center. Initially, the student body didn’t like the fountain, claiming the funds donated for its installation could be better used for scholarships or go toward Jarvis Christian College, which faced financial problems.
When TCU relocated Frog Fountain to the newly built Campus Commons in 2007, the pool size was increased and Horned Frog tiles were added.
The fountain’s lotus petal design symbolizes the flow of knowledge at TCU; the tallest flute represents the senior class, while the shortest one represents first-year students.
What It Is: A 3,000-pound vehicle that excites the crowd at athletic events.
Its Significance: In 1958, the No. 9 Frogs were on their way to beating the No. 16 Texas Longhorns in Fort Worth. Two class of ’59 fraternity brothers, George Powell and Theron Brooks, came to the game with a homemade contraption — a train whistle on top of an air canister — and on one scoring play, they sounded the darn thing. The problem? They hadn’t figured out how to turn it off, so it made noise for 15 minutes. The two students were ejected from the game.
It would take 35 years, the Northern Railroad CEO, a plant in Missouri, a C-47 and a downtown pep rally, but eventually we got the Frog Horn we know today.
What It Is: A gathering place and point of campus pride.
Its Significance: A fire in 1910 destroyed multiple buildings on TCU’s campus in Waco, Texas, so the university moved north. The class of 1912 spent its junior year in leased corners of downtown Fort Worth while construction began a few miles south on 50 acres of grassy plains, notably devoid of trees.
In the fall of 1911, the nomadic class started its senior year on TCU’s brand new Fort Worth campus. They planted the senior tree in March, transplanted from Waco.
The tree is now more than 160 years old and has the potential to survive another 850 years. The tree has lived through the Civil War, the turn of two centuries, 30 U.S. presidents and TCU’s ever-changing footprint. TCU’s campus is now home to a variety of trees — enough to earn a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution designation — but this oak will always be the first.
What It Is: An important ceremonial object and symbol of strength used at every major formal academic event at TCU.
Its Significance: Master carver Robert Kramer, then a staff carpenter, created the mace in 1999 for the inauguration of Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari. It was made from a salvaged wood beam that supported the AddRan Male and Female College in Thorp Spring, Texas. A purple amethystine quartz from TCU’s Monnig Meteorite Gallery sits within the head.
“It is a very solid thing,” said Linda Hughes, Ph.D., the Addie Levy Professor of Literature, who carried the mace during a commencement procession soon after its creation. “Kind of fitting for a university that has been around for as long as TCU.”
What They Are: Massive banners that students hold up to cheer on the Frogs at home games.
Their Significance: The Fear the Frog banner debuted in 2012, TCU’s inaugural Big 12 season. Before the 2016 season, the Student Government Association gave TCU Athletics two companion banners: “Riff Ram Bah Zoo” and “Give ‘em hell TCU,” which allowed multiple student sections to show their school spirit. At 45 feet tall and 90 feet wide, these purple cloth banners have to be laid out and re-folded on the Schollmaier Arena court after every home football game.
What It Is: The official gemstone of TCU.
Its Significance: Amethyst gets it name from the ancient Greek word amethustos, which means sober. It was believed that wearing amethyst could help instill a sober and serious mind.
This specimen sits in the Joan Rogers Conference Room of the Mary Wright Admission Center and was a gift from R. Nowell Donovan, then-provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, in 2011.
Its plaque reads: “Amethyst is a form of quartz colored by iron. This particular specimen is an example of an amethyst ‘cathedral’ from Brazil. It is formed as a geode in a basaltic lava flow. Amethyst is the official gemstone of Texas Christian University. A purple and white banded specimen gifted by Oscar Monnig, sits at the heart of the University Mace.”
What It Is: The keepsake frying pan awarded to the winner of the TCU vs. SMU football game each year.
Its Significance: There are various origin stories of the Iron Skillet trophy, ranging from an SMU student cooking frog legs before a game to a student suggestion for an unusual award for the winner. While the rivalry is slated to end in 2025, the Iron Skillet remains a coveted prize.
The Horned Frogs have won eight of the last 10 games against the Mustangs, and there have been countless more memorable moments in the rivalry’s 100-plus-year legacy.
What It Is: A source of good luck for students located between Sadler Hall and Reed Hall.
How It Evolved: Installed in 1984, this welded metal sculpture by internationally-known artist and Horned Frog dad Seppo Aarnos is a source of good luck for students. Legend has it that if you rub the frog’s nose, you’ll ace your test!
The Sadler and Reed mall is the intersection of TCU history, too: Reed’s northeast corner was the first cornerstone ever laid on TCU’s current campus in 1911. Erected in 1959, Sadler was the primary administration building until 2020, when The Harrison opened.
Generations of Horned Frogs have long found connection through our spirit and culture.
© 2026 Texas Christian University
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