Experiencing TCU Gameday From the Eyes of College Football Superfans

A pair of College Football travelers convened on Amon G. Carter Stadium to experience a TCU game day the way it’s intended.

You’ve likely heard of sports fans that have visited all 30 major league ballparks or all 32 NFL stadiums. You’ve likely heard of superfans who haven’t missed their home team’s game in 35 years. However, I’d like to introduce you to a different breed of superfan: “Club 130.”

Club 130’s members are few and far between and the undertaking is daunting– to experience a game day at every FBS stadium.

Aside from the sheer volume to stadiums, they often don’t sit in a metro area or near an airport. Hit Google Maps on Boone, North Carolina; Starkville, Mississippi; or Laramie, Wyoming and you’ll see what we mean. The most difficult task in college football touring is getting to the places in the first place.

Photo via Road to CFB

I’d also like to introduce you to two chasers of Club 130: Andrew Bauhs of College Football Tour and myself of Road to CFB. Bauhs has been to over 300 college football games and 88 different stadiums since 1988. I began in 2017 and have been to 31 game days (but 102 FBS stadiums on non-game days).

For more on College Football Tour’s journey, check out my recent article on him here. My journey lives here.

The two of us found ourselves at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 23 for TCU’s contest against West Virginia. It was College Football Tour’s first trip to Fort Worth (from here, I’ll shorten him to CFT) and the third trip myself. However, I was treated to a delightful Saturday this time around.

The good folks at KillerFrogs graciously hosted CFT and I for their pregame tailgate and acted as University liaisons all day long. It began in Frog Alley, TCU’s sponsored tailgate that includes a selection of food and drink trucks, games, and giveaways. No matter the age or background, Frog Alley is worth a stop-through.

That is, after you’ve walked TCU’s campus. For a Big 12 school, campus is extremely walkable (no hills!) and pristine. Need a quick break? There’s no shortage of seats and social areas in the most scenic parts of campus.

Photo via Road to CFB

Tailgate or no tailgate, I always make it to the team walk and subsequent band rally. Thankful for our hosts for pointing us in the right direction– we were even directed to the best seats in the house. The band walk happens 90 minutes before kickoff at the southeast corner of the stadium. I have to say, TCU’s band walk is one of the most energetic out there.

Other attractions near that southeast corner include one of the nation’s best statues– the horned frog– and TCU’s sports museum and hall of fame. This is also a prime spot for Super Frog, one of my personal favorite mascots.

CFT and I hurried inside for pregame happy hour, which is a must for those of legal age (half off beer). Drinks in hand, we were ushered down to the field for the Bleacher Creature run. There, we got an up-close view of the Frog Horn which is familiar to TCU faithful but a bizarre scene and fantastic tradition for us outsiders.

I’ve been to my fair share of game days and CFT has been on his fair share of sidelines, but the Bleacher Creature run was a first for the both of us. What comes with inexperience is the lung capacity (or, rather incapacity) to run all 100 yards of the field.

Photo via Road to CFB

On the other side, we were able to snap a photo with the visiting mascot (sorry, y’all, West Virginia has a pretty great one) and take in the views of AGCS one last time from the field before heading up and to our seats.

It didn’t take long to stop our progress, though, as TCU’s Derius Davis returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

We also introduced CFT to TCU’s other bizarre and fun tradition, Riff Ram. Please don’t quiz me on the words yet. TCU is packed with traditions mostly unknown on the national scale like the FEAR THE FROG flag that covers the student section and the aforementioned Riff Ram chant following the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the 40,000+ in attendance, the Horned Frogs didn’t give us much to cheer about as they were blanked in the second half and dropped the game 29-17. However, for us travelers, the game impacts our overall feel for game day very little. And, thankfully, TCU gave us all we could handle in terms of traditions and excitement.

Naturally, we’ll be asked to hold it against other stadiums and schools, to which I say: it holds its water.

Photo via Road to CFB

Of course, having a knowledgeable host seriously helps the overall flow and experience. But everything from fun traditions to kind fans and a surprisingly dense tailgating scene makes a Saturday afternoon at TCU a worthwhile one.

The stadium isn’t built to trap noise similarly to places like Tennessee or LSU, and to be truthful, there wasn’t much cheering going on in Week 8 anyway.

From a pair of college football travelers who, together, have experienced over 100 college football game days, we were thoroughly impressed. Fortunately for this traveler, TCU is now the hometown team, and I foresee plenty more Road to CFB visits to AGCS. Per Bauhs, “We’ll be back.”

For College Football Tour’s perspective on The Carter, you can find his blog post here. I had a similar writeup on my own site here.

In conclusion, be proud of your game days, Horned Frogs!

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