TCU was founded in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark, with their father Joseph A. Clark, as AddRan Male & Female College. Both brothers were scholars and preachers and had recently returned from fighting in the American Civil War. They wanted to establish their school in Fort Worth, Texas, but the town transformed from a frontier village to a bustling town, with cowboys and cattle. The Clarks wanted their school to be in a more positive environment, so they moved to Thorp Spring, about 40 miles away from their original location. Although the college was formed in partnership with what is now known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the church does not operate TCU. The college was renamed Texas Christian University in 1902, after its third relocation to Waco, between 1895 to 1910. A fire in 1910 destroyed the university’s main building. The school was moved back to Fort Worth after a businessman offered the university money and more land to move back to its original urban city of Fort Worth. The school opened on its new campus in September 1911, with three new buildings.

TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas. The campus sits on 268 acres and is situated within a suburban neighborhood, approximately five miles from downtown. TCU is divided into Far West Campus, Athletics Complex, West Campus, East Campus, and Leibrock Village. Far West contains the Lupton Baseball Stadium, Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, Worth Hills Residence Halls and Cafeteria, Martin-Moore Hall, Tomlinson Hall, among others. The closest area to Far West is the Athletics Complex, which houses Amon Carter Stadium, TCU’s football field. Across the way is the largest area of campus, West. At West Campus is the Tom Brown-Pete Wright Residential Community, the Ballet and Modern Dance Building, Campus Recreation Center, and Human Resources. East Campus houses the Visual Arts and Communications school, and the newer buildings such as the Tucker Technology Center and Smith Entrepreneurs Hall. Finally, Leibrock Village is a 56-unit housing complex for graduate students who are enrolled in TCU’s Brite Divinity School. Recently the university has made major improvements in their facilities, investing $200 million in buildings, residence halls, classrooms, and labs.

Students find there is plenty to do in downtown Fort Worth. For nightlife, the 21-and-up crowd heads to the Stockyards, a National Historic District in Fort Worth. Stockyards is a Texas landmark, where students can two-step and listen to down-home country-western music. There are several professional sports teams to watch, such as the Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and Dallas Stars. Other favorite student destinations include bowling alleys, movie theaters, hookah lounges, comedy clubs, and restaurants. TCU students generally agree that Fort Worth is a great city for students, because of all it has to offer. The campus itself is centralized so when they leave, they feel like they’re getting away from school but don’t have to travel too far to do so.

Summer Frog Camp is a tradition that introduces newly accepted students to TCU. It’s an orientation program run by student facilitators who lead activities on-campus or around the area. The goal is to make new Horned Frogs feel welcome and a part of the community.

Each year, the school celebrates the holidays with the Holiday Tree Lighting on Sadler Lawn. In 2006, the student government hosted a concert after the tree lighting, adding to the tradition. Other events such as music performances and skits are held alongside.

Homecoming is held in the fall and is a chance for TCU alums and students to come together to celebrate their school. Preceding the Homecoming football game there is a pep rally, parade, FrogFest, tours, and other events.

Anthony Alabi (2003) is an NFL offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. Davey O’Brien (1939) was the first college football player to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award in the same year. Eddie Bernice Johnson (1967) is a United States Representative of Texas in the 30th congressional district. LaDainian Tomlinson, “LT” (2005) is an NFL running back for the San Diego Chargers. He received NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award and the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award during the 2006 season. Kris Tschetter (1987) is a professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

TCU is a Division I member of the Mountain West conference. Prior to its breakup in 1995, TCU belonged to the former Southwest Conference. The school’s mascot is the Horned Frog, although women’s athletics are commonly referred to as the Lady Frogs.

One of the school’s top programs is its football team. TCU football has had a long history of successes, failures, and revivals. They have won two national championships, 1935 and 1938. From 1939 to 1997, TCU won six Southwest Conference titles and attended 11 bowl games, although they won only one of 11. The Horned Frogs regained momentum in 1998 when they beat the USC Trojans in the Sun Bowl. Since then they have gone 79-30, winning five out of their last eight bowl games.

TCU baseball has made six appearances in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Since joining in 2006, they have consistently been at the top of the Mountain West Conference.

Women’s basketball began their reign in 1977, starting out with a 5-18 record. The Lady Frogs won their first regular season and conference championship in the 2000-2001 season. Beginning that same year, they reached the NCAA Tournament six years in a row.

John Davis, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of 1-800-FLOWERS, attended TCU.

Rod Roddy, former The Price is Right announcer, attended TCU.

A horned frog is actually a lizard but is called a frog because of its rounded body and blunt snout.

TCU is currently undergoing the The Campaign for TCU, the school’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign in 14 years.

TCU’s coed housing options include Brachman, Clark, Commons, Foster, Milton Daniel, Moncrief, Waits, Wiggins and the Tom Brown Pete Wright Apartment community, which is broken down into Britain, Fish, Herndon, Mabee, Mullins and Walker. TCU also has two female-only dormitories, Colby and Sherley. The university’s newest halls, the Campus Commons are divided into Amon G. Carter, Teresa and Luther King, Kellye Wright Samuelson and Mary and Robert J. Wright. The Commons are four-bedroom suites, with either an open living room or a closed living room. Each hall is unique and quaint, with its own history and personality. There are also Living Learning Communities, LLC, including the Honors House, Leadership and Strengths, Green House, Faith and Spirituality, Health and Wellness, Social Justice, and the Language and International House.