Barbara Dike graduated from TCU in 1968 — she was part of the cheerleading team and met her husband, David, who also graduated in 1968.

“I’ve been happy all fall. It’s so emotional,” Dike said. “My kids and my family came here. Really, it goes way back. I love it. Everybody across the nation is adopting us. They’re all for the underdog.”

The Horned Frogs football team went 5-7 last year and parted ways with former head coach Gary Patterson. Going into this season, the Horned Frogs were listed at +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total) odds for winning the College Football National Championship, according to FOX Sports.

Now, TCU will compete in that very game against powerhouse University of Georgia on Jan. 9. The game will be televised on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m.

On Jan. 6, fans cheered as TCU football buses departed from the Amon G. Carter Stadium to the airport and on to Inglewood, California, where the championship game will take place at SoFi Stadium. Horned Frog fans are ecstatic this season after being counted out all year, but some fans have been riding with the team for decades — literally.

Dike got emotional as the buses drove by her. Her connection to TCU runs deep. Her father, Don Smith, played TCU football before he graduated from the university in 1934. Two of his teammates were part of the famous 12 Mighty Mites, who have a film based on them, she said.

“Dutch Meyer and coach Othol “Abe” Martin would come to our house for lunch,” Dike said. “We’re the era that brought the ‘Riff Ram’ back.”

Cookie Thompson, a friend and neighbor of the Dike family, celebrated alongside the Horned Frogs fanbase.

Thompson’s children are TCU alumni and her husband and his mother are as well.

“It’s so emotional. Nobody believed in us, but here we are,” Thompson said.

Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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‘Nobody believed in us, but here we are’: TCU Horned Frogs fans send off football team

by Cristian ArguetaSoto, Fort Worth Report
January 6, 2023

<h1>‘Nobody believed in us, but here we are’: TCU Horned Frogs fans send off football team</h1> <p class="byline">by Cristian ArguetaSoto, Fort Worth Report <br />January 6, 2023</p> <p>Barbara Dike graduated from TCU in 1968 — she was part of the cheerleading team and met her husband, David, who also graduated in 1968.</p> <p>“I’ve been happy all fall. It’s so emotional,” Dike said. “My kids and my family came here. Really, it goes way back. I love it. Everybody across the nation is adopting us. They're all for the underdog.”</p> <p>The Horned Frogs football team went 5-7 last year and parted ways with former head coach Gary Patterson. Going into this season, the Horned Frogs were listed at +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total) odds for winning the College Football National Championship, according to <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/biggest-preseason-underdogs-to-win-a-championship">FOX Sports</a>.</p> <p>Now, TCU will compete in that very game against powerhouse University of Georgia on Jan. 9. The game will be televised on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m.</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63067" data-id="63067" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-1-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan and his teammates prepare to get on buses on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. The TCU football team will play the National Championship game on Jan. 9 against the University of Georgia. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63072" data-id="63072" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-4-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">The TCU football team boards buses on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. The TCU football team will play the National Championship game on Jan. 9 against the University of Georgia. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63073" data-id="63073" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-5-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">TCU Horned Frogs fans wait for the team buses to drive by on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63074" data-id="63074" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-6-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">TCU football fans hold supportive signs and banners to celebrate the team's qualification in the National Championship. Fans attended the team's official send off on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63078" data-id="63078" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-8-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">The TCU football team buses drive by fans who cheer for them on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. TCU will travel to Inglewood, California, where the National Championship will be played on Jan. 9. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63079" data-id="63079" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-9-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A fan waves a flag and throws up TCU's hand sign on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63082" data-id="63082" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-12-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Cookie Thompson holds a Hypnotoad sign on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-63084" data-id="63084" src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CAS_TCUsendoff-14-1024x576.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">TCU fans Blake Baganz, left, and his grandparents Barbara Dike, middle, and David Dike pose with TCU merchandise on Jan. 6 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, 2850 Stadium Drive. The family has a long history of TCU graduates dating back to the early 1900s. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>On Jan. 6, fans cheered as TCU football buses departed from the Amon G. Carter Stadium to the airport and on to Inglewood, California, where the championship game will take place at SoFi Stadium. Horned Frog fans are ecstatic this season after being counted out all year, but some fans have been riding with the team for decades — literally.</p> <p>Dike got emotional as the buses drove by her. Her connection to TCU runs deep. Her father, Don Smith, played TCU football before he graduated from the university in 1934. Two of his teammates were part of the famous 12 Mighty Mites, who <a href="https://www.fortworth.com/12mightyorphans/">have a film</a> based on them, she said.</p> <p>“Dutch Meyer and coach Othol “Abe” Martin would come to our house for lunch,” Dike said. “We’re the era that brought the ‘Riff Ram’ back.”</p> <p>Cookie Thompson, a friend and neighbor of the Dike family, celebrated alongside the Horned Frogs fanbase.</p> <p>Thompson’s children are TCU alumni and her husband and his mother are as well.</p> <p>“It’s so emotional. Nobody believed in us, but here we are,” Thompson said.</p> <p><em>Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by </em><a href="http://cristian.arguetasoto@fortworthreport.org/"><em>email</em></a><em> or via </em><a href="https://twitter.com/CrisArguetaSoto"><em>Twitter</em></a><em>. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy </em><a href="https://fortworthreport.org/about/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy/"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/01/06/nobody-believed-in-us-but-here-we-are-tcu-horned-frogs-fans-send-off-football-team/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=63056" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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