The Iron Skillet is given to the winner of the annual SMU and TCU game. (Courtesy of ESPN)
This weekend, SMU students, faculty, family members and TCU fans will pack Ford Stadium for the iconic Battle of the Iron Skillet.
Most students at both universities know that the trophy is called the Iron Skillet, but very few understand why.
“I don’t actually know why it is called that, but I know it would be a great honor to have it in our possession after this upcoming game,” sophomore Catherine Norton said.
The annual game supposedly got its title back in the 1950s when a SMU fan was frying frog legs on a skillet as a joke during pregame festivities. A TCU fan declared that whoever won the game got to keep the skillet as a trophy, and so the tradition has continued.
The trophy was also introduced to prevent vandalism by rowdy fans from both colleges, which has caused thousands in damages in the past.
Last season SMU beat TCU in Fort Worth for the first time in four years bringing the Iron Skillet back to Dallas.
SMU students stormed the field in triumph after one of the most exciting games of the season.
Ben Sellers, sophomore wide receiver for the Mustangs, said “Winning the iron skillet was the staple of our season last year. To go to three bowl games in three years and beat a ranked team on the road is a mile marker on our road to success.”
A sea of red storming over the purple football field at TCU last year is a moment many students will remember forever.
Sophomore Catherine Russell, who has a twin sister at TCU, recounted the victory with pride and joy.
“The look on my sister’s face was priceless as my fellow Mustangs ran onto the field. Everyone was cheering and throwing pony-ups in the air when our football players paraded around with the Iron Skillet.”
Once the Iron Skillet arrived in Dallas, SMU students were given the opportunity to take a picture with the trophy on campus furthering the post-victory excitement.
There is much anticipation for another victory this weekend, and with a home-field advantage.
“This is our house,” Sellers said, “We practice, lift weights and watch film in Ford Stadium and we’re going to fight with everything we have to keep the Iron Skillet in Dallas.”
From 1972 to 1986 the Iron Skillet was in SMU’s possession: the longest either team has ever consistently won.
With the game falling during Family Weekend at SMU, even more alumni who remember the days of SMU’s continual victories over TCU will be present this weekend.
“I think it would be huge to beat TCU a second year in a row, this time on our own turf,” Norton said. “We owe it to the generous alumni to give something back– hopefully a victory.”
A win at home against a ranked opponent would signal a continuation of the turnaround for SMU’s program.
“This is more than SMU vs. TCU, this is Dallas vs. Fort Worth. It would be huge for the students and alumni to keep the Iron Skillet in Dallas,” Sellers said.
