Last Saturday’s San Diego State University match-up marked the last Saturday the Frogs will play in Amon G. Carter Stadium as fans have known it for so many years. Amon G. Carter Stadium has been the site of both tremendous victories and heartbreaking losses since it opened in 1930, when the TCU Horned Frogs shellacked the Arkansas Razorbacks 40-0.

It’s time to take a look back at all the good times over the years, and bid our dear stadium a fond farewell.

I grew up in this stadium, literally. My first game was in October of 1992 against Baylor, and I’ve been a die-hard Horned Frog ever since.

My family has always shared a very close relationship with TCU football. My grandpa, Mike King, has been a season ticket holder since 1954.

He has sat in the same seats every single game, rain or shine, good times or bad, since 1964, when he graduated from TCU. He said he has become close to the people who sat with him in his section for the past 60 years. He also said how he’s seen people die, get married and have kids. He considers those people to be like family.

All of my cousins, aunts, uncles and immediate family would also rather do nothing other than watch the Frogs on a Saturday. I took after my grandfather with Horned Frog pride. I have not missed a game since 2002. My great-grandfather, who was an ironworker, helped build the stadium’s upper deck in the 1950s.

Sadly, my grandfather’s seats will no longer exist after the renovation as they are just under the current upper deck. He will bid his old seats farewell and find a new perch from which to cheer on the Horned Frogs. Just as my family was there at Amon G. Carter’s last major renovation, they will all be there for the upcoming renovation and for many years to come after that.

Eighty years of football in Amon G. Carter Stadium have resulted in two national championships, 13 conference championships and many great memories. Legends such as Sam Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly and LaDainian Tomlinson all walked the 120 yards of grass within that concrete structure. As we say goodbye, my family and I have compiled a list of our top five, all-time favorite moments in Amon G. Carter Stadium that we were able to be a part of in TCU history.

Students may not remember many of these games but long-time, loyal Horned Frogs surely will.

Our Top Five Favorite Games (1954-2010)

1. TCU vs. Utah, 2009

Result: 55-28, W

I will never forget looking up at the stands and seeing the record 50,307 purple-clad fans cheering as the game began. My family never thought we would see the day when TCU would receive that kind of overwhelming support from the community. The 55-28 undressing of No. 16 Utah was the icing on the cake to an amazing day, in which TCU hosted ESPN’s College GameDay. The win also propelled TCU to its first undefeated regular season since 1938.

2. TCU vs. Texas, 1956

Result: 46-0, W

My grandpa had just turned 16 and watched what he referred to as one of the games that solidified him as a Horned Frog fan. The legendary “Rusk Rambler” Jim Swink made a career out of embarrassing the Longhorns. This game was no exception as Swink rushed for four touchdowns on national television. All the Longhorns could do was try to “Hook Him.”

3. TCU vs. UTEP, 1999

Result: 52-24, W

In another unforgettable rushing performance, LaDainian Tomlinson set the NCAA single-game rushing record with 406 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. In the words of my grandpa, you got the feeling that every time he touched the ball he was going all the way. Games like this one assured Horned Frog fans that TCU was returning to its winning ways as this team finished the year as Western Athletic Conference Champions.

4. TCU vs. SMU, 1959

Result: 19-0, W

In this matchup of future Dallas Cowboys legends, quarterback Don Meredith and his high-powered Mustangs offense came into the game talking about how they were going to dismantle Bob Lilly and the TCU defense. All-American tackles Bob Lilly and Don Floyd smothered SMU’s lauded spread offense and earned themselves a share of the Southwest Conference title.

5. TCU vs. Arkansas, 1981

Result: 28-24, W

This game was a ray of light in a dark time for TCU football. TCU had lost to its Southwest Conference rival Arkansas 22 years in a row. But the Frogs’ ever-exciting star wide receiver, Stanley Washington, was not about to let that streak continue. Washington scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes to win the game. The victory over the No. 18 Hogs was one of only two wins that season.

Clinton Foster is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Fort Worth.