TCU has been attracting a lot of attention thanks to last week’s win over Texas Tech, and people nationwide are starting to take notice.Since the game, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today have all featured articles about TCU, said Tracy Syler-Jones, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communication.
The Horned Frogs went from No. 20 to No. 15 in the USA Today Top 25 poll after they beat the Red Raiders 12-3 Saturday in front of the first sold-out crowd at Amon Carter Stadium since 1984.
One day after the Tech game, 33 news stories ran about the university locally and nationally, Syler-Jones said.
“Coverage in local newspapers has increased,” Syler-Jones said. “And, at the national level, as we continue to win, the coverage continues to increase.”
This week’s issue of “Sports Illustrated” also mentioned TCU, said Scott Kull, associate athletic director of external operations.
Under the headline “TCU is for Real,” the magazine said TCU had a decisive win against Tech.
But Syler-Jones said TCU was receiving coverage long before the Tech game.
“We monitor our news electronically, so I noticed that 700 articles were written about TCU as a result of TCU beating Baylor,” Syler-Jones said.
TCU’s very own sports Web site, gofrogs.com, has been viewed more this semester than normal, Kull said. He said it’s up 13 percent this August compared to last, and first-time visitors to the site have increased 37 percent since last year.
The Skiff’s Web site, which usually receives about 1,300 hits each weekday and 1,200 hits each weekend, has also catered to a larger audience this week, said Paul Sanders, junior radio-TV-film major and Skiff Web editor.
Sanders said, as a disclaimer, Skiff staff members look at the Web site often to see stories they’ve written, but readers definitely check the site as well.
“Our sports weekend site’s hits have improved significantly,” Sanders said. “The football story is always read the most.”
Monday’s sports story was no exception.
Sanders said Monday after the Tech game, the Skiff Web site had about 1,600 hits, which is 300 more than a normal weekday.
The surplus of recognition lately has benefited the university in more ways than one, Kull said.
“When the tide rises, all the boats rise,” Kull said. “Everyone profits from a win like last weekend’s. Sodexho profits, Proline, our merchandiser, profits and TCU does.”
Syler-Jones said athletics and academics go hand in hand, both working together to create visibility. She said she’s encountered people outside of Texas who know about TCU’s academic programs – which have their own recognition – and athletic teams.
As recently as Thursday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran a story about how The Wall Street Journal ranked the School of Business No. 11 among regional schools and first in Texas for its graduate business program.
“I can go just about anywhere in the country, and oftentimes I notice that when I tell people I work at TCU, they say, ‘Oh,’ and immediately recognize the university,” Syler-Jones said.
In the coming weeks, the nation will be seeing a lot more of the Horned Frogs. All of TCU’s remaining football games will be televised, including the next home game Thursday against Brigham Young University.
