If the SMU-TCU rivalry on the football field is reaching its end, the city of Dallas is fighting until the last bell.
Mayor Eric Johnson wore a “TCU Sucks” shirt at the Dallas City Council meeting Wednesday morning and said it “makes clear our position on the Iron Skillet.”
The Mustangs and Horned Frogs are set to reignite their rivalry on Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, the last scheduled appearance for the game in Dallas.
Johnson said he got the shirt from council member Chad West and that it was designed by someone named Michael Chipper Haynes from Tayhoss Designs, who lives in West’s district in North Oak Cliff.
”Thank you Tayhoss Designs and Chipper Haynes for outfitting the mayor with this awesome shirt,” Johnson said during the council meeting. “And I hope Mayor (Mattie) Parker over at Fort Worth sees this and y’all can stop being so chicken and play the game after next year.”
In 2023, TCU decided it will indefinitely pause the longstanding football series with SMU after next season, citing a desire to “play more home games” as the conference realignment landscape continued to shift.
On Monday, Johnson declared the official start of Iron Skillet Week in Dallas and encouraged residents to cheer on the Mustangs ahead of the game.
The North Texas universities have played each other 102 times since 1915. TCU won last year’s game 34-17 in Fort Worth, pushing its lead in the series to 53–42–7.
Staff writer Everton Bailey Jr. contributed to this post.
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