Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaims ‘Iron Skillet Week’ ahead of Saturday’s SMU-TCU game
DALLAS — Mayor Eric Johnson has proclaimed this week “Iron Skillet Week” in the city ahead of Saturday’s college football showdown between Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University.
Part of the SMU campus sits in Dallas, and the university was founded on a donation of land from the City of Dallas. TCU is located in Fort Worth. The two major North Texas universities have played each other annually — with a few exceptions — since 1915. Saturday’s matchup will be the 101st time that the two teams have squared off.
The winner of the game takes home the Iron Skillet trophy.
TCU leads the all-time series, 51–42–7. But SMU won the last two games, which were played in 2019 and 2021. Last year’s game was a 42–34 shootout in Fort Worth.
The game this year will be played at 11 a.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on SMU’s campus. SMU is 2–1 this season after narrowly falling to the unbeaten University of Maryland Terrapins on the road. TCU did not play last weekend and enters the game at 2–0.
“I love this rivalry — and it has been a thrill watching the SMU Mustangs represent our city these last few years,” Mayor Johnson said. “I know that the people of Dallas will rally behind this city’s only NCAA Division I college football team this week and show up on Saturday to see the Mustangs fight to keep the Iron Skillet right where it belongs.”
Mayor Johnson added, “Let’s Pony Up this week, Dallas!”
Here is the language from the proclamation:
WHEREAS, The Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs and Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs traditionally face off in an annual college football game; The winner takes home the Iron Skillet; and
WHEREAS, The SMU and TCU college football teams have faced off annually all but six times since 1915; The first official “Battle for the Iron Skillet” occurred on November 30, 1946; Although the origin of the Iron Skillet trophy is a mystery, the tradition has been kept alive for decades; and
WHEREAS, In 2019, the Mustangs debuted their new “Dallas’ Team” uniforms and defeated the Horned Frogs for the first time since 2011 to take the Iron Skillet back to Dallas; The Iron Skillet remained in Dallas through 2020 after the 2020 “Battle for the Iron Skillet” game’s cancellation because of the global COVID-19 pandemic; The Mustangs defeated the Horned Frogs again in 2021 by a 42–34 score and rightfully held on to the Iron Skillet; and
WHEREAS, On Saturday, September 24, 2022, the Mustangs will face the Horned Frogs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas; The game will be the 101st played between the two teams as part of the Ponies-Frogs rivalry; and
WHEREAS, The City of Dallas, supporting the SMU Mustangs, is joining in the excitement of the week leading up to the big game; The residents of Dallas and the fans of the Ponies, extending well beyond the city’s geographic borders, will be cheering on their team and hoping that SMU keeps the Iron Skillet.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ERIC JOHNSON, Mayor of the City of Dallas, do hereby proclaim September 19–24, 2022 as
IRON SKILLET WEEK
in Dallas, Texas, and encourage all residents of the city to join in cheering on the SMU Mustangs in hopes of the Ponies pulling off another win against TCU on Saturday, keeping the Iron Skillet where it belongs: right here in Dallas.
