Happy Hump Day, everyone!

Cool and wet weather finally came in after we had temps in the 90s last weekend. It’s about time.

How about the Frogs moving up to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings? This week’s game against No. 5 OU equates to a playoff game. There’s little chance that the CFP committee will include a two-loss team.

Kick ‘Em High they did.

Adam Nunez prepares for a punt during the TCU-Kansas State game earlier this season. Photo courtesy of TCU Athletics.

How about the show that the two punters put on Saturday night at Amon G. Carter Stadium? TCU’s Adam Nunez and Texas’ Michael Dixon were launching punts and flipping the field with big-time kicks. Those moves played a big part in the game as both teams played the field position game. Their hang times (time the ball is in the air) were especially impressive. Nunez did a great job into the wind, especially.

It’s about time for basketball season, too. Always a busy time of the year for us on the broadcast crew – starting Friday, we’ll do five games in eight days on the TCU Sports Network – it’s the Football-Hoops Overlap!

Friday, TCU Men’s Basketball takes the lid off with a game against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at 8 p.m. On Saturday, TCU Women’s Basketball hosts Oral Roberts at 2 p.m. Both games are at Schollmaier Arena. It promises to be an exciting year for both teams. And you can’t beat the arena. Get there!

Good luck to TCU Soccer this weekend as the team heads to Tucson to take on Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. It’s the second straight year that Coach Eric Bell’s squad has punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

And a shout out!

Congrats to TCU’s Angela Stanford. She’s has been selected to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Players Hall of Fame. Stanford will be inducted Dec. 10 in Las Vegas.

Stanford is TCU’s only four-time WGCA All-American. She won a school record 10 tournaments in her collegiate career. Her four titles as a senior, including the 2000 Western Athletic Conference Championship, set another TCU mark. She was also the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1999.

Friday we’ll take a look at OU.

Until Then,

Kick ‘Em High!

It’s the type of weekend we all love.

There’s a big game Saturday night at The Carter and then we all get an extra hour of sleep with the return to standard time – Don’t forget to “fall back” and turn back your clock one hour. Have you ever forgotten and showed up for church an hour early? You can find more info on the time change and history behind it here.

Tomorrow’s TCU-Texas game marks the 88th meeting between the two schools. If not for the breakup of the Southwest Conference, this series would have been played more than 100 times. The Frogs and Longhorns played every year from 1927 to 1995 and then did not play from 1996 to 2006. They played in Austin, Texas in 2007, but not again until TCU entered the Big 12 and the series continued in 2012. Since then the Frogs won four out of five. The only win for Texas recently was the “Storm Game” in 2013, in which the game was delayed three hours and 10 minutes while a chain of storms moved across Fort Worth. It was a late night.

TCU fans cheer at the season opener in September. Saturday will be Tom Herman’s first visit to Fort Worth as Texas’ head coach. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

Tom Herman will make his first visit to Fort Worth as UT’s head coach. There have been growing pains at 4-4, as there often is when a new coach takes over, but the team is playing better. Especially on defense, where the Horns rank No. 4 in total defense in the Big 12 and No. 2 in rushing defense, allowing 109.6 yards per game. Texas defense allowed just 88 yards a game over their last seven. Texas has speed on defense and is sparked by the play of nose tackle #95 Poona Ford and the resurgent play of linebacker #46 Malik Jefferson, who moved from the middle to outside linebacker. With the move, Jefferson is free to run and make plays – he’s fast and he gets to the ball. The secondary has snagged 10 interceptions and safety Deshon Elliott leads the FBS in picks with six, including a 43-yard pick six on the third play of the game last week at Baylor.

On offense, Texas is a bit of a puzzle. Injuries caused coaches to move players around on the offensive line to put the best five out there. There’s not much depth up front All American left tackle Connor Williams will be sitting out again. Only left guard #77 Patrick Vahe is still playing the position at which he started the season. The presents a key matchup – How will Texas handle the Frog’s “Killer B” defensive line and the pressure TCU brings?

Quarterback is a question mark – Shane Buechele is expected to start but Tom Herman’s not saying. The other quarterback in Austin, freshman Sam Ehlinger, has been battling a concussion and didn’t make the trip to Baylor last week. When he’s been healthy, he’s been good. In five starts he threw for 1,419 yards and ran for another 265. He’s elusive.

Texas employs three running backs with sophomore #21 Kyle Porter and freshman #30 Toneil Carter getting most of the work lately, but Carter will not be playing Saturday. Big, bruising tailback #25 Chris Warren is still in the rotation at 250 pounds, but not as much lately. Another big wide out awaits the Frogs’ secondary tomorrow in the 6-foot-6-inch Collin Johnson, who leads the herd with 36 catches. His dad is former UT All-American safety Johnnie Johnson (1976-79), who went on to play for the Rams for years.

Kicking has been an issue for the Horns with Joshua Rowland just 7-13 on the year. Texas has a cannon for a punter in Michael Dickson.  The big-leg Australian averages 48 yards per punt and has a season-long field-flipper of 69 yards to his credit. He and TCU’s KaVontae Turpin will have huge impacts on the outcome of this game.

This is likely to be a tight defensive battle. The winner figures it out on the offensive line.

Did You Know?

• Ben Franklin originally suggested daylight saving time in 1784.
• Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, standardizing the length of daylight saving time for the country.
• Tomorrow’s TCU-Texas game marks 100 home game for Gary Patterson as head coach of the Frogs.

See you tomorrow on the radio. Brian Estridge, Landry Burdine and I hit the air at 5 p.m. on the TCU Sports Network.

Kick ‘Em High!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I hope you had a great Halloween… Now about that diet.

Halloween came early for the Frogs last Saturday in Ames, Iowa. You know what happened, so no need to get into those details. Head coach Gary Patterson said it yesterday at his weekly press conference – “Iowa State is not Iowa State.” Man, is he right. Iowa State’s head coach Matt Campbell has turned things around in a hurry. He’s put players in the right spots, recruited well and worked on nearly every transfer he’s brought in. That’s how you build depth and that’s how you get good in less than two calendar years. And even though the Cyclones won’t sneak up on anyone else, it still beat a lot of people down that stretch. Iowa State has the defense and the running game to do it. Then there’s those big, tall wide receivers who can play up above the secondary. Proof that Iowa State has gotten the respect of almost everyone across the nation: The College Football Playoff committee put the Frogs at No. 8 following the loss to then-No. 25 Iowa State (now ranked No. 15).

About that CFP poll. I find it ironic that the first CFP poll came out on Halloween. It made me think of TCU’s bump from No. 3 down to No. 6 in the final 2014 poll. Coach P mentioned it yesterday when asked if he was going to watch the poll announcement. None of us have forgotten. Let that feed the purple fire.

TCU fans cheer in the stands during the Oct. 7 football game against West Virginia. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

Speaking of last night’s poll unveiling: How do you think ‘Bama fans feel this morning, being No. 2 under Georgia? Have them call Fort Worth – we’ll talk them off the Crimson ledge. Notre Dame is ranked No. 3 and Clemson holds No. 4. It could be called “The Curse of the First Four.” Our friend Chuck Carlton at The Dallas Morning News reminds us that seven of the 12 teams that have made the first CFP poll in the previous three years failed to make the playoffs. Lesson and reminder: There’s still a TON of football to be played in November. It’s the time of the season where you can draw lines from final scores to definitive impact on teams, the bracket and bowl games. Who, what, when, where. Let the games begin!

Bevo’s coming to visit. We’ll talk UT on Friday.

Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!

As you read this, the TCU football team is en route to a top 25 matchup in Ames, Iowa.

Yes, I said Ames, Iowa.

It’s been awhile, 15 years to be exact, since the No. 25 Cyclones hosted such a tilt. Iowa State is arguably the hottest team in the Big 12 and Cyclone fans are excited. They should be. An Iowa State win Saturday would: A. Put the Cyclones in a tie for first place in the Big 12 and B. Make them bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.

TCU fans celebrate a touchdown in the homecoming game against Kansas. Photo by Leo Wesson

What ISU head coach Matt Campbell has achieved is a Jamie Dixon-type quick turnaround. Iowa State is 5-2 with a win on the road at then-No. 4 University of Oklahoma. Campbell has recruited well and has gotten the most out of transfers. The latter has added experience and instant depth to a team that I thought, before the season, would be “sneaky good.” They’re better than that. Much better.

The Iowa State offense has been taken over by transfer quarterback Kyle Kempt who beat OU in his first start. Kempt had been hiding out at Oregon State for three years before finding his way to ISU. Add tailback David Montgomery and a fleet of big receivers – who make short passes into big plays – and you have an efficient offense that attacks the defense in a number of ways. They remind me of Kansas State on offense, except the Cyclones are healthy.

On the defense side, ISU runs a 3-4 that’s designed to create a lot of traffic in the secondary. Recruiting has helped enlarge the Cyclones’ defensive line. The move of Joel Lanning from starting quarterback to middle linebacker has proven genius – he had 20 tackles in the game against Texas. The secondary, who has eight interceptions this year, is solid. They are pretty basic on defense, either they play coverage or they’re coming after you.

Keys for the No. 4 Frogs’ success at Jack Trice Stadium:
1. Secure with the ball in iffy weather conditions.
2. Run the ball with authority.
3. Force ISU to throwing the ball so the Killer B defensive line can go to work pressuring.
4. Come out strong.

It’ll be cold and raw at game time with the high temperature in the low-40s. It may be wet, too. Plus 63,000 people will be in the stands. Cyclones fans always show up.

Sit back on the couch and enjoy this one with us on the TCU Sports Network. We’re on the air at 1:30 p.m. CT. I’ll talk to you then.

Kick ‘Em High!

Happy Thursday from Waco. Don’t worry, I’m just here for meetings.

This week is flying by: Monday the Frog Club team pulled off the 39th edition of the Horned Frog Classic presented by Greenwood Office Outfitters, generating $325,000 for TCU student-athlete scholarships. Thanks to Colonial Country Club, 244 players, the many sponsors and the Frog Club volunteers.

TCU Basketball head coach Jamie Dixon shows off the net he cut after TCU defeated Georgia Tech 88-56 to win the NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 30, 2017. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

Tuesday I was off to Kansas City with Jamie Dixon ’87 for Big 12 Basketball Media Day. It’s amazing how quickly the image of TCU Basketball has changed, coming off the NIT Championship win. Kansas men’s basketball head coach Bill Self says TCU can win the league. University of Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger says TCU has boosted the Big 12’s reputation. West Virginia University head man Bob Huggins says he’s seen Jamie Dixon’s act before when WVU was in the Big East with Dixon’s University of Pittsburgh team.

Coach Dixon said last year’s 24-15 season was good but he wasn’t satisfied. “I thought we should have won more,” he said.

You can get a sneak peek of the Frogs on Friday, November 3rd at 5 p.m. at the Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena. It’s the Frog Army Scrimmage!

Tomorrow we’ll dive into Iowa State and the first top 25 match-up at Jack Trice Stadium since 2002. Iowa State’s coach is 37 years old. The game day forecast is a high of 40 degrees.

Until Then,

Kick ‘Em High

Happy Homecoming!

The Frogs welcome Kansas in a game that will be interesting for a number of reasons:

• The Frogs want to keep this march up the polls going by getting to 7-0.
• Kansas always seems to give the Frogs headaches.
• The weather could play a factor late in the game.
• A chess match will be waged between Gary Patterson (and the TCU defense) and former TCU offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, who now directs the air raid at Rock Chalk.

Former TCU co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham on the Frogs’ sideline in 2016. Meacham is now the offensive coordinator at Kansas. (photo by Leo Wesson)

KU is led by offensively by quarterback Peyton Bender, who’s thrown for 1,391 yards on the year and mostly looks for wide receiver Steven Sims, Jr. Sims has become a major weapon in this offense since the dismissal of the Jayhawks’ best player, LaQuvionte Gonzalez, just one day before the team opened fall camp. Gonzalez played his first two years of college football at Texas A&M. Last year, he caught 62 passes for 729 yards and was considered the go-to guy in the air raid. When KU runs the ball, they like to go to #10 Khalil Herbert and his 84 yards per game, but he’s been injured. Without Herbert, a running game that put up 367 yards a month ago vs. West Virginia suffers.

TCU’s defensive line will be a stern test for the KU offensive line, which is still trying to get center Mesa Ribordy back in the lineup.

The KU Defense is led by linebacker Joe Dineen, Jr. He has 77 tackles on the year and is an old-school player who seems to find his way to the ball on every play. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong, a Texan from Houston’s North Shore Senior High, says he wasn’t recruited by TCU, and that’s reason enough to make the Frogs pay. Kansas has 37 players from Texas, proof that KU Coach David Beaty’s promise to bring players from the Lone Star State to KU has been fulfilled.

The Jayhawks, losers of five in a row, will need emotion and all the stops pulled out for this one. Last week in a 45-0 loss to Iowa State, Kansas had 106 yards of total offense and were never in the game.

Tomorrow’s primetime game on Fox is KU’s first on the network since the 2008 Orange Bowl. It’s also its first night game on a major network since a 2009 loss at Texas.

We’ll talk to you on the TCU Sports Network at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!

Thurman Morgan, Alice Taylow Nowlin, and an unidentified woman next to the vintage 1925 car they rode in the 1975 Homecoming parade. (photo courtesy of TCU Library’s Digital Repository)

Happy Homecoming Week.

Man, do we have the events on campus this week!!!! Lettermen’s Hall of Fame Dinner, National Alumni Board Meetings, Homecoming Parade, Pep Rally and I’m sure there’s more. Seems we decided to stack everything into one weekend at TCU. Oh, and then there’s the Frogs vs. Kansas on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Homecoming brings Horned Frogs back together. It’s a special time on campus with a special feel to it.

Question: Do college students buy mums for their dates anymore?

One of my Homecoming memories is from 1981. We were playing Bill Yoeman’s Houston Cougars. It was a 2 p.m. game on Halloween afternoon. I remember it for three reasons:

1. We were on ABC as the regional television game (a big deal for TCU back then). The great Verne Lundquist did play-by-play on the telecast with the help of Darrell Royal as the color analyst. They hung out at practice most of the week. I whipped Royal with all kinds of questions.

2. The crowd was small for a homecoming game. Official announced attendance was 13,257. You can look it up.

The Rolling Stones were at the Cotton Bowl that day at the exact same time, accounting for an extreme vacuum in the student section. Start Me Up!

3. Dark skies threatened all afternoon, and in the second half, a torrential downpour opened over Amon G. Carter Stadium. Water was pouring out of the west stands like a waterfall into the TCU bench area, and thunder cracked all around. There were no storm, lightning or weather delays that day — we just kept playing through the deluge. The artificial surface was soaked, and water stood several inches deep behind the end zones, waiting to drain. There was no way to keep the game balls dry. The Frogs fell that day in a close, wet one, 20-16. I had water standing in my Converse turf shoes (We didn’t have Nike back then).

Get geared up for a big weekend, Frog Fans. And get out to the stadium. It boggles my mind that as of Wednesday afternoon, there are still tickets available.

817-257-FROG to get yours.

They’re the No. 4 team IN THE NATION, folks! Latch on!

Friday, we talk Kansas. Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!

Happy College Football Friday, everyone. It’s mid-October and we’re right in the thick of college football season. If TCU football was a race horse, the Kansas State game marks the back stretch – much done, but still a long way to go. The key is to stay ahead of the pack, not miss-step and get trapped along the rail.

TCU is No. 6 in the nation with a stout running game and an offense that’s No. 1 in the nation in third down conversions. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

I remember getting up on Friday mornings back in the 1970s. I was a kid anxious to see the sports section of The Dallas Morning News. On Fridays, the News ran college football predictions and they also ran the Associate Press’ bottom 10 poll. Ever-present on that list at the time were TCU and Kansas State, joined by Northwestern, Iowa State, Miami (FL) and Rice. Tomorrow’s game in Manhattan, Kansas reflects how things have changed. TCU is No. 6 in the nation with a stout running game and an offense that’s No. 1 in the nation in third down conversions. The team faces a battered but dangerous Kansas State squad that’s always tough at home, where only standing-room-only tickets remain for Saturday’s brunch with the Wildcats.

One of the things that makes K-State so dangerous is head coach Bill Snyder. He’s saved Kansas State football TWICE, bringing the program back from the dead each time. His teams take on his personality – quiet, hard-working and tough. Coach Snyder was treated in the off-season for throat cancer and he and the program have not missed a beat. When we heard of Coach Snyder’s battle, we were all pulling for him. The impact that he’s had on Kansas State and the walk-on-driven program that he’s master-minded since 1989 (except for the five years he was “retired”) is immeasurable. He rebuilt the program, commissioned the Power Cat logo that K-State uses, drove the effort to modernize and rebuild KSU’s stadium that now carries his family’s name. He’s made Kansas State football what it is. Sounds like another guy we know. Hint: he offices at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Coach Snyder and Coach Gary Patterson will square off in what might be called “The Respect Bowl.” Coach Snyder has nothing but great things to say about Coach P. He appreciates Patterson’s approach and emphasis on defense and details. Patterson respects everything about Snyder and what he’s done for the program that Patterson played in during the early ’80s. Combined, they bring 359 wins into Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff. Pretty amazing all the parallels you can draw with these coaches and programs, even right down to the color.

Kansas State’s big news on offense this week wasn’t good: quarterback Jesse Ertz would miss the game with an injury. That’s a tough blow for a Kansas State offense that has struggled at times, especially through the air. The Wildcats’ best wideout is walk-on Dalton Schoen, who had a big game at Texas last week with five catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. With Ertz out, redshirt sophomore Alex Delton gets the call. Delton is a speedster from Hays, Kansas who played a good bit of the second half and overtime last week at Texas. While KSU will still try to throw at times, count on a steady diet of that vaunted Kansas State running game featuring the quarterback lead draw, zone read plays and draw plays feeding running backs Alex Barnes and Justin Silmon (who is closing in on 1,000 career rushing yards). Watch out for fullback Winston Dimel, especially inside the 15 yard line. Last year Dimel was the designated scorer for KSU with 12 touchdowns on 30 carries.

On defense, Kansas State plays a base 4-3 scheme that utilizes a nickel back to create a look very similar to TCU’s 4-2-5. The defensive line features two big tackles led by No. 60 Will Geary and very active defensive end Tanner Wood. Wood is a fifth-year senior who will be playing in his 45^th game. The linebackers are sound with No. 46 Jayd Kirby coming off 11 tackles last week against Texas. The secondary is very good and extremely dangerous. Its members can run and Kansas State depends on the them in coverage and to support run defense, especially. They can fly. They’re led by junior No. 21 Kendall Adams, who played in high school at All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth.

The kicking game is sound with kicker Matt McCrane being one of the best in the Big 12. He has a range of 55 yards. Punter Nick Walsh has a big leg as well. Kansas State has always been good in the return game and this year DJ Reed (who also plays corner back in that secondary I mentioned) fills the bill. He returned a 62-yard punt for a touchdown on his first career attempt earlier this year.

A fast start will be the key for TCU. The team will want to play from ahead against Kansas State, especially in Manhattan where they have 50,000 fans in its corner. The Horned Frogs should utilize the running game to control the game and the clock. Kansas State wants to play keep-away and last year against the Frogs, they did. The Frogs’ offense never got out of the blocks to develop rhythm and TCU’s final six drives all ended in punts (including five three and outs).

Get ready for a physical, old-fashioned battle. Both of these teams want to run it. The weather (rain and 74 degrees) may make the running games even more prevalent.

Did You Know?

• TCU and Kansas State are tied at 5-5 in this series? The two teams first played in 1922, then didn’t play again until 1983. The Frogs and Wildcats played every year from 1983-1986.
• Bill Snyder Family Stadium opened in 1968 as KSU Stadium and its original capacity was 35,000.
• Former Kansas State defensive back Jim Colbert went on to have a great career as a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and won numerous tournaments, including the 1983 Colonial National Invitational Golf Tournament (now the Dean & DeLuca Invitational).

Brian Estridge, Landry Burdine and I are on the air on the TCU Sports Network at 10 a.m. from Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Join us for brunch in Manhattan! (Sort of like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.)

Kick ‘Em High

John Denton poses for a photo on TCU’s campus as ESPN prepares for College GameDay. Photo by Rob Muggleston

The stretch run for the Frogs starts tomorrow with No. 23 West Virginia – the Frogs will play eight games in a row. Tomorrow’s TCU-WVU matchup has become the center of the nation’s football attention. Two explosive offenses that both average nearly 500 yards per game and tons of speed on both sides. Add to it ESPN College GameDay and you have an atmosphere on campus that looks more like homecoming. It’s not just another weekend. Rece Davis and David Pollack were on-site for interviews this morning and the Campus Commons is abuzz with all kinds of activity. It’s GameDay’s first visit to TCU since 2009 and my guess is that Frogs fans and TCU students will show the GameDay crew that we know how.

But back to business on the west side of Stadium Drive. West Virginia is a tough team. Always has been – they like to come out, be physical, hit you in the mouth and see how you’ll respond. The Mountaineers rattled off three straight wins over East Carolina, Delaware State and Kansas since losing their opener to Virginia Tech. They could easily be 4-0.

Quarterback Will Grier, in his first year at WVU after transferring from Florida (where he won six games in 2015 before being suspended), is a 65 percent passer who has thrown 13 touchdown passes in four games. He can run, too. NOTE: This guy is really good and he’s given head coach Dana Holgerson everything he could have hoped for in a quarterback.

Grier throws to a talented group of wide outs led by veteran Gary Jennings, Jr. and his 29 catches. Former quarterback David Sills is a 6-4 red zone target with seven touchdown catches in the first four games. Ka’Raun White (younger brother of former WVU great Kevin White) and Marcus Simms round out the production heart of the fleet. Running back Justin Crawford must be respected at 7.4 yards per carry and 113 yards per game.

Defense is where it gets interesting for West Virginia. Injuries and youth have shown themselves often so far this season. Two weeks ago, Kansas ran for 367 yards against a beat-up unit. WVU is expected to get some of their starters back for TCU, but lost linebacker Brendan Ferns for the season. West Virginia runs an interesting 3-3-5 defense that involves lots of movement and looks to confuse with pressure coming from all angles and spots.

The “Fear the Frog” banner hangs at the west end of TCU’s Campus Commons in preparation for ESPN’s College GameDay. Photo by John Denton

My suggestion for the Frogs is stick with what’s worked so far. A dominant power running game (that gets Kyle Hicks back) and a controlled passing game that eats yards and the clock will produce results similar to the first games. Darius Anderson has been a road warrior – all three of his 100-yard rushing games have come on the road (at UT last year, Arkansas and OSU). Time for Darius to put on a show for the home folks at “The Carter.”

The series is tied at 3-3. The Frogs and Mountaineers first met in the 1984 Bluebonnet Bowl. Since the two schools joined the Big 12, each team has taken a turn beating the other badly at home and the other three games have been fist fights with the winning margin in the three games totaling five points.

The day starts early with ESPN GameDay and then we roll into the game from there. It’s the kind of day you’ve dreamed about, Frog Fans. Take it all in. And don’t take West Virginia for granted.

Kick ‘Em High

It’s been a tough news week for sure. Having spent a lot of time in Las Vegas during TCU’s stay in the Mountain West Conference (some years we would travel there five times), I knew exactly where Sunday night’s mass shooting had taken place. My heart goes out to the families of all those killed and injured as well as to all citizens of Las Vegas.

Then, out of nowhere, the news comes down Monday afternoon that the great Tom Petty had suffered a heart attack. He died later that night. Petty’s death was a shock to the music world and sparked a lot of memories. I remember the first time I ever heard Tom Petty. It was the fall of 1979, I was driving in my 1972 Buick Skylark (with a dent in the roof) to Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas one morning. I was listening to “The Zoo” (98FM, KZEW) when Don’t Do Me Like That came on. I was hooked immediately by the opening guitar riff and couldn’t wait to go to Sound Warehouse and buy a cassette copy of Petty’s new album, Damn The Torpedoes.

Tom Petty performed in Dallas at the American Airlines Center in April. Photo by John Denton

I went to see Tom Petty in April at the American Airlines Center. Glad I did. It was a great show and Petty held the sellout crowd in the palm of his hand. Even something as simple as his, “Thank you so much!” after every song got a huge reaction from the crowd.

Over the years, from high school to TCU to life after college, marriage, kids and up until last Monday night, Tom Petty was always there. Like an old friend. He’ll be there Saturday at Amon G. Carter at the start of the fourth quarter when they play I Won’t Back Down. Stand and cheer.

It sounds cliché to say that Tom Petty sound-tracked my life, but when you look back at all his hits and there’s nothing more true that I could write. He sound-tracked your life, too. What are you favorites? Here are my top 15:

Don’t Do Me Like That
Refugee
American Girl
You Got Lucky, Baby
I Won’t Back Down
Learning to Fly
Runnin’ Down a Dream
Into the Great Wide Open
Even The Losers
Runaway Train
Yer So Bad
The Waiting
Here Comes My Girl
Listen To Her Heart
Free Fallin’

We’ll talk West Virginia on Friday.

Until then, listen to some Petty.

Kick ‘Em High