When Indiana-born Arvid Ray “Buddy” Dike ’58 received a scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin, he wasn’t sure which position the football coaches had in mind for him. That uncertainty led him to consider other options.

Dike’s father knew TCU head coach Abe Martin ’32 (MEd ’45) from their days working together in Fort Worth and suggested his son pay a visit. Martin and Dike hit it off immediately, beginning what would become a long family legacy with TCU, said Dike’s son David Dike ’82.

Dike flourished as a TCU football star and served as team captain in 1957. He was named TCU’s Valuable Alumnus in 1978 and inducted into the TCU Block T Hall of Fame in 1979. He later became a TCU Trustee.

He died July 8 at age 90.

Buddy Dike saw multiple children and grandchildren follow in his footsteps as Horned Frogs. Courtesy of the Dike family.

During his first year at TCU, Dike experienced another life-changing moment during Ranch Week. One evening featured a “Paul Jones” dance, with women moving in one direction in an inner circle while men moved the opposite way in an outer ring. When the music stopped, those facing each other became dance partners.

Sara Waters’ first impression of the man standing before her? “This guy can’t dance,” she thought as Dike’s boots mashed her toes. Yet she and Buddy became partners not just for that night but for a 67-year marriage. “He was my everything,” she said.

Dike’s outgoing personality served him well as an award-winning insurance salesman. The prizes often included vacations, and Sara remembers the “many overseas trips ― to London, Ireland, Scotland.”

Family vacations often centered on TCU sports. David Dike can easily list the bowl games and championships they all attended together.

Even during life’s most difficult moments, the family’s devotion to TCU did not waver. When their son Scott died in a car accident in 1981, Buddy and Sara established the Scott Dike Memorial Scholarship in his honor.

In addition to his wife and son David, Dike’s Horned Frog survivors include daughter Susanne Dial ’95, brother David B. Dike ’68, and grandchildren Benjamin Dike ’23 and Ethan Dial ’25.