Former Horned Frog SID Brock passes away
8/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 14, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jim "Hoss" Brock, who served 14 years as the Horned Frogs' sports information director upon his graduation from TCU in 1956, passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 74.
Brock had been hospitalized since Feb. 14 after sustaining the first in a series of strokes. He died in his sleep at 3 a.m. at the Prestonwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Plano, Texas.
Brock worked as a student assistant in the TCU SID office all four years as an undergraduate. He was then hired as TCU's sports publicity director immediately upon his graduation. Brock stayed in that position through 1969.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jim Brock family," TCU athletics director Danny Morrison said. "Jim is an important part of TCU's athletics history and was an ambassador for college football."
A native of Fort Worth, Brock was the executive director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA) from 1979-92. He then assumed the role as Chairman of Team Selection for one year in 1993 before his retirement. Hoss was elected to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005.
Brock wore many hats during his tenure with the Cotton Bowl Classic and he was regarded as the bowl industry's premier public relations man. Hoss was literally on a first-name basis with the rest of the world. He was the master at working his way through press boxes all around the country with his celebrated Cotton Bowl charm. His primary goals were to always promote the game of college football, the city of Dallas and New Year's Day.
"We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jim Brock," said Rick Baker, president of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. "There was no such thing as a stranger to Jim. He knew everyone in the world of sports, and everyone knew and respected him.
"Brock's greatest passion was college football, and most of all he loved the Cotton Bowl," said Baker. "His name was synonymous with the bowl industry. Texas hospitality was his chief commodity and nobody did a better job of selling it than Jim `Hoss' Brock."
Brock also served on numerous influential committees at the highest level of college football. Among them were the Davey O'Brien Foundation in Fort Worth and The Doak Walker Award in Dallas.
Brock worked in a volunteer capacity with the United States Olympic Committee as a media relations coordinator. He was a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, the civic organization that annually produces the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
