Jeremiah donati
From The Desk of #ADJD
5/22/2020 3:17:00 PM | General
DEAR HORNED FROGS FANS:
We continue to hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Many of you have questions about our upcoming football and fall sports seasons, student-athlete returns to campus and other areas affected by the pandemic. Through daily conversations with our TCU campus administration and my Big 12 colleagues, as well as following the lead of health experts and medical professionals, I can assure you we are doing our best to ensure we follow the proper protocols for the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, fans and everyone in the TCU community. Thank you for your loyal support during these challenging times!
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES
I want to begin this month's edition with a special shout out to our 67 student-athletes, across 14 sports, who became TCU graduates earlier this month! You might have heard me say previously that one of my favorite days of the year is commencement with our student-athletes in their cap and gown. I look forward to seeing everyone on August 8 for our graduation ceremony. My heart goes out to you, as well as all graduating TCU seniors, on not having that traditional senior year experience. Please continue to take care of yourself and family members!
VIRTUAL RIBBON CUTTING AND DEDICATION
Exciting news! We are finalizing plans and a date for our Virtual Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of the Legends Club & Suites. Project donors - please stay tuned, as we will soon update our Legends Club & Suites donors on the details of the event.
FIRST RESPONDERS ENDOWED ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIP
Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Mead family and with our current situation, I could not be prouder to announce the creation of the First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship. The Mead family has been phenomenal to us and now has three active scholarships in their name.
The First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship will support a TCU student-athlete whose relative falls under the category of First Responder (firefighter, police, EMT, nurse, etc.). Congratulations to our inaugural recipient - football student-athlete Mikel Barkley!
To learn more about the First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship and ways you can support TCU student-athletes and Lead On: A Campaign for TCU, please contact the TCU Frog Club at frogclub@tcu.edu or 817.257.7700.
HORNED FROGS PRIORITY POINTS SYSTEM ADJUSTMENT
The Frog Club Advisory Board has voted to adjust the Horned Frogs Priority Points System to align our focus to raise money for scholarships with Lead On: A Campaign for TCU. Beginning June 1, 2020, annual fund donations to the Frog Club will generate 3 points per $100 instead of 2 points. Please CLICK HERE for the point breakdown between capital giving, annual giving and scholarship endowment giving.
TICKET REMINDERS
As a reminder, our football season ticket renewal deadline is Monday, June 1, with a couple of payment plans in place. If you have chosen a three-month plan, the first payment is due no later than June 1 with the second payment by June 15 and final payment on July 15. For a two-month plan, the first payment is due no later than June 1 with the final payment by July 15. In the event any games are cancelled or played with limited or no fans, season ticket and donor parking accounts will have the following refund options due to "Acts of God" clause in our tickets policy:
Option 1 - Apply credit to the next season for the cancelled sport
Option 2 - Apply credit to the Frog Club for additional priority points and donation credit
Option 3 - Refund season ticket holder account
HORNED FROGS NATION
I hope you were able to catch the debut episode Wednesday night of our special edition of Horned Frogs Nation. Brian Estridge visited with Head Women's Basketball Coach Raegan Pebley. This was the first installment of a four-part series that can be seen each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT on our TCU Athletics Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Upcoming shows will feature Head Baseball Coach Jim Schlossnagle (May 27), Head Soccer Coach Eric Bell (June 3) and Head Volleyball Coach Jill Kramer (June 10).
I know you will love these shows! We were unfortunately forced to cancel our popular Coaches Nights events this spring and our scheduled stops in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. This provides a nice opportunity to still hear from our head coaches with insight into their programs and upcoming seasons.
HI, SUPERFROG!
It was great to see the positive response each of the last three Fridays with the debut of our SuperFrog Drive-Bys. By popular demand, they will continue. Check our TCU Athletics Twitter (@TCU_Athletics) and Instagram (TCU_Athletics) accounts for the next route. Our first three paths, the previous three Fridays, were in the Colonial and Tanglewood neighborhood, Ridglea Hills and Ridglea North and then University Place, Mistletoe Heights and Berkeley neighborhood.
TIPS FROM THR
As mentioned earlier, it is more important than ever to take care of yourself, your family and all your loved ones. Please CLICK HERE for some great information from Texas Health Resources on dealing with the effects of COVID-19. THR is a great partner of ours and we could not be prouder of our relationship, especially during this pandemic.
HALL OF FAME CLASS ANNOUNCED
Our 53rd edition of the TCU Lettermen's Association Hall of Fame Class is quite impressive! Congratulations to Michael Cannon '86 (men's track and field), Bryan Holaday '10 (baseball), Jerry Hughes '10 (football), Jamie MacCurdy Kizer '02 (women's swimming and diving), Victor Payne '02 (football) and Roy Williams '01 (men's track and field)! Congrats as well to Nolan Brawley '64 (men's track and field) as our Vintage inductee and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Facilities and Operations T. Ross Bailey as the first-ever honoree in the Special Contributor category.
This outstanding group will be formally inducted on Thursday, October 1, with recognition at our Saturday, October 3, home football game against Oklahoma State.
NO. 1 IN THE BIG 12 AND STATE OF TEXAS
Gary Patterson has long been highly regarded by NFL personnel for the talent he develops, and that was on display with this year's NFL Draft. Our five selections were the most in the Big 12 and by any program in the state of Texas! The five picks also tied for second-most under Coach Patterson.
With a pair of first-round selections in Jalen Reagor (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jeff Gladney (Minnesota Vikings) as well as Ross Blacklock (Houston Texans) going in the second round and Lucas Niang (Kansas City Chiefs) in the third round, we had four players in the first 96 picks. We then added Vernon Scott (Green Bay Packers) in the seventh round.
We also had five other players sign free-agent contracts: Darius Anderson (Dallas Cowboys), TreVontae Hights (Carolina Panthers), Cordel Iwuagwu (Houston Texans), Anthony McKinney (Tennessee Titans) and Sewo Olonilua (Dallas Cowboys).
Along those lines, it was great to see Coach Patterson recognized by ESPN.com as the nation's 10th-best head coaching hire over the last 25 years. I would have had him much higher in that poll, wouldn't you?
WELCOME HOME, ANDY
We have always had a large contingent of Horned Frogs who are also Dallas Cowboys fans, but I believe that number has now reached record levels with Andy Dalton signing to wear the star on his helmet. It is great to have Andy back in Texas and especially right down the road. He has always kept a special place in his heart for his alma mater, and we look forward to seeing him around a lot more now. Welcome home, Andy!
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
We are proud to see Kevin Chao recognized as the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year! Kevin is a junior biology major from Irvine, California, and a two-time Academic All-Big 12 recipient. He ranks 10th all-time at TCU in the 1650 free and made three A finals (1650 free, 500 free and 400 IM) at the Big 12 Championships. Kevin has definitely made his mark in the classroom, pool and as a leader for our swimming and diving program. Thanks for representing us so well, Kevin!
A SMASHING SUCCESS ON ITA AWARDS
Congratulations to our men's and women's tennis programs on their great success with this year's ITA Texas Region honors. Men's standout Alastair Gray received the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award and the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award. On the women's side, Stevie Kennedy was presented the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, while Marie Norris was recognized with the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award. Additionally, our women's program received the 2019-20 ITA Community Service Award for the Texas Region.
COODY & COACHES CLASSIC UPDATE
Due to the pandemic, we have cancelled the 2020 Coody & Coaches Classic scheduled for June 11 at Texas Star Golf Club. All paid entry fees and sponsorships for the tournament will be credited toward the 2021 Coody & Coaches Classic on Monday, April 26, 2021. Also, please do not forget the 42nd-annual Horned Frog Classic at Colonial Country Club is set for Monday, October 19. For sponsorships and special offers, please contact John Denton at j.denton@tcu.edu.
WOMEN'S GOLF TOURNEY HEADS TO WINSTAR
The Battle at the Beach, presented by Angela Stanford and sponsored by Thornton Steel, is a women's golf tournament we hosted last year in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Due to the pandemic, we are relocating the event for one year to WinStar World Casino and Resort. This year's tournament is October 25-27. WinStar has been a great corporate partner of ours, and we are glad to further strengthen the relationship on the links.
VIRTUAL STATE OF TCU ATHLETICS
In case you missed last month's Virtual State of TCU Athletics, just CLICK HERE to see my fun conversation with Brian Estridge on a variety of topics about the Horned Frogs.
FIST BUMPS
I have mentioned freelance photographer Sharon Ellman in the past and how much she is part of our TCU Athletics family. She recently took her selflessness to another level with us. Hoping to bring some joy, and normalcy, to our athletics staff who are primarily working from home these days, Sharon traveled to their residences and donated her time for some porch portraits. In keeping with social distancing, and with the aid of her husband Gregg as her driver, Sharon stayed in the street or on the sidewalk to take complimentary family photos for our staff. You might have seen many of her images posted by our coaches and administrators on their social media pages! Sharon brought smiles and joy to everyone as she made the rounds throughout Fort Worth and into Aledo, Arlington, Benbrook, Colleyville and North Richland Hills.
Speaking of selflessness, Monica Ray is another person who comes to mind. She is my executive assistant and a true behind the scenes contributor to our departmental success. While social distancing, Monica and I have been in the office a good bit during the pandemic.
Monica has an incredible giving heart. An illustration has been her recent mailing of "cheer" packages to members of our Board of Trustees, donors and athletics staff. These packages have been coming out of her own pocket. Monica has always been a thoughtful person, but this gesture and initiative on her end has taken on greater meaning during this uncertain time. She has brought smiles to so many people who have been confined to their homes and miss the human interaction that is food for the soul. Thank you, Monica, for being the special person you are!
DID YOU KNOW?
We had 137 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big 12 honors this season. Well done, ladies and gentlemen!
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Whether it's through email (AthleticsDirector@tcu.edu), Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (JDonati_TCU), please feel free to always reach out if we can be of assistance. Thank you for your continued support of TCU Athletics. Stay safe and healthy!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletic
We continue to hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Many of you have questions about our upcoming football and fall sports seasons, student-athlete returns to campus and other areas affected by the pandemic. Through daily conversations with our TCU campus administration and my Big 12 colleagues, as well as following the lead of health experts and medical professionals, I can assure you we are doing our best to ensure we follow the proper protocols for the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, fans and everyone in the TCU community. Thank you for your loyal support during these challenging times!
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES
I want to begin this month's edition with a special shout out to our 67 student-athletes, across 14 sports, who became TCU graduates earlier this month! You might have heard me say previously that one of my favorite days of the year is commencement with our student-athletes in their cap and gown. I look forward to seeing everyone on August 8 for our graduation ceremony. My heart goes out to you, as well as all graduating TCU seniors, on not having that traditional senior year experience. Please continue to take care of yourself and family members!
VIRTUAL RIBBON CUTTING AND DEDICATION
Exciting news! We are finalizing plans and a date for our Virtual Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of the Legends Club & Suites. Project donors - please stay tuned, as we will soon update our Legends Club & Suites donors on the details of the event.
FIRST RESPONDERS ENDOWED ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIP
Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Mead family and with our current situation, I could not be prouder to announce the creation of the First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship. The Mead family has been phenomenal to us and now has three active scholarships in their name.
The First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship will support a TCU student-athlete whose relative falls under the category of First Responder (firefighter, police, EMT, nurse, etc.). Congratulations to our inaugural recipient - football student-athlete Mikel Barkley!
To learn more about the First Responders Endowed Athletics Scholarship and ways you can support TCU student-athletes and Lead On: A Campaign for TCU, please contact the TCU Frog Club at frogclub@tcu.edu or 817.257.7700.
HORNED FROGS PRIORITY POINTS SYSTEM ADJUSTMENT
The Frog Club Advisory Board has voted to adjust the Horned Frogs Priority Points System to align our focus to raise money for scholarships with Lead On: A Campaign for TCU. Beginning June 1, 2020, annual fund donations to the Frog Club will generate 3 points per $100 instead of 2 points. Please CLICK HERE for the point breakdown between capital giving, annual giving and scholarship endowment giving.
TICKET REMINDERS
As a reminder, our football season ticket renewal deadline is Monday, June 1, with a couple of payment plans in place. If you have chosen a three-month plan, the first payment is due no later than June 1 with the second payment by June 15 and final payment on July 15. For a two-month plan, the first payment is due no later than June 1 with the final payment by July 15. In the event any games are cancelled or played with limited or no fans, season ticket and donor parking accounts will have the following refund options due to "Acts of God" clause in our tickets policy:
Option 1 - Apply credit to the next season for the cancelled sport
Option 2 - Apply credit to the Frog Club for additional priority points and donation credit
Option 3 - Refund season ticket holder account
HORNED FROGS NATION
I hope you were able to catch the debut episode Wednesday night of our special edition of Horned Frogs Nation. Brian Estridge visited with Head Women's Basketball Coach Raegan Pebley. This was the first installment of a four-part series that can be seen each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT on our TCU Athletics Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Upcoming shows will feature Head Baseball Coach Jim Schlossnagle (May 27), Head Soccer Coach Eric Bell (June 3) and Head Volleyball Coach Jill Kramer (June 10).
I know you will love these shows! We were unfortunately forced to cancel our popular Coaches Nights events this spring and our scheduled stops in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. This provides a nice opportunity to still hear from our head coaches with insight into their programs and upcoming seasons.
HI, SUPERFROG!
It was great to see the positive response each of the last three Fridays with the debut of our SuperFrog Drive-Bys. By popular demand, they will continue. Check our TCU Athletics Twitter (@TCU_Athletics) and Instagram (TCU_Athletics) accounts for the next route. Our first three paths, the previous three Fridays, were in the Colonial and Tanglewood neighborhood, Ridglea Hills and Ridglea North and then University Place, Mistletoe Heights and Berkeley neighborhood.
TIPS FROM THR
As mentioned earlier, it is more important than ever to take care of yourself, your family and all your loved ones. Please CLICK HERE for some great information from Texas Health Resources on dealing with the effects of COVID-19. THR is a great partner of ours and we could not be prouder of our relationship, especially during this pandemic.
HALL OF FAME CLASS ANNOUNCED
Our 53rd edition of the TCU Lettermen's Association Hall of Fame Class is quite impressive! Congratulations to Michael Cannon '86 (men's track and field), Bryan Holaday '10 (baseball), Jerry Hughes '10 (football), Jamie MacCurdy Kizer '02 (women's swimming and diving), Victor Payne '02 (football) and Roy Williams '01 (men's track and field)! Congrats as well to Nolan Brawley '64 (men's track and field) as our Vintage inductee and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Facilities and Operations T. Ross Bailey as the first-ever honoree in the Special Contributor category.
This outstanding group will be formally inducted on Thursday, October 1, with recognition at our Saturday, October 3, home football game against Oklahoma State.
NO. 1 IN THE BIG 12 AND STATE OF TEXAS
Gary Patterson has long been highly regarded by NFL personnel for the talent he develops, and that was on display with this year's NFL Draft. Our five selections were the most in the Big 12 and by any program in the state of Texas! The five picks also tied for second-most under Coach Patterson.
With a pair of first-round selections in Jalen Reagor (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jeff Gladney (Minnesota Vikings) as well as Ross Blacklock (Houston Texans) going in the second round and Lucas Niang (Kansas City Chiefs) in the third round, we had four players in the first 96 picks. We then added Vernon Scott (Green Bay Packers) in the seventh round.
We also had five other players sign free-agent contracts: Darius Anderson (Dallas Cowboys), TreVontae Hights (Carolina Panthers), Cordel Iwuagwu (Houston Texans), Anthony McKinney (Tennessee Titans) and Sewo Olonilua (Dallas Cowboys).
Along those lines, it was great to see Coach Patterson recognized by ESPN.com as the nation's 10th-best head coaching hire over the last 25 years. I would have had him much higher in that poll, wouldn't you?
WELCOME HOME, ANDY
We have always had a large contingent of Horned Frogs who are also Dallas Cowboys fans, but I believe that number has now reached record levels with Andy Dalton signing to wear the star on his helmet. It is great to have Andy back in Texas and especially right down the road. He has always kept a special place in his heart for his alma mater, and we look forward to seeing him around a lot more now. Welcome home, Andy!
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
We are proud to see Kevin Chao recognized as the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year! Kevin is a junior biology major from Irvine, California, and a two-time Academic All-Big 12 recipient. He ranks 10th all-time at TCU in the 1650 free and made three A finals (1650 free, 500 free and 400 IM) at the Big 12 Championships. Kevin has definitely made his mark in the classroom, pool and as a leader for our swimming and diving program. Thanks for representing us so well, Kevin!
A SMASHING SUCCESS ON ITA AWARDS
Congratulations to our men's and women's tennis programs on their great success with this year's ITA Texas Region honors. Men's standout Alastair Gray received the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award and the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award. On the women's side, Stevie Kennedy was presented the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, while Marie Norris was recognized with the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award. Additionally, our women's program received the 2019-20 ITA Community Service Award for the Texas Region.
COODY & COACHES CLASSIC UPDATE
Due to the pandemic, we have cancelled the 2020 Coody & Coaches Classic scheduled for June 11 at Texas Star Golf Club. All paid entry fees and sponsorships for the tournament will be credited toward the 2021 Coody & Coaches Classic on Monday, April 26, 2021. Also, please do not forget the 42nd-annual Horned Frog Classic at Colonial Country Club is set for Monday, October 19. For sponsorships and special offers, please contact John Denton at j.denton@tcu.edu.
WOMEN'S GOLF TOURNEY HEADS TO WINSTAR
The Battle at the Beach, presented by Angela Stanford and sponsored by Thornton Steel, is a women's golf tournament we hosted last year in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Due to the pandemic, we are relocating the event for one year to WinStar World Casino and Resort. This year's tournament is October 25-27. WinStar has been a great corporate partner of ours, and we are glad to further strengthen the relationship on the links.
VIRTUAL STATE OF TCU ATHLETICS
In case you missed last month's Virtual State of TCU Athletics, just CLICK HERE to see my fun conversation with Brian Estridge on a variety of topics about the Horned Frogs.
FIST BUMPS
I have mentioned freelance photographer Sharon Ellman in the past and how much she is part of our TCU Athletics family. She recently took her selflessness to another level with us. Hoping to bring some joy, and normalcy, to our athletics staff who are primarily working from home these days, Sharon traveled to their residences and donated her time for some porch portraits. In keeping with social distancing, and with the aid of her husband Gregg as her driver, Sharon stayed in the street or on the sidewalk to take complimentary family photos for our staff. You might have seen many of her images posted by our coaches and administrators on their social media pages! Sharon brought smiles and joy to everyone as she made the rounds throughout Fort Worth and into Aledo, Arlington, Benbrook, Colleyville and North Richland Hills.
Speaking of selflessness, Monica Ray is another person who comes to mind. She is my executive assistant and a true behind the scenes contributor to our departmental success. While social distancing, Monica and I have been in the office a good bit during the pandemic.
Monica has an incredible giving heart. An illustration has been her recent mailing of "cheer" packages to members of our Board of Trustees, donors and athletics staff. These packages have been coming out of her own pocket. Monica has always been a thoughtful person, but this gesture and initiative on her end has taken on greater meaning during this uncertain time. She has brought smiles to so many people who have been confined to their homes and miss the human interaction that is food for the soul. Thank you, Monica, for being the special person you are!
DID YOU KNOW?
We had 137 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big 12 honors this season. Well done, ladies and gentlemen!
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Whether it's through email (AthleticsDirector@tcu.edu), Twitter (@JDonati_TCU) or Instagram (JDonati_TCU), please feel free to always reach out if we can be of assistance. Thank you for your continued support of TCU Athletics. Stay safe and healthy!
Go Frogs!
Jeremiah Donati, J.D.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletic
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