The Buddie System
4/25/2025 4:02:00 PM | General
TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Buddie provides the latest update on all things Horned Frogs
Dear Horned Frogs,
Thank you again for making me feel so welcomed here! Now being fully situated as a Horned Frog, I can readily see why TCU and Fort Worth are so special.
Between the latest developments and pending settlement in the House v. NCAA case, the announcement of our football game in Ireland, Board of Trustees meetings, a trip to Washington, D.C., and a full slate of athletics competition for us, it's been a rather busy month. However, this is exactly how you like it!
HOUSE V. NCAA
As you likely know, the pending House v. NCAA class-action lawsuits settlement is the dominant topic in our industry as the implementation of revenue sharing with student-athletes and roster caps will forever change collegiate athletics. In meetings with my counterparts across the Big 12 Conference and throughout the country, this is obviously a major part of our conversations. Thanks to the great support of our Board of Trustees, Chancellor Boschini and President Pullin, I can assure you we are positioned very well for the future. When the settlement is finalized, and in conjunction with athletics as a priority pillar in TCU's Strategic Plan, we will be an industry leader in our financial commitment to student-athletes which will enable us to compete for Big 12 Championships. If you are in the mix for a Big 12 title in any sport, you are putting yourself in contention for a national championship as well.
IRELAND BOUND
We are extremely honored to be invited to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, opening the season August 29 against North Carolina. We will be the only college football game that day, officially kicking off the season. Just like with our opener this fall on Labor Day night against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, TCU will receive a media value that we could never buy. It's an opportunity to advance TCU's brand globally while having our student-athletes enjoy a unique educational experience. Playing a game abroad provides a once-in-a-lifetime memory for them and our fans.
I was in the Four Sevens Team Meeting Room when the announcement was made to our football team. I loved seeing their excitement. Quarterback Josh Hoover said:
"My teammates and I will be proud to represent TCU abroad. Being able to travel overseas and play a football game in Ireland makes us so appreciative of this unique opportunity. We also understand how this goes beyond football. This is why students choose to come to TCU, knowing they'll have memorable experiences in and out of the classroom and athletics competition. For most of our team, including me, this will be our first time traveling to Europe and we are very much looking forward to sharing the moment together and with all the TCU fans making the trip to support us."
We always appreciate your feedback on any matter regarding our athletics program, and that includes when a decision made may not be popular with everyone. We know this is the case for some of you with the loss of a home game in 2026. However, we will still have seven home dates and there will not be a season ticket price increase for next year. It will remain at the same cost as this fall. 2026 also begins our new annual tradition of having a minimum of seven home games each season.
We completely understand some of the disappointment with our price increase for this year. With the new revenue sharing era upon us, this was a common practice across the country. Just about everyone had a price increase this season. Our renewal rate was still very high and made us appreciate all of you even more. Your continual support is not taken for granted, and we very much thank all of you who renewed. If you are thinking about purchasing season tickets for the first time or have interest in our premium areas or parking, please complete our Interest Form.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING RECAP
Having our Board of Trustees in town earlier this month and meeting with the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, led by Chairman Rusty Reid, definitely expedited my learning curve on all things TCU.
I had already met a good number of our Trustees, and it was great to be introduced to additional members. Their understanding of the impact of collegiate sports, especially those at TCU, and what it can mean to the visibility and exposure for an institution is a model for campus leadership everywhere. There is no shortage of schools in the Power Four Conferences who would love to be in our situation with the athletics commitment from their institution. Needless to say, it has us primed for success.
In our meeting with the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, we discussed the anticipated upcoming House v. NCAA settlement, revenue sharing and, of course, NIL.
A point of emphasis for me was to thank our Board of Trustees for their incredible support of old NIL, essentially the pay-for-play model everyone was operating under. Moving forward in our new era of collegiate athletics, we now prepare to transition to real NIL. Thanks to the oversight by Deloitte, there will be strict penalties for violations.
During our Board of Trustees meetings, Rusty led the presentation of resolutions to Head Women's Soccer Coach Eric Bell (left) and Head Women's Basketball Coach Mark Campbell (right) for their programs' Big 12 Championship seasons. For women's basketball, it also included the Elite 8 appearance which was the farthest we advanced in the NCAA Tournament in program history. We did not forget about men's tennis and beach volleyball. Their Big 12 titles will be recognized at our next Board of Trustees meeting.
FLYING T CLUB
With the anticipated settlement in the House case, it is imperative for us to continue to have your support of the Flying T Club through July 1. You have already played a major role in our coaches' successful efforts to recruit and retain elite student-athletes who wear a TCU uniform and put us in position to compete for championships.
Effective July 1 with the anticipated House settlement, we are moving to an in-house model with true NIL. We will be facilitating business deals for our student-athletes to best take care of them and maximize their earning potential.
We cannot thank the Flying T Club enough for being a phenomenal partner and resource for us.
SPANNING THE GLOBE
Just prior to our Board of Trustees meeting, I was extremely proud to represent TCU at College Sports Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C. A significant number of my colleagues around the country as well as conference commissioners were present.
I went office-to-office to visit all elected officials from Texas, including Congressmen Craig Goldman and Roger Williams. Being a baseball guy, it was especially fun for me to talk with Roger and hear about his time as our head baseball coach as well as his passion for the sport and our program.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Football season ticket upgrades for this fall begin on Monday, April 28. Keep an eye on your email inbox on Friday, April 25, as information on your upgrade time, based on priority rank, will be sent.
The request process for football road games is now OPEN with a deadline of May 24. Please note we have not yet received pricing or ticket location information for these games. Your card on file will be automatically charged when prices are received for each contest requested.
Our new 4-6-3 Double Play Deal is proving to be very popular for Saturday home baseball games and will continue for the remainder of the season. You can get $4 tickets, $6 beers and $3 hot dogs or nachos. When I was pitching, a 4-6-3 double play was my best friend. It now enhances the Lupton Stadium experience!
Tickets are now available HERE for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship May 21-24 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Use the presale code of TCU2025 to help ensure we'll have a home field advantage with lots of purple in the seats.
Coming off the excitement of our women's basketball Big 12 regular season and tournament championships and run to the Elite 8, you can secure a spot on the wait list for season tickets next year with a $100 deposit per seat. Just contact our Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office at tickets@tcu.edu or call 817.257.FROG (3764).
SPRING SALE
It didn't take long for me to realize the popularity of our Spring Sale. In fact, I was often asked, "Will there be a Spring Sale this year?" The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday. Please see below for all the important information you need to know in advance.
MORE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
With today's 3-2 win over Arizona State, including 28-26 in the fifth and deciding set behind the duo of Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez, we captured the inaugural Big 12 Beach Volleyball Championship that we also hosted! We're proud of Head Coach Hector Gutierrez, his staff and especially the student-athletes on this great accomplishment.
Congrats as well to Head Coach David Roditi and everyone in our men's tennis program on their Big 12 regular-season championship! We captured the title outright with a 4-0 Senior Day victory over Baylor. We now have nine Big 12 championship trophies since 2016, the most of any team in the conference over that span. Six of those titles have come in the regular season and three in the tournament.
It was also great to see Coach Roditi reach 300 career wins with our opening-round victory over Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championship.
We have won Big 12 titles in four different sports (women's soccer, women's basketball, men's tennis, beach volleyball) so far this academic year. It's the most during our 13 seasons of Big 12 play.
SPORTS UPDATE
Having a well-rounded athletics program continues to be a priority and source of pride for us. More than half of our sports (12 of 22) are currently ranked in the national Top 25:
No. 2 – Beach Volleyball
No. 2 – Men's Tennis
No. 4 – Equestrian
No. 4 – Triathlon
No. 6 – Women's Basketball
No. 6 – Rifle
No. 14 – Women's Indoor Track and Field
No. 15 – Women's Outdoor Track and Field
No. 15 – Women's Golf
No. 16 – Women's Soccer
No. 23 – Baseball
No. 25 – Indoor Volleyball
Others, like football, received votes or sit just outside the rankings. I believe all our sports inspire each other with their success, and you play a major role in the area of talent acquisition with your support of our student-athletes.
We have another exciting weekend ahead as baseball hosts Baylor in a three-game series while track and field competes at the Penn Relays. Women's golf earned a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, and will begin play Monday, May 5. It's the 28th postseason appearance in Head Coach Angie Ravaioli-Larkin's 31 years as head coach. Our men's golf program had a strong fifth-place finish at this week's Big 12 Championship and is in position for a postseason appearance as well. Joe Pagdin earned All-Big 12 honors with his tie for seventh.
In reflecting on our memorable women's basketball season, I think back to our last home game in a packed Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena when we beat Louisville 85-70 to advance to the Sweet 16. The crowd of 7,494 was the largest in TCU history for a women's sporting event on campus. So many of you have shared how special and memorable that game was to experience. The electricity and energy in the building was something I won't forget. It was then very much appreciated by Head Coach Mark Campbell and everyone in the women's basketball program to see all the purple in Birmingham for our Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame and Elite 8 game against Texas.
PRO FROGS
As we look forward to our football student-athletes hearing their names called with this weekend's NFL Draft, it was nice to see Hailey Van Lith and Madison Conner become our latest Pro Frogs as they were the 11th and 29th picks overall by the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm, respectively, in the WNBA Draft. We were one of just five programs nationally to have multiple players selected.
CARTER BOYS
We hope you've been enjoying our new Carter Boys spin-off series on YouTube. It's titled Acre & Iron: Building The Carter Boys. The weekly show gets you closer to our players than ever before with a behind-the-scenes look into our offseason program from winter workouts to spring practice and the start of fall camp. New episodes appear every Tuesday with No. 6 being released this week: Acre & Iron: Baptism by Ball. It provides an inside look at our elite freshman class.
CONGRATULATIONS, DESTIN!
We are extremely proud to have men's track and field student-athlete Destin Drummond be selected as a 2025-26 recipient of the Clark Society Endowed Scholarship, recognizing senior students who exemplify the highest degree of character, leadership and service at TCU.
Destin is from Grand Prairie, Texas, and defines a true student-athlete. He has also been active with our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as well as throughout campus and in the community. Thank you, Destin, for representing us so well!
THANK YOU
I'd like to also thank you again for your investment in our student-athletes and TCU. You are truly appreciated, and I'm honored to serve you.
Go Frogs!
Mike Buddie
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Thank you again for making me feel so welcomed here! Now being fully situated as a Horned Frog, I can readily see why TCU and Fort Worth are so special.
Between the latest developments and pending settlement in the House v. NCAA case, the announcement of our football game in Ireland, Board of Trustees meetings, a trip to Washington, D.C., and a full slate of athletics competition for us, it's been a rather busy month. However, this is exactly how you like it!
HOUSE V. NCAA
As you likely know, the pending House v. NCAA class-action lawsuits settlement is the dominant topic in our industry as the implementation of revenue sharing with student-athletes and roster caps will forever change collegiate athletics. In meetings with my counterparts across the Big 12 Conference and throughout the country, this is obviously a major part of our conversations. Thanks to the great support of our Board of Trustees, Chancellor Boschini and President Pullin, I can assure you we are positioned very well for the future. When the settlement is finalized, and in conjunction with athletics as a priority pillar in TCU's Strategic Plan, we will be an industry leader in our financial commitment to student-athletes which will enable us to compete for Big 12 Championships. If you are in the mix for a Big 12 title in any sport, you are putting yourself in contention for a national championship as well.
IRELAND BOUND
We are extremely honored to be invited to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, opening the season August 29 against North Carolina. We will be the only college football game that day, officially kicking off the season. Just like with our opener this fall on Labor Day night against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, TCU will receive a media value that we could never buy. It's an opportunity to advance TCU's brand globally while having our student-athletes enjoy a unique educational experience. Playing a game abroad provides a once-in-a-lifetime memory for them and our fans.
I was in the Four Sevens Team Meeting Room when the announcement was made to our football team. I loved seeing their excitement. Quarterback Josh Hoover said:
"My teammates and I will be proud to represent TCU abroad. Being able to travel overseas and play a football game in Ireland makes us so appreciative of this unique opportunity. We also understand how this goes beyond football. This is why students choose to come to TCU, knowing they'll have memorable experiences in and out of the classroom and athletics competition. For most of our team, including me, this will be our first time traveling to Europe and we are very much looking forward to sharing the moment together and with all the TCU fans making the trip to support us."
We always appreciate your feedback on any matter regarding our athletics program, and that includes when a decision made may not be popular with everyone. We know this is the case for some of you with the loss of a home game in 2026. However, we will still have seven home dates and there will not be a season ticket price increase for next year. It will remain at the same cost as this fall. 2026 also begins our new annual tradition of having a minimum of seven home games each season.
We completely understand some of the disappointment with our price increase for this year. With the new revenue sharing era upon us, this was a common practice across the country. Just about everyone had a price increase this season. Our renewal rate was still very high and made us appreciate all of you even more. Your continual support is not taken for granted, and we very much thank all of you who renewed. If you are thinking about purchasing season tickets for the first time or have interest in our premium areas or parking, please complete our Interest Form.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING RECAP
Having our Board of Trustees in town earlier this month and meeting with the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, led by Chairman Rusty Reid, definitely expedited my learning curve on all things TCU.
I had already met a good number of our Trustees, and it was great to be introduced to additional members. Their understanding of the impact of collegiate sports, especially those at TCU, and what it can mean to the visibility and exposure for an institution is a model for campus leadership everywhere. There is no shortage of schools in the Power Four Conferences who would love to be in our situation with the athletics commitment from their institution. Needless to say, it has us primed for success.
In our meeting with the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, we discussed the anticipated upcoming House v. NCAA settlement, revenue sharing and, of course, NIL.
A point of emphasis for me was to thank our Board of Trustees for their incredible support of old NIL, essentially the pay-for-play model everyone was operating under. Moving forward in our new era of collegiate athletics, we now prepare to transition to real NIL. Thanks to the oversight by Deloitte, there will be strict penalties for violations.
During our Board of Trustees meetings, Rusty led the presentation of resolutions to Head Women's Soccer Coach Eric Bell (left) and Head Women's Basketball Coach Mark Campbell (right) for their programs' Big 12 Championship seasons. For women's basketball, it also included the Elite 8 appearance which was the farthest we advanced in the NCAA Tournament in program history. We did not forget about men's tennis and beach volleyball. Their Big 12 titles will be recognized at our next Board of Trustees meeting.
FLYING T CLUB
With the anticipated settlement in the House case, it is imperative for us to continue to have your support of the Flying T Club through July 1. You have already played a major role in our coaches' successful efforts to recruit and retain elite student-athletes who wear a TCU uniform and put us in position to compete for championships.
Effective July 1 with the anticipated House settlement, we are moving to an in-house model with true NIL. We will be facilitating business deals for our student-athletes to best take care of them and maximize their earning potential.
We cannot thank the Flying T Club enough for being a phenomenal partner and resource for us.
SPANNING THE GLOBE
Just prior to our Board of Trustees meeting, I was extremely proud to represent TCU at College Sports Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C. A significant number of my colleagues around the country as well as conference commissioners were present.
I went office-to-office to visit all elected officials from Texas, including Congressmen Craig Goldman and Roger Williams. Being a baseball guy, it was especially fun for me to talk with Roger and hear about his time as our head baseball coach as well as his passion for the sport and our program.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Football season ticket upgrades for this fall begin on Monday, April 28. Keep an eye on your email inbox on Friday, April 25, as information on your upgrade time, based on priority rank, will be sent.
The request process for football road games is now OPEN with a deadline of May 24. Please note we have not yet received pricing or ticket location information for these games. Your card on file will be automatically charged when prices are received for each contest requested.
Our new 4-6-3 Double Play Deal is proving to be very popular for Saturday home baseball games and will continue for the remainder of the season. You can get $4 tickets, $6 beers and $3 hot dogs or nachos. When I was pitching, a 4-6-3 double play was my best friend. It now enhances the Lupton Stadium experience!
Tickets are now available HERE for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship May 21-24 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Use the presale code of TCU2025 to help ensure we'll have a home field advantage with lots of purple in the seats.
Coming off the excitement of our women's basketball Big 12 regular season and tournament championships and run to the Elite 8, you can secure a spot on the wait list for season tickets next year with a $100 deposit per seat. Just contact our Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office at tickets@tcu.edu or call 817.257.FROG (3764).
SPRING SALE
It didn't take long for me to realize the popularity of our Spring Sale. In fact, I was often asked, "Will there be a Spring Sale this year?" The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday. Please see below for all the important information you need to know in advance.
MORE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
With today's 3-2 win over Arizona State, including 28-26 in the fifth and deciding set behind the duo of Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez, we captured the inaugural Big 12 Beach Volleyball Championship that we also hosted! We're proud of Head Coach Hector Gutierrez, his staff and especially the student-athletes on this great accomplishment.
Congrats as well to Head Coach David Roditi and everyone in our men's tennis program on their Big 12 regular-season championship! We captured the title outright with a 4-0 Senior Day victory over Baylor. We now have nine Big 12 championship trophies since 2016, the most of any team in the conference over that span. Six of those titles have come in the regular season and three in the tournament.
It was also great to see Coach Roditi reach 300 career wins with our opening-round victory over Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championship.
We have won Big 12 titles in four different sports (women's soccer, women's basketball, men's tennis, beach volleyball) so far this academic year. It's the most during our 13 seasons of Big 12 play.
SPORTS UPDATE
Having a well-rounded athletics program continues to be a priority and source of pride for us. More than half of our sports (12 of 22) are currently ranked in the national Top 25:
No. 2 – Beach Volleyball
No. 2 – Men's Tennis
No. 4 – Equestrian
No. 4 – Triathlon
No. 6 – Women's Basketball
No. 6 – Rifle
No. 14 – Women's Indoor Track and Field
No. 15 – Women's Outdoor Track and Field
No. 15 – Women's Golf
No. 16 – Women's Soccer
No. 23 – Baseball
No. 25 – Indoor Volleyball
Others, like football, received votes or sit just outside the rankings. I believe all our sports inspire each other with their success, and you play a major role in the area of talent acquisition with your support of our student-athletes.
We have another exciting weekend ahead as baseball hosts Baylor in a three-game series while track and field competes at the Penn Relays. Women's golf earned a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, and will begin play Monday, May 5. It's the 28th postseason appearance in Head Coach Angie Ravaioli-Larkin's 31 years as head coach. Our men's golf program had a strong fifth-place finish at this week's Big 12 Championship and is in position for a postseason appearance as well. Joe Pagdin earned All-Big 12 honors with his tie for seventh.
In reflecting on our memorable women's basketball season, I think back to our last home game in a packed Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena when we beat Louisville 85-70 to advance to the Sweet 16. The crowd of 7,494 was the largest in TCU history for a women's sporting event on campus. So many of you have shared how special and memorable that game was to experience. The electricity and energy in the building was something I won't forget. It was then very much appreciated by Head Coach Mark Campbell and everyone in the women's basketball program to see all the purple in Birmingham for our Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame and Elite 8 game against Texas.
PRO FROGS
As we look forward to our football student-athletes hearing their names called with this weekend's NFL Draft, it was nice to see Hailey Van Lith and Madison Conner become our latest Pro Frogs as they were the 11th and 29th picks overall by the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm, respectively, in the WNBA Draft. We were one of just five programs nationally to have multiple players selected.
CARTER BOYS
We hope you've been enjoying our new Carter Boys spin-off series on YouTube. It's titled Acre & Iron: Building The Carter Boys. The weekly show gets you closer to our players than ever before with a behind-the-scenes look into our offseason program from winter workouts to spring practice and the start of fall camp. New episodes appear every Tuesday with No. 6 being released this week: Acre & Iron: Baptism by Ball. It provides an inside look at our elite freshman class.
CONGRATULATIONS, DESTIN!
We are extremely proud to have men's track and field student-athlete Destin Drummond be selected as a 2025-26 recipient of the Clark Society Endowed Scholarship, recognizing senior students who exemplify the highest degree of character, leadership and service at TCU.
Destin is from Grand Prairie, Texas, and defines a true student-athlete. He has also been active with our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as well as throughout campus and in the community. Thank you, Destin, for representing us so well!
THANK YOU
I'd like to also thank you again for your investment in our student-athletes and TCU. You are truly appreciated, and I'm honored to serve you.
Go Frogs!
Mike Buddie
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
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