Revival of TCU tradition

On a June day in 1915, between 500 and 1,000 people gathered along downtown Fort Worth streets to witness what the university yearbook would call "a mammoth automobile parade, over eighteen blocks long."

Faculty, student body, alumni, ex-students and friends packed into cars that wound through the principal downtown thoroughfares as part of the inaugural "Home-Coming Week."

This celebration marked the first significant alumni gathering since the school moved to Fort Worth, and proved "a success from every standpoint." That cherished tradition would endure for a century before falling silent in 2016, leaving a void in TCU's cultural calendar that many alumni still lament.

During homecoming weekend this October, University Drive will once again transform into a river of purple and white, the autumn sunlight glinting off trombones and tubas as the familiar strains of the TCU fight song echo between buildings. Elaborately decorated floats will roll past crowds of cheering spectators while costumed student organizations, high-stepping band members and beaming university dignitaries wave to families lining the route.

The homecoming parade, that kaleidoscope of Horned Frog pride, returns after a nine-year absence, thanks to the determined efforts of TCU students and faculty who refused to let this crucial piece of university identity fade into yellowed photographs and nostalgic stories.

"SGA really pushed for the parade and wanting to make homecoming a bigger celebration," Kelly Lee, director of student activities, said. "Students across campus though came together to also support the parade."

Student initiative brings tradition back

The revival began with a Homecoming Exploratory Committee created by the Student Government Association in the fall of 2024. Their mission: to gauge interest and build support for bringing back one of TCU's oldest traditions.

"Once we saw strong support from students on campus, we used that information to advocate for the parade's return," Reagan Stephens, student body president, said. "We brought those results to the administration, Student Affairs, and other campus leaders to show that this is something students genuinely care about."

To ensure strong participation, SGA has allocated $20,000 from its annual budget to help fund float construction and other parade elements.

"SGA is committed to ensuring that students do not have financial barriers restricting them from participating," Stephens said, noting that organizations can apply for funding to support their involvement.

Student leaders successfully campaigned to resurrect the historic procession for TCU's Homecoming Weekend scheduled for Oct. 17-18, 2025, as announced by the TCU Alumni Association.

A parade through time

The homecoming parade has been a cornerstone of TCU culture since the university's earliest days in Fort Worth. The tradition traces back to 1914, when President F.D. Kershner organized the first "Home-Coming" celebration to mark TCU's successful transition to its new campus after relocating from Waco.

"The plans of the home-coming committee are very far reaching, hence the early date of beginning preparation," according to The Dallas Morning News in October 1913. "It is thought that this reunion will surpass anything of its kind ever undertaken by the university."

By 1927, the celebration had evolved to officially incorporate football. Athletics Director L.C. "Pete" Wright famously promised, "We'll seat everybody" for the first annual homecoming football game against SMU on Thanksgiving Day.

TCU President E.M. Waits and SMU President C.C. Selecman rode together at the front of the automobile procession that year, symbolizing the growing importance of the parade as both a community and athletic tradition.

Throughout the decades, TCU's homecoming parade became a vibrant showcase of creativity and school spirit. Carefully crafted floats covered in tissue-paper pomps in shades of purple and white would roll down the street, each representing months of planning and hundreds of hours of work by student organizations.

"For those that graduated in 2015 or before, remembering participating in multiple homecoming activities from building floats, marching in the parade down University Drive was a huge part of their TCU experience," Amanda Stallings, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations, said. "Car dealerships would sponsor cars and alumni with vintage purple cars would be in the parade. Vice chancellors would partner with students and ride in convertibles."

Historical photos reveal vintage convertibles carrying homecoming queens, antique fire engines decked in purple ribbons transporting alumni celebrating milestone reunions and animated student floats featuring whimsical designs that often playfully taunted the weekend's football opponent.

By 1949, the celebrations had expanded to include a bonfire, square dance, downtown parade and barbecue, with the procession growing into one of the most anticipated events of the year.