7 Best TCU Horned Frogs Football Players

The TCU Horned Frogs were a College Football national championship finalist in 2022 but lost to the Georgia Bulldogs. However, they did win two national championships, in 1935 and 1938. 

Today, you can wager on the Horned Frogs’ football lines at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

At one point during the 2024 season, the Horned Frogs had decent NCAAF odds for the Big 12 Conference, but losses at home to UCF and Houston ended their hopes.

Below are the top seven players in Horned Frogs history. 

7 Best TCU Horned Frogs Football Players

1. LaDainian Tomlinson

Tomlinson, also known as “LT,” played for TCU from 1997 to 2000 and recorded 5,263 rushing yards and 54 rushing touchdowns, both school records.

He also holds the top two single-season rushing records, headlined by 2,158 yards in 2000. 

Further, he has the single-game record with 406 yards in 1999 against UTEP. 

He won the Doak Walker Award and Jim Brown Trophy, was a unanimous All-American, second-team All-American, two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-WAC, and the Horned Frogs retired his No. 5 jersey. 

Today, he’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

H2 2.  Sammy Baugh

Baugh suited up for TCU from 1934 to 1936. He threw 40 touchdown passes (sixth) and had 44 total touchdowns (ninth). 

He held the passing touchdowns record for about 60 years until Max Knake broke it in 1995. 

He was a member of the 1935 national championship team and was a consensus All-American, first-team All-American, and two-time first-team All-SWC, and the team retired his No. 45. 

Baugh also led the Horned Frogs to a 3-2 win over LSU in the 1936 Sugar Bowl and quarterbacked them to a 16-6 win in the first Cotton Bowl Classic in 1937. 

Baugh is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

3. Davey O’Brien

Another TCU quarterback, O’Brien, played from 1936 to 1938, succeeding Baugh. 

He threw 19 touchdown passes in 1938, which remained a single-season record until 1994. 

He was part of the 1938 national championship team, won the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, was a unanimous All-American, and was two-time first-team All-SWC. The school retired his No. 8.

Today, there’s an award named after him, the Davey O’Brien Award. It’s given to the best quarterback as voted on by the Davey O’Brien Foundation. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

4. Jim Swink

Swink played for the Horned Frogs from 1954 to 1956 and recorded 2,618 rushing yards (ninth) and 28 rushing touchdowns (sixth).  He held both records for about 30 years. 

His 18 rushing touchdowns in 1955 were second for a single season. He held that record until Tomlinson broke it with 22 in 2000. 

He was a unanimous All-American, second-team All-American, two-time first-team All-SWC, and second-team All-SWC. 

Swink is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

5. Andy Dalton

Dalton, the third quarterback on this list, played at TCU from 2006 to 2010. He was a two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time first-team All-Mountain West selection. 

Dalton threw for 10,314 yards (second), 71 touchdowns (third), 11,925 total yards (second), and 93 total touchdowns (third). 

He led the Horned Frogs to a 12-0 regular season in 2009 and won the Mountain West conference title. They lost 17-10 to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. 

Dalton followed that up in 2010 with a 21-19 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. 

They were one of two teams to go 13-0. 

6. Jerry Hughes

While Hughes played at TCU from 2006 to 2009, he didn’t generate much production until his junior season, when he recorded 15 sacks. 

Over his four years, he had 28.5 sacks, second in program history. 

His 15-sack junior season is also second for the single-season record books. 

He won the Ted Hendricks Award and the Lott Trophy. He was also a unanimous All-American, consensus All-American, a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-Mountain West. 

7. Trevone Boykin

For the No. 7 spot, I considered Boykin and College Football Hall of Famer Bob Lilly, but I decided on Boykin because of his numerous school records. 

During his time with TCU from 2012 to 2015, Boykin threw for 10,728 yards (first), 86 passing touchdowns (first), 27 rushing touchdowns (eighth), 12,777 total yards (first), and 113 total touchdowns (first).

He also holds single-season records in passing yards (3,901), passing touchdowns (33), total yards (4,608), and total touchdowns (41). 

As for another record, he holds the single-game mark in passing touchdowns with seven. 

He was a two-time second-team All-American, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, the Kellen Moore Award, was first-team All-Big 12, and second-team All-Big 12.