Field named for longtime donor
By Matt Potter
Staff Reporter

Home football games at Amon G. Carter Stadium changed forever Saturday.

The playing field at the stadium was named the W.A. Monty and Tex Moncrief Field thanks to a $3 million donation by Tex Moncrief, school officials said.

The field was dedicated Saturday during the halftime of the TCU-Vanderbilt football game.

“The Moncriefs have been a major reason for TCU’s continuing excellence as a university,” athletic director Eric Hyman said. “Not only have they been magnanimous with TCU, but they’ve also helped out the entire Fort Worth community.”

The donation will be used for a variety of different football needs, Hyman said.

He said one way the program plans to spend the money is to hire an academic learning specialist to work directly with the football players. Another goal is to hire a strength and conditioning supervisor to work in the weight room with the players, he said.

Hyman said TCU athletics has looked into building an indoor practice facility for the football team and that the money donated could also be used for that project.

“In an ideal world they’d love to use the money as an endowment,” said Bronson C. Davis, vice chancellor for university advancement. “That would allow the program to use the money in a more flexible way.”

Davis said regardless of where the money is used, the donation will definitely help the already successful football program.

Head football coach Gary Patterson said he was excited about naming the football field after the Moncriefs.

“The Moncrief family and name have meant a lot to Fort Worth,” Patterson said. “To have an opportunity to include a vested interest in the university and the program is awesome.”

The Moncriefs have been supporters of TCU athletics and academics for a long time. They have donated money for department heads in physics, geology and engineering. The Moncriefs were also responsible for funding the construction of Moncrief Hall, which houses both student athletes and other students.