Football program receives Dateline Award from AAF-Fort Worth

Fort Worth, TX

3/5/2010

The American Advertising Federation – Fort Worth (AAF-Fort Worth) will recognize the Texas Christian University football program with the 2009 Dateline Award for the team’s success in bringing the national spotlight to Fort Worth.

Sponsored by TCU ISP Sports Network, the Dateline award presentation and luncheon will be on Thursday, March 25, at Joe T. Garcias from 11:45 am to 1 pm. To attend, view the event summary at www.adclubfw.org by Wednesday, March 24.
 
“The impressive performance by the TCU Horned Frog football team this season has given Fort Worth national exposure and showed the nation the pride that Fort Worth has for our city,” said Jason Parker, president of AAF-Fort Worth.
 
As the Frogs began their regular season, which ended in an undefeated 12-0 season, the nation began to take notice of the underdogs in purple. Following TCU’s climb to number four in the BCS rankings, ESPN College Gameday headed to Fort Worth for the first time on November 14, to cover the Horned Frogs battle against the Utah Utes. The city of Fort Worth received national exposure and Lee Corso donned the famous SuperFrog head in support of a Frog victory, for the second time that season.
 
The Utah victory sealed the Frog’s number four BCS ranking and following Air Force and New Mexico losses, the Mountain West Conference Championship. All the while the city of Fort Worth and the nation rallied behind the Frog’s quest for a BCS bowl game, which culminated in an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ to compete in their first BCS bowl game.

“There is a real ‘town and gown' relationship that you feel here,” said Chris Del Conte, TCU’s athletic director. “We try to paint the town purple. The mayor of Fort Worth declared Fridays to be ‘Purple Day,' and every city employee wears purple. Those are the sort of things that happen when you're the only team in town.”

 
Previous Dateline Award recipients include celebrity the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Chef Tim Love, the North Texas Speedway, the Van Cliburn Competition and Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.
 
About the American Advertising Federation-Fort Worth
AAF-Fort Worth is a 100-year-strong organization and is the city’s oldest civic group. The purpose of the organization is to provide a forum for advertising professionals — elevating standards and practices in advertising through peer review programs and through continuing training and education initiatives.  The group also is dedicated to serving the Fort Worth community, and participates in numerous civic activities.