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TCU unveils Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility and Cox Field
The facility features an 80-yard football field and encompasses 80,000 square feet.
May 10, 2007 FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU unveiled its state-of-the-art Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility and Cox Field with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. The facility will provide TCU with a competitive edge in attracting top student-athletes by providing a climate-controlled practice area. At a cost of $7 million, the 80,000 square-foot indoor structure is named in honor of the TCU football legend. The Baugh Indoor Practice Facility is located directly behind the Schollmaier Basketball Complex which is also the site of the old baseball field. The indoor facility encloses the existing artificial turf practice field, giving the Horned Frogs the option to move indoors during inclement weather. The facility features an 80-yard field with a regulation 52-yard width and two full end zones. The facility also stands 54-feet tall, which is high enough for field goals. "An indoor football practice facility has become essential in attracting the top prospective student-athletes to campus," said TCU head football coach Gary Patterson. "The generosity of both the Justin Foundation and Cox Family will enable us to aggressively recruit against the nation's best programs." The indoor facility was designed by Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford. The project contractor was Linbeck Construction. About Sam Baugh TCU has a proud football tradition that is matched by few. Two-time All-American Slingin' Sam Baugh is an integral part of that.
Baugh had an almost instant connection with TCU. Born March 17, 1914 in Temple, Texas, before moving to Sweetwater, Baugh lived across the street from fellow TCU football legend and All-America center Ki Aldrich. Baugh led the 12-1 Horned Frogs to the 1935 national championship. The season was capped by a Sugar Bowl victory over LSU and would be the first of two national titles in a four-year period for TCU. In his final game for the Frogs, on New Year's Day 1937, Baugh led TCU to a 16-6 victory over Marquette in the inaugural Cotton Bowl. It capped a 9-2-2 campaign for the Frogs. Baugh presided over a golden era of TCU football. The Frogs' 29 victories from 1933-35 and 1934-36 are currently the most for any three-year periods in TCU history. As a junior and senior, Baugh was the nation's leading passer and punter. While his quarterback exploits are well documented, his ability to kick was unheralded. In the 1935 Sugar Bowl win over LSU, Baugh punted 14 times with a water-logged ball for a 45-yard average. Playing in an era without a facemask, Baugh was also a standout defensive player known for his toughness and hard tackling. He was a 60-minute player. After leaving TCU, Baugh made a smooth transition to the National Football League. As a rookie in 1937, he became the first quarterback to win a national championship in college and a title in pro football when he led the Washington Redskins to the NFL championship. Only Joe Namath and Joe Montana have accomplished the feat since.
Baugh helped change the pro game by taking much of what he had learned playing for Dutch Meyer at TCU to the NFL. These changes included further development of the forward pass and such plays as the hook and lateral, the halfback option toss and Statue of Liberty.
Baugh, a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has had his high school, collegiate and professional jersey numbers retired by Sweetwater (21), TCU (45) and the Redskins (33).
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