2 0 14 T C U F O O T B A L L
MEYER-MARTIN ATHLETIC COMPLEX
DUTCH MEYER ATHLETIC COMPLEX & ABE MARTIN ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT CENTER
Named for legendary TCU coaches, the $13 million, 40,000-square-foot Dutch Meyer Athletic Complex and Abe Martin Academic Enhancement Center, also known as the Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex, made its debut in August 2008 and features six suites with approximately 255 club seats. The facility sits atop the Walsh Physical Performance Complex and features an expansive club lounge for socializing and premier dining while watching the TCU football program. The complex also includes increased academic space and team meeting areas and was fully funded by nine donors. Revenue from the complex during football season goes directly to supporting athletics scholarships through the TCU Frog Club. With 40,000 square feet of team meeting space, tutor rooms, a computer lab and players’ lounge--not to mention a new club level and suites for fans--the Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex is first class in every regard. The facility boasts six suites, the revenue from which equates to one athletic scholarship, and each comes equipped with mini bar, cushion seating, flat-screen TVs and the closest view to a field in all of college football. The club level for fans offers a first-class food service in addition to flat-screen TVs and plenty of seating. In addition, a Skybridge connects the club level to club seating. The players’ lounge is comfortable and technology rich, and with in-wall lighting, flatscreen TVs, game consoles and comfortable sofas, it makes the perfect setting for the team to relax. The Four Sevens Team Meeting Room seats 120 and features acoustic-setting fabric walls and a state-of-the-art projection system for watching film. In addition, Coach Gary Patterson has his weekly press conference inside the Four Sevens Team Meeting Room.
THE MEYER & MARTIN COACHING LEGACY
Leo R. (Dutch) Meyer became the head football coach for the Frogs in 1934 after former coach Francis Schmidt was lured away to Ohio State. For the next 19 years, Meyer turned out top teams and produced a bevy of individual standouts, including Sammy Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Ki Aldrich, Darrell Lester and many others. The Frogs posted a 12-1 record during the 1935 season, and following a 3-2 victory over LSU in the 1936 Sugar Bowl, TCU was crowned the national champions. The Frogs continued success during the 1937 and 1938 campaigns with O’Brien at the quarterback position. The 1938 squad was considered one of the Southwest Conference’s finest teams some 50 years later. That fall, Meyer’s squad rolled to 11 straight wins, including a 15-7 triumph over Carnegie Tech in the Sugar Bowl to claim their second national championship. In 1941, TCU finished a solid second place in the Southwest Conference and won another championship during the 1944 campaign. The Dutchman’s final league crown came in 1951 and two years later, the Frog football coach became TCU’s athletics director (a position he held until retiring in 1963). When Meyer retired from coaching in 1953, his backfield assistant, Othol (Abe) Martin, took over the coaching reins. Martin installed the popular T-formation, and in just three seasons, found the championship formula. His 1955 squad, led by All-American Jim Swink, waltzed to nine victories in 10 games with their lone setback coming to Texas A&M. Martin would go on to capture two more Southwest Conference titles during the 1950s. During his 14-year tenure as head football coach, Martin compiled a 76-64-7 overall record to go along with five post-season bowl appearances and producing seven All-Americans. The legacy of Dutch Meyer and Abe Martin helped deliver seven of TCU’s 17 conference championships and 12 of the program’s 27 all-time bowl appearances.
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TCU FOOTBALL