Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Fort Worth University


  • Please log in to reply
10 replies to this topic

#1 waywr

waywr

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 71 posts

Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:04 PM

Anybody know what, or where, this was? Or how long it was around and why it folded?
I'm, for some reason, fascinated with college football media guides. Love to read the year-by-year scores and so on.
Media guides for TCU, A&M and several other schools list games against Fort Worth University.
TCU played them 6 times compiling a 2-2-2 record. TCU first played them in 1897, last in 1907.
Obviously, not the same school as TCU. Although I think that when TCU moved from Waco to Fort Worth, they held classes in downtown Fort Worth for a few years while the current campus was being constructed.
I mention that because I remember seeing lettering in the sidewalk downtown, in front of one of the big buildings, that spells the name of a college or university. I can't remember if it said Fort Worth University though. Haven't been downtown in a long time, and would have to look around to even find what street it is on now.
I'm pretty sure Fort Worth University wasn't an early name for Texas Wesleyan U. either.
In fact, according to their media guide, TCU played something called Polytechnic five times between 1909 and 1912.
That could be Poly High School. Colleges sometimes played high schools back in those days. The media guides I have for Notre Dame and USC list several games against high schools early on.
But I think Polytechnic might also have been one of Texas Wesleyan's early names.
I know TWU had a football team once. Don't know what years, or why they stopped. Although I seem to remember reading that the school started off coed, operated for a time as a women-only school, then returned to coed. That could have been when/why they dropped football.
The TCU media guide lists no games against Texas Wesleyan, but you figure they would have played each other, being just a few miles apart and all.
TCU also played Fort Worth Central High School in 1911, winning 24-0.
Could that be the original Paschal High School? Isn't Paschal the oldest high school in Fort Worth?
One last question.
TCU played Burleson College in 1913. They won 25-0. Does anyone know what Burleson College was? Was it in Burleson, TX?

#2 qmcgown

qmcgown

    Junior Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 48 posts
  • Location:Fort Worth

Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:33 PM

[quote name='waywr' date='Jan 11 2010, 05:04 PM' post='59131']
Anybody know what, or where, this was? Or how long it was around and why it folded?

Fort Worth University opened in 1881 under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Northern Branch.) It operated downtown before moving in 1886 to the site now occupied by Trimble Tech. It had Medical and Law Schools in addition to its regular undergraduate programs. The school closed here in 1910 and was merged with another Methodist institution in Oklahoma City, creating what is today's Oklahoma City University.

In 1890, the ME Church, South chartered Polytechnic College, the predecessor of Texas Wesleyan. Both schools had strong football programs. Polytechinc College became the all female Texas Womans College in 1914 after SMU opened as the flagship Southern Methodist institution in North Texas. In 1934, the Fort Worth campus was reopened to men and renamed Texas Wesleyan College. The football program started again in 1935 and disbanded when almost all of the players headed off to WW2. The school debated bringing football back after the war, but focused instead on basketball, developing one of the strongest teams in the nation in the late 40's.



#3 waywr

waywr

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 71 posts

Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:41 PM



Thanks for the info qmcgown. It would be neat to find a list of games TWU played. I might check their library sometime to see if they have anything like that.
Wonder if they had a football field/stadium on campus long ago.

#4 waywr

waywr

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 71 posts

Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:48 PM

TCU had a law and medical school at one time too, according to one of their yearbooks.
I had a couple of my dad's yearbooks from the early 40s. My brother kind of took them without asking me several years ago though.
The front and back inside cover of one had sort of a cartoon-drawn history of the school. I can't remember the exact dates, but it says law and medical school open, then, about 5 years later, law and medical schools close. Thinking it was like 1912, 1914.

#5 Doohickie

Doohickie

    Skyscraper Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 5,007 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:South Hills

Posted 11 January 2010 - 08:57 PM

Cool history about Wesleyan; my son's a freshman there this year.
My blog: Doohickie

#6 hinzdl

hinzdl

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 52 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fort Worth, Texas

Posted 16 August 2010 - 03:51 PM

To add, Fort Worth University was started by Addison and Randolph (Ran) Clark. It did close in Fort Worth and moved to Waco but then back to Fort Worth opened as Texas Christian University. TCU today has the AddRan School.

#7 unknowntbone

unknowntbone

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 52 posts

Posted 19 August 2010 - 03:25 PM

Before he was known as SUPERFROG, the TCU mascot was known as ADDIE after Addison Clark.

#8 detail larry

detail larry

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 200 posts
  • Gender:Male

Posted 04 July 2012 - 06:29 PM

fort worth university was first chartered as Texas Wesleyan College in 1881 , it started off doing good work , after a short time the public schools of the city were just comming into existence, and by doing the most primary as well as advanced work , it rendered the city an especially good service.Fort Worth welcommend the university with open arms. City fathers like Col Wynne , Col VanZandt, capt J C Terrell, W J Boaz and many others put their support behind the university .Early teachers Prof White , Dr Johnson and Mrs Stoddard were among the first instructors. After 6 years of good work the charter was enlarged to Fort Worth University. there was a law school and medical school. They had a football team and a baseball team .Their colors were Navy Blue and Gold. there yell was Ring ! Rah ! Ru , Do Your Do ! , Varsity ! Varsity , Fort Worth U ! if anyone wants any more info ive got it .

#9 Doohickie

Doohickie

    Skyscraper Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 5,007 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:South Hills

Posted 05 July 2012 - 02:52 PM

Fort Worth University opened in 1881 under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Northern Branch.) It operated downtown before moving in 1886 to the site now occupied by Trimble Tech. It had Medical and Law Schools in addition to its regular undergraduate programs. The school closed here in 1910 and was merged with another Methodist institution in Oklahoma City, creating what is today's Oklahoma City University.

In 1890, the ME Church, South chartered Polytechnic College, the predecessor of Texas Wesleyan. Both schools had strong football programs. Polytechinc College became the all female Texas Womans College in 1914 after SMU opened as the flagship Southern Methodist institution in North Texas. In 1934, the Fort Worth campus was reopened to men and renamed Texas Wesleyan College. The football program started again in 1935 and disbanded when almost all of the players headed off to WW2. The school debated bringing football back after the war, but focused instead on basketball, developing one of the strongest teams in the nation in the late 40's.



To add, Fort Worth University was started by Addison and Randolph (Ran) Clark. It did close in Fort Worth and moved to Waco but then back to Fort Worth opened as Texas Christian University. TCU today has the AddRan School.


These two accounts disagree. Which is correct?
My blog: Doohickie

#10 qmcgown

qmcgown

    Junior Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 48 posts
  • Location:Fort Worth

Posted 05 July 2012 - 03:05 PM


Fort Worth University opened in 1881 under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Northern Branch.) It operated downtown before moving in 1886 to the site now occupied by Trimble Tech. It had Medical and Law Schools in addition to its regular undergraduate programs. The school closed here in 1910 and was merged with another Methodist institution in Oklahoma City, creating what is today's Oklahoma City University.

In 1890, the ME Church, South chartered Polytechnic College, the predecessor of Texas Wesleyan. Both schools had strong football programs. Polytechinc College became the all female Texas Womans College in 1914 after SMU opened as the flagship Southern Methodist institution in North Texas. In 1934, the Fort Worth campus was reopened to men and renamed Texas Wesleyan College. The football program started again in 1935 and disbanded when almost all of the players headed off to WW2. The school debated bringing football back after the war, but focused instead on basketball, developing one of the strongest teams in the nation in the late 40's.



To add, Fort Worth University was started by Addison and Randolph (Ran) Clark. It did close in Fort Worth and moved to Waco but then back to Fort Worth opened as Texas Christian University. TCU today has the AddRan School.


These two accounts disagree. Which is correct?


With all due deference to Dale, the Clark brothers, being good Disciples of Christ, were not involved in the Northern Methodist efforts that led to the opening of Texas Wesleyan College, later Fort Worth University. The Clarks did open an academy for young students in 1869 that would evolve in 1873 to Add-Ran College, the forerunner of TCU. There are a few accounts that mistakenly associate them with the Methodist institution.

#11 detail larry

detail larry

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 200 posts
  • Gender:Male

Posted 05 July 2012 - 06:16 PM

thats exactly right it moved to oaklahoma city , i now have 3 yearbooks from fort worth university, medical cards and other stuff.




1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users