Before TCU and SMU faced off for the Iron Skillet on Saturday, both teams took some time to honor a victim of July’s devastating floods in Central Texas.
The schools paid tribute to 9-year-old Lila Bonner, who passed away when flash flooding impacted Camp Mystic in the Hill Country. Bonner was a student at Bradfield Elementary in Highland Park.
Bonner’s family attended Saturday’s game, taking the field at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth ahead of the opening kickoff. According to social media posts from the TCU and SMU football programs, Bonner had connections to both schools.
“At just 9 years old, Lila tragically lost her life in the July 2025 flash floods at Camp Mystic. Yet, her vibrant spirit and boundless love for animals live on through Lila’s Light, her foundation dedicated to saving animals and spreading kindness,” the social media post read. “Lila was the heart of a ‘house divided’ — proudly donning TCU purple and SMU red and blue, a true reflection of her family’s split loyalties, with her father, Blake, a TCU alum, and her mother, Caitlin, an SMU alum. Red and blue made purple in Lila’s world, uniting us all in her memory.”
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On Saturday, one of Lila Bonner’s sisters wore a TCU jersey that displayed Lila’s name and the No. 9.
Back in July, Highland Park community members gathered at Bradfield Elementary to honor Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck. Families tied green, pink and purple ribbons around the school as a tribute to the Camp Mystic victims.
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