As SMU and TCU prepare to square off in the Iron Skillet game for final time, Dallas’ and Fort Worth’s mayors are getting in on the competition.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker place a friendly wager on the game each year, and this year’s bet is to benefit the parks of the winning city.
The mayor of the losing city will make a donation to a nonprofit chosen by the mayor of the winning city. If TCU beats SMU, Johnson will donate to Parker’s Good Natured Greenspace Initiative. If SMU beats TCU, Parker will donate to the Trust for Public Land’s Greener Dallas Greater Dallas campaign.
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“I have every confidence that our Mustangs will bring the Iron Skillet back to Dallas for good,” Johnson said in a statement. “Mayor Parker and I are also using this opportunity to highlight our shared commitment to parks. The Trust for Public Land is doing incredible work building a greener and greater Dallas, and I’m confident Mayor Parker will be supporting that mission very soon, when the Mustangs beat the Horned Frogs in the final Iron Skillet showdown!”
The Greener Dallas Greater Dallas campaign’s mission is to transform city-owned land into outdoor spaces. The Good Natured Greenspace Initiative seeks to protect, preserve and expand Fort Worth’s green spaces through public projects, private partnerships and community involvement.
Johnson also proclaimed it “Iron Skillet Week” in the City of Dallas.
SMU and TCU will face off Saturday at 11 a.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. It is the final scheduled meeting between the two programs, which have played all but seven years since 1915. TCU chose to pause the rivalry, seeking more home games for its fans.
SMU beat TCU 66-42 last year in the final Iron Skillet game at Ford Stadium.
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