1935 SMU vs. TCU football game

SMU vs. TCU, 1935
"Game of the Century"
(1935 version)
1234 Total
SMU 7706 20
TCU 0707 14
DateNovember 30, 1935
Season1935
StadiumAmon G. Carter Stadium
LocationFort Worth, Texas
Halftime showTCU Horned Frog Marching Band
AttendanceBetween 36,000 and 42,000

The 1935 SMU vs. TCU football game was a regular season college football game between the SMU Mustangs and the TCU Horned Frogs on November 30, 1935, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The two teams were undefeated and untied heading into the game. Both Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University were members of the Southwest Conference, and a win in this game was necessary for either team to secure the conference championship. The game also held national championship implications, as the winner was expected to receive an invitation to compete in the Rose Bowl. As a result, the game is commonly considered the "Game of the Century", a moniker which noted sportswriter Grantland Rice, among others, used to describe the game. The buildup attracted a great deal of national attention, and it was the first football game in Texas to be broadcast nationwide on radio.

Both teams employed a strong passing game that was uncommon in the conference at the time. The game started with a 14–7 lead for the Mustangs going into halftime, and after a scoreless third quarter, the Horned Frogs, led by quarterback Sammy Baugh, scored a game-tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter. During a following drive by the Mustangs, quarterback Bob Finley performed a fake punt and connected with receiver Bob Wilson for another touchdown, with the Mustangs winning with a score of 20–14. Following the game, both teams finished the rest of their regular season undefeated and untied and were invited to two major bowl games, with the Mustangs playing the Stanford Indians in the Rose Bowl and the Horned Frogs playing the LSU Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. The Mustangs lost to Stanford, while TCU beat LSU, resulting in both teams finishing the season with identical 12–1 win-loss records. Both teams claim a mythical national championship for the season.