Mem’ries Sweet: Part One - 2,000 Stories And We’ve Only Just Begun
It’s been a journey! About a year and a half ago, we launched the KillerFrogs|FanNation site on SI.com. We’ve brought you stories and videos covering all of TCU’s sports. We’ve seen a legendary football coach leave and a new coach take the team to the National Championship Game. We’ve covered other teams who did bring home the Natty, including a men’s tennis team who did it twice. We’ve told you stories of TCU fans, student-athletes, pros, legends, and even our own stories of becoming fans.
Last week, our team hit a milestone. We have now produced 2,000+ content pieces, including written stories and videos. And we’ve had well over 2.4 million pageviews. We launched our site on September 14, 2021. That means it took us just over 560 days to reach this milestone. If you do the math, we’re averaging nearly four pieces of new content daily for you to learn what’s going on with all of TCU’s sports.
When we started, there were three of us. Since then, we have added more and more very talented writers to our team. Today, there are 15 of us, including six current students, five at TCU and even one at Mizzou. These students are studying journalism, sports broadcasting, and communication studies. It’s exciting that we have been able to cover TCU sports and provide experience and opportunities for the next generation of sports journalists.
As the milestone approached, I asked each of our writers to share the highlights of their time with KillerFrogs, whether it be a favorite article they wrote, a favorite article someone else on the team wrote, an interview they did, an opportunity or event they got to cover, or just a fond memory.
Over the next several days, we will share those highlights with you.
Part One – KillerFrogs|FanNation Highlights
Ryann Zeller
Co-Owner of KillerFrogs.com
Joined the team - 2016
KillerFrogs.com has been around since 1997. It started as a fan forum, which still exists to this day. Over the years, KillerFrogs has become the largest online community for TCU sports. Ryann became co-owner in 2016 and has been moving the organization forward ever since, including inking the deal with Sports Illustrated that brought you our FanNation site.
Here’s what she had to say to the team:
More than I could have ever hoped for. I’ve said for years that I want to paint the world purple one person at a time. My goal has been for everyone to have, at least, heard of the TCU Horned Frogs. Since 1997, KillerFrogs and the new addition of Fan Nation (2021) have arguably the largest audience of TCU fans captured through social media, websites, and events. Over the last 2,000+ stories published on FanNation, we have collected over two-million unique page views! It’s hard to say which ones are my favorite. I love to laugh, so the “Rules Reconsidered” and the “Screwed Tape Letters” rank among my favorites. It’s also so special to me that the writers took my idea of a Dear Opponent Letter and made it into a new football tradition that fans look forward to reading each week. Because of our writers, I wanted and now have a growing collection of TCU fans’ fondest memories that will live on forever within the Mem’ries Sweet tab on FanNation.
For the world to know: TCU is every emotion. TCU is every color, texture, sound, and shape. You can touch, smell, see, hear, and taste TCU. Through it all, the highs and the lows, happiness, and sadness, TCU is friendship and will always be home. I sincerely thank Barry, Brett, David, Davis, Derek, Ian, Jake, Nate, Nick G, Nick H, Nolan, Tori, Tyler, and Zion. You all are personally responsible for painting the world purple through your storytelling. Your words will last forever for future generations to read about how this 150-year-old, small, private Christian school in Fort Worth, Texas, with a funny little mascot, has and will continue to shape people’s lives.
Go Frogs!
Ryann (Class of ‘98, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and TCU Co-ed Cheerleader)
Brett Gibbons
Joined the team – October 2021
Brett joined our team after we met him after the TCU versus West Virginia football game in 2021. He moved to Cleveland a few months later but remains a vital part of our team, despite being the furthest away. One of Brett’s highlights has been meeting the team and watching it grow. “It’s been awesome to connect (and debate with) the other writers we’ve brought on since then,” he said. “Maybe a cliché answer, but undoubtedly the highlight of my time with KF.” As for an experience, he says it was “getting to document a TCU game day from the Legend’s Club and on the field with College Football Tour. This coincides with connecting with KF overall, but those two TCU football game days are hard to beat.”
The KillerFrogs team in November 2021 - Barry, Adam (photo), Tyler, Ryann, Brett, Nick H., and David
Derek Lytle
Joined the team – August 2022
Derek was our first intern as he finished his time at TCU last fall. He’s a master behind the camera and did some great videos for us, many of which were shot from the field at Amon G Carter Stadium or other venues. He was at McLane Stadium on that day in November when that incredible walk-off field goal was made. “Being underneath the goalpost in Waco when we made the Bazooka field goal and running into the chaos afterward and then making a video of that moment” is how Derek described his highlight.
Davis Wilson
Joined the team – January 2023
Davis is a journalism student at the University of Missouri. That may make you ask why he is writing about TCU sports. He’s from Dallas and the son of a TCU alum, so he’s always followed TCU sports. He sent me a Twitter DM in January, and here we are. He’s already produced a couple of dozen content pieces, including a weekly podcast under our “Killer Minute” brand. “I have been writing about sports for a while, but I have always wanted to have an opportunity to do a podcast,” said Davis. “KillerFrogs gave me a great opportunity to try it, and I have loved doing it.”
Nolan Ruth
Joined the team – February 2023
Meet the guy with the ultimate baseball name! And he’s excited to add to our baseball coverage and football, especially the recruiting part. He covers Texas high school sports for a day job and is in tune with those athletes and their recruiting process. “I had a phenomenal time covering small-town sports and feeling like family everywhere I went,” said Nolan. “Being the new guy at KillerFrogs, I can’t wait to extend that family to TCU. I look forward to the friends and connections I will make here in Fort Worth.”
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