All-American RB Jim Swink led the Horned Frogs to two straight Cotton Bowls
23 | RB Jim Swink (1954-1956)
Known as “The Rusk Rambler” after his hometown of Rusk, TX, Jim Swink would become one of the best running backs in college football history. An All-American selection in 1955 & 1956, winning Southwest Conference championships and leading the Horned Frogs to the Cotton Bowl in consecutive seasons. Swink led the nation in scoring and all-purpose yards in his historic 1955 campaign, including 235 yards on just 15 carries and personally scoring 26 points in a victory over Texas – the game that as the story goes is the genesis for UT’s phrase “Hook ‘Em Horns” as Texas fans knew they had to pull out all the stops to slow Swink and chanted the phrase to encourage any effort at tackling him, which proved ineffective as TCU ran away with a 47-20 win. Swink would go on to finish second in Heisman Trophy voting that season and he still today ranks in the Top 10 in every all-time rushing category in TCU program history, all of which were program records at the time.
Swink was selected in the 2nd Round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, but would turn down an opportunity to pursue the NFL, opting instead to continue his studies and ultimately enter the medical field as an acclaimed surgeon. He served in the US Army as a medic and battalion surgeon during the Vietnam War from 1966-1968, earning the rank of Captain and was awarded a Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Bronze Star.
