TCU football is moving closer to its 2026 season opener against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29. As the Countdown to Kickoff continues, we’ll highlight a former Horned Frog whose jersey number coincided with the number of days remaining until the opener. At No. 23 is former TCU halfback Jim Swink!
Swink received All-American honors twice during his playing career with the Horned Frogs. In 1955, Swink stampeded for 1,283 yards and finished second in the nation in rushing. He was named
an All-Southwest Conference player three times (Second Team in 1954, First Team in 1955 and 1956), received unanimous All-American honors in 1955 and Second Team All-American honors in 1956. He ran for 665 yards in 1956. During his college career, he garnered nicknames such as “Ol’ Swivel Hips” and “The Rusk Rambler”.
After finishing his playing career at TCU, Swink was selected in the second round of the 1957 NFL Draft, but opted to pursue medical school instead. He returned to football a few years later, though, signing with the Dallas Texans of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He served in the military, as he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 and served as a medic and surgeon at the 12th Evacuation Hospital in Ku Chi, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. He later practiced medicine as an orthopedic surgeon.
Swink was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980, the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000. He won the Doak Walker Legends Award in 2005.
