• The KillerFrogs

The old Don Dowell Board?

Brog

Full Member
Someone in another post referred to "the old Don Dowell Board." Now that Wes is having severe problems, the story of his involvement here comes up. Maybe some of you who know will tell us about the history of this board. Did Dowell start it? When? Any word about how this all got started would be appreciated.
 

Frogenstein

Full Member
I remember that board. It was tied to a golf site he ran, the web address was something like golfgreatersw.com - I am sure this is not exactly right but the address did not indicate it was a TCU fan site. I found it in the mid 90’s and have been here ever since though I have have changed my screen name at least once.
 

don

Active Member
I started a message board - Frog Fan Forum - and an information sports website - Online with the Horned Frogs around 1994. Originally there were about 3 people and we talked more about Church basketball games. The original idea was to provide sports and especially score updates to fans outside DFW who couldn't listen to radio broadcasts (pre Mark Cuban / broadcast days). I also had a "private" eNewsletter to provide insider info to fans.

There was later a chat room and message board on golfsw.com because the server was better. Incidentally, I recently forgot to renew that domain and someone grabbed it, kept all my ancient content and took my name off all the articles.

After a couple of years, the forum took off with Tired leading the pack. In the late 90s I had the opportunity to do some real media (write for the Horned Frog Sports Report and FoxSports) so I needed to let the forum go to Wes and his band of brothers. I initially "sold" my forum to Rivals, but their board was way too slow and my IPO stock was soon worthless as they ceased operations. Everyone on the Frog Fan Forum went to the KFC anyway, which was the plan all along.
 

tcudoc

Full Member
Don,
Thanks for your vision and for putting it in good hands when you stepped away. I have been wasting time here since 1999, so I am just a newbie compared to many of the people here. It has been a great source of information and not just sports related stuff. I have learned that there is an expert on almost every subject on this board.
tcudoc
 

HFrog1999

Member
I think I know the guy you mean.

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Virginia Frog

Active Member
When the WAC16 came unglued in’98,the FFF was the place in the universe to get the up to the minute news. Even AD Eric Hyman did a Q&A with us to tell us that there was no hope that the 8 schools that left were coming back. Pox on ColSt and their Pres. Yates for blowing up the WAC16.
 
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Limp Lizard

Full Member
My biggest memories of the old forum were at the internet bar with Billy Tubbs and staff and another evening Wes (unsuccessfully) trying to teach the incredibly dense head of the WAC how to use the chat room. What a moron.
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YA

Active Member
Joined the board in 1997 to follow the Frogs lose to Notre Dame 82-72 in the second round of the NIT
 

Frogenstein

Full Member
I recall when the board got ahold of an interview with the Hawaii basketball coach who said “even Billy Tubb’s wife doesn’t like him.” It was sent to someone with the team who printed it out and gave it to Billy. After the Frog victory Tubbs had words with the coach and shoved the page into his shirt pocket.
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
Someone in another post referred to "the old Don Dowell Board." Now that Wes is having severe problems, the story of his involvement here comes up. Maybe some of you who know will tell us about the history of this board. Did Dowell start it? When? Any word about how this all got started would be appreciated.
Don started the original Frog Fan Forum. After a few years, he felt it might be a conflict of interest with the work he was doing for TCU. He told me that he was probably going to have to give it up and I said “ can I have it”?

He had no problems with that and I started Killerfrogs. Com

A few years later Scott nix came in and the rest is history
 

ShadowFrog

Moderators
I started a message board - Frog Fan Forum - and an information sports website - Online with the Horned Frogs around 1994. Originally there were about 3 people and we talked more about Church basketball games. The original idea was to provide sports and especially score updates to fans outside DFW who couldn't listen to radio broadcasts (pre Mark Cuban / broadcast days). I also had a "private" eNewsletter to provide insider info to fans.

There was later a chat room and message board on golfsw.com because the server was better. Incidentally, I recently forgot to renew that domain and someone grabbed it, kept all my ancient content and took my name off all the articles.

After a couple of years, the forum took off with Tired leading the pack. In the late 90s I had the opportunity to do some real media (write for the Horned Frog Sports Report and FoxSports) so I needed to let the forum go to Wes and his band of brothers. I initially "sold" my forum to Rivals, but their board was way too slow and my IPO stock was soon worthless as they ceased operations. Everyone on the Frog Fan Forum went to the KFC anyway, which was the plan all along.

Slow board or not, the FFF sustained me when I was in Bosnia-Herzegovina winter ‘99, think that was LT’s record season, well, one of them. I was GermanFrog back then.

Thank you Don!
 

Waccy Frog

Active Member
I was there too. I loved the original FFF. The internet was a new frontier, and the idea that I could indulge my TCU obsession at any time was the greatest thing ever. Getting the board to load on my dial-up connection was a challenge, but it was fun. My handle, which has always been terrible, referenced TCU’s new affiliation with the 16 team WAC.

Wes was on the board as “Tired of Frank,” demanding TCU do better than then AD. Chris Farkas was a regular too, I remember. And Old Scribe. I definitely remember Top and a few others that are still around. Limp maybe?

KFC starting announcing itself before the FFF was ever sold. It was a seamless transition from one board to the next.

Don and Wes are true pioneers of internet sports media.
 
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