Texas Christian University School Colors
Texas Christian University's school colors are Horned Frog Purple (#4D1979) and Horned Frog White (#FFFFFF). TCU's brand standards define 12 colors in all; every official HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone value is listed below, along with the story of how the colors were chosen.
History of the TCU colors
TCU's purple and white were chosen by students in the late 1890s, after the school, then called AddRan, moved to Waco in 1895. The university's own history gives the meaning as purple for royalty and white for a clean game. TCU Magazine reports that the colors were picked by women students representing the school's two literary societies, and that the football team still wore blue on its uniforms until 1912.
Sources: tcu.edu · magazine.tcu.edu
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Greenstrat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: General125, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
TCU primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horned Frog Purple | #4D1979 | 77, 25, 121 | 79, 100, 0, 20 | PMS 268 C | |
| Horned Frog White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — | |
| Horned Frog Grey | #A3A9AC | 164, 169, 173 | 38, 27, 27, 0 | PMS 429 C | |
| Horned Frog Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | — |
TCU secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old School Orange | #F47D20 | 244, 125, 32 | 0, 63, 100, 0 | PMS 716 C | |
| Goldenrod Yellow | #F9D44B | 249, 212, 75 | 3, 14, 82, 0 | PMS 128 C | |
| Academic Aqua | #95DACF | 149, 218, 207 | 40, 0, 24, 0 | PMS 571 C | |
| Trinity Blue | #5E88B4 | 94, 136, 180 | 67, 40, 13, 0 | PMS 646 C | |
| TCU Brick Buff | #E2D0A6 | 226, 208, 166 | 11, 15, 38, 0 | PMS 7500 C | |
| Prairie Brown | #83603F | 131, 96, 63 | 40, 56, 78, 25 | PMS 7505 C | |
| Reptile Green | #969300 | 150, 147, 0 | 45, 31, 100, 6 | PMS 384 C | |
| Toad Teal | #007B6E | 0, 123, 110 | 100, 26, 66, 9 | PMS 596 C |
Matching TCU colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from TCU's official values, and supplier color codes describe the dye target rather than the finished fabric. So we measured the actual fabric color of every garment we carry from product photos and fabric swatches, then compared it to TCU's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 250 styles close to Horned Frog Purple.
Clothing in Horned Frog Purple #4D1979
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Horned Frog Purple, measured from the garment itself. 250 matching styles in stock.
TCU colors: frequently asked questions
What are TCU school colors?
Texas Christian University's school colors are Horned Frog Purple (#4D1979) and Horned Frog White (#FFFFFF). The official brand palette also includes Horned Frog Grey and Horned Frog Black as primary colors, plus 8 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for Horned Frog Purple?
Horned Frog Purple is #4D1979 (RGB 77, 25, 121, CMYK 79, 100, 0, 20).
What Pantone color is Horned Frog Purple?
Horned Frog Purple is PMS 268 C.
Why are TCU's colors Horned Frog Purple and Horned Frog White?
TCU's purple and white were chosen by students in the late 1890s, after the school, then called AddRan, moved to Waco in 1895. The university's own history gives the meaning as purple for royalty and white for a clean game.
Color values are taken from the official Texas Christian University brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Texas Christian University. We sell blank apparel in matching colors; no logos or trademarks are sold. Photos are used under their Creative Commons or public domain licenses and are credited above.