When Texas Christian University’s class of 2025 walked in graduation this May, three of those seniors donned their famous alter-ego as they crossed the stage ― the head of TCU’s mascot, Super Frog, before finally revealing their true identity to the rest of the class. Fort Worth Digital Diary recently sat down with one of them, Connor Beattie, to explore what the past four years have meant, the lessons learned, and what it’s like to lead such a public double life.
Gen Z is arguably the most photographed generation in history. But one recent grad may lay claim to being the most photographed TCU senior of his graduating class. In fact, you may have a few photos of him stored on your cell phone, and not even know it.
Connor Beattie, who became Super Frog in his Freshman year, was named Captain of the squad after just his first semester ― a position he held until his graduation. His tenure took Fort Worth’s beloved hometown mascot to new heights.
Beattie helped to define the role of Super Frog, training and leading the rest of the squad, which has included between four and 10 people each semester, sharing the duties and making the many appearances. Beattie even wrote a 38-page manual for future Super Frogs. He left the spirit program better than he found it. He says TCU now has plans to become a competitive program, having hired its first-ever Spirit Director, Brittani McLaurin, last July.
“We don’t reveal ourselves, so Super Frog remains special,” Connor Beattie tells Fort Worth Digital Diary. “None of my professors, nor the majority of my friends, knew that I was Super Frog.” As a mascot, he says, “You can stretch so many rules of reality. It’s magic.”
Beattie currently works with gymnastic students part-time, along with his marketing internship. He says he’s seen some of those kids as well as people on campus who took pictures with Super Frog the day before, just walk right past him. It’s a bit surreal, living a dual life like Clark Kent and Superman. And from time to time, he has slipped into a more gregarious version of himself by accident, smiling and waving at complete strangers, or gesturing a bit larger than life.
“Then I look down at my skin and realize that I’m not gray right now and I’m not in-suit,” he laughs. “Those exaggerated movements must make me look nuts. No wonder people are looking at me weird. It was a bizarre experiment.”
The mascot has his own unique mannerisms and personality. “The first thing any Super Frog needs to know is how to wave a flag, and how to beat your chest,” he says. These are basic skills.
What he calls being “in-suit” is a choreographed transition from being Connor to becoming Super Frog. First, the cell phone is turned off and put away. Then he put on the head and pushed the mute button in his mind. Super Frog communicates only through gestures. He does not speak, so Beattie says he didn’t break character when he was in-suit, not even with his handlers or staff.
“Every time I put the mask on, it’s like I blacked out or something,” he says. “I know that I was there. I remember getting to and from a venue, but even when my friends show me photos of me as Super Frog at the event, I don’t remember being there.”
A lot happened during Beattie’s four years at TCU. The football team went to the National Championship, the baseball team went to the College World Series, and the university celebrated its first 150 years.
“You never see Super Frog in two places at the same time, but we’ve had a few close calls, like when TCU was playing in the College World Series in Omaha, and celebrating its sesquicentennial in Fort Worth on the same day in 2023,” Beattie recalls. Even magic has to be carefully choreographed.
There were bowl games, Big 12 tournaments, and countless campus moments. But, for Connor Beattie, a few big moments stick out.
His first appearance as Super Frog was also TCU’s first big home win against Oklahoma in 2022. The fans rushed the field and carried him on their shoulders. That electric moment will always stay with him, as will the trip he took with the team to his hometown of Chicago. There he got to pose for photos in-suit at The Skydeck of Sears Tower, a place he recalls visiting with his father as a child, even doing a handstand.
Beyond that, Beattie is proud to have contributed to building the name recognition of Super Frog on his many out-of-state trips. It was rewarding to hear folks from other teams call him by name, “Hey, look, that’s Super Frog.”
The time Beattie spent inhabiting his alter ego served the TCU community and represented the university well, wherever Super Frog went. That’s the ultimate job of a mascot after all.
Now, after four years as one of the most photographed members of the TCU Athletic Department, Connor Beattie says, “I can’t stand pictures.” And, after working in silence, communicating only through gesture and mime, he also says he doesn’t feel the need to always fill the void in a conversation. He’s comfortable with silence now. But, he says it also taught him to value conversation and the art of communication even more.
Unlike other mascots, he notes that Super Frog has human hands and feet, allowing him more dexterity. This English and General Studies major also learned a lot about telling stories and interacting through his hands.
“There is so much I’ve learned from putting myself out there,” Beattie says. “The biggest injustice you can do yourself is to not take the risk. I know I can be myself, and be genuine about who I am.”
“It’s hard to describe to people who are never going to experience it,” he says. “The second you immerse yourself, you realize who you want to be.”
