Ol’ Rip is the name of the bronze horned frog sculpture located between Scharbauer and Reed Halls. Named by Kyle Morales, class of 2012, the sculpture was created by artist Joe Spear and installed on campus in 2012. Ol’ Rip is named for “Old Rip,” the legendary horned frog lizard that survived 31 years inside a time capsule in the Eastland County Courthouse – just west of Fort Worth.

Some Texans believe that horned toads — tiny, wart-covered lizards — can survive 100 years in hibernation. Ernest Wood, county clerk of the city of Eastland, decided to test the theory. On July 31st, 1897, he took his son Will’s pet horned toad, named Blinky, and had it sealed in the cornerstone of Eastland’s then-under-construction courthouse.

Eastland grew quickly and a new, bigger courthouse had to be built – meaning the old one had to be torn down — after only 30 years. Everyone had forgotten about Blinky the horned toad except for Ernest, who told the local newspaper about it. The newspaper spread the word, and a crowd estimated at several thousand showed up when the old cornerstone was opened on February 18, 1928. Officials hovering over the cornerstone included the county judge and at least three local clergymen, to ensure that no one would try to sneak in a bogus toad.

The cornerstone was opened and Blinky was pulled out. He was dusty, gray, flat as a pancake, his horns worn down from friction, and his mouth sealed shut from inactivity — but he was alive! The crowd cheered. Blinky was quickly renamed Old Rip — for Rip Van Winkle — and became an instant celebrity. Old Rip even traveled to the nation’s capital to visit President Calvin Coolidge.