When Texas Christian University runs out at the Aviva Stadium on August 29th for the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, it will mark more than just Week Zero of a new season.
For Athletic Director Mike Buddie, it will be a statement about identity, ambition and education — on and off the field.
Buddie was in Dublin yesterday tidying up some of the elements that will lead towards the big game this summer. The game itself is much more, leading out into areas of business, leadership, academic opportunity and a significant tourism boost not only for Dublin but across the country.
16,000 are expected to travel from the US to see the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina take on the Horned Frogs of TCU, with the balance made up of European and Irish based fans of the sport, spurred by four sell out years since 2022 and boosted by last year’s extravaganza from the BFL of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings. General ticket sales will begin on March 12th, with Group bookings and a presale period open now.
We had an opportunity to sit with Buddie for a half hour overlooking the stadium yesterday, the result of which will drop later today in the Sport for Business podcast.
Here is a taste of what we talked about.
From the Bronx to Fort Worth
Buddie’s route to Texas was anything but conventional. A former Major League pitcher, he spent time with the New York Yankees and the Milwaukee Brewers, carving out a 13-year professional career.
“There’s nothing like being a Yankee,” he says with a smile. “But in Milwaukee I got to pitch in meaningful games. Three-two in the seventh inning — that’s a different kind of fun.”
Baseball, he believes, still shapes how he leads today.
“It’s humbling. Even the best fail 70 per cent of the time. You give up a home run, you show up the next day and compete again. That resilience, that competitiveness — I lean on that every day in this job.”
That job now places him at the heart of one of the most powerful forces in American sport: college football in Texas.
The Call to Dublin
Buddie only took up his role at TCU in January 2025. The Dublin game, he reveals, was not already signed off when he arrived.
“I got a call in March. Giving away a home game is huge,” he says. “So I rang our Chancellor straight away. He was over the moon. We want our students to think globally. We want to expand our brand beyond Texas and beyond the United States.”
With eight home games on the 2026 schedule — unusual in a 12-game season — TCU had flexibility. The decision was made.
“I got to help bake it,” Buddie says. “That was really rewarding.”
Football as a Unifier
TCU fields 22 sports, yet Buddie estimates he spends more than half his time on one.
“In Texas, football is almost a religious experience,” he says. “There are high school stadiums not much smaller than the Aviva.”
The financial stakes have escalated dramatically in the past two decades. Billions now flow through the college system, prompting revenue sharing with athletes in the modern Name, Image and Likeness era.
“Sharing revenue with the young people who are doing the work on Saturdays makes sense,” Buddie says. “But if the academic piece gets lost, then we’re failing.”
At TCU, he insists, the classroom still matters. Head coach Sonny Dykes even teaches a leadership module — a symbolic and practical commitment to education.
“We want them physically in class,” Buddie says. “With people of different religions, different backgrounds, different perspectives. That’s growth.”
Passports and Perspective
When the Dublin trip was unveiled to the squad, Buddie expected most hands to go up when passports were mentioned.
“Less than half,” he recalls. “That means 60 per cent have never even been to Canada, let alone Ireland.”
That, he believes, is the real opportunity.
“Why else would 18 to 22-year-olds get this chance? To see how other people live, how they view you — it broadens horizons.”
TCU plan to arrive early, allowing players to adjust to the time zone and explore Ireland properly. A visit to Trinity College and the Book of Kells is already pencilled in.
“We want them to experience it together,” he says. “With their brothers. That will be meaningful.”
Purple in the Rain
Buddie attended last year’s game as an observer and was struck by the atmosphere.
“The locals didn’t care who won. They cheered great plays from both teams. It was refreshing,” he says. “Sometimes in the States every play is do-or-die. Here, it felt like people were enjoying the spectacle.”
Come August 2026, the spectacle will feature powder blue and TCU purple — and perhaps a few puzzled Irish fans asking what exactly a Horned Frog is, or a Tar Heel.
“There might be some head scratching,” Buddie laughs. “But that’s part of the fun.”
For him, Dublin represents something bigger than a season opener. It is football as a bridge — between countries, cultures and classrooms.
“We need to win the game,” he says. “But if our young men come home with a broader perspective of the world, that’s a win too.”
Image Credit: Aer Lingus College Football Classic and Sportsfile
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