A student committee at AddRan Christian College selected purple and white as their school colors in 1896. Although the university’s purple was sometimes called “royal purple” the actual shade was always a “true” (medium) purple, which can be seen in vintage memorabilia from the early 1900s. The name of the college was created by combining the first names of founders Addison and Randolph Clark. It became “Texas Christian University” in 1902.