Original Toro reveals his identity and reflects on experience behind the mask
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you're a Houston sports fan, you probably have a photo with him, but after spending 14 years with the Houston Texans, you may never have known who he was until now.
Jonathan Frost found himself back where he once belonged this weekend. Frost roamed NRG's sidelines during the Texans game Sunday. If you saw him, you may not have realized who he was.
"I've had a lot of people tell me when they find out what I did that I am on a picture on their mantel, which is the funniest thing because I don't know them that well," Frost said.
Frost joined the Texans in 2001.
"The response from the fans was just unreal," Frost said. "We didn't have any players, and they were just so excited."
Until players arrived, Frost was the face of the franchise, even if you didn't know it. Frost developed the character and gave him the daredevil mentality he still carries out today.
"People always ask me 'What do you miss the most from being Toro?' It's game day," Frost explained.
Frost misses the sidelines, but being a mascot goes beyond the field.
"I was really honored to be in the room with a child just before he passed," Frost said. "It was a difficult appearance, but it's so humbling to know that's who he wanted there."
Frost's other memorable moments come from his time with Bob McNair, who was an owner who brought professional football back to Houston and also made a big change to Toro.
"I remember him looking at the head, and he said, 'Jonathan, that doesn't look much like a bull, does it?' And I said, 'to be honest, I didn't think so either.' And he said, 'We need to do something about that," Frost recalled.
The hardest moment though was a decision to step aside as the Texans' original franchise face.
"I was going to do appearances on Saturdays for other people's kids and by that point, I had kids of my own who were asking me to stay home and play with them," Frost said.
Frost left, but the mascot didn't go far. He helped name a replacement, Andrew Johnson. "I'm really proud of what we've done," Johnson said. "Hopefully, he's proud of what we're doing as well."
Johnson has kept a lot of the traits the original performer brought to Toro. Johnson said while Frost played a character, the best attribute he strives to maintain is being a man with character.
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"I owe Jonathan," Johnson explained. "Not only for my career but also for my family too. I never would've met my wife if it wasn't for him."
Frost left the Texans but hasn't stopped working with kids. He's the Houston Youth for Christ executive director, which is a group that works with youth after they leave detention centers.
"There's just something about this city. Moving here, I thought I would be here two or three years if I'm being honest, and now I've been here for over 20 years," Frost said.
This was a homecoming for a former performer who went from calling NRG home, to setting his roots in Houston that go beyond the field.
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