Baylor Bears football

Baylor Bears football
2015 Baylor Bears football team
First season 1898 (117 years)
Athletic director Ian McCaw
Head coach Art Briles
8th year, 65–38 (.631)
Stadium McLane Stadium
Year built 2014
Seating capacity 45,140
Field surface Field Turf
Location Waco, Texas
Conference Big 12
All-time record 581–551–44 (.513)
Bowl record 11–11 (.500)
Claimed nat'l titles 0
Conference titles 9
Heisman winners 1
Consensus All-Americans 16[1]
Current uniform
Colors

Green and Gold

          
Fight song Old Fite
Mascot American Black Bear, Costumed (mascot) Bruiser
Marching band The Golden Wave Band
Rivals TCU Horned Frogs
Texas Longhorns
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Website BaylorBears.com

The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas, in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. After 64 seasons at the off-campus Floyd Casey Stadium, the Bears opened the new on-campus McLane Stadium for the 2014 season.

Conference affiliations

History

Baylor Football Team Circa 1921

Baylor University's football team has seen a wide variation in its success through the years, including an undefeated 3-0 perfect record in 1900.

Initially, starting in the year 1898, the university played its home games on an undetermined field near the university campus. Beginning in 1905, the team's home games were played at Carroll Field, between the Carroll Science Building and Waco Creek. Baylor did not adopt a mascot (the Baylor Bears) until December 14, 1914, after the completion of the 1914 football season.[2] Additionally, Baylor did not join an athletic conference until 1914 after the conclusion of the football season, when it became a founding member of the Southwest Conference. Baylor played its first home game against Toby's Business College (located in Waco) in 1899, its first away game on 4 November 1900, at Austin College, and its first neutral-site game against Texas A&M in 1901.

For the 1899 and 1900 seasons, the team was coached by R.H. Hamilton, whose 5–1–1 record was distinguished with never having a losing record; in 1899, Baylor played, and lost, its first game against Texas A&M, which would become a rivalry (until 2012 when Texas A&M changed conferences), the Battle of the Brazos, with over 100 games played in the series by 2003. W.J. Ritchie coached the 1901 team, leading it to a 5–3 record; in this year, the first games of the Baylor-Texas and Baylor-TCU series were played. Texas Christian University (known as AddRan Male & Female College until 1902) was located in Waco from 1895 to 1910 and was one of Baylor's greatest football rivals until the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1995. The 1901 season also welcomed Baylor's first Thanksgiving Day football game, with a 28–0 win over St. Edward's University. J.C. Ewing took control of the team in 1902, and led it to its first losing season, with a 3–4–2 record. R.N. Watts restored Baylor's winning tradition in 1903, with a record of 4–3–1.

Carroll Field

No team was fielded in 1906 following a ban opposing the violence of football; along with 1943 and 1944 (during World War II), 1906 is one of three seasons since 1899 that Baylor has not competed in varsity football. Luther Burleson headed the restored football team in 1907, and managed a 4–3–1 record. E.J. Mills led the team for the 1908 and 1909 seasons; their 3–5–0 and 5–3–0 records were notable for the 1908 loss to LSU, and for the world's first "Homecoming" at the 1909 Thanksgiving Day game, which included a concert, parade, and bonfire. To this day, Baylor claims the honor of having the largest homecoming parade in the world.

Baylor has many traditions such as the Baylor-TCU rivalry game which is one of the most played in all of college football, the Battle of the Brazos (through 2011 when Texas A&M left the Big 12), membership in the historic Southwest Conference, a live bear mascot since 1915 and the Baylor Line.

In 1966, John Hill Westbrook of Elgin, Texas became the first African American to play varsity football in the Southwest Conference when he joined the Baylor team.

Early SWC championships and bowl success

Baylor won the SWC Championship in 1915, 1916, 1922 and again in 1924. In 1956 Baylor came close to the SWC title again but finished second and was sent to face the undefeated #2 Tennessee Volunteers in the 1957 Sugar Bowl. Baylor defeated Johnny Majors and the #2 Volunteers 13-7. This was the highest ranked opponent Baylor had ever defeated until defeating #1 ranked Kansas State in 2012. The 1924 SWC Championship would be the last for many decades until Baylor won the conference again in 1974 under the leadership of third year head coach Grant Teaff. From the late 1940s until the mid-1960s, Baylor also played in the 1952 Orange Bowl (narrow loss to Georgia Tech), twice in the Gator Bowl (loss to Auburn and a narrow loss to Florida), and the Bluebonnet (beating LSU), Dixie (beating Wake Forest) and Gotham Bowls (beating #10 ranked Utah State in New York City).

Miracle on the Brazos

The 1974 SWC Championship season was one of the most memorable in school history. Baylor had finished in last place in 4 of the last 7 seasons including the year before and had not won the conference championship in 50 years. Also, prior to this season, they have never appeared in the Cotton Bowl. Furthermore, coming into the 1974 season Baylor had lost 16 consecutive games to the Texas Longhorns. The 1974 Texas vs Baylor game looked like another easy win for Texas as the Longhorns took quick control of the game and went into halftime leading 24-7. Baylor was energized starting the 2nd half however, sparked by a blocked punt early in the 3rd quarter. The Bears rallied to a thrilling 34-24 victory over the Longhorns. Baylor went on to win the conference title that year and a first ever trip to the Cotton Bowl (the first time in seven seasons that Texas did not win the Southwest Conference title). The entire 1974 Baylor football season was dubbed the "Miracle on the Brazos" by many sports writers at the time. The win over Texas and the SWC championship have thus become a special part of Baylor's athletic history.

Grant Teaff era

One of the most successful coaches in Baylor football history was Grant Teaff. He led the Bears to Conference Titles in 1974, his third year in the program, and again in 1980 when he led the Bears to the Cotton Bowl to face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Grant Teaff recruited famous players such as Mike Singletary, Thomas Everett, Walter Abercrombie and James Francis to play football at Baylor University. Coach Teaff was also named National Coach of the Year after the 1974 season. He would go on to serve until 1992 leading Baylor to eight bowl games and two Conference Championships (1974, 1980) in his 21 years as head coach.

The Big 12 era

In 1996 Baylor joined Texas, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M, along with the Big 8 conference schools, to form the Big 12 Conference. During the 2013 football season, Baylor would claim its first Big 12 Championship following a win over the Texas Longhorns in the final regular season game and the final game played at Floyd Casey Stadium. Baylor finished the year with an 11-1(8-1 in conf) record and a bid to the (BCS) Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. The Bears also finished the 2013 season ranked No. 1 in the nation in total offense by averaging 618 yards per game. Baylor's average of 52.4 points per game is tied with the 1995 Nebraska team for third all-time in NCAA history. For the 2014 season the Bears performed in a similar way. They clinched a share of the Big 12 Championship (with TCU) when they beat Kansas State in the final regular season game. After many weeks of heated debate, Baylor was left out of the first ever College Football Playoff and was given the opportunity to play in the Cotton Bowl, one of the New Year's Six Bowls.

Art Briles era

2010 season

The 2010 season was a breakthrough for the Baylor Bears even though they suffered an early season loss to rival TCU. Baylor earned an invitation to the Texas Bowl in Houston after finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record. The Bears subsequently lost the Texas Bowl to Illinois, however. In the regular season the Bears victories included Big 12 conference wins over Kansas and Kansas St, as well as road wins over Colorado and Texas.

2011 season

Building on the success of the 2010 team, Baylor began the season at home with an upset of #14 TCU, winners of the previous season's Rose Bowl. The Bears also won their next two games against Stephen F. Austin and Rice at home before traveling to Kansas State where they lost a tightly contested game by a single point. Baylor then defeated Iowa State 49-26 for the first conference win of the year before finishing October by losing two straight on the road, to A&M and eventual conference champion #3 Oklahoma State.

The Bears rebounded to finish the regular season, with five straight victories including a Homecoming win over Missouri, a 31-30 overtime victory at Kansas in which Baylor tied a school record by overcoming a 21-point deficit in the 4th quarter, and the program's first win over #5 Oklahoma on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Griffin to Terrance Williams with 8 seconds remaining in the game. Baylor concluded November in Dallas playing against Texas Tech in Cowboys Stadium; although Griffin left the game due to a concussion at the half, backup Nick Florence entered the game and led the Bears to a 66-42 victory.

The Bears finished the regular season at home with a 48-24 victory over #22 Texas that propelled the team (9-3, 6-3 Big XII) to the Alamo Bowl with #12 and #15 BCS and AP rankings respectively, and propelled Griffin to the top of the Heisman Trophy voting; he became the first Baylor player to win the award and the first Baylor player since Don Trull in 1963 to factor significantly in the voting.

In the Alamo Bowl, the Bears faced the Washington Huskies in what became the second-highest scoring bowl game in history, and the highest-scoring regulation bowl game ever. Baylor went up 21-7 early in the game, with Griffin throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. The Huskies roared back with 28 unanswered points, and the teams finished the half with Washington leading 35-24. In the second half, with the defenses showing limited ability to cope with the high-powered offenses led by Griffin and Husky QB Keith Price, the teams traded scores. The Bears overcame the halftime deficit, going ahead for good 60-56 halfway in the 4th quarter, and Baylor RB Terrance Ganaway tacked on a final 43-yard touchdown run. Ganaway finished with 21 carries for 200 yards and 5 TDs and was recognized as the game's offensive MVP.

2012 season

Baylor's post-RG3 era opened in Waco against the SMU Mustangs. Quarterback Nick Florence - now a senior, having burned his redshirt season to play the second half against Texas Tech in 2011 after Griffin III left with a concussion - led the Bears to a 59-24 victory. Two weeks later, a victory at home against #2 FCS Sam Houston State gave Baylor fans their first glimpse of things to come when Oregon transfer running back Lache Seastrunk, who entered the game in the 4th quarter, put Baylor ahead 41-23 with a 15-yard touchdown rush. Baylor then traveled to Louisiana-Monroe to face a Warhawk team which had notched a stunning victory over #8 Arkansas and had subsequently taken Auburn to overtime. A 47-42 Baylor victory represented the Bears' 9th consecutive win (at the time, the 2nd longest streak in the FBS) and gave the Bears a #24 ranking.

The win streak was broken during Baylor's first trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, by a #7 ranked Mountaineer team playing their inaugural Big 12 conference game. The 70-63 shootout saw several Big 12 records set, notably including the single-game receiving record by Baylor receiver Terrance Williams (314 yards). The loss dropped Baylor from the rankings and represented the start of a 4-game skid during which time Baylor lost in Waco to TCU, at #25 Texas, and at Iowa State. A win at home against Kansas and a loss at #12 Oklahoma left the Bears fighting for bowl eligibility.

Baylor shocked the college football world the next week by soundly beating #1 Kansas State in Waco 52-24. A 12-yard Florence touchdown rush in the first quarter gave Baylor a 14-7 lead which was never relinquished. The Baylor defense highlighted the game with a stout goal-line stand in the 4th quarter and intercepted Heisman hopeful Collin Klein three times, the last in the endzone to set up an 80-yard touchdown run by Lache Seastrunk. The victory over Kansas State represented the program's first ever win over a #1 ranked team and sparked a 3-game win streak for Baylor (with a 52-45 overtime victory over Texas Tech in Cowboys Stadium and a 41-34 victory in Waco over #23 Oklahoma State). During the OSU game Seastrunk again achieved recognition for a 76-yard touchdown rush, outrunning the Oklahoma State secondary despite suffering a quadriceps cramp near midfield.

The conclusion of Baylor's 7-5 2012 campaign marked the first time since 1949-51 that the Bears have enjoyed three consecutive seasons with 7+ wins. On December 2, Baylor accepted a berth in the Holiday Bowl, sending the Bears to a third consecutive bowl for the first time in program history. Baylor easily defeated the #17-ranked UCLA Bruins in the Holiday Bowl on December 27, 2012 by a final margin of 49-26 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Lache Seastrunk (RB) and Chris McAllister (DE) were named Offensive Player and Defensive Player of the game respectively. Coach Art Briles has led the Bears to a record of 11-1 in November and December the past 2 seasons which includes 2 bowl wins.

2013 season

In 2013, Baylor had arguably its best regular season in school history. A best-ever 9-0 start propelled the Bears to a No. 3 national ranking in the AP Poll. However, after an on-the-road loss to Oklahoma State, the Bears needed victories in their last two games and an Oklahoma State loss to have an opportunity to clinch the outright Big 12 title. With the Cowboys' loss, Baylor's season-closing game against Texas — the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium — became a de facto Big 12 championship game. Baylor defeated the Longhorns, 30-10, to notch a school-record 11th win and its first outright conference title since 1980. It also assured the team a Fiesta Bowl berth, the Bears' first-ever BCS bowl appearance and their first major bowl in 33 years. The Bears fell to the UCF Knights in that Fiesta Bowl 52-42.[2] Bryce Petty, the Bears' quarterback, placed 7th in the overall 2013-14 Heisman race in New York, the second Heisman Trophy candidate set forth by Baylor in the last three record-breaking seasons. Petty was voted Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year following the season.

Stadium

Floyd Casey Stadium in 2005
McLane Stadium before its inaugural Baylor game.
Baylor's New Football Stadium Under Construction

The Baylor Bears had played their home games at Floyd Casey Stadium, originally known as Baylor Stadium, since the facility opened in 1950 till closure in 2013. Construction began on what would become Floyd Casey Stadium right after World War II in 1948. The stadium cost $1.8 Million dollars to construct and was placed on land donated by a local Baylor landowner. It opened under the name Baylor Stadium in 1950 with a game against Houston, won by Baylor 34-7. When finished the new stadium was the second largest football stadium in the state of Texas. Floyd Casey Stadium had a seating capacity of 50,000 and had undergone multiple renovations during its lifetime, most recently in 2009.

Prior to the Bears time at Floyd Casey Stadium, the Bears played at Municipal Stadium (1936–1949), Cotton Palace (1926–1929), on campus at Carroll Field (1906–1925 and 1930–1935). As of the 2012 season Carroll Field has been the only on-campus homefield for the Bears.

In the Fall of 2012, Baylor University began construction of a new $266 million stadium on the north bank of the Brazos River, scheduled to open for the 2014 football season with the first game scheduled for August 31, 2014 against former Southwest Conference rival Southern Methodist University (SMU).[3] The new McLane Stadium was named after Drayton McLane, Jr. who donated a significant amount of money toward the stadium's construction. McLane Stadium is the largest construction project in the history of Waco and Central Texas, and is projected to bring increased revenue to the downtown Waco area. Although McLane Stadium is smaller in capacity than its predecessor, Floyd Casey Stadium, it is expandable to up to 55,000 seats.

Simpson Athletics and Academic Center

The Simpson Center was built in 2009 and provides a 97,000 foot facility to house football operations. The building also houses the 13,500 foot football weight room. The building is built in a classic collegiate style matching the red brick southern architectural style of the Baylor University campus and is over three stories tall. It houses the main athletic training room, football team locker room, equipment room, coach's locker room, and a large primary weight room. The Simpson Center also houses academic support rooms for studying and academic work. Equipment for sports and athletic rehabilitation include the new state of the art underwater treadmills built into the Simpson Center.

Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Football Practice Facility

The indoor practice facility is a full football field and A/C building that allows Baylor athletics to practice in all weather conditions year round. The Indoor facility was a gift from longtime Baylor letterwinner and successful businessman Jay Allison along with his wife Jenny. The new state of the art indoor field was designed to be a part of the Highers Athletic Complex and backs up to the Brazos river. The building was built in 2010 for an estimated cost of $15.4 million.

Recruiting

Baylor Bears Football Scout.com team recruiting rankings:

Class

Scout.com

Rank

Commits

Top Commit

2015

 44 19 Jarrett Stidham

2014

 23 25 Davion Hall

2013

 26 24 Robbie Rhodes

2012

 30 24 Javonte Magee

2011

 52 21 Spencer Drango

2010

 51 24 Ahmad Dixon

2009

44 28 Darius Jones

2008

 55 22 Robert Griffin III

2007

 52 27 John David Weed

2006

 55 26 Jeremy Sanders

2005

 64 20 David Gettis

2004

 89 20 Nate Cook

2003

 47 25 Ryan Havens

2002

 21 25 Rashad Armstrong

Championships

Baylor has won seven Southwest Conference Championships, and two Big 12 Conference Championships.[4]

Year Overall Record Conference Record Coach Conference
1915† 7-1 3-0 Charles Mosley Southwest Conference
1916† 9-1 5-1 Charles Mosley Southwest Conference
1922 8-3 5-0 Frank Bridges Southwest Conference
1924 7-2-1 4-0-1 Frank Bridges Southwest Conference
1974 8-4 6-1 Grant Teaff Southwest Conference
1980 10-1 8-0 Grant Teaff Southwest Conference
1994† 7-4 4-3 Chuck Reedy Southwest Conference
2013 11-2 8-1 Art Briles Big 12 Conference
2014† 11-2 8-1 Art Briles Big 12 Conference
Total 9 – – –

† Denotes shared title

Bowl games

Baylor has appeared in 7 New Year's Day bowl games and 7 major bowl games.

Season Date of Game Bowl Game Opposing Team Result/Score
1948 January 1, 1949 Dixie Bowl Wake Forest W 20-7
1951 January 1, 1952 Orange Bowl Georgia Tech L 17-14
1954 December 31, 1954 Gator Bowl Auburn L 33-13
1956 January 1, 1957 Sugar Bowl Tennessee W 13–7
1960 December 31, 1960 Gator Bowl Florida L 13-12
1961 December 9, 1961 Gotham Bowl Utah State W 24–9
1963 December 31, 1963 Bluebonnet Bowl LSU W 14–7
1974 January 1, 1975 Cotton Bowl Classic Penn State L 41-20
1979 December 31, 1979 Peach Bowl Clemson W 24–18
1980 January 1, 1981 Cotton Bowl Classic Alabama L 30-2
1983 December 31, 1983 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma State L 24-14
1985 December 27, 1985 Liberty Bowl LSU W 21–7
1986 December 31, 1986 Bluebonnet Bowl Colorado W 21–9
1991 December 31, 1991 Copper Bowl Indiana L 24-0
1992 December 31, 1992 John Hancock Bowl Arizona W 20–15
1994 December 31, 1994 Alamo Bowl Washington State L 10-3
2010 December 29, 2010 Texas Bowl Illinois L 38-14
2011 December 29, 2011 Alamo Bowl Washington W 67–56
2012 December 27, 2012 Holiday Bowl UCLA W 49–19[5]
2013 January 1, 2014 Fiesta Bowl UCF L 52-42
2014 January 1, 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic Michigan State L 42-41
2015 December 29, 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl North Carolina W 49–38
Total 22 Bowl Games 11–11

Top 25 poll finishes

The Bears have finished in the final season rankings of the AP Poll or Coaches Poll 17 times. The AP Poll first appeared in 1934, and has been published continuously since 1936. The Coaches Poll began its ranking with 20 teams in 1950–51 season, but expanded to 25 teams beginning in the 1990–91 season.[6]

Season AP Rank Coaches Rank
19492020
19501615
195199
195418-
19561111
19601211
1963-20
19741414
1976-19
19791415
19801413
19851715
19861213
20111312
20131313
201478
20151313

Hall of Fame

A total of two Baylor coaches and eight Baylor players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame to date.

College Football Hall of Fame Inductees

Player POS Seasons at Baylor Year Inducted
Morley Jennings Coach 1926–1940 1973
Barton Koch Guard 1947–1950 1974
Jim Ray Smith T 1950–1953 1987
Bill Glass DE 1954–1956 1985
Larry Elkins WR 1963–1964 1994
Mike Singletary LB 1977–1980 1995
Grant Teaff Coach 1972–1992 2001
Hayden Fry QB 1947–1950 2003
Thomas Everett FS 1985–1987 2006
Don Trull QB 1961–1963 2013

Pro Football Hall of Fame players

Player Position Years Induction
Mike Singletary LB 1981–1992 1998

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player.

Baylor has had four Heisman Trophy candidates, an award given to the best player in college football, with one candidate winning the trophy.

Season Player Place Votes
1951 Larry Isbell 7th 618
1963 Don Trull 4th 970
2011 Robert Griffin III 1st 1,687
2013 Bryce Petty 7th 127
2014 Bryce Petty 10th 14

Current rivalries

TCU

Baylor's rivalry with TCU is one of the most played in all of college football. Dating back to 1899 the series began while TCU was located in Waco, Texas as a cross-town rival to Baylor. Due to the close proximity of the two schools 23 games were played between 1899 and 1910. A fire in 1910 destroyed the Main Building on the TCU campus and financial incentives from the city of Fort Worth convinced the Board of Trustees to relocate TCU to that city. There was a ten-year break in the series when the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1996 resulted in the two universities joining separate athletic conferences. The series resumed in Waco for Baylor's 2006 home opener and continued in 2007 in Ft Worth. The annual series resumed again in 2010, and with TCU being added as a new member of the Big 12 Conference in 2012 the series is set to become one of the great rivalries in all of college football again.

 Baylor-Texas Christian University: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
111 1899 November 27, 2015 (L 21-28) 52 52 7 50%

Texas Tech

Baylor Bears and Texas Tech Red Raiders in action in 2004

The Baylor Bears are Texas Tech's most played opponent with 73 meetings between the teams dating back to 1929. Since 2009, the Bears have played the Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium, the Saturday after Thanksgiving (with the exception of the 2010 game which was played at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas). The most recent game in 2015 saw the Bears win their fifth game in a row against the Red Raiders, 63-35

 Baylor-Texas Tech: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
74 1929 Oct. 3, 2015 (W 63-35) 37 36 1 50%

Texas

The Bears have played the University of Texas at Austin more than 100 times. Both schools were founding members of the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 Conference. They are also located very close with about 100 miles separating the schools. Texas has dominated the overall series but Baylor found a lot of success versus the Longhorns under the leadership of Coach Grant Teaff from the mid-1970s until Teaff's retirement in 1992. From 1974 until 1992 Baylor won 10 games against Texas while the Longhorns won the other 9 games. Some of the more memorable games in this series during this time include Baylor's 'Miracle on the Brazos' win in 1974, the 'Worm Game' in 1978, Baylor's 16-0 shutout of Texas in 1980 to cap an undefeated conference Championship, and Teaff's final regular season win in 1992. In recent years Baylor has again found some success versus Texas winning 4 of the last 5 meetings (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). In 2013, Baylor defeated the Longhorns in Waco in the de facto Big 12 Championship game, 30-10

 Baylor-Texas: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
104 1901 December 5, 2015 (L 17-23) 26 75 4 26%

SMU

The Southern Methodist University Mustangs football team was once a big rival of the Bears having played many times starting in 1916. The two teams were football rivals in the old Southwest Conference. The programs competed heavily for Dallas area recruits during the SWC era and are separated by about 90 minutes of driving time. Baylor and SMU are set to meet for the next 3 years starting with the 2014 football season.

 Baylor-SMU: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
80 1916 Sep. 4, 2015 (W 56-21) 38 36 7 51%

All-time records versus current Big 12 teams

Opponent Won Lost Tied Streak First Meeting
Texas 26 75 4 Lost 1 1901
Iowa State 7 6 0 Won 2 1988
Kansas 11 4 0 Won 6 1971
Kansas State 6 7 0 Won 4 1969
Oklahoma 3 22 0 Lost 1 1901
Oklahoma State 14 19 0 Won 1 1914
TCU 52 52 7 Lost 1 1899
Texas Tech 37 36 1 Won 5 1929
West Virginia 2 2 0 Won 1 2012
Totals 158 220 12

Former rivalries

Arkansas

The University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team was once one of Baylor's oldest rivals as the series dates from 1904. The two teams were both football powers in the old Southwest Conference. The programs competed heavily for East Texas recruits during the SWC era and played many close and contested football games while playing for nearly 90 years as conference foes.

 Baylor-Arkansas: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
70 1904 November 2, 1991 (W 9–5) 33 35 2 49%

Houston

The University of Houston Cougars football team was once a Southwest Conference rival of the Bears, with the teams having played 28 times. Baylor and Houston were football rivals in the Southwest Conference. The programs competed for Houston area recruits during the SWC era as the two schools are separated by about 3 hours. The first game between the two teams took place in 1950 and was a Baylor victory. The series took an hiatus after the breakup of the SWC in 1996. Future games have yet to be scheduled.

 Baylor-Houston: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
28 1950 October 14, 1995 (W 47–7) 14 13 1 51%

Rice

(Active Rivalry)

The Rice University Owls football team are current and longtime rivals of the Bears, with the teams having played 80 times. Baylor and Rice were football rivals in the old Southwest Conference. The programs competed for Houston area recruits during the SWC era as the two schools are separated by about 3 hours. The series took an 11-year hiatus after the breakup of the SWC in 1996 but recent games have taken place in Waco in 2007, in Houston in 2010, and again in Waco in 2011; with all three games being victories for Baylor. Future games have been scheduled to resume the rivalry as a two-game home-and-away series in 2015 and 2016.

 Baylor-Rice: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
80 1914 September 26, 2015 (W 70–17) 48 30 2 62.5%

Texas A&M

Main article: Battle of the Brazos

Texas A&M is one of Baylor's oldest rivals as the series dates from 1899 and the two schools are located only 90 miles apart on the Brazos River. The competitive peak of the series was from 1960-1990 when Baylor won 13 games, A&M won 16 games and 2 games ended in ties. During that time 18 of the games were decided by 7 points or less. The game played in 2011 is likely the end of the series for the foreseeable future given A&M's decision to leave the Big 12 Conference.

Baylor-Texas A&M: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting Baylor wins Baylor losses Ties Win %
108 1899 October 15, 2011 (L 28-35) 31 68 9 28.7%

Traditions

Baylor Line

The Baylor Line is one of the first aspects of Baylor spirit to which freshmen are introduced. The Baylor Line is made entirely of freshmen and is the core of Baylor spirit and tradition. Students wear a gold football jersey with the number of their expected graduation year and a chosen nickname on the back.

Before each football game the Baylor Line gathers at one end of McLane Stadium and waits for the signal to make a 'mad dash' down the field to create a giant human tunnel through which the football team runs through to enter the stadium. Six members of the Baylor Line carry flags with the letters B-A-Y-L-O-R while the rest of the Line runs behind them. Afterwards students rush the sidelines and stand in an exclusive Baylor Line section behind the opponents' bench where students watch the game, cheer the Bears to another victory, and heckle the opposing team.

The Baylor Line was organized in 1970 and was an all-male organization until 1993, when women were allowed to join. At its inception the Baylor Line was a group of freshmen men who lined the front of Baylor's student section for the express purpose of protecting Baylor women from the other teams more violent fans.

The jersey colors of the Line were originally rotated between green in odd numbered years and gold in even numbered years through 1998 (class of 2002). This changed to green every year until around 2001, when in the interest of having a more substantial looking student section the decision was made to use gold every year. The green jerseys are now used for members of the Baylor University Chamber of Commerce who lead the Baylor Line in chants; these jerseys have "CC" on the back instead of a graduation year.

Mascots

Baylor keeps two American black bears, Joy and Lady, on campus in their natural habitat enclosure as mascots for the University. American black bears roamed the majority of Texas in considerable abundance when Baylor was founded in 1845, and bears could still be found throughout many areas of the state until the 1940s. The university has had live bears since 1915. The first live bear was a gift from Herbert Mayr, a local businessman who won the bear in a poker game from a member of the troops of the 107th Engineers, which was a unit of the 32nd Infantry Division stationed at Camp MacArthur in Waco. The soldiers were based in the city during World War I. The Bears are brought to the stadium by the Baylor Chamber spirit group on game days and they attend pre-game events and stay to be the living symbol of the University at the games. However, since 2010 the bears are no longer allowed at football games or other campus events on leashes. The USDA informed Baylor officials that they would no longer be permitted to bring the bears to games per Federal Code of Regulations 2.131(c)(1)which states "During public exhibition, any animal must be handled so there is minimal risk of harm to the animal and to the public, with sufficient distance and/or barriers between the animal and the general viewing public so as to assure the safety of the animals and the public."

Alma mater

Before kickoff and after each games conclusion Baylor fans sing the University alma mater 'That Good Old Baylor Line' while holding their "Bear claws"[7] in the air. The tune is set to the 1949 classic "In the Good Old Summertime."

Logos and uniforms

The traditional Baylor uniform worn for home games consists of a gold helmet with a green interlocking BU logo on the sides and green & white stripes down the middle, green jersey, and white or gold pants; a white jersey is substituted for the green one for road games. In recent seasons, both a matte green helmet and a white helmet have been used as alternates to the gold helmet. Black jerseys as well as black or green pants have also been used giving the Bears multiple uniform combinations to choose from.

On August 11, 2014, the Baylor Bears won the online fan vote for college football's best uniform awarded by Sporting News Magazine.

Baylor wore a camouflage helmet against Buffalo in 2010 remembrance of the September 11 attacks and to commemorate the armed forces of the United States

Awards

National

Conference

Grant Teaff, 1974
Grant Teaff, 1978
Mike Singletary, 1979
Mike Singletary, 1980
Thomas Everett, 1986
Thomas Everett, 1987
Art Briles, 2013
Daniel Sepulveda, 2006
Robert Griffin III, 2011-2012
Robert Griffin III, 2008
Robert Griffin III, 2011
Bryce Petty, 2013
Lache Seastrunk, 2012
Cyril Richardson, 2012
Cyril Richardson, 2013
Spencer Drango, 2014
Spencer Drango, 2015
Andrew Billings, 2015
Nick Florence, 2012

Bears in the NFL

As of November 29, 2015, 10 former Baylor players were listed on active NFL rosters:[8]

Consensus All-Americans

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of September 1, 2015

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 20222023 2024
vs Northwestern State vs Liberty at UTSA at Rice vs Louisiana Tech at Louisiana Tech vs Louisiana Tech vs Utah at Utah
vs SMU vs UTSA vs Duke vs UTSA vs Incarnate Word vs Texas State at Texas State vs Texas State
at Rice at Duke vs Abilene Christian

[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2014 Football Records Book - Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.glendalestar.com/sports/article_7549eb52-73be-11e3-b5c0-001a4bcf887a.html
  3. ↑ http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/110511aab.html
  4. ↑ "Southwest Conference Historical Standings" (PDF).
  5. ↑ http://sandiegobowlgames.com/game-history-2/
  6. ↑ "Texas A&M In the Polls". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  7. ↑ http://www.baylorbears.com/trads/bay-bearclaw.html
  8. ↑ "NFL Players By College - B".
  9. ↑ "Baylor Bears Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.

External links

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