The Baylor Bears men's basketball team represents
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
, in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I men's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
competition. The
Bears
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the North ...
compete in the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
. The team plays its home games in
Ferrell Center
The Paul J. Meyer Arena, which is part of the Ferrell Center, is an arena in Waco, Texas. Built in 1988 and located adjacent to the Brazos River, it is home to the Baylor University Bears basketball and volleyball teams. It is named for Charle ...
and is currently coached by
Scott Drew
Scott Homer Drew (born October 23, 1970) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Baylor Bears, a position he has held since 2003.
Drew began his coaching career as an assistant for Valparaiso under his father Home ...
.
History
Early years
Luther Burleson
Luther Franklin Burleson (November 16, 1880 – November 17, 1924) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the seventh head football coach at Baylor University, coaching one season in 1907 and compiling a record of ...
coached the first basketball team at Baylor in 1907 also doubling as the football coach. In Baylor's second season of basketball then cross-town rival
TCU began their program which the Bears defeated twice during the 1908–09 season.
Ralph Glaze
Daniel Ralph Glaze (March 13, 1881 – October 31, 1968) was an American sportsman and coach who played as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, and later became a college football, football and baseball coach and administrator at seve ...
's (1911–1914) .788 winning percentage ranks at the best all time in school history. Ralph Wolf (1927–1941) led Baylor to its first
SWC Championship in 1932 after surviving and overcoming one of the first great tragedies in college athletics in his first season as coach.
Immortal Ten
On January 22, 1927, Coach Ralph Wolf's Baylor basketball team was traveling by bus to play the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. As the bus passed through
Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census.
The city straddles the Bal ...
, it approached railroad tracks on the south side of the business district on a drizzly, cloudy day. As the bus crossed the tracks, the occupants failed to hear the sound of the train whistle and ringing bell. The driver caught sight of the train at the last moment and tried to steer away, but the Sunshine Special crashed into the bus at nearly 60 mph tearing off the roof and right side.
![Immortal 10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Immortal_10.jpg)
Ten Baylor students and basketball players were killed by the impact. One player, James Clyde "Abe" Kelly, pushed his friend, Weir Washam, out the window of the bus just moments before the impact, saving Washam's life but costing Kelly his own. The bodies of Kelly and Robert Hailey were found horrifically stretched across the
cow-catcher
A cowcatcher, also known as a pilot, is the device mounted at the front of a locomotive to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise damage or derail it or the train.
In the UK small metal bars called ''life-guards'', ''rail guard ...
on the front of the train, with arms locked around each other and Kelly missing a leg. Ivy Foster Sr. of
Taylor, Texas
Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 at the 2010 census; it was 16,267 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1876, the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipati ...
, had heard of the accident and rushed to the train station in Taylor to meet the train and assist where needed only to find his son among the dead.
The deceased were Jack Castellaw, Sam Dillow, Merle Dudley, L. R. "Ivey" Foster Jr., Robert "Bob" Hailey, James Clyde "Abe" Kelly, Willis Murrary, James "Jim" Walker, and William Winchester.
The remainder of the 1927 season was canceled. The tragedy had reverberations over the entire state and nation and led to the construction of the first railway overpass in Texas where the event occurred at Round Rock. Buses were later required to come to a full stop and open the door at all rail crossings to listen for trains. The Immortal Ten story has been commemorated each year since 1927 at first in Chapel services then later at the Freshman Mass Meeting during Homecoming Week. In 2007, the event was also memorialized in bronze on the Baylor campus in Traditions Plaza.
On the 90th anniversary of the tragedy, January 22, 2017, the City of Round Rock held a memorial event to remember those who were killed in the train-bus collision. At the event, the city dedicated the "Immortal Bridge," which arcs over the railroad tracks where the accident occurred. Green lampposts, green-and-gold striping and other markings were added to honor the 10 students who were killed there. The event was open to the public, and attendees included Baylor administrators and student leaders, the spirit squads, and Baylor's Golden Wave Band.
Post-World War II success
Baylor men's teams won five conference championships in the former Southwest Conference (1932, 1946, 1948, 1949*, 1950*; * denotes shared title). The Bears reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1946, and reached the Final Four in 1948 and 1950.
Bill Henderson's 1948 team advanced to play the
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
for the NCAA championship, but fell 58–42 to
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Univ ...
's first national championship team. The team again advanced to the NCAA
Final Four in 1950 under Henderson losing to the
Bradley Braves
The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I leve ...
68–66. Bill Menefee (1962–1973) would lead the Bears to a national ranking in 1969 but failed to make the postseason that year. Menefee was the only coach over the next 50 years to have a career record of over .500, and would later serve as Baylor's athletic director in the 1980s. Gene Iba's 1988 NCAA Tournament team would be the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the program in 38 years.
2003 scandal
The men's basketball program was plagued by a scandal in 2003.
Patrick Dennehy
The murder of Patrick Dennehy, an American college basketball player for Baylor University, occurred on June 12, 2003, when he was shot by Baylor teammate Carlton Dotson. The murder set off a chain of events which led to the Baylor basketball sc ...
, a player for the team, was murdered by former teammate
Carlton Dotson
The murder of Patrick Dennehy, an American college basketball player for Baylor University, occurred on June 12, 2003, when he was shot by Baylor teammate Carlton Dotson. The murder set off a chain of events which led to the Baylor basketball sc ...
; then-coach
Dave Bliss
David Gregory Bliss (born September 20, 1943) is an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, the University of New Mexico, Baylor University, and Southwester ...
was forced to resign amidst allegations that he had violated NCAA rules by making financial payments to four players and that he made improper statements to the media characterizing Dennehy as a drug dealer. The school placed itself on probation, limited itself to 7 scholarships for two years and imposed a post-season ban for one year. Additionally, the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
further punished the team by initiating a non-conference ban for the
2005–06 season and extending the probationary period during which the school would have limited recruiting privileges.
Recent resurgence
Thanks to the scandal, the 2005 Bears were hindered by only having 7 scholarship players and recorded only one win in conference play. From 2003 to 2007, the Bears would only win a total of 36 games. In spite of these challenges, head coach
Scott Drew
Scott Homer Drew (born October 23, 1970) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Baylor Bears, a position he has held since 2003.
Drew began his coaching career as an assistant for Valparaiso under his father Home ...
was able to put together a 2005 signing class ranked No. 7 nationally by HoopScoop.
However, Drew engineered a very quick return to respectability.
In 2008, the Bears reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years with a 9–7 conference record and the team's first national ranking in 39 years. The January 23, 2008 116–110 5OT win over
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
at College Station officially became the longest game in Big 12 history. The
2008–09 team again was ranked early in the season but stumbled to a 5–11 conference finish before heating up in the Big 12 Tournament defeating both
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
en route to the championship game versus
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, and lost by a score of 73–60. The 2008–09 team recorded the program's first postseason victory since 1950 in its first round
NIT victory over the
Georgetown Hoyas
The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C. Georgetown's athletics department fields 23 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National C ...
in Waco.
The 2008–09 team went on to advance to the
NIT Final where they fell to
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
. The
2009–10 squad was again ranked in both polls and pulled off the biggest road win in school history over the then #6
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
in Austin 80–77 on Jan. 30th. The Bears closed out the season with a Big 12 era best 11–5 record and #3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
The 2009–10 team was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 in the Big 12 Coaches Poll due to the graduation of several key players from the previous year. However, the team finished the regular season 23–6 and tied for 2nd in the Big 12 standings. Following a 2–1 record at the Big 12 tournament, the Bears were rewarded with a #3 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Bears defeated #14 seed
Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...
68–59 in First Round action and then defeated #11 seed
Old Dominion
Old Dominion most commonly refers to:
*The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia
** Colony of Virginia
*Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia
**Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...
76–68 in Second Round play to advance to the Sweet 16 hosted at
Reliant Stadium
NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. The Bears' Sweet 16 match-up was #10 seed
Saint Mary's, which had defeated #2 seed
Villanova the previous week to advance to the Sweet 16. The Bears won handily over the Gaels, 72–49, after leading 47–19 at the half. The Elite Eight was also held at Reliant Stadium and the Bears' opponent was the #1 seed
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...
, the last #1 seed standing in the NCAA Tournament after the other three #1 seeds (Kansas, Syracuse, and Kentucky) were all defeated by lower seeded teams. In front of a very pro-Baylor crowd of over 47,000, the Bears were defeated by the Duke Blue Devils, 78–71, to end the magical run to the Elite Eight. It was the best season in the Scott Drew era as defined by conference standing, overall ranking, wins, and NCAA Tournament wins. The Bears finished the season ranked #10 in the final ESPN/Coaches Poll—the highest ranking in program history at that time.
The 2010–11 team started the season ranked 14th (according to the AP Preseason poll). The Bears began 7–0, and rose to 9th in the polls before falling to
Gonzaga at a neutral court in Dallas. The team finished 18–13 overall and 7–9 in league play. The highlight of the season was
LaceDarius Dunn becoming the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, and a sweep of the series versus ranked Texas A&M. After freshman star
Perry Jones III was suspended by the NCAA for six games, the Bears proceeded to lose their first-round game of the Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma.
The 2012 season saw another historic campaign for the Bears as they followed up the 2011 season with another successful conference run which saw the Bears win 30 games and make it to the Big 12 tournament title game. The Bears were selected for the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the
Elite Eight
In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
, which ended in a loss to eventual national champion
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
.
The 2013 season witnesses another winning campaign for the Bears as they followed up the 2012 Elite Eight season with another successful conference run which saw the Bears sweep both TCU and Texas Tech while only dropping one game to UT. The Bears started out with a pre-season ranking of #19 in the country. The Bears finish conference play at .500 and were selected for the NIT tournament. The Bears made it all the way to the final, which ended in a win over
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, winning the tournament before a large crowd in
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
and claiming the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
NIT Title.
The 2016–17 season saw one of the best starts in Baylor history, going 15–0 with wins over #4 Oregon, #24 Michigan State, #10 Louisville, and #7 Xavier. On January 10, Baylor would reach AP #1 for the first time in program history. They would unfortunately would fall to #10 West Virginia that same day. Baylor remained within the top 12 for the remainder of the season and would finish 25–6, 12–6 in conference. They would fall to Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament and receive a #3 seed in the 2017
NCAA tournament. Baylor would get to the Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
.
The 2019–20 season is considered one of the greatest in program history. They came into the season ranked 16th in the nation, but would fall to 24 after losing to Washington in the Armed Forces Classic. This would be their only loss in 105 days (their next loss was February 22) as the Bears would go on a 23-game win streak with 6 ranked victories as well. On January 11, Baylor would defeat #3 Kansas on the road, winning in Lawrence for the first time in school history. Baylor's impressive start to the season ended on a more sour note, losing 3 of their last 5 games before the Big 12 tournament. Baylor would finish the regular season 26–4 with a 15–3 conference mark, the most wins they've recorded in conference play and stayed ranked within the top 5 from the beginning of 2020 to the end. The NCAA Tournament, however, would be cancelled amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
With the Bears’ help of soon-to-be consensus All-American
Jared Butler
Jared Gladwyn Butler (born August 25, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears. As a junior in 2021, he was named a consensus first-team ...
, Baylor defeated Hartford, Wisconsin, Villanova, and Arkansas to reach their first Final Four since 1950, where they defeated the in-state Houston Cougars, to reach the
NCAA championship
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
, where they defeated Gonzaga, winning their first title in school history, and spoiling the Bulldogs’ then-perfect season in the process.
Facilities
![Heart O' Texas Coliseum 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Heart_O%27_Texas_Coliseum_2.jpg)
In its early days, Marrs McLean Gym was Baylor’s basketball home, and doubled as the site of many physical education classes. Marrs McLean Gymnasium was built in 1938 and still stands on campus today.
The Heart O' Texas Fair Complex, now known as the
Extraco Events Center
The Heart O' Texas Fair Complex, now known as the Extraco Events Center, is located in Waco, Texas. It was once the prime basketball facility for Baylor University. The H.O.T Coliseum was constructed after McLennan County voters authorized a bo ...
, is located in Waco, Texas. It was once the prime basketball facility for Baylor University and was used from 1953 to 1988. The H.O.T Coliseum was constructed after McLennan County voters authorized a bond issue of $1.2 million in the early 1950s.
Since 1988, the Bears have played their home games at the
Ferrell Center
The Paul J. Meyer Arena, which is part of the Ferrell Center, is an arena in Waco, Texas. Built in 1988 and located adjacent to the Brazos River, it is home to the Baylor University Bears basketball and volleyball teams. It is named for Charle ...
, adjacent to the Brazos River. It is named for Charles R. Ferrell, a Baylor student and legacy who died in 1967, and whose family's estate was a major benefactor of the arena. The main arena, Paul J. Meyer Arena, seats 10,284 people.
Coaching records
NCAA national championships
Season-by-season results
Postseason results
NCAA tournament results
The Bears have appeared in the
NCAA tournament 14 times. Their combined record is 21–14.
NIT results
The Bears have appeared in the
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
(NIT) six times. Their combined record is 10–5. They were NIT champions in 2013.
Old Fight
Old Fight refers to the Baylor fight song, enacted in the mid 1950s.
All-time series records
All-time series records against Big 12 members
Baylor men's basketball all-time series against all
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
opponents as of the beginning of the 2019–2020 season.
In series against conference opponents since the advent of the Big 12, Baylor leads TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.
Players
All-Americans
Career scoring leaders
Records as of the 2021–22 season
See also
*
NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches
This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...
Footnotes
References
2014–15 Baylor Men's Basketball Media Almanac
External links
*
{{Big 12 Conference men's basketball navbox