Baylor recycling program continues to grow
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Student life
Next month, Baylor will continue to expand its recycling efforts by placing 145 recycle bins in residence halls across campus. Students will be able to recycle paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, and both aluminum and tin cans.
The University actually set a new record for recycling this past year, sending off 160 tons of paper and cardboard to be reused. That’s almost 10 times what Baylor recycled 10 years ago, but the work isn’t over. Officials estimate that further work could double the University’s amount of recycling, and additional bins are planned for the libraries, Student Union Building and McLane Student Life Center. KCEN-TV did a nice video report on the new measures.
Last fall’s changes to printing stations across campus certainly helped, and these new changes should further Baylor’s sustainability goals. After all — what better campus to celebrate environmental efforts than one already decked out in green (and gold)?
Sic ’em, recyclers!
Nice spread on Baylor in this week’s Sports Illustrated
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics
The Baylor men’s basketball team’s success continues to draw attention from media around the country, topped off this week by a front page mention on USA Today and now a four-page spread in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated (the issue pictured at right).
As if that wasn’t enough, in addition to the assortment of media outlets mentioned in our last laundry list, you can add FOXSports.com, the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Tampa Tribune, Lawrence Journal-World, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and even Christian website Crosswalk.com to the numbers of those taking interest in the Bears. And even these lists don’t take into account the hundreds, probably thousands, of papers and other media members who run the Associated Press and other wire stories on top 25 teams. I can’t even fathom what it would cost to buy that amount of advertising.
Sic ’em, national media, for shining your light on Baylor!
Students brave the elements to show their support
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Photo Galleries, Student life, Athletics
Last week on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” host Michael Wilbon commented that “They don’t care this much about basketball, for the most part, at Baylor,” holding his thumb and index finger a half-inch apart.
I think the hundreds of students who stood in line Friday outside the Ferrell Center through rain and temperatures in the 30s would beg to differ. (Click here for photos.) So would the couple hundred more who were lined up at 8 a.m. Saturday for tickets to the men’s game that afternoon — even though the ticket office wouldn’t open for another five hours.
Couple that show of interest with the fans who showed up at 2 a.m. Wednesday night to welcome back the team from College Station, the 20% of the student body that was at Saturday’s men’s game, and the fact that the Bear Pit has quickly become the largest student organization on campus, and I think it’s safe to say that Baylor’s students care about basketball. (The Bear Pit’s looking good on SI.com, by the way.)
The No. 6 Lady Bears are home tonight at 7 p.m. against No. 25 Texas; let’s keep the support coming!
Sic ’em, spirited Baylor students!
Baylor Distinguished Alumni serve in every field
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Honors
The Baylor Alumni Association recently honored five graduates with its Distinguished Alumni award, and the recipients’ varied background provides an interesting sampling of what Baylor grads are doing after leaving the University.
One has traveled the world and is currently the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, while one has stayed right here as mayor of Waco. One dedicated himself to medicine and serves at the National Institutes of Health, one dedicated himself to law and served as chief of protocol for the White House, and one dedicated himself to business and is now CEO of international technology giant Hewlett-Packard. (The Baylor Line did excellent profiles on each; take a look.)
It’s always good to see Baylor Bears doing well, and this year’s field of awardwinners reminds us that there are Baylor alums out serving — and serving well — in just about any field you can think of.
Sic ’em, Baylor alumni!
Seven Baylor teams ranked in top 25 nationally
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
January 2008 has been very good to Baylor sports fans. The Baylor men are enjoying their second straight week in the rankings, holding on at No. 25, while the most recent women’s polls have the Lady Bears at No. 6. On the heels of that success come preseason rankings for Baylor baseball and softball.
After winning their first Big 12 title and making their first College World Series appearance, head coach Glenn Moore’s softball team is ranked No. 8 in the nation. The Lady Bears have been ranked in every poll since early in the 2004 season, but this is their highest-ever preseason ranking.
Baylor baseball had been ranked anywhere from 17th to 28th in earlier offseason polls, but their best ranking has come from the most reliable source. The Bears are No. 15 in Baseball America’s preseason ranking; the last time the publication named Baylor to its preseason top 25 was 2005, when the Bears started 11th and advanced to the College World Series.
So to sum it up, here are some of your options for rooting on Baylor’s winter/spring sports:
* Men’s tennis (No. 4 nationally)
* Women’s basketball (No. 6)
* Softball (No. 8)
* Men’s track and field (No. 10)
* Women’s tennis (No. 13)
* Baseball (No. 15)
* Men’s basketball (No. 25)
All this, mind you, while maintaining the top graduation rates in the conference.
Sic ’em, Baylor student-athletes!
Spontaneous show of spirit
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Just for Fun, Student life, AthleticsI was impressed to read this morning in the Waco Tribune-Herald that a crowd of about 200 fans, mostly students, gathered on the spur of the moment at the Ferrell Center — despite rain and temperatures around 40 degrees — to welcome home the men’s basketball team bus when it arrived back from College Station. Keep in mind that the five overtimes meant the team didn’t get back until early Thursday morning — around 1:45 a.m. A member of the crowd recorded the bus’ arrival; here it is, a nice showing of spontaneous campus spirit.
Sic ’em, Bears!
Men’s basketball claims big win in first game as ranked team
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics
Now THAT’S the way to make a statement. Fresh on the heels of earning their first national ranking in almost 40 years, the No. 25 Baylor men’s basketball team battled No. 18 Texas A&M through five — count ‘em, FIVE — overtimes last night in College Station before pulling out a 116-110 victory. (ESPN.com has the recap and video highlights from OT, while BaylorBears.com and the Waco Tribune-Herald each have a nice photo gallery.)
The Bears’ impressive play so far this season (16-2, 4-0 in conference) has brought Baylor some nice attention from media outlets across the country recognizing the job head coach Scott Drew has done building this program. Drew was interviewed live on SportsCenter last night, but besides that, check out these recent features from ESPN.com (and here), MSNBC.com, The Sporting News, the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, Kansas City Star, Wichita Eagle, and even the Detroit News. And that’s just in the past couple of weeks!
Baylor has never seen anything like this before. Both the men’s and women’s basketball programs are tied for the Big 12 Conference lead. Both are nationally ranked. And both are at home Saturday — the men vs. Oklahoma at 3 p.m. CT, followed by the women against Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. CT. So order tickets now and get out to the Ferrell Center to support your Bears!
Sic ’em, Coach Drew and your Baylor men!
Mulkey sixth-fastest women’s coach to 200 wins
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
Not to be lost in the excitement over the men’s five-overtime win at Texas A&M was the No. 6 Lady Bears’ win at Missouri, and more specifically, head coach Kim Mulkey’s 200th career victory.
With a 200-54 career record, Mulkey is the sixth fastest coach in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to reach 200 wins. Three of the five coaches ahead of her are in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Mulkey’s already in for her play as a student-athlete at Louisiana Tech).
It’s amazing that in just a few short years, Mulkey has positioned Baylor as a powerhouse in women’s basketball that is expected to be a top 25 team year in and year out, the same way schools like Duke and Kentucky are always at the top of the men’s game.
It’s easy for there to be animosity between men’s and women’s programs at a school, as they are often competing for gym time and attention. For that reason, it was nice to hear that after their game last night, the women delayed their charter flight home to follow the men’s game via cell phone, sitting on the tarmac through the first two overtimes before they finally had to depart. Cheers erupted when the plane landed and they heard the final score.
Sic ’em, women’s basketball, and sic ’em, Coach Mulkey!
Harlem Globetrotters bring Baylor’s Branch back to Waco
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Athletics
Continuing with our week of “All Basketball, All The Time”…
The Harlem Globetrotters are returning to Waco this Friday — and bringing one of Baylor’s own with them.
Aundre Branch — now known as “Hot Shot” — earned four letters playing at Baylor from 1992-95, earning all-Southwest Conference honors his final two seasons. He holds the Baylor single-season and career records for 3-pointers made, and remains the fifth-leading career scorer in school history. Branch joined the Globetrotters in 2001 after playing overseas for a few years.
Tickets to the Globetrotters exhibition are on sale now through the Baylor ticket office (254-710-1000).
Sic ’em, “Hot Shot”!
Men’s basketball ranked in AP Top 25
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
For weeks, the Baylor men’s basketball program has seemed on the verge of breaking into the top 25. Monday, they finally made it. Head coach Scott Drew’s Bears are ranked 25th in this week’s Associated Press poll, marking their first national ranking since February 1969 — almost exactly 18 months before Drew was born.
At 15-2, the Baylor men have tied the best start in program history and are now tied with No. 2-ranked Kansas at the top of the Big 12 standings with a 3-0 conference mark.
This week marks the first time the Bears and Lady Bears have ever been ranked at the same time, since women’s basketball wasn’t even a varsity sport at Baylor until 1974. Baylor is one of seven schools to have both their men and women in the AP top 25 this week as the Lady Bears are ranked No. 6 nationally.
Head coach Kim Mulkey’s team also is tied for the Big 12 lead with a 4-0 mark (16-1 overall). The Lady Bears knocked off 10th-ranked Oklahoma Sunday in a nationally televised showdown; Angela Tisdale was named Big 12 Player of the Week after leading Baylor with a career-high 35 points in the win at OU.
The Baylor men will put their ranking on the line Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT at No. 16 Texas A&M. The game will not be televised, so if you can make it to College Station, go cheer on the Bears! The Lady Bears are also on the road, tipping off Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT at Missouri.
Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!
