Exactly a week after we noted George W. Bush’s interest in attending a Baylor women’s basketball game, the former president followed through, surprising a crowd of 8,220 last night by walking into the Ferrell Center for the No. 4-ranked Lady Bears’ match-up with No. 2 Oklahoma. (Click here for Baylor Photography’s photos from the visit; BaylorBears.com and the Waco Tribune-Herald have more photos.)
Bush was welcomed with a genuinely warm standing ovation as he and Laura were escorted in by head coach Kim Mulkey. The former President told the Associated Press, “This is our first outing since I left the presidency and I can’t think of a better place.” The Bushes stayed the entire game, sitting just behind the Baylor bench.
Though the Lady Bears came up just short (falling 56-51, as the Sooners took the lead for good with just 34 seconds left), the night was certainly one that Mulkey and her players will always remember. And who knows? Just as Bush’s parents, George H.W. and Barbara Bush, have become regulars at Houston sporting events, perhaps our most recent former president and his wife will become regulars at the Ferrell Center.
Sic ’em, President Bush!
