Honors « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Honors

Jan

2013

Legendary track mentor celebrates 50th year coaching at Baylor

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Athletics, Honors

In 1963, a 28-year-old Baylor graduate was named head track and field coach at Baylor. He’s never left.

Clyde Hart, BBA ’56, was honored for entering his 50th year coaching at Baylor on Friday night with a surprise dinner. Over the last half-century, Hart has coached 34 national champions and 537 All-Americans at Baylor, plus nine Olympic athletes who have combined for 16 medals, including a dozen golds.

Hart stepped down as head coach in 2005 after developing Baylor into one of the nation’s elite programs, known worldwide as “Quarter-Miler U” for its success in the 400 meters. But he remains an assistant coach working with the quarter-milers and the 4×400-meter relay, where the Bears continue to have great success.

Sic ’em, Coach Hart!

You might also like:
* Baylor track coach’s pupils have won gold in six straight Olympics (Aug. 2012)
* Pair of Hart pupils named U.S. track and field athletes of the decade (Feb. 2010)
* Hart named World Coach of the Year by IAAF (Jan. 2010)

Dec

2012

Football pounds No.17 UCLA, 49-26, to win 2012 Holiday Bowl

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Photo Galleries, Videos

Jarred Salubi and Nick Florence with Holiday Bowl trophy

Under Art Briles, the success of RG3 and Nick Florence has helped Baylor football become known for its passing. But Thursday, it was the Bears’ rushing game and defense that stood out most as Baylor dominated Pac-12 runner-up UCLA, 49-26, in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl.

Sure, Florence passed for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover as the Bears won back-to-back bowls for the first time since 1985-86. But it was the rushing attack, led by Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin, that carried the offense, putting up 306 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as the Bears coasted past the 17th-ranked Bruins to end the season on a four-game winning streak.

As it did against No. 1 Kansas State earlier this season, Baylor’s defense again stepped up, holding UCLA’s all-time leading rusher to just 34 yards on 14 carries and taking down the Bruins’ quarterback six times after tallying just 13 sacks through the Bears’ first 12 games.

[LINKS: ESPN/AP story || Watch ESPN highlights || Holiday Bowl trophy presentation || Baylor Photography photos || AP photos || Get your Holiday Bowl Champions gear (here, here, here and here)!]

It’s worth remembering that this Baylor team could easily have folded in mid November, when the Bears were just 4-5, had lost four of their last five games, and faced three ranked opponents to finish the year. Instead, Briles’ squad toughened up, won all three games to get bowl-eligible, then blew out UCLA in front of a Bruin-friendly southern-California crowd and a national ESPN audience.

A few notes from the day: Briles joined Grant Teaff (1985-86 and 1979-80) and Frank Bridges (1921-22) as the only coaches ever to have led Baylor to back-to-back seasons of 8+ wins… Florence set a new school record for passing yards in a season, finishing the year with 4,309 yards passing to break RG3′s total from his Heisman campaign… After totaling just 181 yards rushing through the end of October, Seastrunk came on late to finish his sophomore season with 1,030 yards and became the Bears’ third-straight 1,000-yard rusher (just the ninth in BU history).

[PHOTOS & VIDEOS FROM BOWL WEEK: Sunday hospital visit & Navy ship tour || Day One practice and behind-the-scenes video || Monday at San Diego Zoo & Christmas eve service || Day Two behind-the-scenes video || Tuesday at SeaWorld || SeaWorld video || Wednesday press conference || Wednesday pep rally || Thursday balloon parade || Pep rally & parade video || Pre-game tailgating]

What a year… A special thanks to Baylor football’s outgoing seniors for their efforts in making this the most successful three-year period in program history, and for taking us along for the ride. Amazing to think that the next senior class could leave Baylor knowing nothing but bowl games — and that the class after that will get to play in the gorgeous new Baylor Stadium. (Speaking of which, have you ordered your Stadium Brick yet?)

A great big sic ’em to Baylor’s coaching staff, players and support staff, plus all of Baylor Nation that turned out or tuned in for this game — especially the students who bussed 26 hours to get to the game in-person. In short…

Sic ’em, Bears!!

Dec

2012

2012 football accolades well-deserved as Bears prep for Holiday Bowl

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas yesterday! Lest your mind and body are still swimming from too many hours assembling toys and wolfing down too much honeybaked ham, let this be your reminder that Baylor football is only a little more than 24 hours away from its third straight bowl appearance.

Baylor and UCLA will square off Thursday night at 8:45 p.m. CT in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, to be televised on ESPN. Since the Bears’ last game nearly a month ago, a host of honors have rolled in for Baylor players; here’s a look at some of the folks you’ll see play tomorrow night — some of them for the last time in a Baylor uniform:

A Biletnikoff Award finalist (Terrance Williams)
A Campbell Trophy finalist (Nick Florence)
A Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist (Florence)
2 AP All-Americans (Cyril Richardson, Williams)
1 unanimous first-team All-American (Williams)
The Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Florence)
The Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year (Lache Seastrunk)
The Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year (Richardson)
2 All-Big 12 first team selections (Richardson, Williams)
13 All-Big 12 second team/honorable mention selections (Troy Baker, Ahmad Dixon, Florence, Bryce Hager, Aaron Jones, Cameron Kaufhold, Eddie Lackey, Terrance Lloyd, Jordan Najvar, Tevin Reese, Lanear Sampson, Seastrunk, Ivory Wade)
An Academic All-American (Florence)
18 Academic All-Big 12 selections (Baker, Alex Bonilla, Rhett Butler, Trevor Clemens-Valdez, Spencer Drango, Florence, Clay Fuller, Jake Jackson, Najvar, Levi Norwood, Kevin Park, Bryce Petty, Matt Ritchey, Marcus Santa-Cruz, Brody Trahan, Michael Valdez, Chris Winkler, Erik Wolfe)
The FootballScoop Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year (Kaz Kazadi)

Whether you’re in San Diego for the bowl, at home watching on TV, or joining your fellow Bears at watch parties across the country, enjoy the game!

Sic ’em, Bears!

Dec

2012

Baylor soccer star pairs All-America honor with Academic All-American of the Year title

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Athletics, Honors

From the honors stacking up on Baylor soccer star Dana Larsen’s mantel, the senior forward epitomizes BU athletics’ goal of winning with integrity.

On the field, Larsen helped propel the Bears to the best season in program history in 2012, leading the team with 11 goals, nine assists and 31 points. Her performance earned her a spot on the All-America third team from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), just the third All-American in Baylor soccer history (and the first since 1998).

If it’s possible, she was even better in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 GPA while majoring in biochemistry. Coupled with her work on the field, Larsen’s resume netted her the title of Academic All-American of the Year for NCAA Division I women’s soccer. The Mequon, Wis., native is only the second Baylor student-athlete ever to be so honored in his/her sport, joining baseball’s Charley Carter (1998).

Larsen was also named Big 12 Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league’s coaches, joining Baylor quarterback Nick Florence (who won the award for football) in giving Baylor two of the three Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards handed out so far this year.

Sic ’em, Dana!

Dec

2012

Texas insurers group names industry excellence award for Baylor grad

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Honors

Reading 1954 Baylor graduate Will Davis‘ resume, my first thought is, “One man did all this?!”

For starters, he has served as general counsel for the Texas Department of Insurance, vice-chairman of the Texas State Board of Education, and president of the Austin ISD board of trustees, Texas Association of School Boards and National School Boards Association. Davis, BBA ’54, LLB ’54, was also co-chair of the National Citizens Committee for a Cabinet-level department of education, which led to the establishment of the U.S. Department of Education.

All this (and more) on top of 50-plus years as a leading legal representative in the world of insurance. For his dedicated service, the Texas Association of Life & Health Insurers — an industry group representing the majority of the state’s insurers — has announced the establishment of the Will D. Davis Excellence in Insurance Award. The award’s first recipient? Davis himself, at a luncheon last week in Austin.

Davis’ leadership roles began at Baylor, where he served as the university’s first student body president. He has also served as president of the Baylor Alumni Association and chair of the Board of Regents.

A former Baylor running back, his family bleeds green and gold, with other Baylor alumni including his late wife, Ann; two children, Lynn Walker, BS ’82, and Dr. Will Davis Jr., BA ’84; and seven grandchildren, Katelyn Baroch, BA ’07, William Walker III, BBA ’07, MTS ’10, Allison Davis, BA ’08, David Walker, BS ’08, Will Davis III, BA ’09, Natalie Walker, BA ’11, and Emily Davis, BA ’12.

Sic ’em, Will!

Dec

2012

Baylor QB named first-team Academic All-American

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Athletics, Honors

Given that he graduated early with a degree in economics and leads the nation in total offense, it should be no surprise that Baylor’s Nick Florence was named the first-team quarterback on the 2012 CoSIDA Academic All-America football team.

Florence is the seventh Bear in the last eight years to make the Academic All-America football team, joining Daniel Sepulveda (2005, 2006), Joe Pawelek (2008, 2009), Derek Epperson (2010) and Robert Griffin III (2011).

The Garland, Texas, native graduated high school a semester early, then earned his degree in economics from Baylor (with a 3.79 GPA) in just three and a half years. He is currently working on his MBA in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.

On the field, Florence leads all individuals in total offense (averaging 387.7 yards per game) and needs just 174 more yards to break RG3′s school record for passing yards in a season, set last fall. In fact, Florence’s numbers this season and Griffin’s from a year ago are remarkably similar through 12 games:

RG3 2011: 3998 pass yds (36 TD), 644 rush yds (9 TD), 4642 total yds (45 total TD)
NF1 2012: 4121 pass yds (31 TD), 531 rush yds (9 TD), 4652 total yds (40 total TD)

You’ve got one more chance to see Florence perform in a Baylor uniform: Thursday, Dec. 27, in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl vs. UCLA. Get your tickets now; hope to see you in San Diego!

Sic ’em, Nick!

Dec

2012

Bowl bound again: Baylor invited to 2012 Holiday Bowl in San Diego

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Holiday Bowl Many outside the Baylor family openly questioned whether BU football could sustain its success in the post-RG3 era. A hard-fought three-game winning streak to end the regular season — including wins over then-No. 1 Kansas State and longtime nemeses Texas Tech and Oklahoma State — upped the Bears’ record to 7-5 and showed the world that yes, Baylor football is here to stay.

The reward for head coach Art Briles’ squad? A third-straight bowl appearance, something no other coach in Baylor history has ever accomplished. The Bears are headed to the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27, where they will face 17th-ranked UCLA, the Pac-12 runner-up.

The game — the Bears’ first bowl outside of Texas since 1991 — will feature two of the nation’s best offenses. In the just-completed regular season, Baylor led the country in total offense (579 yards/game) while the Bruins were No. 20 (475 yards/game). While quarterback Nick Florence (No. 1 in the nation in total offense) and wide receiver Terrance Williams (No. 1 in receiving yards/game) lead the Bears, UCLA’s offense runs behind running back Johnathan Franklin (No. 9 in rushing yards/game), the Pac-12′s sixth all-time leading rusher.

Baylor’s allotment of 11,000 tickets from the Holiday Bowl offers fans the chance to sit with their fellow Bears at the best price. Tickets for these sections are priced at $65, $75 and $85. Bear Foundation members and 2012 season ticket holders can place their orders online at BaylorBears.com/tickets, by calling 254-710-1000 or in-person at the Ferrell Center box office between 8:30-5, Monday-Friday. Bear Foundation members and season ticket holders must place their orders by noon on Dec. 5.

If any tickets remain from the allotment, they will be made available to all fans beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6. Baylor students may purchase tickets for $65 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Bill Daniel Student Center Ticket Office from Dec. 5-7 or until supplies are exhausted. Additional tickets are available to all fans through the Holiday Bowl website.

Baylor fans interested in travel packages to San Diego for the game may sign up for information with Anthony Travel. Travel options will be sent via email from Baylor’s travel partner as soon as they become available.

The Baylor Alumni Network will also be coordinating a pep rally, tailgating and other events in San Diego; we’ll share that and more as details get nailed down between now and the big game. Stay tuned to Baylor Proud and BaylorBears.com.

Sic ’em in San Diego, Baylor football!

Nov

2012

Terrance Williams: Best wide receiver in Baylor football history?

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Tomorrow is your last chance to see Baylor football’s senior class in action at Floyd Casey Stadium. That means it’s the last home game for young men such as Chance Casey, Nick Florence, Mike Hicks, Cameron Kaufhold, Gary Mason Jr., Jarred Salubi, Lanear Sampson, Ivory Wade and Terrance Williams.

In the case of Williams, it’s also your last chance to see perhaps the best wide receiver in Baylor history play in Waco. It might seem blasphemous to consider giving that title to anyone besides Kendall Wright — particularly so soon after his departure for the NFL — but take a look at the recordbooks, where Williams has already begun surpassing Wright before the ink is even dry.

Early this year, he broke his predecessor’s records for single-game receptions and receiving yards. With two games still to go, Williams has already passed Wright’s single-season receiving yards record; in fact, Williams leads the nation in receiving yards and receiving yards per game, and he is on pace to become only the second 2,000-yard receiver in NCAA history.

Last weekend, he moved into first place in career all-purpose yards at Baylor, breaking another Wright record. By Monday, he will likely have surpassed Wright’s single-season all-purpose yard record. And he has a good shot at three more of Wright’s records (single-season receptions and touchdowns as well as career receiving touchdowns).

Williams is one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation’s top receiver (Wright was “only” a semifinalist), and he’s already been named to the 2012 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team, the first Bear to be so honored since Daniel Sepulveda in 2006.

Don’t miss your last chance to see him (and the rest of the senior class that has brought Baylor a program-record third straight bowl appearance) in Waco; get your tickets for Saturday’s game now.

Sic ’em, Baylor seniors!

Nov

2012

Baylor football headed to postseason for program-record third straight year

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Photo Galleries, Videos

The Bears are going bowling again!

With RG3 on the sidelines cheering on his former teammates, Baylor football claimed a thrilling overtime victory versus Texas Tech on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium, 52-45, to clinch the program’s third straight bowl appearance — a first for Baylor.

Where to even begin on this one? After falling behind 21-7 in the first half, the Bears battled back to take their first lead of the game at 35-31 early in the fourth quarter on a 55-yard interception return — one of four turnovers forced by Baylor’s defense on the day. The Bears and Red Raiders then traded leads three more times before a BU field goal tied things up with less than three minutes to go.

[LINKS: AP recap || Video highlights from ESPN and FOX || Interviews with Art Briles and Nick Florence || Photos from Baylor Photography and the AP]

The Bears had a chance to win it in regulation, but a 48-yard field goal attempt missed just left. Instead, Baylor scored first in overtime, then batted away a fourth-down Red Raider pass to end the game and give BU its second-straight win over Texas Tech.

The Bears will go for win No. 7 next Saturday (Dec. 1) against No. 21 Oklahoma State at Floyd Casey Stadium; the game is set for 11 a.m. on FX. A victory would give Baylor three straight seasons of 7+ wins — something the program hasn’t seen since 1949-50-51. Got your tickets yet?

Sic ’em, Baylor football!

Nov

2012

Best season in Baylor soccer history ends in Sweet 16

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors

Baylor soccer You know it’s a good sports weekend when having one of your teams reach the Sweet 16 isn’t even the top story.

That was the case for Baylor soccer, which was knocked from the headlines by football’s upset of No. 1-ranked Kansas State. Head coach Marci Jobson’s squad defeated Georgetown in overtime Friday night in the NCAA tournament’s second round, then fell to 20-time national champion North Carolina on penalty kicks in the Sweet 16 Sunday afternoon.

Playing on the road, the Bears held a 1-0 lead over the Tar Heels with less than nine minutes to go before UNC forced overtime. After playing through two extra periods with the score stuck at 1-1, the game moved to penalty kicks, where the hometown Tar Heels claimed a 4-2 edge to advance to the Elite Eight.

Baylor finished likely the best season in program history with a record of 19-1-5, setting school records for wins and winning percentage and bringing home the Big 12 tournament championship. The Bears led the Big 12 in every offensive category and featured the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense to boot. After making the NCAA tournament only twice in the first 15 years of the program, Jobson has now led Baylor to back-to-back postseason appearances, including the program’s first Sweet 16.

It was actually quite a weekend for Baylor athletics, featuring not just football and soccer success but also equestrian’s win over No. 1 South Carolina and Brittney Griner’s NCAA-record eighth career dunk.

Sic ’em, Baylor soccer and Baylor athletics!

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