Photo Galleries « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Photo Galleries

May

2012

Senior trip to Independence perfect for popping the question

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Just for Fun, Photo Galleries, Student life

The Baylor story began nearly 170 years ago in the small town of Independence, Texas, near Brenham. Today, about half of Baylor students begin their college careers with a visit to the original campus during Baylor Line Camp. So what better place for a Baylor couple to begin their lives together than right there in Independence?

That’s what senior Drew Shows figured, so he took the occasion of the annual senior trip to Independence, organized by the Baylor Alumni Network, to pop the question to his girlfriend, senior Elisabeth Erickson. Drew got down on one knee in front of not just 120 fellow Class of 2012 seniors, but also a dozen or so family members who showed up to cheer the couple on (complete with a “Please Say Yes” sign held by Elisabeth’s brother). [Click here for more photos.]

Having started her Baylor career at Line Camp, “it was really cool to be completing full circle starting there and ending there!” says Elisabeth. “Drew wanted a place that was significant to Baylor, since that is where we met and fell in love, and what better place than the original site of the school?”

The future Mr. and Mrs. Shows will each graduate this weekend, Drew with a degree in risk management and insurance and Elisabeth with a degree in nursing. After graduation, they are moving to Fort Worth (where Elisabeth will continue her BU connections, working as a NICU nurse at Baylor All Saints Medical Center). The wedding is slated for next spring.

Sic ’em, Drew and Elisabeth!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Baylor guys find creative ways to propose to their Baylor girls (Sept. 2011)
* Foreign language leads to love for Baylor couple (Nov. 2009)
* Baylor campus wedding locations abound (March 2009)
* Oprah features a true Baylor love story (Nov. 2007)

May

2012

Sandra Day O’Connor speaks at Baylor, studies BU students’ research on iCivics

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Photo Galleries, Research, Videos

An old friend and a new project brought U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to Baylor this week.

O’Connor’s long history with Baylor President Ken Starr is the common bond. The first female Supreme Court judge in U.S. history was Starr’s guest Monday afternoon in his continuing interview series, “On Topic with Ken Starr.” A packed Waco Hall crowd of faculty, staff, students and Waco residents listened to O’Connor share stories from her career for more than an hour. (Watch full video of the event here, or click here for a photo gallery from the Justice’s visit to Waco.)

O’Connor focused much of the conversation on her efforts to improve civic education. The Justice founded an online curriculum called iCivics in 2009 that uses games to introduce students, particularly those in the middle grades, to civic principles and ideas. (I checked the site out yesterday afternoon, and I must confess I got caught up in playing the games for more than an hour.)

Thanks to President Starr’s friendship with Justice O’Connor, Baylor was appointed last year to study the success of iCivics. Baylor Law School developed a model for using law students to lead iCivics activities in local classrooms, while the Baylor School of Education has analyzed the effectiveness of the program. A series of lesson plans developed by Baylor law students, graduate education students and undergraduate interns together make up the Baylor Model, which has been designed to be easily replicated in cities across the country. (Read more about that process here, or watch this video on the iCivics partnership between Baylor and Waco ISD.)

O’Connor is in Waco for three days to see the Baylor Model for iCivics firsthand. “I was thrilled, frankly, that Baylor, with the help of your president here, agreed that [the university] would help us evaluate iCivics,” O’Connor said Monday. “It’s been a huge help. My goal is to get people all across this country better educated in how our government works. When we got public schools in America, it was with the argument that … we have to teach it to all of our citizens, that they are part of it and how this government works.”

Sic ’em, Justice O’Connor!

Apr

2012

RG3, Wright give Bears five NFL first-round picks in four years

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

RG3, Kendall Wright

Between 1966 and 2008, five Baylor players were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The program has now matched that total in Art Briles’ four years as head coach, as Robert Griffin III and Kendall Wright were each selected in the first round Thursday night. Three more Bears — center Philip Blake, running back Terrance Ganaway and tackle Robert T. Griffin — were selected later in the draft, bringing Baylor’s total to five, the most for BU since 1996.

Selected by the Washington Redskins with the second pick of the draft, Griffin III became the fourth Bear to be drafted No. 2 overall, following Jack Wilson (1942), Adrian Burk (1950) and Jason Smith (2009). RG3 is the first BU quarterback to be drafted since Cody Carlson in 1987, and the first Baylor QB to go in the first round since Cotton Davidson in 1954.

[RG3 LINKS: Video of RG3's draft selection || ESPN interview || Redskins.com story || Washington Post story || DC reporter gets to know RG3 || "Skins' coach thrilled to get Griffin" || RG3 conference call || Redskins.com photo gallery]

Wright was picked at No. 20 by the Tennessee Titans, the first Baylor receiver to go in the first round since Lawrence Elkins in 1965. Wright is the 13th Baylor alum drafted by the Oilers/Titans franchise over its history; only Texas and Oklahoma have had more players selected by the franchise.

[KW LINKS: Video of Wright's draft selection || TitansOnline.com story || AP story || "Titans excited to add 'electric' playmaker" || Titans coach, GM on Wright || Wright conference call]

The Denver Broncos used the fourth-round pick they received for Tim Tebow to select Blake. In Denver, he will either battle fellow Bear J.D. Walton for the starting center job or shift to guard. In the sixth round, the New York Jets drafted Ganaway and Robert T. Griffin with back-to-back picks. And three more Bears signed free-agent deals with NFL teams: Elliot Coffey (Broncos), Nicolas Jean-Baptiste (Ravens) and Tracy Robertson (Texans).

My favorite tidbits from the draft: Baylor joins Alabama as the only two schools in the country with multiple first-round picks each of the last two years. Over the past four years, only Alabama and USC have more first-round picks than Baylor, and only Oklahoma has had more top-5 overall picks than Baylor during that time. The Bears’ five picks this year are the most of any school in Texas and second-most in the Big 12.

[LINKS: BaylorBears.com photo gallery || Sic 'Em Sports videos: RG3, Wright pre-draft activities, draft highlights and interviews || 1660 ESPN draft-day interviews with RG3, Wright, Briles and others]

Sic ’em, RG3, Kendall and Baylor football!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Pair of Bears selected in NFL draft’s 1st round for first time since 1957 (April 2011)
* Pair of Bears selected in 2010 NFL Draft (April 2010)
* Bears’ Smith the No. 2 overall pick in 2009 NFL Draft (April 2009)

Apr

2012

Diadeloso 2012: Back to the Future

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Photo Galleries, Student life

Looking back through photos from this year’s Diadeloso celebration, it strikes me that in many ways, the day must have looked an awful lot like it did 25 years ago — perhaps even when the parents of today’s students were here a generation ago.

First and foremost, there was the overflow of neon colors — Dia shirts in shades to match every highlighter in your desk drawer. (On first glance, can you really tell if the photo at right was taken last week or in 1989?) And of course, games and competitions are still at the heart of Diadeloso, particularly the tug of war battles played out in the heart of campus.

Of course, plenty has changed, too. A Baylor student from the late 1980s would probably be shocked to see dancing not just accepted on campus, but actually featured, from zumba and the NPHC Step Show to the Baylor Swing Dance and Latin Dance societies. And the sight of students riding camels across Fountain Mall — well, even that one threw me for a loop. (Check it out; it’s the first photo in our photo gallery.)

It seems appropriate that Diadeloso — a uniquely Baylor holiday — would so accurately reflect the university’s progress as well. Much has changed — new buildings, bigger and more diverse student body, etc. — but much has stayed the same, too. From the emphasis on great teachers to the Christian environment, Baylor’s heart remains the same as ever.

When we wished our followers “Happy Diadeloso!” last Thursday on Twitter, a common refrain was from graduates wishing they could be back to participate once again. Well, folks, here’s your chance: Join hundreds of your fellow Bears from all over the state and beyond for Diadeloso Texas at SeaWorld San Antonio on June 9. Get details here, then register online today!

Sic ’em, Diadeloso!

Apr

2012

Aikman, Wingo and Mulkey headline successful event supporting Baylor nursing scholarships

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Alumni, Photo Galleries, Student life

With a Hall of Fame quarterback, an ESPN personality and a two-time national champion coach headlining the event, it’s no wonder that last weekend’s “Going for the Gold Gala,” presented by the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, was perhaps the largest fundraising event in Baylor history.

The sold-out crowd of 700 Baylor nursing supporters included plenty of big names, but few were bigger than the night’s three featured guests: Former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman, the father of a Baylor nursing major; NFL Live host Trey Wingo, BA ’85, the night’s emcee; and keynote speaker Kim Mulkey, fresh off leading the Baylor women’s basketball program to its second national title. (Click here for a photo gallery from the event.)

With donors stepping forward to cover the cost of the event, the evening raised more than half a million dollars toward endowed scholarships for Baylor nursing students as part of The President’s Scholarship Initiative. For more than 100 years, the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing has educated leaders for worldwide service in the nursing field, distinctly integrating Christian faith into an accredited program of nursing practice, education and research. Today, most Baylor nursing majors take two years worth of core classes on the Waco campus, then complete their education at the nursing school’s location on the campus of Baylor University Medical Center near downtown Dallas.

Sic ’em, Baylor nursing!

[Pictured above: Aikman, Mulkey and Wingo with John, BA '50, JD '52, and Marie Chiles, longtime supporters of Baylor nursing and 2012 recipients of Baylor's Founders Medal]

Apr

2012

Equestrian claims Baylor’s second national title in two weeks

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

2011-12 Baylor equestrian team

The Year of the Bear continues to roll on — even into sports you might not realize Baylor participates in.

Saturday night — less than two weeks after Baylor women’s basketball won the NCAA tournament — the Baylor equestrian program brought home another national title. Head coach Ellen White’s Hunter Seat team narrowly defeated Texas A&M to claim the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) national title in that event. (See photos here.)

Equestrian teams are split into two squads, Hunter Seat and Western, much like track and field are combined together. It was fun to see each Baylor squad support the other; as the Waco Tribune-Herald described the scene, when the final scores were announced, “a mess of BU teammates wearing riding shirts, team polos and Baylor Line jerseys made a beeline for the gate, mobbing the Hunter Seat riders and celebrating a national title.”

Equestrian is classified as an NCAA “emerging sport,” which means it is on its way to becoming a full-fledged NCAA sport but is not there yet. A total of 40 Division I/II schools must sponsor equestrian in order to hold an NCAA-sponsored championship; Baylor is currently one of 23 participating institutions. The Bears are joined by fellow Big 12 schools Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, in-state rivals SMU and TCU, and other universities such as Auburn, Brown, Cornell, Fresno State, Georgia, New Mexico State and South Carolina.

So to recap, here’s Baylor Athletics’ year in review (so far): Two national titles, a Heisman, an Elite Eight hoops team, 12 teams currently in the top 25*, and all 19 varsity programs on track to make the postseason in 2011-12.

Sic ’em, Baylor equestrian and Baylor student-athletes in all sports!

* Ranked BU teams: women’s basketball (No. 1), equestrian (3), acrobatics & tumbling (5), baseball (6), men’s basketball (8), football (12), women’s tennis (12), women’s indoor track & field (16), women’s golf (17), women’s outdoor track & field (18), men’s outdoor track & field (19), and softball (23).

Apr

2012

Baylor Lady Bears: 2011-12 NCAA national champions!

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

Baylor Lady Bears, 2011-12 National Champions

Undefeated. No. 1 in the country, wire to wire. The first NCAA basketball team (men’s or women’s) ever to win 40 games. And last but not least, national champions. That’s your 2011-12 Baylor Lady Bears.

All season long, this squad showed that it’s more than a one-person team. With the pressure on, however, National Coach of the Year Kim Mulkey turned to Brittney Griner, and she was everything you’d expect from the consensus national player of the year; her 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks led the Lady Bears to an 80-61 win over Notre Dame Tuesday night and the program’s second national championship in seven years.

[LINKS: 7 minutes of highlights, interviews and analysis from ESPN || More analysis from ESPN || Photos from the win (here, here and here) || "Baylor's biggest fan," a moving ESPN feature that shows the Lady Bears' heart || A season in photos || Send your message of congratulations to the team]

Once again, a Baylor athletic program has drawn the nation’s eyes to our university (3.8 million viewers tuned in to the Lady Bears’ Final Four victory), and they’ve seen success on the court and standout student-athletes off the court. Baylor football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball combined to win 80 games — more than any other school’s big-three sports have ever tallied in one year — and each program set new program highs for final national ranking (FB 12, MBB 8, WBB 1). With such shared success, it was great to see President Ken Starr joined at the game Tuesday night by Heisman winner Robert Griffin III, head football coach Art Briles and head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew, all cheering on the Lady Bears.

[AVAILABLE: Lady Bears 2011-12 National Champions t-shirts (here, here, here and here), hats and more from the Baylor Bookstore || Order Invincible: The 2011-12 Baylor Lady Bears, a 96-page, full-color book from Baylor Press]

What could make a national championship even better? Mulkey’s squad — now 78-4 in their last 82 games — returns its top six scorers and rebounders next year: Griner, All-Americans Odyssey Sims and Destiny Williams, All-Big 12 guard Kimetria Hayden, Brooklyn Pope and Jordan Madden.

Celebrate the team by welcoming the Lady Bears home to the Ferrell Center Wednesday afternoon. Doors open at 3 p.m., and a ceremony honoring the team will begin at 3:30 p.m. If you can’t make it, video of the event will be streamed live on BaylorBears.com.

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!

Apr

2012

Lady Bears reach NCAA championship game, will play for national title Tuesday

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

Baylor Lady Bears

Clear your calendars for Tuesday night: Baylor is playing for another national championship.

For the second time in seven years, the Lady Bear basketball team has reached the NCAA tournament title game — this time, with a perfect record on the line. Undefeated Baylor will attempt to become the first team in NCAA basketball history (men’s or women’s) to win 40 games in a season Tuesday night when BU faces Notre Dame in Denver (7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).

[LINKS: Highlights, photos and ESPN analysis from win over Stanford || Mulkey diagnosed with Bell's Palsy || Bobby Knight on Griner || RG3 on ESPN pre-game || Features on Mulkey from USA Today and The New York Times || Houston Chronicle: "Could Griner be the best of all time?" || Austin American-Statesman: "From RG3 to hoops, Baylor sports are in the midst of a great revival" || Photos from Friday and Saturday pre-game activities]

With Heisman winner Robert Griffin III, President Ken Starr and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice among the crowd of 19,028, No. 1 overall seed Baylor fought off a tough challenge from No. 2-ranked Stanford Sunday night, pulling away midway through the second half to win 59-47. All year, Kim Mulkey (the 2012 Associated Press Coach of the Year) has insisted that her Lady Bears are more than just a one-person team, that her team’s success isn’t completely dependent on AP National Player of the Year Brittney Griner.

Stanford swarmed Griner all night, challenging other Baylor players to step up, and they did. While Griner recorded “only” 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, senior reserve guard Terran Condrey came off the bench to match Griner’s team-high 13 points (just the fifth double-digit scoring effort in Condrey’s four years at BU). Forward Destiny Williams led all players with 10 rebounds, and the Lady Bears’ team defense held Stanford (the fifth-highest scoring team in the nation) to a season-low 47 points.

[AVAILABLE: Pre-order Baylor Press' book on the Lady Bears' 2011-12 season || Get Lady Bears gear from the Baylor Bookstore || BU men's basketball's "One Team, One God, One Goal" t-shirt also available]

A large Baylor contingent was loud and proud at the Pepsi Center in Denver Sunday night, and more will likely join them for Tuesday. BU fans were also gathered all around the country for Final Four watch parties, and will do so again Tuesday night for the championship. (Visit baylor.edu/nation Monday or Tuesday for a complete list of gatherings.)

Sic ’em, Lady Bears!

Mar

2012

Lady Bears return to Final Four for second time in three years

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

Brittney Griner vs. Tennessee Denver-area Bears, get ready — the Lady Bears are headed your way.

Wins in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight — Baylor’s 37th and 38th of the season without a loss — have propelled the women’s basketball team to its second Final Four in three years. The No. 1-ranked Lady Bears will face fellow No. 1 seed Stanford on Sunday in the national semifinals with an eye toward claiming the program’s second national championship.

Destiny Williams (18 points vs. Georgia Tech in Saturday’s Sweet 16 match-up) and Odyssey Sims (27 points Monday night vs. Tennessee in the Elite Eight) vied for weekend MVP honors, but the best player in women’s college basketball, Brittney Griner, was again the star of the show.

[LINKS: Highlights and photos vs. Georgia Tech || Highlights and photos vs. Tennessee || ESPN breaks down the dunk || BG off the court, kayaking and longboarding || ESPNW: "Mulkey's life a highlight reel of Title IX success"]

In an 83-68 win over the Yellow Jackets, Griner poured in 35 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six blocks, but drew the most eyes when she threw down a two-handed dunk in the second half — her second dunk in as many games. Then against the Lady Vols, the junior just missed a triple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks as Baylor won 77-58 in what could be the final game for legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who is suffering from early onset dementia.

Of course, the week couldn’t go by without more honors for the Lady Bears. Griner and Sims were named among the 12 finalists for the State Farm Wade Trophy, given annually to the national player of the year. Head coach Kim Mulkey was announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as one of eight finalists for the WBCA National Coach of the Year award. And Griner’s two dunks were named SportsCenter’s No. 3 highlight of the entire NCAA tournament (men’s or women’s).

[AVAILABLE: Lady Bears Final Four t-shirts (here, here and here) and other Lady Bears gear from the Baylor Bookstore || Pre-order Baylor Press' book on the Lady Bears' 2011-12 season]

As I write, a crowd is expectantly gathering at the Waco airport’s Texas Aero building to greet the team when it arrives home; the Lady Bears are expected back right around midnight late Monday/early Tuesday.

Sic ’em in the Final Four, Lady Bears!

Mar

2012

Historic season ends as Bears reach Elite Eight for 2nd time in 3 years

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

Quincy Acy A historic season for the Baylor men’s basketball program came to an end Sunday as the Bears lost to No. 1 overall seed Kentucky, 82-70, in the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight. While the loss still stings, consider all that head coach Scott Drew’s team accomplished this year:

A program-record 30 wins.
Baylor’s second Elite Eight appearance in three years (one of just five schools that can make that claim).
15 weeks spent ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Ranked as high as No. 3 nationally, and finished the regular season at No. 9 in the AP poll (both program records).
Multiple AP All-Americans for the first time since 1988 (Pierre Jackson and Perry Jones).
A team-record for GPA.

The Bears were the last Texas team left standing in the tournament — which didn’t exactly come as a surprise, considering Baylor swept Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech in the regular season (finishing a combined 10-0 against Lone Star state squads). Baylor was also the only school in the country to win its bowl game and see both its men and women reach the Sweet 16.

[LINKS: Highlights, postgame interviews and photos from Sweet 16 win over Xavier || Highlights, postgame interviews and photos from the loss to UK || Video: Who had the better dunk, Acy or Griner? || Photos of fans greeting the Bears late Sunday night upon their return to Waco]

Quincy Acy (pictured), Fred Ellis and Anthony Jones leave the program as the winningest senior class in program history, totaling exactly 100 victories in their four years. (That this is the fourth straight year that record has been broken shows how the program continues to improve.) Those seniors will no doubt be missed, but Baylor fans have plenty to look forward to as the Bears have yet another top-10 signing class inked for next year.

Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!

[Don't forget -- the No. 1-ranked Lady Bears have their own Elite Eight showdown tonight, facing Tennessee in what could be legendary head coach Pat Summit's final game. The Lady Bears beat the Lady Vols 76-67 in Knoxville back in November, but will have to do it again to reach the Final Four. Watch on ESPN tonight at 6 p.m. CT.]

Points of Pride — Photo Galleries

Baylor Links

Subscribe:

Points of Pride