• Baylor fans rising up with record attendance totals — across multiple sports

    Record Ferrell Center crowd

    Baylor fans, I have to commend you once again: After being challenged to “Rise Up” and show your support for BU athletics this summer, you absolutely have done that.

    For starters, Baylor football posted the program’s highest average home attendance (40,043 per game) since 1995, and the total attendance for the year (240, 259) ranks third all-time in the 61-year history of Floyd Casey Stadium. Now, it sounds like Reliant Stadium will be packed out in green and gold; Baylor sold out of its initial allotment of tickets and has nearly sold out the extra they received after that. The Texas Bowl reported over a week ago that it has already sold more than 60,000 of the available 70,000 seats, and bowl officials expect the game to sell out for the first time — mostly thanks to Baylor fans.

    It appears that enthusiasm is spreading to other sports, as well. Tuesday night, the No. 2-ranked Lady Bears drew 10,569 fans — the most ever for a basketball game at Baylor, men’s or women’s — for a showdown with No. 6 Tennessee that Baylor won relatively easily, 65-54. The game was televised nationally on ESPN2, giving the country yet another look at how Bear fans support their teams.

    Sic ’em, Bears — let’s keep it up!