Happy 10th birthday to BaylorProud!
Ten years ago this month, America’s attention was focused on the subprime mortgage crisis, Barry Bonds breaking Major League Baseball’s career home run record, and early debates leading up to the 2008 presidential election.
Far fewer eyes were on the launch of a little blog called [Baylor Proud], which went live with its first post 10 years ago today. Over the last decade — across more than 2,500 posts — we’ve showcased both the little and big things that we can and should take pride in as the Baylor family. We’ve welcomed new presidents and honored legendary professors, celebrated athletic highlights and academic achievements, and watched alumni become famous before our very eyes.
Some early posts — on subjects like an impressive incoming class, student service efforts, and Baylor Law success on the bar exam — could almost have been written today. Others are very much anchored in the past, both in their language and writing style (we didn’t even have photos with every post!).
As with any milestone birthday, this seems a good time to look back on some of our favorite — and most nostalgia-inducing — posts from over the years. Take a walk down memory lane with us; which of these do you remember?
* 2007: A 2-year-old’s rendition of “That Good Old Baylor Line”
* 2008: Celebrating men’s basketball’s first win as a ranked team in 4 decades — in 5-OT vs. A&M
* 2009: Baylor family proudly welcomes its newest Bear
* 2010: Students celebrate semester end with flash mob Michael Jackson dance
* 2011: ‘Unbelievably believable’: Baylor’s Robert Griffin III wins 2011 Heisman Trophy
* 2012: Baylor Lady Bears: 2011-12 NCAA national champions!
* 2013: Baylor students join ‘Harlem Shake’ craze
* 2014: Baylor couple’s HGTV series, ‘Fixer Upper,’ begins tonight
* 2015: ‘The Gathering’ draws 35,000 to McLane Stadium for historic night of worship
* 2016: Baylor prof makes national headlines for his simple act of kindness
* 2017: Welcome, President Livingstone!
To the thousands of Bears who read each post, we thank you — for joining with us in celebrating the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of this university who have fulfilled the Baylor mission by leading and serving in countless ways all across the world. We’d never have reached this point without you sharing your stories with us and allowing us to share them with the rest of the Baylor family. For your part in this run — seriously, how many blogs have posted essentially daily for 10 years?! — we applaud you with our signature sign-off:
Sic ’em, Bears!