If you will be in Houston covering the Texas Bowl, below are some Baylor events, including the first-ever opportunity for current Baylor students to run the traditional Baylor Line at a bowl game.
The Baylor Sports Network Baylor Family Welcome Reception
4 to 6 p.m.
Omni Hotel, Greenway Room, Second Floor
4 Riverway Houston, TX 77056
Baylor fans are invited to this come-and-go event from 4 to 6 p.m., which also will feature a live broadcast of the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Baylor Football Bowl Preview Show from 5 to 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
THURSDAY, DEC. 27
Texas Bowl’s Karbach Love Street TexFest
5 to 8 p.m.
Outside South Entrance to NRG Stadium
Free event of the Texas Bowl. Fans are invited to stop by the Baylor tent to register for prizes and get Baylor Gameday giveaways while supplies last.
Also, the Voice of the Bears John Morris and Derek Smith will host the Baylor Alumni Network Tailgate Show at the Baylor tent from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Texas Bowl Spirit Walk
Approximately 5:30 p.m.
Near South Entrance to NRG Stadium
Baylor fans are encouraged to come welcome the Baylor Bears to NRG Stadium.
Baylor vs. Vanderbilt
8 p.m. Kickoff
NRG Stadium
Resources:
Texas Bowl Digital Guide
Texas Bowl Central
Historic Running of the Baylor Line
Current Baylor students will make history at the Texas Bowl as part of the first-ever Baylor Line to run at a bowl game. In fact, Baylor’s Texas Bowl student ticket allotment is sold out! More than 1,000 current students of all classifications have purchased an exclusive student bowl game ticket bundle for $25 that includes a game ticket for a premium seat in the Baylor Line section (on the ground level by the Baylor Golden Wave Marching Band), a Baylor spirit item, dinner and the opportunity to run the Baylor Line on the field at NRG Stadium before the Texas Bowl between Baylor and Vanderbilt. Student Activities and the Baylor Chamber of Commerce plan to make this as close as possible to the McLane Stadium student experience, which includes welcoming the Bears to NRG Stadium during the Texas Bowl Spirit Walk, queuing up in the endzone, running the Line with all of its usual noise and excitement and then exiting the other tunnel to get to their premium seats. Baylor Line contact is Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, associate director of student activities, at mobile 254-715-0202. Video of the Baylor Line running at McLane Stadium is available here.
Established in 1970, the Baylor Line is composed entirely of students and represents the commitment of Baylor fans everywhere to support and cheer on the Bears. All new students represent this great Baylor tradition by wearing a football jersey with the number of their graduation year and a nickname on the back. Prior to each home football game, the Line gathers at the south end of McLane Stadium and, led by the cheers of alumni and fans, runs onto the field and creates an enormous human tunnel to welcome the football team to the field. After each player and coach has entered the stadium, the Line takes their seats in an exclusive Baylor Line section behind the opponents’ bench to cheer on the Bears to victory.
Baylor’s Historic/Current Ties in Houston
Houston and Harris Country are home to the largest number of Baylor alumni as well as current Baylor students.
Back in the early 1940s, Baylor University joined Houston’s forefathers like Jesse Jones to conceive a vision of a world class Medical Center. That vision came to life after Baylor University moved the Baylor College of Medicine to Houston in 1943 and established the first facility in the Texas Medical Center. Baylor’s leadership at that critical time helped change the face of Houston forever.
At the same time, Baylor hired Dr. Michael DeBakey, a founder of cardiovascular surgery, and from there the rest was medical history. Baylor was an integral part of the TMC complex from the very beginning, and the University remains just as committed to the medical center today.
Baylor Series History with Vanderbilt
This will be the third meeting between Baylor and Vanderbilt. The Bears and Commodores have met two times previously, with the Bears leading the series with a 2-0 record. The two programs first met in 1953 when Baylor was victorious 47-6. The last meeting occurred in 1954 when the Bears came out on top, 25-19.
Baylor Bowl History in Houston
Baylor is making its 24th bowl appearance overall, eighth in nine years and second trip to the Texas Bowl. In 2010, when the Bears ended a 16-year bowl drought, they lost to Illinois, 38-14. Baylor has played in three other bowl games in Houston with berths in the Blue Bonnet Bowl in 1963, 1983 and 1986.
