Getting to know the Baylor Bears, where 'great tradition' grows out of shameful scandal

Editor’s note: This is part of the Star’s ongoing “Big 12 Blitz” series, where we introduce U of A fans to the on- and off-field need-to-know details surrounding each member of the new 16-team Big 12. Today: Baylor University, located in Waco Texas.

The Star's Big 12 Blitz is presented by Tucson Appliance Company.

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There have been an abundance of memorable moments in Baylor sports history. But there have also been moments not worthy of celebration. Then there have been downright shameful historical moments at BU.

Some, like CBS Sports national college football reporter and Baylor alumnus Shehan Jeyarajah (pronounced sheh-hawn jay-uhh-raw-juh), have seen just about everything.

Jeyarajah’s first year as a student at Baylor was in 2012, the year after Baylor star quarterback Robert Griffin III won the school’s first-ever Heisman Trophy; that’s “when things really exploded.” Baylor won two Big 12 football championships in 2013 and ‘14 and had three straight seasons with 10 or more wins.

Yet, Jeyarajah’s last class before graduating from Baylor was on May 26, 2016, the day former football coach Art Briles was fired. Briles was dismissed from his post amid an independent investigation into multiple sexual and physical assaults involving Baylor football players.

“Quite a time, right?” Jeyarajah said.

Baylor is one of the original Big 12 schools. In 1996, the Bears, along with other Southwestern Conference members in Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech, joined forces with schools from the Big Eight to the create the Big 12.

A private Baptist university in Waco, Texas, Baylor is named after R.E.B Baylor, a former Baptist minister and Texas district judge. With Texas bolting for the SEC, Baylor is now one of four Texas universities in the Big 12, along with Texas Tech, Houston and TCU, the Bears’ biggest rival.

The Baylor-TCU rivalry is known as the “Bluebonnet Battle,” named after the state flower of Texas; they bloom alongside the road on Interstate-35 between Fort Worth and Waco.

Prior to the start of the 2024 football season, Jeyarajah shared with the Star a bit of the history of Baylor athletics, his BU sports “Mount Rushmore” and the best place to eat in Waco. Spoiler alert: it’s barbecue.

Here’s a portion of that conversation (which has been lightly edited):

How would you tell the story of Baylor athletics?

A: “This is an athletic department, especially since 2016, has taken itself very seriously and try to find the right way to do things. It’s fascinating, because being a private school in this new era is so interesting. Just a little bit about Baylor, it’s about 90 minutes from Dallas and 90 minutes from Austin, right in between on Interstate-35. You pull from a lot from the state; East Texas, Central Texas, West Texas and North Texas as well.

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“The other piece, it’s a historically Baptist university so you get a lot of the religious influence. Also, it’s a place that people have a lot of pride in and would love to see them win. You see what Baylor (men’s) basketball was able to do over the last couple of years, winning their first national championship, there’s a lot of pride in that. You’ve obviously seen what the football has been.

“When this team is good, people really show up and support. McLane Stadium, to me, is one of the coolest venues in college football. I think Arizona fans will have a great time if they make it down to Waco.”

How would you rank the sports hierarchy at Baylor?

A: “The reality is, whether or not you’re good at football, if you play in the state of Texas, your number one sport is football. Football is the number one priority at Baylor.

“It’s hard to compare men’s and women’s basketball, because they have both been very successful programs, but after (former women’s basketball head coach) Kim Mulkey (left for LSU) and with (men’s basketball head coach) Scott Drew still here, men’s basketball will probably take a slight edge over women’s basketball. But women’s basketball is a top priority at Baylor as well.

“Then you go down the list as well and they have a fantastic softball team under coach Glenn Moore, who’s been there for more than 20 years.

“They have a really, really good tennis program and have one of the top 10 tennis facilities in the entire United States, and have hosted several NCAA national championships because of it.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention volleyball which, under Ryan McGuyre, has become a really good program. The big-revenue sports are certainly top of mind at Baylor, but they’ve really made some hay as well in some other sports.”

Who comes to mind when you think about a sports Mount Rushmore for Baylor sports? Robert Griffin III, Brittney Griner, Mike Singletary and who else?

A: “Those three certainly end up on the list. Some others come to mind for me. When you talk about the non-revenue sports, someone like Yossiana Pressley, the volleyball player who was competing for (AVCA) National Player of the Year multiple times.

“On the basketball court, Jared Butler, to me, is their number one basketball player. Even though he’s not someone who was a star in the NBA, he was a great, great, great college basketball player.

“Another one you have to mention is Michael Johnson, the fastest man in the world from 1996, who won (multiple gold medals, in the men’s 200 and 400 meter events at) the Olympic games back in Atlanta. There’s a great tradition here.

“Baylor is historically known for their 400-meter runners. Jeremy Wariner is one, and he has also competed at the Olympics and won a gold medal. There’s a lot of options, but those ones that you mentioned are at the top of the list.”

Where’s the best place to eat in Waco?

A:“It has changed so much in the last decade, especially with Magnolia (Market, known as “The Silos” and made famous by TV personalities Joanna and Chip Gaines) and all of that coming in.

“I think one of the best places I had when I was there — they opened up two barbecue spots that are Top 50 on the Texas Monthly list, which is like the holy grail of barbecue rankings.

“Helberg Barbecue is one that I’ve tried not long ago, and it’s amazing. When you come to Texas, Central Texas especially, the brisket you’re going to try is out of this world. The level of brisket you find in Texas is truly remarkable. Helberg would be my number one spot to stop by.”