Jan. 6, 2005
Ian:
I was watching Inside Baylor Sports recently and saw that after the first of the year that the Grant Teaff Plaza is going to be completed. What exactly will that mean? Will there be new walkways throughout the whole stadium, or is this just a certain area at Floyd Casey?
Thanks for your time, keep up the fantastic job you have been doing so far!!!
Parker Willis
Houston, Texas
Parker,
Thank you for the question about the Grant Teaff Plaza. The project will include extending the beautiful wrought-iron fence and brickwork that exists on the west side of the stadium around the south and east sides as well. In addition, we will be making a number of other aesthetic improvements including painting, signage, and new graphic elements.
If you have not already done so, please consider making a contribution to the Grant Teaff Plaza Project. To date, we have private support of nearly $700,000 toward a $1 million goal. However, we need the support of all Baylor fans in order to complete the project in a first class manner. For more information about the project or to make a donation on-line, visit the athletic website at www.BaylorBears.com.
Ian
Ian, I recall that negotiations for new terms to the contract of Coach Matt Knoll had started, but earlier in the semester, a deal had not been reached. While I appreciate the confidentiality of the contract and the substance of the negotiations, I was curious whether a new contract had been signed. Coach Knoll has certainly put Baylor tennis on the map.
Also, has any announcement been made regarding any spring term additions to the men's tennis team?
Cully Lipsey
Bryan, Texas
Cully,
I appreciate the question. Unfortunately, as you may know, I do not publicly discuss the status of any coach's contract as we consider contracts to be private personnel matters.
We are looking forward to Coach Knoll having an outstanding team this spring. The team is ranked first nationally entering the year and will be competing to win the national championship.
There will be additional student-athletes joining the program and we will make an announcement shortly after the spring semester at Baylor begins.
We are looking for a great year from the women's tennis team as well!
Ian
Ian: Hey Ian...great work! Just wondering what happened to Ivor Lovrak from the tennis team? He is no longer on the roster on the website and played a huge role in the men's tennis title last year. Is he still at Baylor?
Ray
Waco, Texas
Ray,
Thank you for the question regarding Ivor Lovrak. Ivor transferred to a Division I school on the West Coast. This announcement will be made by this institution. He will be eligible for competition this spring.
Ian
Ian, I have been impressed with the BaylorBears website and was wondering about the amount of traffic that you have on it?
Randy
Waco, Texas
Randy,
Our media relations staff does a terrific job with the site and we frequently receive positive comments such as yours.
The BaylorBears.com website is enjoying tremendous popularity among fans as the number of visitors is growing by month at a tremendous trajectory. In the month of October alone, we had more than 114,000 unique visitors and nearly 4 million pages viewed. In addition, our ticket and merchandise sales through the website have reached an all-time high.
Our fans have also enjoyed our on-line auction feature that has resulted in strong interest from fans in purchasing authentic Baylor items.
Ian
Ian:
Our family is looking forward to coming to the UT - Lady Bears game on Saturday. The Ferrell Center parking lot has been filling up early for the last two home games. Is there anything that you are doing to make it easier for fans to park?
William
Hillsboro, Texas
William,
There has been a tremendous amount of attention focused on the Baylor - Texas women's basketball game on Saturday. Although it is early in the season, it is a game that everyone seems to have circled on their calendar.
Our marketing staff has planned Operation 10K which is designed to help pack the stands with over 10,000 fans and break the record of 10,031 for a regular season Lady Bear game. Needless to say, we expect a large and loud crowd!
To ease anticipated traffic congestion and parking problems, we have arranged for a shuttle service to run continually from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from three Baylor pickup sites: the Marina, the Alumni Center and the Wiethorn Visitors Center. We encourage fans to park in any of these locations along with the Ferrell Center lot. Most important though, please make sure that you purchase your game tickets in advance in order to avoid lines at the door. Fans can either purchase tickets on-line at BaylorBears.com or by calling the Baylor ticket office at (254) 710-1000 or 1-800-BAYLORU opt. 7. Don't forget to wear Gold. Sic'em Bears!
Ian
Ian, Not a question, just a comment. Great win by the basketball team over Purdue. Why does the team wear black uniforms?
Earl Smith
West, Texas
Earl,
The men's basketball team's win over Purdue put the exclamation point on a great 2004 year for Baylor Athletics. Winning on the road against a Big 10 opponent in a tough environment is a tremendous accomplishment for Coach Drew and his team. e are also very excited about the team's five-game winning streak heading into conference play.
Over the last several years a number of Baylor teams have begun to use the color black in uniforms. Many of our coaches and student-athletes find black a desirable color in terms appearance, and feel strongly that they want to wear black on uniforms.
At the direction of senior administration and the Board of Regents, we have encouraged all of our teams to limit the use of black and favor the traditional Baylor colors of green and gold.
Ian
Final Thoughts
I want to extend great appreciation to Associate Athletic Director Tom Hill and his staff for their outstanding efforts in hosting the deployment ceremony for the 56th Brigade Combat Team at Floyd Casey Stadium on January 1st. It was an emotional and patriotic day for the citizen soldiers along with their families and friends. More than 25,000 attended the ceremony and sent off the troops in a first class manner!
Tom also coordinated the Operation Phone Card program that reached its fundraising goal of $120,000 and thereby provided pre-paid phone cards to each of the Texas Army National Guard troops deploying to Iraq. The 3,000 citizen soldiers received a 140-minute phone card to call back to loved ones in the United States. Thank you to all who contributed to this worthwhile program.
I recently had an opportunity to review the grades of each Baylor student-athlete from the fall semester and the overall performance was very strong. Special congratulations to the men's golf and women's soccer teams for posting the highest team GPAs this fall at 3.24!
We have had a number of inquiries from students about joining the cheerleaders or dance team. That information is available on the university website at www.baylor.edu and then click under student life and campus recreation to get to spirit squads.
Happy New Year and thanks again for your support of Baylor Athletics.
Ian
