Oct. 6, 2005

• Archive of past Q&A's
  
• Submit your questions for Ian now!
  
  Ian,

It has been a month now since the gold helmets have been sent off to be repaired. What has been the delay, and when can we see the traditional Baylor look return to the field.

David Hyde
Dallas, Texas

David,

It is my understanding that there was a shipping delay in getting helmets to the manufacturer. They are back on campus and the plan is to wear them for the Nebraska game next weekend.

Ian

Congratulations to Guy and his staff for a tremendous effort against Texas A&M. We are proud of the program and the great gains. Keep it up.

Michael A. Kirkwood
Huntsville, Texas

Michael,

The Bears played a very good game against Texas A&M on Saturday and put themselves in position for a road win against a very talented team. However, a few mistakes cost us dearly. I expect that we will build upon this strong performance and play very well at Iowa State this weekend.

The football program has come a long way under Coach Morriss over the past couple of seasons and we are very excited about the future. If you have not already made plans to do so, please come out and support the team when they return home and face Nebraska on October 15 at 6:00 p.m.!

Ian

Home football games are a big part of a freshman's college experience. Thus far in the semester, there has only been one, as compared to three or more in years passed. Is an effort being made to adjust scheduling for more home games in future schedules?

Jordan Johnson
San Diego, Calif.

Jordan,

Thanks for the e-mail and being part of the Baylor Line! We were really pleased with the student attendance at the Samford game and expect another great student crowd for Nebraska next week.

I agree that football is an important part of the college experience. We had an unusual schedule this year due to a non-conference road game we inherited and starting the Big 12 schedule with consecutive road games. The great news is that four of the final six games are at home this season.

Next year's schedule will feature four of the first five games being played at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Ian

Why isn't Baylor selling tickets for the Texas A&M game? The cheapest tickets I found were $80. This will turn away many Baylor fans that are willing to travel. If you could figure something out that is reasonable that would be great.

Thanks for your help.

Rick Anderson
Houston, Texas

Rick,

Baylor did sell nearly 1,000 tickets to the Texas A&M game last Saturday. You are correct that the prices at A&M and throughout the Big 12 are significantly higher than what we charge at Baylor. The lowest priced seat at Texas A&M is $60.

I recognize that these prices represented sticker shock to some of our fans, however, those are the economic realities within the Big 12. As our football and basketball programs enjoy success, we will need to increase ticket prices and required donations for premium seating if we desire to remain competitive in this conference.

I hope that all of our fans want Baylor teams to be competing for championship and postseason appearances. If we don't increase these revenues streams, it will not be possible to adequately fund our programs, retain our outstanding coaches and achieve competitive success.

Ian

Many people who made the trip to West Point have told me that Army does a wonderful job of hosting a football game, in terms of treating the opposing side in a manner that leaves them impressed with the institution. Did you see anything on your own visit there that we might try?

Thanks for a great Spring and Fall--

Mark Osler
Waco, Texas

Mark,

Thank you for the e-mail and your support!

The Army trip was a wonderful experience for the fans who attended. Much of what makes the U.S. Military Academy truly special is unable to be replicated. In touring the campus, it was exciting to learn the history of West Point and details about great leaders such as George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas McArthur who spent their formative years at the academy. Moreover, the viewing of the Cadets on Saturday morning and military pageantry left Baylor fans bursting with pride in their country and military.

While Baylor is certainly not able to replicate the historical aspects of West Point, we did garner some ideas about enhancing our hospitality and game day experience that we are able to apply on our campus.

Ian

I am a new football season ticket holder, went to SMU game and going to the A&M game. I'm really excited about where our team is headed.

My question is related to ESPN GamePlan.I have this service and have noticed some small and not so stellar teams get TV coverage more than a few times. I don't believe that Baylor has ever had a game on GamePlan and wonder what the reasons are for that?

Thanks,

Mark Wood
Austin, Texas

Mark,

Thank you for the e-mail and thank you for being one of our many first time football season ticket holders! I share your excitement about the direction of the football program.

ESPN Gameplan will not include Baylor except when we play a non-conference road game against an institution in a conference that has an ESPN football contract. The Big 12 television partner is Fox Sports and they have exclusivity for all Big 12 games and home non-conference games.

Ian

Great job with all of the changes you have made in Baylor athletics. You have made tremendous improvements and it is a great time to be a Baylor fan.

My question is about a conflict in the schedule with football and volleyball on Oct. 15th. Why would two Baylor athletic events be schedule at the same time? Is there any way that volleyball could be moved up to a Friday, Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon match?

I appreciate you taking my questions and thanks for all you do!

Stephen
Waco, Texas

Stephen,

Thanks for the e-mail and noticing this potential conflict.

Since starting times for home football games are not determined until either 12 or 6 days before the game due to television selections, we have to make adjustments to our football and volleyball schedules. In the case of October 15, the Nebraska - Baylor football game was not selected for television and we have set the start time for 6:00 p.m. In turn, we will start the volleyball match featuring Baylor versus Kansas State at 1:30 on Saturday afternoon. I encourage fans to take in both of these great events!

Ian

Recently Oklahoma State athletics rented a billboard just a few blocks from Floyd Casey Stadium. I don't know about the legality of doing this, but I feel that this is in very poor taste.

Have you spoken with your counterpart at Oklahoma State about this matter or someone in the Big XII office? I have never heard of a conference member doing this in the home town of a fellow conference member and feel that this sets a very poor precedent. What are your views on this subject?

Jim Wright
Dallas, Texas

Jim,

Thank you for the e-mail. The OSU billboard has been a point of contention among many people in our community. After we learned about it, we contacted both Oklahoma State and the Big 12 Conference to express concerns about the billboard.

In addition to it being a dubious practice to put up a billboard in another institution's market, we had serious concerns about its message and close proximity to Waco's University High. We believe that it was an impermissible recruiting tool under NCAA rules.

After several communications between the conference and institutions, it is my understanding that the billboard has come down and that the institution will turn in this incident as a NCAA violation.

Ian

Fans can expect to see a couple of exciting new features at Floyd Casey Stadium next Saturday. We have installed a South End Zone cover that includes graphics and the slogan, "This Is Bear Country". In addition, the new NFL-style chairback seats will be in place in the new Bear Club area. We thank fans for their patience and cooperation during this process.

We have added gates to the East side of the Grant Teaff Plaza that beautifully finish off this project. The dedication ceremony will be held at 4:45 p.m. and fans are welcome to attend. Scheduled speakers include Interim President Bill Underwood, Grant Teaff, and Mike Singletary.

Baylor will be submitting the final version of the NCAA Certification report on October 14. There is still time for any interested fans to review the report at BaylorBears.com and provide feedback to the steering committee.

Basketball practice will begin on Saturday, October 15 with both the men's and women's team taking the floor for practices at the Ferrell Center. The defending national champion Lady Bears will have their first practice beginning at 9:00 a.m., while the men's practice is closed to the public. Due to a scheduling conflict with the university's philanthropy banquet on Friday evening, we were unable to hold a start of practice event on Friday night.