Chat With Ian McCaw Set For Thursday

Ian McCaw

Baylor athletic director to answer questions from fans at 11 a.m. CT.

Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw will take part in a live chat on BaylorBears.com this Thursday, May 17, at 11 a.m. CT. Submit your questions now and check back to BaylorBears.com on Thursday to hear his thoughts.

Moderator: Thank you for joining us for this morning's chat.

John (Houston): Can you give us an update on our Volleyball program and how impressive this young team is improving. I saw them beat USC in my hometown this past April and they look very good.

Moderator: John, I am very impressed with the progress that Coach Barnes and his staff have made over the past three years. They have recruited extremely well and Baylor will have one of the best young teams in the Big 12 this fall.

Michael Arnold: I'm wondering why we didn't host a regional in softball? And if we win will we host a Super Regional?

Moderator: Michael, the NCAA softball committee awarded Baylor with a number 8 national seed which shows tremendous respect for the performance of the team over the course of the season. Unfortunately, the committee is bound by geographic restrictions in putting together the bracket and is required to minimize the number of flights for the championship. As a result, Baylor will have to play in the Hempstead Region with three teams that do not need to fly. If Baylor wins the regional, we will host a NCAA Super Regional on May 25-27 at Getterman Stadium!

Bubba (Abilene): How many Big 12 championships have the Bears and Lady Bears won this year? Sic'em Bears.

Moderator: Bubba, Baylor has won five Big 12 championships this year which trails only Texas A&M who has won six. This makes 16 Big 12 titles for Baylor in the last four years which also ranks second in the conference over that time behind only Texas who has won 28. We are fortunate to be enjoying a great deal of success thanks to our outstanding coaches and student-athletes.

H. Jones, Memphis: What kind of progress is being made toward the indoor portion of the football practice facility?

Moderator: H., we are still actively fundraising for the Highers Athletics Complex and Simpson Athletics and Academic Center project. We still have a number of attractive naming opportunities available for those interested in supporting this project and helping us complete the funding. At the same time, we intend to continue fundraising for the indoor practice facility. This project will cost an additional $5 million beyond the $34 million for the original project. We have made great progress to this point and need a few more key supporters to help us finish the job!

George (Houston): I am pumped for the on-campus practice building. When will it be done? Thanks for all the big time fundraising you got done on these projects. What will be the next building project?

Moderator: George, I am excited as well. This will be a spectacular facility that will benefit every student-athlete and team at Baylor, expecially the football program. It is scheduled to be completed in August of 2008. There has been a great deal of successful fundraising and generous support on the part of many people especially the Highers and Simpson families, and XTO Energy. We are grateful for them making such a huge impact on Baylor Athletics! The next projects to complete in Victory With Integrity include the indoor tennis facility, on-campus track and field complex and as previously mentioned an indoor practice facility.

Christy (McGregor): What is the next sport going to be at Baylor?

Moderator: Christy, Baylor's Board of Regents has resolved to add an 11th women's intercollegiate sport in 2010-11. With that, we have been working with our Title IX consultant on the sports that we should consider. I expect that a decision will be made in 2009-10. Also, just in, Baylor men's tennis defeated Alabama 4-0 this morning to advance to the Elite 8. Congratulations to Coach Knoll and his team.

Diego (Houston): What are the possibilities in the future of a new football stadium being built, and the likleyhood of it being located on the north side of University Parks Drive near the Turner Riverfront Complex?

Moderator: Diego, I don't believe that there is enough space on University Parks to build a football stadium especially considering the needs for parking and traffic flow. We are committed to Floyd Casey Stadium and have made many improvements in the past several years. Prior to the 2007 season, we will be upgrading Bear Place, Bear Heights and the Skybox Complex. Also, upon completion of the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center, we will have vacated space in the North End Zone Complex to make additional improvements.

Stephen (Waco): Our student attendance at games (especially football)is well behind other big conference schools. What is being done, besides the point reward system, to get students out to the games?

Moderator: Stephen, our marketing staff has done an incredible job in growing our student attendance at games. We have witnessed a dramatic increase in student attendance at all sports, and especially at football and men's basketball. The rewards program, pre-game tailgate and complimentary parking, Bear Pit, and a variety of other promotional efforts have made important contributions in this area. As a percentage of our student body, we are doing as well or better than other institutions in the Big 12 in student attendance. Where we need to make greater progress is gaining more community members and alumni as season ticket holders and members of the Bear Foundation. If you have not renewed your BBF membership or puchased your 2007 football season tickets, please do so before May 31. Thank you!

David Creasey - Houston: Baylor's Football Team clearly has made some good strides over the past several years to become more competitive. Last year's team was very experienced, but we have obviously been hit by a high number of graduating seniors. So this year we appear to have a very young team have a lot of new faces. The defense looks to be competitive, but there must be some concern about the offense. Can you comment specifically on your thoughts/views on whether or not the 2007 can really be as competitive? The pre-conference games are "winnable", but how do you think this young team will hold up in the conference games?

Moderator: David, Baylor football has made considerable progress under Coach Morriss and I look for that to continue. The coaching staff is receiving a great response in recruiting and we had a successful spring on the field. Our expectation is to reach a bowl game in 2007, and I believe that our schedule is conducive to achieving that goal.

Andrew O'Malley San Antonio: When can we expect to see the final plans for the new football facility? Also, have you given any thought to using a web cam so out of town fans and donors of the project cannot montior the progess? Pictures are ok but this project deserves real time access for the loyal fan base.

Moderator: Andrew, the Highers Athletics Complex and Simpson Athletics and Academic Center project is a design-build which means that we will still be developing final plans with the architect when the project gets underway. A design-build allows the project to move forward under the most aggressive timetable which is important to us in order to occupy the facility for the 2008 football season. Therefore, we do not have final plans to show at this time. We have discussed having both photographs and a webcam so that fans are able observe the progress of the facility.

Chuck Reeves (Waco): This year I started attended spring sports since returning to Waco 3 years ago. I am very pleased with our results. Thank you and the teams for such fun.

Moderator: Chuck, this has been a great spring for Baylor Athletics and we have more excitement in store. The spring teams have achieved a great deal of success and it has been exciting to watch how the community and fans have responded as evidenced by growth in ticket sales and attendance at baseball, softball and tennis.

John (Garland): What do you know about the recruits coming in for Coach Mulkey next season? I know one had an injury, do we have an update on her status for next season?

Moderator: I know that Coach Mulkey has recruited two guards and a post player to join the Lady Bears in the fall. I believe that she expects all three incoming recruits to make an immediate contribution. It should be another great year for Lady Bear basketball!

Jason- Houston: I have heard talk about an annual football game between Baylor and Notre Dame to be played in Dallas. Is there any truth to this rumor?

Moderator: Jason, we are not prepared to make an announcement at this time, but we have been in discussion with Notre Dame regarding a future football game. As you may have followed in the media, Notre Dame is interested in having off-site games in several locations around the country including Dallas. These off-site games would rotate among a variety of cities with Notre Dame playing in each location once every four or five years.

Bruce (Baton Rouge): Who is up for nomination for the Baylor Hall of Fame this year?

Moderator: Bruce, the B Association Hall of Fame class is selected every September prior to the induction ceremony which occurs later in the fall. Any letterwinner is eligible to make a nomination and we have an existing pool of approximately 30 candidates who will be considered. We have so many outstanding former student-athletes and coaches that this is a very challenging process for the committee each year. To be sure, we will have another outstanding class in 2007!

Moderator: Thank you for all of the great questions and joining us for today's chat. Let's cheer on our teams as we close another great year for Baylor Athletics!

Chat With Ian McCaw Set For Thursday

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