July 13, 2007
Baylor Family,
The summer of 2007 is going quickly and it will be just a few weeks until our fall sport student-athletes return for pre-season camp. At the same time, it has been a very productive summer for our coaches, staff and student-athletes wherein a great deal has been accomplished.
A record number of student-athletes have remained at Baylor this summer to take classes and train in their sport. This has allowed many of our student-athletes to get ahead academically while they prepare themselves for the upcoming athletics season. In my view, the high number of student-athletes in town this summer will translate into positive results both on the field and in the classroom!
Our athletics facilities projects are proceeding well. The Highers Athletics Complex and Simpson Athletics and Academic Center construction is underway. The final designs and floor plans are nearly complete. This facility is going to be truly spectacular and afford Baylor Athletics one of the nation's finest athletics centers. The Bear Place/Bear Heights/Skybox Complex project is proceeding well also. We expect the new seating to be in place by mid-August and final improvements to the skybox area to be complete by the end of August. The improvements to the Ferrell Center first floor will begin very shortly and we look forward to having a new athletics training room and visitor's locker room complete prior to basketball season with the remaining aesthetic improvements ready by the end of the year. The improvements to the Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field that includes an ornamental fence and brick façade are complete. Work on the new press box is yet to get underway, but we anticipate that it can be completed prior to the start of the season.
Since the last Ask Ian, the final NACDA Directors' Cup standings were released. Baylor finished 38th which is the third-best finish in school history behind the last two years results of 25th and 32nd. Clearly, Baylor Athletics is enjoying great momentum and success!
I believe that much of this success can be traced directly to the generosity of our alumni and friends. During the same three-year period where Baylor had its best results in the NACDA Directors' Cup, we experienced record Bear Foundation giving and contributions to capital projects through the Victory With Integrity campaign. Thank you to each of you who have made giving to Baylor Athletics a priority. Your gifts are making a difference and the results are evident.
We are ahead of last year's football season ticket pace and look forward to challenging the single season attendance record that was set last season. Good seats are still available by calling the athletics ticket office at 254-710-1000.
The following are the most recent round of Ask Ian questions.
Ian;
I have two questions:
1. How will the sanctions against Oklahoma affect the listing of Baylor's 2005 season record?
2. Who chooses the Homecoming game each year?
John Ferrell
Arlington, Texas
John,
Thank you for the questions.
The sanctions announced by the NCAA Infractions Committee against the University of Oklahoma call for the results of the 2005 football season to be vacated. You may remember that Baylor lost a double overtime game to OU that season. Oklahoma has indicated that it will appeal its NCAA penalties, so a final determination has yet to be made.
A Homecoming date recommendation for each year is provided by a campus committee to the President's Office for approval. This year, Homecoming will be the weekend of November 3 when Baylor hosts Texas Tech.
Ian
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian;
The magazines and experts don't give BU many wins this season. Do you think the season will go better?
Gary
Fort Worth, Texas
Gary,
I am very optimistic about the upcoming football season and every Baylor fan should feel the same way. I have been very impressed with the new coaches that Coach Morriss has added to his staff. In my view, this is his best coaching staff. The team has had very good summer workouts and is in excellent condition. All of these student-athletes have been recruited by Coach Morriss, and that makes a difference. This year's schedule is favorable both in terms of opponents and when games fall. All of this leads me to be very excited about the prospects for Baylor football in 2007!
Ian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian;
I am a new season ticket buyer and joined the Bear Club. You guys are doing a great job and I want to help. I don't have big bucks, so what else can a fan do to help?
Al
Waco
Al,
I appreciate the kind words and your great attitude. Thanks for being a first time season ticket holder and joining the Bear Foundation. As I mentioned above, your support is making a difference in the success of our athletics program.
One of the other ways that a number of alumni and friends have made considerable gifts without a significant outlay of cash is through estate planning. Baylor, including the athletics program, has been the beneficiary of insurance policies, trusts and estate gifts that in many cases result in the donors reducing tax liability. There are a number of giving instruments that will allow a donor to support Baylor Athletics in a generous way with funds that otherwise would be lost in the form of taxation. For more information on ways to support Baylor, please contact the planned giving area in University Development at 254-710-2561.
Ian
Ian;
When do the basketball schedules come out?
Jarrod K. Trevathan
Waco,Texas
Jarrod,
Thank you for the e-mail. The men's and women's basketball schedules are typically released in August once the Big 12 finalizes the conference schedule.
Ian
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian;
Like the majority of Baylor fans/alumni I live outside of the Waco area and cannot see the progress on the new practice facility. Can we install a web cam so we can monitor the progress? I know other schools have done this when they begin major projects and it has been very beneficial for the donors and fans to monitor.
Thanks
James Franklin
Cibolo, Texas
James,
That is a great idea. We intend to provide either a web cam or video updates on the progress of the Highers Athletics Complex and Simpson Athletics and Academic Center on BaylorBears.com.
Ian
