| Chat with Athletic Director Ian McCaw Baylor Athletic Director Ian McCaw hosted a live chat recently on BaylorBears.com. Check out what what McCaw and Baylor fans chatted about by reading the below text. |
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| Moderator: We're about five minutes away from starting our chat with Athletic Director Ian McCaw. You can either post your questions now or wait until the chat begins at 11 a.m. CST. |
 |  | Ian McCaw: Good morning and thank you for joining our chat. |
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| Lloyd (Ft. Worth, Tx): Mr. McCaw, I just want to pay compliments to the football team. I was really impressed by what coach Briles & the team did this yr. They really need to be commended on a job well done, I'm really proud of them this yr. They have really put forth a great foundation for the yrs to come so please tell them a job well done & lets look forward to GREAT yrs to follow. Congratulations, Sic em Bears!! |
| | Ian McCaw: Lloyd, thank you for the kind words about Coach Briles and Baylor football. We are very excited about the progress of our program and look forward to 2009 being a special season for the Bears. The best way our fans can support the program is to purchase season tickets and fill up Floyd Casey Stadium and create a great atmopshere. |
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| Percy Wilson (Houston): Hey, the new site is cool and the pictures of the Simpson building are crazy good. What is going to happen with the Stadium now that y'all have moved out. |
| | Ian McCaw: Percy, we have received a number of positive comments about the new-look Baylorbears.com website. Our staff in media relations is to be commended. We have an architect working with the athletics department on re-purposing the space in the North End Zone Complex now that our coaches and staff have moved out. We are studying opportunities for the Bear Foundation, B Association, suites, club seats, a Hall of Fame area and visitor's locker room. |
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| Duane (Waco): I liked your comments at the Bear Foundation meeting this weekend. Could you give a summary to fans and Foundation members who couldn't make it the meeting? |
| | Ian McCaw: Duane, I shared with the Bear Foundation members how important it is that we raise scholarship support for our student-athletes. The record $5.5 million in gifts that we received last year is critical to the success of our program. Beyond that, I shared a state of Baylor Athletics and expressed how well our program is performing in all aspects. The five areas that I highlighted were student-athlete experience, personnel, political environement, resource acquisition and facilities. I am grateful to our Bear Foundation board, volunteers and members for their support. If you are not already a member of the BBF, please join today! |
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| Chris: I can't thank you and Coach Drew enough for bringing us back from the scandal. Those were dark days and these are the best time ever to be a Baylor fan. Will you guys stay at Baylor for the rest of your careers. |
| | Ian McCaw: Chris, thank you for the kind e-mail. It is a privilege to serve at Baylor. Coach Drew and his staff have done an incredible job in rebuilding our men's basketball program and turning it into a championship caliber program. I hope that we are able to work together at Baylor for many years to come. |
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| Fred in Waco: The economy and everyone is hurting yet you have this big $$$ building. Doesn't Byalor feel the effect of the economy? |
| | Ian McCaw: Fred, we are very fortunate to be ahead in all of our revenue lines at this point in the fiscal year. Season ticket sales, fundraising, television and corporate sponsorship revenues are ahead of budget and last year's numbers, so we are grateful and encouraged that the recession will not have a significant impact on our program. The Highers Athletics Complex fundraising has been extraordinary as we have received two of the three largest gifts ever to the university, along with contributions from more than 130 donors. |
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| Jim (Dallas): Ian, With the Simpson-Highers complex completed and the Allison Indoor Practice field coming on-line in July, what are the priorities for remaining facility improvements? It seems that there would only be a few items femaining on the improvement list: Indoor tennis facility, moving Track & Field to campus, and continued improvements at Floyd Casey Stadium. What is the priority for these projects and are we getting close to having any of these projects funded? |
| | Ian McCaw: Jim, thanks for your questions. As you mentioned, the Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Football Practice facility is underway and expected to be complete in July. We will be adding three additional outdoor tennis courts at the Baylor Tennis Center in the coming months and are planning an improvement at Getterman Stadium. The Victory With Integrity campaign calls for an indoor tennis facility and on-campus track and field facility. We are anxious to move forward with these projects. In addition, as mentioned above, we are preparing to re-purpose Floyd Casey Stadium. As with all of our capital projects, we rely on donor support and move forward as soon as financial support is available. |
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| Jim (Dallas): My brother and I had a great tour of the new facilities. WOW is the only way to describe it. Great, great job!!!! What are the next projects that you have coming up? |
| | Ian McCaw: Jim, we are very excited about the Highers Athletics Complex and Simpson Athletics and Academic Center. We had nearly 1,000 visitors tour the facility following the dedication on Friday afternoon and your response is representative of what our staff heard. We are fortunate to have one of the finest facilities of its kind in the nation! |
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| Kyle (Waco): What do you think about how the Big 12 currently decides on which team is going to represent the north/south in the big 12 football championship game? Do the college AD's have a say in that? |
| | Ian McCaw: Kyle, this has been a hot topic in recent days. The current tie-breaking procedure was developed when the conference was created. The ADs typically review these policies when issues arise, so I expect that we will have some discussion during our annual meetings in May. Personally, I am comfortable with the existing tie-breaking procedure, however, I favor an eight team playoff instead of the BCS model. |
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| Cully (Bryan): Your job involves many facets, obviously. In your oversight of areas of the department other than the courts/fields of play, such as ticket sales, marketing, media relations, play-by-play, and fundraising, where do you see the greatest need for improvement? |
| | Ian McCaw: Cully, thanks for your e-mail. As I mentioned above, our coaches and staff are doing an extraordinary job in all aspects of our program. Baylor Athletics is fortunate to have great people who are also outstanding professionals, and the results are showing. While we have made great progress, it is vital that we continue to grow our base (season ticket holders and donors) in order to reach our goals. The Waco community and our alumni and friends around the State need to be involved. Fortunately, we are seeing evidence of this growth taking place. |
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| Xavier (Houston): Any plans or insight on how you plan market Robert Griffin for the upcoming season for better ticket sales and incoming recruits? |
| | Ian McCaw: Xavier, Robert is a special student-athlete and he is having a positive impact in both selling tickets and recruiting. I expect that his influence will continue to grow along with our opportunities to afford him and our football and track programs increased exposure. He is also a very strong student, and great young Christian man. We are glad that he is a Baylor Bear! |
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| Mark D. Johnson Oviedo, FL: I know it's way early, but any Non-Conference games planned for TV in 2009? With the way we played in 2008 I'm ready for the new season today! |
| | Ian McCaw: Mark, we have had some interest from television in the Connecticut game. The Wake Forest game has been mentioned, but seems less likely for television. I do not anticipate television for either Northwestern State or Kent. Overall, I expect that we will have another great year of television exposure particularly with our Big 12 South contests. |
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| Parker (Houston): First, loving Baylor Basketball!!! It's been decades (way too long) since there was so much excitement on campus and great press about the Bears. My question is, when are fans going to be able to use credit cards at the concessions in the Ferrell Center and other venues? Sure would help for sales in today's world when a lot of people don't carry cash. Thanks. Also, football recruiting looks like it is going great and the practice facility is BEAUTIFUL. |
| | Ian McCaw: Parker, thanks for the question and comments. We need our fans to fill the Ferrell Center this year and cheer on the Bears and Lady Bears. Both programs are nationally ranked and playing very well. I will pass along your question about credit cards to our staff and see what can be done. We are excited about football recruiting, as well as all of our sports. Our coaches are recruiting at a very, very high level. |
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| Joseph (Waco): Ian, Thanks for all the work you do! The results clearly show the success and improvement of our athletic department, so thank you. I have a bit of a different question for you just out of curiosity for what it's like to be an AD. What would you say is the best part of your job of being the Athletic Director of Baylor? Conversely, what's the toughest part of the job? Thanks again, and have a merry Christmas, Ian. |
| | Ian McCaw: Joseph, thank you for the question and kind words. The best part of my job is working with our tremendous coaches, staff and student-athletes. A close second would be interacting with our donors and fans who are so passionate and supportive of Baylor Athletics. While many people have tough jobs, I cannot complain about any aspect of being the AD at Baylor. I feel blessed to come to work each day and am grateful to serve at a great Christian university. |
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| | Ian McCaw: Thank you for joining us for this morning's chat. I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Mark it down, 2009 will be an extraordinary year for Baylor Athletics!!! |
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