Explainers

Freshmen stopping cars in the dark. A kissing toll. Rivals sneaking onto campus to steal the beloved bear mascots. Baylor’s bonfire tradition holds more history than meets the eye. In 1909, Baylor held — depending on who you ask — what’s now recognized as the nation’s first collegiate homecoming. The reunion was held during Thanksgiving

You might know Baylor Men’s Choir for its impressive social media following — over 174,000 followers on Instagram (that’s even more followers than the Baylor Men’s Basketball team has!) But the choir that is now a viral social media sensation had humble beginnings, dating all the way back to 1895 when a small group of

Student newspapers are vital for keeping students and faculty updated about university happenings. Throughout its lifetime, Baylor’s student-run newspaper, The Baylor Lariat, has produced over 12,000 issues. The first-ever issue was published November 8, 1900, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in Texas.  The first editor was Joseph M. Dawson, who would go

To be a female student at Baylor in the 1930s required following a lot of rules — and we mean A LOT! Each academic year, Baylor would develop a Handbook for Dormitory Women detailing the expectations female students were expected to abide by during their time studying at Baylor.  Young women at Baylor were encouraged

Harry Burmeister made two notable accomplishments during his undergraduate years at Baylor, establishing his iconic legacy in the Baylor story. One was being a founding member of the secret society dedicated to pranks and mischief, which lives on today: the NoZe Brothers. The second was establishing a small restaurant that would soon become a Baylor

On the corner of Fifth Street and Webster Avenue sits an ornate church that, to the untrained eye, looks somewhat out of place in downtown Waco. Just a few blocks from Baylor University and even closer to the Magnolia Silos, Waco visitors may wonder what this beautiful church is doing here. But the truth is,

A statue on Baylor’s campus wakes up one morning with a bright pink nose. Nobody claims it. And nobody has to — everyone already knows. The NoZe brothers at Baylor University have certainly developed a brand for themselves — one based completely on silliness and utter nonsense.  The NoZe Brothers, originally Noze Brothers, date back

One of Waco’s most beautiful homes, tucked away on Austin Avenue under a canopy of trees, is called the Cottonland Castle. While most Wacoans would likely recognize the beautiful structure that looks like it belongs in medieval times, they might not know just how amazing the story of the women who once owned the home

It was 1910, and Josiah Blake Tidwell had just taken over as head of Baylor’s Religion Department. Up to that point, the primary purpose of the religious studies programs at Baylor was to prepare students to become ministers, and the entire Baylor Bible Department had just moved to Fort Worth to become an official independent

When university life feels bust, sometimes all a student needs is to break outside of the Baylor bubble and be in nature. That’s exactly what Cameron Park has been offering students since its dedication in 1910, just 2 miles down the road from campus. Today, the park doesn’t just offer students an escape. The University

While Baylor’s 50th anniversary passed without much fanfare, its 75th could not have been more different. The Diamond Jubilee was an all-out celebration of all that Baylor had accomplished throughout its lifespan — and there truly was so much to celebrate. While the school started as essentially a small liberal arts college, by 1920 it

Who knew the first bridge permanent across the Brazos River in Waco would become home to an iconic Baylor tradition: tortilla tossing! Today, the bridge is only for pedestrian crossings, though its history as an integral thoroughfare begins long before Baylor moved to Waco. Baylor students have adopted it for the tradition of tortilla tossing.

If there is one thing former President Pat Neff knew about Baylor’s centennial celebration in 1945, it’s that he wanted it to be BIG! So big, in fact, that he began the planning process seven years before the big day.  Neff decided to celebrate Baylor’s centennial with a new Student Union Building, creating the Centennial

Home to All-University Sing and Student Chapel, Waco Hall is an iconic center for music and performance at Baylor University. The building was dedicated amid commencement festivities in 1930, but the journey to get there required the support of the Waco community, and the venue has come to represent the unbreakable bond between Baylor and

Our little Baptist school in the middle of Texas has surprisingly seen its fair share of U.S. presidents throughout the years. In 1947, Harry Truman visited Baylor — the first president ever to do so. During his visit, he was awarded an honorary law degree and spoke to students and faculty about peace and economics

Finding a campus job to help pay for your education is pretty common among Baylor students, but Neill Coker Morris had perhaps the most uncommon campus job of all — milking the cows on the university dairy farm! Morris’ story starts with Professor T.H. Claypool.  Imagine running an entire university department on your own. Well,

Samuel Palmer Brooks had a long and winding road to getting the education that would equip him to become Baylor’s seventh president — and because of that, he never took for granted the power of learning.  Brooks was the oldest of eight children, and he first laid eyes on Baylor when his family attempted to

John S. Tanner is a name that has been somewhat lost in Baylor’s long-reaching history. However, this man not only left a lasting legacy at the University but was also almost its president.  From his first year at Baylor, Tanner marked himself as a studious man. He was always reading and studying and was even

For children of professors and faculty, growing up on a college campus is like growing up on the world’s largest playground – especially when that campus is as beautiful as Baylor. The University grounds are full of secret hiding spots, sprawling landscapes, and endless adventure.   Albert Meroney, son of William Penn Meroney — professor and

Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) is a multi-million dollar genre that millions of Americans listen to every day. However, few people may know that a record label founded in Waco, Texas, by a Baylor University graduate helped spark the genre’s success.  Jarrell McCracken, a sportscaster and ministry student at Baylor in the ‘50s, was working in