The thought was that the Bears might be better off going the way of other private schools - such as Southern Methodist and Texas Christian - into conferences of less prestige but being more competitive.
With national championships in women’s basketball and men’s tennis, College World Series appearances in baseball and softball, an internationally renowned track program and a resurgence in men’s basketball, Baylor belongs in the Big 12.
However, in the football vernacular, the Bears have mostly been accommodating doormats for the last dozen years. Some of their faithful will jump at little sprigs of hope that occasionally pop up, only to be drenched under a deluge of blowout defeats.
Although there have been innumerable false alarms over the years, the latest sign of revival might just be the one that sticks - the arrival of coach Art Briles and quarterback Robert Griffin.
Briles was the right choice for the job. He fits the Waco mold. He speaks the language. But his bringing in an instant impact player in Griffin, fresh out of Copperas Cove, gives the Bears a springboard that could launch them up the Big 12 South ranks. It took just one game to mute any hint of a quarterback controversy.
Griffin, as witnessed in his Bulldawgs days under Jack Welch, hates to lose and he has the tools to do something about it. A world-class hurdler, he can change a game with his feet and his arm. And he’s among the top 10 passers in the nation.
No, this isn’t a trumpet signaling a football dynasty at Baylor, that vaunted Oklahoma should enter Floyd Casey Stadium with quivering cleats on Saturday and that bowl invitations are soon to be stamped. But these could be the days to point back to in a couple of years if and when the Bears make good on their hope.
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This space was used several weeks ago to report on the recollections of former Temple Wildcats Noble Doss and Keifer Marshall during their days as Texas football players as recorded in the book, “What it Means to be a Longhorn.”
The first and oldest ex-Longhorn to deliver a short memoir was Cameron native Howard Terry, who played offensive line and linebacker from 1935-37. These were not the salad days of Longhorn lore.
Terry tells the story of the 1936 game against Baylor in Austin. The Longhorns opened the season with a tie and a win before the Bears came to town. Texas jumped out to an 18-0 lead in the first quarter.
In an extreme case of overconfidence, Texas coach Jack Chevigny not only pulled his first team but eventually ordered those players to hit the showers. Someone came into the locker room to report that Baylor had closed the gap to 18-14 in the fourth quarter. Terry said that by the time he had gotten dressed again and returned to the field, he saw the Bears triumphantly stride out with a 21-18 victory.
Those Longhorns won just one more game that season, beating Texas A&M. Terry said it was the Baylor game that ultimately got Chevigny fired. His departure paved the way for Texas to hire the legendary D.X. Bible, whom Terry played for in 1937.
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With new high schools popping up like dandelions, it’s amazing to think that one football program that captured a Class 4A state title in the last 20 years is no longer in existence.
Wilmer-Hutchins, a Dallas suburb, had a speedy, bone-crushing crew that rolled through the 1990 playoffs and beat Austin Westlake 19-7 for the state title.
The school, plagued by low academic achievement and deteriorating facilities, became the answer to a trivia question after shutting its doors in 2005, with students being dispersed to South Oak Cliff and other Dallas schools.
The coach of the great Wilmer-Hutchins teams of the 1980s and 90s was Robert Lee Woods, probably the best football player ever to come out of Rogers.
Woods went on to star as a defensive lineman on the highly ranked Howard Payne teams of the early 70s in the Lone Star Conference. He was a two-time NAIA All-American, a three-time all-conference selection, was named to the LSC All-Decade team and the LSC Silver Anniversary team.
Woods was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles and inducted into the Howard Payne Hall of Fame in 1992.
Woods returned to Rogers a few years ago to speak at a dinner honoring his old coach, Donald Godwin, when the fieldhouse was dedicated in Godwin’s name.
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If Woods was the best player to come out of Rogers, it wouldn’t take long to work down the list and find Jacob Bane’s name.
Bane, a 2005 Rogers graduate, is still putting on the pads and looking for a collision. He is the starting middle linebacker for Central Arkansas of the Southland Conference, which houses some remnants of the old LSC.
After two solid years at Trinity Valley Community College, Bane didn’t play last fall while at New Mexico. But now he has found a home with the Bears, ranked No. 12 in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision.
Injuries have kept Bane out of all but one game thus far. Central Arkansas’ sports information director, Steve East, said Bane hasn’t lost his status on the depth chart and the coaching staff is itching for his return. Bane should be available when the Bears open conference at home Oct. 11 against Sam Houston State.
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Former Moody volleyball standout Kara Jones is making her presence felt at Louisiana Tech. A 6-3 sophomore outside hitter, she is among the team leaders in all attacking statistical categories, as she was last year.
Jones led Moody to three straight district titles while coached by her mother, Shelly.
twaits@temple-telegram.com
