Program Profile: Baylor

Baylor University
Big 12 since 1899
Mascot: Bears
Colors: Green and Gold

Knowing Baylor is a Baptist school, it’s a little disturbing their mascot is named “Judge”. As such it doesn’t really bother me they have the worst record in the Big 12; it didn’t win a conference road game until 2005. That’s probably why their core fan base, known as “the Line” consists entirely of starry eyed and disillusioned freshmen. Members wear a jersey with their anticipated graduation year and form a tunnel for the team to run through at the game opening. Then they take their seats behind the opposing team’s bench, the better to heckle them. I didn’t think that was legal? But maybe they got an exception because the tradition began back in 1970 as all-male for the purpose of protecting the women from the other team’s fans; that bit of chivalry was finally dropped in 1993. They hold their hands up in a curved bear claw and yell “Sic ‘em bears”. Their match up against Texas A&M is called the “Battle of the Bonzas” and they have a Holy War with Texas Christian.

In 1914, the students chose the Bear to represent them; in 1974 it was named Judge after the school’s founder. But the origins of Green and White are lost, though I suspect it was a probably a student committee.