You know that the Bears are responsible for the phenomena which was Robert Griffin III. You may have heard that they’re building a massive, $250-million-dollar riverfront stadium. And just in case you forgot, the Baylor Bears are currently holding the #5 BCS ranking heading into their game against Texas Tech this weekend. But here’s seven things you might not Know about this team that’s enjoying its first top-5 ranking in school history.
1) All My Exes Live in Texas. Although this weekend’s matchup will be the first game when Baylor’s coach Art Briles and Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury take their clipboards to opposing benches, the two have history: Briles was a running backs coach at Texas Tech when Kingsbury played quarterback there from 2000-2002.
2) Briles Is the Best Behind-the-Scenes Recruiter in the Lone Star State. Speaking of running backs: the very first player that Briles recruited to the Red Raiders? A guy named Wes Welker. NBD.
3) Look What the Stork Flew In. It’s a boy! Aaron “The Stork” Jones, to be exact. The redheaded, 5th-year-senior kicker, who is 59-59 on extra points this season, has 251 total to his career so far, and is on his way to laying claim to the record for overall extra point kicks in the Big 12.
4) There’s No Love Lost. Because, quite literally, love won. While playing football in high school, coach Art Briles lost the Class B state championship to Big Sandy High School, and future Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith.
5) They Do What They Want. The scoreboard during last year’s Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl game (yes, real name) between Baylor and UCLA read 49-26. Baylor’s bowl rings? They say “49-19”. Why? The Bruins scored on a 34-yard touchdown at the close of regulation. The officials gave the Bruins 6 points, while everyone else in America clearly saw that Logan Sweet was tackled just short of the end zone. The Bears put it in stone—er, gold alloy.
6) There’s No Place Like Home. The Bears are recognized by the Smithsonian Institute for holding the very first collegiate Homecoming weekend celebration for a football game in 1909.
7) The Life Lessons. Art’s parents were killed in a car accident on their way to see him play for the University of Houston at the Cotton Bowl on October 16, 1976. Unsure of how to handle the situation, the coaches ultimately decided not to tell him until after the game was over. Briles profiled the moment publicly for the first time in his autobiography, Looking Up: My Journey from Tragedy to Triumph.
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