Welcoming Baylor Nation Home: 2015 Homecoming Highlights and Events

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Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (Oct. 20, 2015) – Since 1909, Baylor University has welcomed alumni, families, students, faculty and staff into the ultimate celebration of Baylor Nation: Homecoming. From the bonfire to the many performances of Pigskin Revue to one of the nation’s oldest and largest collegiate homecoming parades, it is no small affair.
Festivities will begin Wednesday, Oct. 21, with Homecoming chapel services. Services will take place at 9:05 a.m., 10:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. in Waco Hall. Chapel services will focus on Baylor’s past and those who previously attended Baylor.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the opening of Pigskin Revue will take place at 7 p.m. in Waco Hall. Pigskin Revue is an annual Homecoming tradition showcasing the winning performances from the previous spring’s All University Sing competition.
Acts consist of Broadway-style choreography and vocals, complete with costumes and elaborate backdrops and props. Pigskin Revue will take place again at 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
The presentation of the Queen and Her Court will be held at the beginning of Pigskin Revue on Thursday, Oct. 22, in Waco Hall. The court is selected based on interviews by three judges, who are appointed by Baylor Chamber of Commerce.
For previous Homecoming celebrations, queens were selected based on the quality of the float they rode in the parade. “Being pretty is only 50 percent of becoming a Homecoming Queen at Baylor University,” said a 1968 university press release. “The other 50 percent comes from members of a hard-working club or class of creative float builders who can produce a prize-winning float.” In 1973, the float and queen awards were split, and queen selection criteria became beauty, poise, personality and campus involvement.
The hallowed tradition of Freshman Mass Meeting will follow Pigskin Revue at 11 p.m. Thursday in Waco Hall, honoring the “Immortal Ten,” a group of students who died in a bus-train accident while returning from a basketball game on January 22, 1927, in Round Rock.
The “Immortal Ten” tradition symbolizes the “Baylor Spirit” that is evident in the concluding candle-lighting ceremony at the end of the meeting.
“One of the issues I try to bring out in the closing is that we don’t make heroes out of these guys,” said Neil Knighton, B.A. ’75 and M.A. ’78. “The hero is the spirit of the Baylor tradition, and what we celebrate is acknowledging one another as important. Tradition is bound up in our relationships that we carry on for a lifetime.”
On Friday, Oct. 23, various alumni gatherings will take place across campus. At 4 p.m., the class of 1965 will meet in Barfield Drawing Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center. The alumni reunion for the Heritage Classes (1940, 1945, 1950, 1955 and 1960) will meet at 5 p.m. in the Suite Lounge in the Baylor Club at McLane Stadium. The alumni class reunion buffet will occur at 5 p.m. at the Baylor Club for the classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 2000, 2005 and 2010.
At 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on Fountain Mall, the Rosenbalm Fountain dedication will celebrate the legacy of the Rosenbalm family, with a transformational gift from Dr. Thomas Rosenbalm, B.S. ’50, M.S. ’51, made in honor of his parents, Clarence and Claudia Rosenbalm.
At Singspiration, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Seventh and James Baptist Church, the Baylor Religious Hour Choir and the Baylor Men’s Choir will lead worship.
Extravaganza will start at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on Fountain Mall. The homecoming pep rally will begin at 9 p.m., followed by the bonfire, to rally the Bears for a win against Iowa State at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in McLane Stadium. During Extravaganza, attendees can experience Friday Night Flashback on the first floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center, where they can walk through all of Baylor’s history and tradition.
The largest collegiate homecoming parade in the nation will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and will reach campus between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. The parade will follow its usual route from Austin Avenue through Fifth Street. The parade will air on KCEN-TV Channel 6 in Central Texas starting at 7:30 a.m. It also will be streamed live at www.baylor.edu/homecoming.
A full schedule of this year’s festivities can be found here. Be sure to use the official hashtag #BaylorHomecoming for posts and photos on social media.
Homecoming event locations include:
• Waco Hall, 624 Speight Ave.
• Bill Daniel Student Center, 1311 S. Fifth St.
• Fountain Mall, located between the Bill Daniel Student Center and Moody Memorial Library (1312 S. Third St.)
• Seventh and James Baptist Church, 602 James Ave.
• McLane Stadium, 1001 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Waco, TX 76704
by Bethany Harper , student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.