Baylor University is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference, before which it played in the South Western Conference. The sports program features seventeen sports teams, with seven men’s teams and ten women’s teams.
Football:
The Bears football team competes in the Big 12 conference and as of this year will enter its 115th year of competitive football. The school has had a long colorful history, and enjoyed a long period of success from the 1970’s to the mid nineties. But over the last couple of years, since 2010, the Bears have been quite successful, posting good results and enjoying winning seasons. As a result they have been invited to a number of Bowl games, including the famous Texas Bowl and Alamo Bowl games. The team’s main rival is TCU (Texas Christian University), with whom they have shared a strong rivalry since 1899.
Baseball:
The Bears’ baseball team has been very consistent since the arrival of Coach Steve Smith in 1995. Under his guidance, the team has made twelve regional appearances, four NCAA Super Regional appearances and a College World Series appearance. They have also won three regular season conference titles, winning the last one in 2012. The Bears play their home games at Baylor Ballpark, a five thousand seat stadium, which is considered one of the finest college baseball venues in the country.
Basketball:
The early years of Bears basketball saw much success for the Bears and they won five regional conference titles from 1932-1950. In recent years, the team was plagued by an ugly scandal in 2003, but has been going through resurgence under new coach Scott Drew.
Over the last few years, the team has finished strongly in the regular season and gone on to play in the NCAA tournament, making it all the way to the elite eight in 2010 and 2012. The team capped off their last season by winning the 2013 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Baylor female basketball team, the Lady Bears, have also had a successful run over the last decade or so, making it to eight NCAA tournaments. The highlight for the Lady Bears has been winning the 2005 and 2012 NCAA Division I titles. The 2012 season was simply astounding, as the team posted a perfect 40-0 record, becoming the first college basketball team in history to do so.
Track and Field:
One of the most successful programs at Baylor is their Track and Field, which has produced a number of world class athletes. These athletes have gone on to win nine Olympic gold medals and thirty six NCAA Championships.
The Baylor 4x400 relay team has been the greatest standout, having made NCAA finals appearances each year, for the last twenty eight years. Baylor graduates have won the gold medal in the 400 meter race at three consecutive Olympics (1996, 2000, and 2004).
So Baylor Bears are one of the top sports varsity teams in the country, especially in light of their recent record breaking 2011-2012 season. If you want to catch the Bears live in action, then buy Baylor Bears tickets now and watch the Bears take on some of the best college sports teams in the country.