The Baylor -Texas Rivalry

Ask Baylor fans who Baylor's biggest rivals are, and you'll get several answers.  Some will say the "Battle of the Brazos" with Texas A&M, which is legitimate for many historical reasons.  But for fans born after the middle of the 20th century, this doesn't seem like much of a rivalry; since 1986, Baylor has 2 wins and 1 tie, opposed to A&M's 23 wins.  Ouch.  Plus, now that A&M's in the SEC, they won't be playing on a regular basis, if at all.

The TCU rivalry may be the best case for a real rivalry, as the all time record has TCU edging Baylor 51-50-7.  In the last days of the Southwest Conference, Baylor dominated this rivalry, but since they started playing again after a 10 year lapse, TCU has dominated, 4-1.  Before the SWC broke up, this was among the top five most played match ups in college football.  I'm happy that we are in the same conference again, especially since I live in Fort Worth.

Baylor v TCU, 1935. From the Texas Collection.

TCU and A&M notwithstanding, in my family growing up, the rivalry that mattered was the annual meeting of Texas and Baylor.  My parents, both Baylor grads, indoctrinated us in a deep love for all things Baylor (well, there was my brief, regrettable foray into Aggie-hood).  But Uncle David, Mom's brother, was a proud UT grad and football season ticket holder.  So each year, our families would get together for the game.

Yeah, I know, Texas owns this series, too.  All time record: 73-24-5.  But Baylor fans remember that in 1974, after not having beaten the Longhorns since 1956, Baylor won in the "Miracle on the Brazos" and claimed their first conference title in 50 years.  There was some parity then for a few years, followed by 12 consecutive Baylor losses until RG3 led the Bears to win twice in a row.  Even during these times of UT dominance, we still had fun with my always gracious Uncle David and his family.

Baylor fans never thought they'd see this--the Miracle on the Brazos!

Oh, by the way, Uncle David's son Bruce, after finishing his undergrad at UT, came to Baylor for his MBA.  His sister Joyce skipped UT altogether and graduated from Baylor.  And at some point, Uncle David became a Baylor season ticket holder.  So there is hope, even for a die-hard UT family!