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January 2009
Gotta love how MJ plays
One of the unsung heroes of the past several games for the BU women’s basketball team is Melissa Jones.
MJ, as the sophomore guard is known to her teammates, scored a career-high 18 points in Baylor’s 75-57 win over Oklahoma State three games ago, but more often than not, she contributes in ways not evidenced by the scoring column.
Against Texas A&M, she nailed several key free throws down the stretch to help the Lady Bears stave off the Aggies. That offered a measure of redemption for Jones, who missed a pair of foul shots with no time on the clock in BU’s 59-58 loss to Wisconsin in the Paradise Jam Tournament.
“It’s like I told Melissa in the locker room, those foul shots tonight meant a lot more than the ones back in November,” BU coach Kim Mulkey said following the A&M win.
Personally, I love the way MJ plays. She’s actually got a little Larry Bird in her game. Not necessarily from the shooting standpoint — though she’s a good spot-up outside threat — but in terms of her propensity to throw on-target, no-look passes and her unfailing willingness to dive on the floor for loose balls. If the NCAA kept track of floor burns, she’d definitely be among the national leaders.
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Bears out of Top 25 but may not stay that way
The Baylor men’s basketball team dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 last week for the first time in eight weeks. On Monday, they dropped out of the coaches poll.
But one of the great things about the Big 12 is that you play so many high-profile games that you can get back into the poll with a few impressive wins.
If the Bears beat No. 11 Texas tonight at the Ferrell Center and take down a hot Missouri squad on the road Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised if they climbed back into the polls.
Since everybody is deep into conference play, teams are racking up more losses. Georgetown, Notre Dame and Tennessee have all fallen in the rankings lately with a series of losses. Losses by Top 25 teams will allow teams that are on the cusp of the poll to get into the rankings.
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Impressive win for Bears
The Bears are in their 13th year in the Big 12, and they’ve never had a more complete road performance than their 83-65 win over Kansas State Wednesday night.
It was their most lopsided road win ever in the Big 12, and they played great in every phase of the game.
They shot 56 percent overall, buried 59 percent of their treys, and hit 14 of 18 free throws. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when LaceDarius Dunn goes nuts by hitting nine of 12 treys and scoring 33 points.
Baylor also played its best defense so far in Big 12 play by limiting the Wildcats to 40 percent shooting and winning the boards. It was complete domination.
It was also a much-needed road win. One of the reasons the Bears made the NCAA Tournament last year was because they went 4-4 on the road in the Big 12. If they are going to do that again, they need to knock off teams like Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas Tech on the road.
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Lady Bears blow past OSU, 75-57
The Baylor Lady Bears remembered what it was like to be behind Oklahoma State. They didn’t let it happen for long.
The fifth-ranked Lady Bears seized control with a 20-2 second-half run to blow past No. 22 Oklahoma State, 75-57, in Big 12 action here Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.
After OSU’s waterbug-quick guard Andrea Riley scored on an open-court layup at the 17:14 mark of the second half to give the Cowgirls their first lead since early in the first half, Baylor began to find its groove. The Lady Bears scored 20 of the next 22 points to open up a 17-point advantage and essentially deal OSU a knockout blow.
Baylor (15-1, 3-0) had power in reserve, as Melissa Jones came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points. Fellow reserve Morghan Medlock chipped in 14 points, while Danielle Wilson scored 14 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked four shots. Riley led OSU (12-4, 1-2) with 33.
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Lady Bears lead 33-31
The Lady Bears are in a dogfight to keep their perfect Big 12 record intact. Fifth-ranked Baylor has withstood a scoring onslaught from Oklahoma State’s Andrea Riley to stake itself to a 33-31 halftime lead over the No. 22 Cowgirls here at the Ferrell Center.
Riley, a lightning-quick 5-5 guard who leads the Big 12 in scoring at 22 points per game, leads all scorers with 16 points, and has consistently been able to blow by BU’s defenders. But Baylor has led most of the half behind a balanced scoring attack led by Danielle Wilson, who has seven points and eight rebounds. Jessica Morrow, Kelli Griffin and Melissa Jones each have five points.
Neither team shot particularly well in the first half, with OSU converting on 40.7 percent of its attempts and BU shooting 36.1 percent.
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Win over Aggies could propel great start again
PHOTOS
When the Bears won an epic 116-110 five-overtime game over Texas A&M last season, they improved to 16-2 for the season and 4-0 in the Big 12.
A second straight win over the Aggies in College Station would do wonders for the Bears again.
If the Bears take down the Aggies Wednesday and Oklahoma State at home Saturday, they’ll be 15-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. It would give them a huge boost heading into a tough week on the road at Kansas State next Wednesday and at No. 6 Oklahoma next Saturday.
I don’t know if the Big 12 is quite as good as last year since defending national champion Kansas is so young. But it’s still going to be tough, and any road win will be a big one.
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Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Whoever came up with the idea of putting together a series of all-time Baylor sports teams should be fired. That moron had no idea how much work it would be.
Wait a minute … that was me. Um, never mind.
I knew this would be an ambitious project when the idea first came, but I didn’t know just how ambitious until after it really got going. Researching all the great athletes from more than a century of Baylor athletics takes time and effort, probably even more than I expected.
And yet I’d do it all over again. It was fun.
For the last three weeks, I’ve been revealing a variety of Baylor all-time sports teams on our Bear Blog at wacotrib.com. Today, I’ll unveil the final squad for Baylor football, as well as provide a listing of all the teams for those readers who aren’t in the point-and-click crowd.
Those of you who are avid online readers cast more than 4,500 votes picking your own favorite all-time BU athletes in their respective sports, and you can check out those results on Page 5D as well. Thanks to everyone who voted or provided comments or criticism of my choices.
That said, let me introduce Baylor’s best gridiron warriors. Let the nit-picking begin.
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Don Trull (1961-63): Baylor has produced several standout signal-callers — Larry Isbell, Cotton Davidson, Neal Jeffrey, Cody Carlson and J.J. Joe among them. But Trull gets the nod because he was so far ahead of his time, setting nine Southwest Conference passing records in a grind-it-out era. The Southwest Conference MVP and an All-American as a senior, Trull threw for 2,157 yards that year, which was Baylor’s school record for 23 years.
Running back: Walter Abercrombie (1978-81): A two-time consensus All-SWC star and one-time All-American, Abercrombie easily tops BU’s all-time rushing chart with 3,665 yards. His total of 1,187 rushing yards in 1980 still stands as the school’s single-season record.
Running back: Ronnie Bull (1959-61): A two-time All-American, Bull bull-rushed his way to the team rushing lead in each of his three seasons in Waco, which resulted in trips to the Gator and Gotham Bowls, respectively.
Wide receiver: Lawrence Elkins (1962-64): A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Elkins helped revolutionize the SWC with his pass-catching skills in the early 1960s. His 70 catches and 873 yards in 1963 were NCAA records at the time, and he twice earned consensus All-America recognition, the first Baylor player to do so.
Wide receiver: Gerald McNeil (1980-83): One of only two Bears (along with Reggie Newhouse) to register a 1,000-yard receiving season, McNeil ranks as the school’s all-time leader with 2,651 career yards. McNeil was an All-American and the Houston Post’s SWC MVP as a senior in ‘83.
Tight end: Ronnie Lee (1975-78): Lee, a two-time All-SWC tight end, proved to be a hard-nosed blocker who went on to a solid 13-year NFL career as a lineman.
Utility back: Del Shofner (1954-56): Sometimes statistics lie, but in Shofner’s case, they’re revealing. Basically, when he touched the ball, he chewed up big chunks of yardage, averaging more than 6 yards per rush, 16.5 on punt returns and 31 yards on interception runbacks.
Tackle: Mark Adickes (1979-83): Adickes cleared holes for the running of Abercrombie and Alfred Anderson, achieving consensus All-Southwest Conference and All-American accolades as a senior.
Tackle: James Ray Smith (1952-54): Smith twice earned All-America honors as a two-way tackle for the Bears before embarking on a successful NFL career with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Center: Aubrey Schulz (1973-74): Schulz served as a team captain on the 1974 Baylor squad that won eight games and the SWC title. He was honored as a unanimous all-SWC choice and All-American that season.
Guard: Barton “Botchey” Koch (1928-30): The first consensus All-American in SWC history, Koch is considered by college football historians to be the best lineman of his era. Legendary coaches D.X. Bible and Knute Rockne both labeled Koch the best guard they ever saw play, and he’s fittingly a member of both the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Guard: Bill Glass (1954-56): A consensus All-American and the SWC MVP in ‘56, Glass cleared a path for a Baylor team that went 9-2 and defeated Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl.
Kicker: David “Bubba” Hicks (1973-75): No Baylor kicker ever had a more powerful leg than Hicks, who holds the school record with a 60-yard field goal against Rice in ‘75. He also nailed kicks from 53 and 54 yards, respectively.
Return specialist: Willie Andrews (2002-05): Andrews didn’t run the ball or catch a pass in 2004, yet led Baylor in all-purpose yards, joining Trooper Taylor as the only Bears ever to pull off that feat. A two-time All-Big 12 performer, Andrews had more return yards on both punt returns (949) and kickoffs (1,647) than any other Baylor player.
DEFENSE
Defensive lineman: Charles Benson (1979-82): Benson was voted as a unanimous All-SWC selection three times, and was also an All-American as a senior. He piled up 263 tackles for his career, including a school-record 49 tackles for loss.
Defensive lineman: Ken Casner (1949-51): In Casner’s three years on the Baylor varsity, the Bears won 23 games and reached the 1952 Orange Bowl. He helped anchor the SWC’s top defense in ‘51, earning All-America recognition.
Defensive lineman: Santana Dotson (1988-91): A Lombardi Award finalist and unanimous All-American as a senior, Dotson was a beast in the trenches, amassing 12 sacks and 30 tackles for loss.
Defensive lineman: Roger Goree (1970-72): Goree was the first Baylor player under Grant Teaff to be named an All-American. The hard-hitting tackle was also the SWC’s MVP in ‘72, earning an invitation to play in the Coaches’ All-America Game.
Linebacker: James Francis (1986-89): Sports Illustrated once said that Francis batted down passes “as if he were King Kong swatting biplanes.” The SWC’s Player of the Year and an All-American in ‘89, Francis blocked a school-record 12 kicks and made 334 tackles, fifth-best all-time.
Linebacker: Derrel Luce (1972-74): Luce was recognized as a consensus All-SWC and All-American defender on Baylor’s 1974 SWC title team. He went on to play six years with three teams in the NFL.
Linebacker: Joe Pawelek (2006-present): The Big 12’s defensive newcomer of the year in 2006, Joe-Pa was even more sensational this year, putting together the best season by a Baylor defender since Francis. His six interceptions led all FBS linebackers and was Baylor’s highest total since 1991, and his 128 tackles were seventh in the nation.
Linebacker: Mike Singletary (1977-80): My choice as the best all-time player at Baylor, Singletary is the only Bear enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. A bullet in shoulder pads, Singletary made 662 tackles, nearly 300 more than any other BU player. The only three-time All-American in school history, Singletary twice won the Davey O’Brien Trophy before it became a quarterback-only award.
Defensive back: Robert Blackmon (1986-89): Blackmon made 226 career tackles and 14 interceptions, returning four for touchdowns. The safety was thrice selected to the All-SWC team and was honored as an All-American in ‘89.
Defensive back: Thomas Everett (1983-86): The best safety in school history, Everett was a two-time All-American and the 1986 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s best defensive back. He was also voted the SWC’s Athlete of the Year for that school year, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Defensive back: Gary Green (1973-76): A consensus All-American in ’76, Green recorded seven interceptions for his career before being drafted 10th overall in the 1977 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Defensive back: Vann McElroy (1978-81): McElroy tallied 16 interceptions for his career, tying him with Mike Welch (1986-90) for Baylor’s school record. He was twice named a unanimous All-SWC first teamer and was an All-American as a senior.
Punter: Daniel Sepulveda (2003-06): The only two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award, Sepulveda holds virtually every Baylor punting record. He racked up more than 12,000 punting yards, booming his kicks for a 45.24-yard average.
Coach: Grant Teaff (1972-92): There’s a reason a statue of Teaff stands outside Floyd Casey Stadium. The winningest coach in school history, Teaff was 128-105-6 in his 21 seasons with eight bowl berths. Four other Teaff-led teams won six or more games but didn’t go bowling, given that there were fewer bowls in those days. His 1974 team may have been the most memorable, rallying from a 24-7 halftime deficit to beat Texas, 34-24, in a game that became known as the “Miracle on the Brazos.” The Bears emerged as SWC champions that year for the first time since 1924.
And if he were coaching this team, he wouldn’t even need to eat a worm to motivate them.
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Baylor soccer’s all-time squad
SOCCER POLL
In the early days of the Big 12, Baylor’s soccer program really put its best foot forward. In fact, the soccer team won the school’s first Big 12 team title in 1998.
Since the turn of the century, however, BU soccer has backpedaled to mediocrity. The program hasn’t won 10 games since the 2000 season and has competed in the Big 12 tournament just once since 2002.
Not surprisingly, many of the representatives of BU’s all-time soccer squad date back to the late 1990s.
Goalkeeper: Dawn Greathouse (1997-2000): A four-year letterwinner, Greathouse is unquestionably the greatest goalie to wear a Baylor uniform. She’s the all-time leader in shutouts (27) and wins (49), and ranks second to Ashley Noah with 397 career saves. Greathouse owns four of the top five single-season goals-against averages in school history, including a best of 0.69 in the Big 12 title season of 1998.
Defender: Tamura Crawley (1999-2002): The lightning-quick Crawley started 74 matches for the Bears, earning first-team all-Big 12 honors once and second-team recongition twice.
Defender: Meghan Crona (1996-99): A second-team All-Big 12 performer in the league’s inaugural season of ‘96, Crona is also Baylor’s only defender to gain All-Big 12 tournament honors.
Defender: Julie Larson (1996-98): Larson was an All-Big 12 defender for the 1998 Baylor squad that pitched 11 shutouts on its way to the conference title.
Midfielder: Tiffany Boshers (2002-05): Boshers led the Bears in scoring in each of her final two seasons, finishing fourth on the career scoring list with 57 points.
Midfielder: Nikki Hales (1996-99): Hales played 85 matches, tying her with Crona for the most in school history, and was a prolific scorer, with 35 career goals (third all-time) and 26 assists (second).
Midfielder: Britt Talley (1996-99): Talley ranks ninth in school history with 33 points, making second-team All-Big 12 as a freshman.
Forward: Molly Cameron (1996-2000): Cameron owns the single-season scoring record with 75 points in 1996, and ranks second all-time behind Courtney Saunders in career goals with 67. A three-time all-Big 12 standout, Cameron blasted six hat tricks in ‘96, including a school-record five goals against Pittsburgh.
Forward: Anna Schuch (2004-06): What a great soccer name. Schuch (pronounced Shoe) kicked in 14 goals in her three seasons, ranking sixth on BU’s career list.
Forward: Ginny Rosario-Tull (2001-04): Rosario-Tull is fifth on BU’s career scoring chart with 54 points (22 goals, 10 assists).
Forward: Courtney Saunders (1996-99): Saunders had a nose for the nets. She’s the best goal-scorer (69) and passer (34) in school history, racking up 172 points in all. She owns four of the top five scoring seasons in BU’s recordbooks (Cameron has the other), and was honored as a second-team All-American in ‘98.
Coach: Randy Waldrum (1996-98): In three short years in Waco before heading to Notre Dame, Waldrum set a high standard for the coaches that followed. His initial team won 17 matches, still a school record, and he followed that up with 14 and 15 wins, respectively, in ‘97 and ‘98. That 1998 team, as mentioned, won the Big 12 title, and Waldrum was fittingly recognized as the conference coach of the year.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
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The Best of Quarter-Miler U
MEN
WOMEN
Of all the tough decisions I’ve had to make in putting these all-time Baylor athletic teams together, one of the most difficult choices was trying to determine how many athletes to put on the track team.
In track, you may have 40 guys on a roster. There are so many different events, so many races, and Baylor certainly has produced a slew of talented thinclads, especially on the men’s side.
Ultimately, I opted to go with 15 athletes, which I believe is in line with the ultra-exclusive format I’ve tried to use in selecting all the various teams. I can promise you that these 15 dream teamers would rack up some points at a fantasy track meet.
Incidentally, I will also point out that NCAA championships weighed heavily in determining my selections. It should also be noted that the teams include far more sprinters than field-event performers. Baylor didn’t earn the tag “Quarter-Miler U” for nothing.
WOMEN
Angelique Banket (1997-99): Banket ran a leg on BU’s one-and-only relay national champion, the indoor 4x400 team in 1998. She was a five-time All-American for her career.
Stacey Bowers Smith (1996-99): Bowers is the only BU woman to win an individual NCAA title, claiming the triple jump crown in 1999 with a leap of 45-10. She’s tied with three other athletes with nine All-America honors, and owns the top 10 triple jumps in school history both indoors and outdoors. Bowers married former BU football player Rodney Smith after graduation, and now serves as one of the track program’s assistant coaches.
Alayah Cooper (1997-98): One-fourth of BU’s national champion 4x400 relay team in ‘98, Cooper also claimed three conference titles, including a Big 12 crown in the 600-yard run.
She She Crawford (1991-94): A four-time All-American, Crawford is the second-best 100 runner (11.29) and fourth-best 200 runner (23.00) in school history.
Sally Geis (1991-93, 95): Geis is tied with Jennifer Jordan and Natalie Nalepa for the most conference titles of any BU trackster with five. She won three 5,000-meter SWC titles and two more in the 10,000.
April Holliness (2002-05): The best long jumper in school history, Holliness finished fifth at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships and was third in 2004. She also twice earned All-America honors indoors.
LaKadron Ivery (2002-05): A splendid sprinter, Ivery owns the school records in the 60 (7.31), the 100 (11.25) and the 200 (22.87).
Nichole Jones (2007-present): After graduating from high school a year early, Jones became the youngest athlete to win a Big 12 title when she won the 800 in a school-record time of 2:05.89. She has since lowered that record to 2:04.69, and also holds the top mark in the 1,000-meter run indoors at 2:45.68.
Jennifer Jordan (1995-97): A nine-time All-American and five-time conference champion, Jordan made history by running the anchor on the first national champion relay team in school history at the 1998 NCAA meet.
Stacy Milligan (1993-96): Milligan competed on five relay teams that achieved All-American recognition. She also qualified for the NCAA meet in the 400 in 1995, finishing eighth.
Natalie Nalepa (1988-91): One of three athletes (along with Sally Geis and Lisa Stone) to make both my all-time cross country and track teams, Nalepa is tied with Geis for the most individual conference championships with five. She’s the No. 2 runner in school history in the 5,000 (16:12.89) and ranks fourth in the 1,500 (4:19.47).
Yulanda Nelson (1996-99): A nine-time All-American, Nelson is the fourth and final member of the NCAA title-winning 4x400 relay team in ‘98 to make this list. As a senior in ‘99, Nelson won the Big 12 400-meter title during the indoor season. She holds the school record in the 400 both indoors and outdoors.
Barbara Petrahn (1999-2003): One of the more versatile athletes I saw come through Baylor, this native of Hungary was a five-time conference champion and nine-time All-American, tying her for the top spot on both lists. Petrahn ranks among Baylor’s top five runners in the 100 (11.44), 200 (22.92) and 400 (51.85).
Suzie Snider Eppers (1973-77): Also a member of BU’s all-time Lady Bear basketball team, this Robinson native owns the oldest unbroken record in Baylor’s books, throwing 48-8 in the shot put in 1974.
Lisa Stone (1988-91): Stone became the BU women’s program’s first-ever All-American when she finished eighth in the 5,000 at the 1989 NCAA outdoor meet. Overall, Stone won four SWC titles and earned four All-America prizes.
MEN
LeJerald Betters (2007-present): As he enters his third season at Baylor, the former Waco High product known as “Sticks” has already muscled his way to four 4x400 NCAA titles, sweeping both the indoor and outdoor crowns in each of his two seasons. In 2007, he teamed with Reggie Witherspoon, Kevin Mutai and Quentin Iglehart-Summers to notch the fastest 4x400 in school history at 3:00.04.
Danny Brabham (1970-73): Brabham owns eight of the the top 10 long jumps in school history, including the school record of 26-9 1/2. He won a pair of SWC titles in that event, and now serves as a BU assistant coach, overseeing all of the program’s field-event performers.
Willie Caldwell (1982-85): Caldwell was Baylor’s first track athlete to win a national title when he darted to gold in the 500-meter dash at the 1985 NCAA indoor meet. Later that year, he helped lay the foundation for Quarter-Miler U by running on BU’s first 4x400 national champion.
Brandon Couts (1998-2001): No Baylor track star ever won more conference championships than Couts, who claimed 15 (eight individual, seven relay) during his stellar run in Waco. He also won the 2000 NCAA indoor title in the 400, and anchored three 4x400 relay teams to gold medals in NCAA meet competition.
Bruce Davis (1981-84): Also a standout for Baylor in football, Davis was one of the school’s swiftest all-time sprinters. He registered three of the top five times in school history in the 100-meter dash, including a 10.16 that won the 1984 SWC title.
Todd Harbour (1978-81): You can bank on it: Harbour is the best distance runner in school history. A 10-time conference champion (including eight individual titles), BU’s current head coach still holds the NCAA record in the mile at 3:50.34. He also earned recognition on my all-time BU cross country squad.
Michael Johnson (1987-90): One of the top athletes in any sport to come through Baylor, MJ won three NCAA titles in the 200 and also ran on a pair of NCAA-winning 4x400 teams. Johnson still owns Baylor records in the indoor 200 (20.59), the outdoor 200 (19.85) and the outdoor 100 (10.13). Then he went on to an illustrious gold-medal career as a pro.
Bayano Kamani (1998-2001): A two-time NCAA champion in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, Kamani and Michael Smith became the first set of teammates to go 1-2 in that event at the NCAA meet in 2001. Kamani won two more championship rings for BU’s 4x400 title teams in 2000 and ‘01.
Tony Miller (1990, 92-94): Talk about your regulars at the NCAA meet. Miller achieved All-America honors 15 times, more than any other Baylor athlete. He competed on two NCAA 4x400 champions indoors and another one during the outdoor season.
Deon Minor (1992-95): Minor won the indoor 400-meter title as a freshman in 1992, then repeated as a senior in ‘95. In between, he also reached the top of the medal stand twice on 4x400 relay teams.
Bill Payne (1987, 89-91): The best pole vaulter in school history, Payne soared to three straight SWC indoor championships in that event from 1989-91. He also won the SWC title outdoors in 1991 with a school-record vault of 19-2 3/4.
Raymond Pierre (1986-89): Pierre became Baylor’s first-ever individual to win an NCAA outdoor title when he sprinted to gold in the 400 in 1989. Among Bears, only Jeremy Wariner, Michael Johnson and Darold Williamson have ever run faster than Pierre’s 44.59 at that meet.
Jeremy Wariner (2003-04): In two short years, Wariner made rapid progress as a quarter-miler, culminating with a sensational sophomore season when he swept the 400-meter titles indoors and outdoors, ran legs on both of national champion 4x400 relay teams and finished the summer off by winning gold at the Athens Olympics. Baylor counts Wariner’s time of 44 flat at the Olympics as the school record, because he was still technically enrolled in school at the time. (He turned pro right after the Games).
Darold Williamson (2002-05): Ruthless as an anchor runner, Williamson could chase down a racehorse if you asked him to. He won 12 conference titles (second-most in school history), including a four-year sweep of the Big 12’s outdoor 400-meter title. After winning three NCAA titles as part of 4x400 relay teams, Williamson finally got his individual gold as a senior in ‘05, winning the 400 at the NCAA outdoor meet.
Reggie Witherspoon (2006-07): After transferring from Florida, Witherspoon twice was the high-point performer at the Big 12 outdoor meet. He ran on a pair of national championship 4x400 teams, and notched 10 conference championships.
Coach: Clyde Hart (1964-2005): Who else? After inheriting the head coaching job from his mentor Jack Patterson in 1964, Hart, a former Baylor sprinter, built one of the top programs in the nation. Over his four decades, he coached 33 NCAA champions (14 individual and 19 relays) and a whopping 503 All-Americans. As the personal coach for Michael Johnson and later Jeremy Wariner, Hart earned a reputation as the premier 400-meter coach in track and field. He turned over head coaching duties to Todd Harbour in ‘05, but still works with the program, specializing with those quarter-milers.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
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Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
WOMEN’S GOLF
MEN’S GOLF
When it comes to golf as a team sport, most rosters feature a mixed bag of talent.
You’ve got your Big Berthas, the guys and gals who drive the show — the A and B players. But seldom do the C, D and E players reach those same kind of lengths. Sure, they might be able to help you in a pinch, kind of like a pitching wedge, but you can’t rely on them on every hole.
That’s normal team golf. Here in fantasy land, every player is an ace. Just check out the players who made the cut on my all-time Baylor golf teams:
WOMEN
Ali Brewer (1996-2000): The first Baylor golfer to carry a stroke average under 80 for a season, Brewer won three team MVP awards and was twice named All-Big 12.
Hannah Burke (2006-present): The Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year in 2007, Burke shares the school record for low round with a 67. The current BU junior has more sub-70 scores than any other golfer in program history.
Melanie Hagewood (1999-2003): Hagewood is one of only two Baylor players to compete on four NCAA regional-qualifying teams. She’s also the program’s all-time leader in top-10 finishes (21) and top-5 finishes (12).
Jennifer Neal (1988-91): Neal led Baylor in stroke average in the program’s inaugural season of 1988-89, and is one of only three BU golfers to have multiple tournament wins. Neal won the Shocker Fall Classic in 1991 and the Holiday Hills Classic in 1992.
Josefin Svennigson (2002-06): Svennigson, who claimed a program-best three tournament titles, also achieved the best national showing when she finished 20th at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
Coach: Sylvia Ferdon (1994-present): The Baylor program has grown into a regular postseason qualifier under Ferdon’s direction, making seven straight NCAA regional appearances and qualifying for the school’s only NCAA Championships berth in ‘04. Ferdon was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2000, when the Bears earned their first-ever NCAA regional bid and tallied the program’s first tournament win in six years.
MEN
Johnny Arreaga (1958-63): The golf program’s only representative in the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame, Arreaga earned honorable-mention All-America recognition in 1960 when the Bears tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championships. Arreaga still holds the school record for low round, firing an ace on hole No. 18 for a 63 at Texas Tech in 1963.
Ryan Baca (2002-06): A superior shotmaker, Baca holds the BU record for the lowest stroke average (70.59) in school history. He’s the program’s only first-team All-American and is the all-time leader in top-10 finishes with 27, one ahead of Jimmy Walker.
Kory Bowman (1991-94): Bowman finished his career with seven top-5 finishes and 11 top-10s, good for fifth and sixth, respectively, on BU’s all-time charts. Bowman finished 15th at the NCAA Regionals in 1993, carding a 54-hole total of 220, and was a third-team All-American in 1994.
Jason Hill (1990-93): The co-champion of the 1992 SWC Championships, Hill tallied 18 top 10 finishes (third all-time) and 11 top-5s, which ties him for third. He currently plays on the Nationwide Tour.
Jimmy Walker (1998-2001): A four-time All-Big 12 standout, Walker is easily one of BU’s sweetest swingers. He recorded more top-5 finishes (19) than any golfer in school history and was a third-team All-American as a senior in 2001. Following Baylor, Walker was the 2004 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year and leading money-winner that year, and is now earning a steady living on the PGA Tour.
Coach: Tim Hobby (1996-2003): The former Baylor golfer carded some nice achievements as the coach who opened the Big 12 era, leading the Bears to a Big 12 championship in 2001 and the NCAA Championships in ‘02. In 2001, he was honored as the Big 12 Coach of the Year and the District VI Coach of the Year. Hobby was also an All-SWC and honorable-mention All-American golfer who remains Baylor’s only Masters qualifier.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
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Baylor baseball’s field of dreams
BASEBALL TEAM
The history of baseball at Baylor University is long and rather illustrious. The Bears’ first season on the diamond came way back in 1902, making it the school’s second-oldest varsity sport behind football, which kicked off three years earlier.
So when you’re talking about more than a century of history and tradition, that’s a heck of a lot of players to wear the “B” on their caps. Suffice it to say it wasn’t easy to pare all of the terrific players BU has produced to one out-of-the-cornfield team of legends, but I don’t mind the challenge.
Here’s a look at Baylor’s all-time diamond dandies:
Catcher: Kelly Shoppach (1999-2001): A consensus All-American and the Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation’s best backstop as a senior, Shoppach hit .333 with 26 home runs and 121 RBIs for his career. Now he’s in the bigs with the Cleveland Indians, and shone in 2008 when perennial all-star Victor Martinez got hurt.
First baseman: Charley Carter (1998): Can a guy who played just one season in Waco be considered one of the all-time greats? Sure, if he put together one of the greatest all-time seasons. That’s what Carter, a Texas transfer, did in ‘98, hitting .402 with a school-record 47 extra-base hits, 21 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Second baseman: Eric Nelson (1996-99): A first-team All-Big 12 honoree as a senior, Nelson hit .346 for his career — fourth-best among all Bears — and could really pick it in the field.
Shortstop: Steve Macko (1976-77): At .370, Macko’s career batting average is the best in Baylor history. A gritty gamer, he earned first-team All-America recognition in 1977 while hitting .417 and guiding the Bears to their first-ever College World Series. A fifth-round draft pick of the Cubs that year, Macko played in 25 major-league games before dying of cancer in November 1981.
Third baseman: Fritz Connally (1977-80): Connally was Baylor’s all-time home run leader, with 38, when he graduated, though he’s now fifth on that list. A four-time All-Southwest Conference star, Connally was the top slugger on the Bears’ back-to-back CWS teams in 1977 and ‘78.
Outfielder: David Murphy (2001-03): A three-year starter in right field, Murphy was one of the program’s most gifted athletes ever. After two solid seasons in 2001 and ‘02, Murphy exploded as a junior, hitting .413 (sixth-best all-time) with 11 home runs, 67 RBIs and a school-record 121 hits. Naturally, he was named an All-American, and now he’s one of the Texas Rangers’ most promising young players.
Outfielder: Mickey Sullivan (1952-54): The guy could do more than coach. Boy, could he hit, too. Baylor’s first two-time All-American, Sullivan hit a blistering .519 in 1954, a school record and the highest single-season average in the history of the Southwest Conference.
Outfielder: Jon Topolski (1996-99): Nicknamed “Topper,” it’s a fitting moniker for Topolski, given that he tops BU’s career home run chart with 50 longballs. A third-team All-American in 1999, Topolski also ranks second in extra-base hits (116) and third in RBIs (194). In ‘98, Topolski led the nation with 11 triples, becoming the first BU player to top the NCAA leaders in a statistical category.
Designated hitter: Marty Crawford (1993-96): This all-time squad has to have a DH. We’re not making our pitchers hit. Though technically a second baseman at Baylor, Crawford is a perfect choice for DH, considering his .368 career average, second-best all-time at BU. My colleague John Werner, the Trib’s longtime BU baseball beat writer, called Crawford the best contact hitter he ever saw come through Waco.
Utility player: Larry Isbell (1950-52): Isbell isn’t just one of Baylor’s best baseball players — he’s one of the school’s best athletes. The program’s first All-American in 1952, Isbell hit .431 that year, then a school record and a mark that still ranks second to Sullivan’s .519 average. The baseball program started handing out the Larry Isbell MVP award in 1977 in a tribute to the former great. A phenomenal football player, Isbell also earned All-America honors on the gridiron in 1951.
Pitcher: Ted Lyons (1920-23): A two-time All-SWC great, Lyons is the only Baylor player — heck, he’s the only Southwest Conference player — to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Lyons won 260 games for the Chicago White Sox, and baseball historian Bill James once ranked Lyons one of the 50 best pitchers of all-time. Fittingly, BU’s top pitcher award is named for Lyons.
Pitcher: Jason Jennings (1997-99): Like Lyons, Jennings is a no-doubter on this team. The first consensus National Player of the Year in Division I history, Jennings put together a ridiculous year that season in ‘99, going 13-2 with nine complete games and a 2.58 ERA on the mound while hitting .386 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. Jennings is easily one of the best pitchers AND hitters in school history, ranking in the top 10 in home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases, slugging percentage, plus wins, saves, shutouts and strikeouts. He joined Sullivan as the only other Bear to tally All-America honors twice.
Pitcher: Burl Coker (1975-78): Coker is tied (with Steven White) atop BU’s all-time wins list at 28, and was the ace of a pair of College World Series clubs. Coker’s 1.64 ERA in ‘78 is BU’s best in the aluminum-bat era.
Pitcher: Kip Wells (1996-98): It should be noted that Wells’ first two seasons at Baylor weren’t spectacular. But his final year was a humdinger, as he went 13-4 for a Baylor team that won 41 games and finished second in the Big 12. Wells was recognized as an All-American before being selected with the 16th overall pick of the Major League Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
Pitcher: Ryan LaMotta (2003-06): Figured we needed a good guy out of the pen to close out this squad. LaMotta is second all-time at Baylor with 14 relief wins, plus he added another seven Ws as a starter. He earned a well-deserved reputation as a big-game pitcher.
Coach: Steve Smith (1995-present): In a bang-bang play over Mickey Sullivan, this was obviously a tough call. No doubt Sullivan achieved some great things in his 21 years as BU skipper, winning five SWC Coach of the Year awards and leading the Bears to a pair of College World Series. But Smith has been no less impressive as he enters his 15th year. He has a .608 winning percentage (to Sullivan’s .603) and has guided the Bears to a pair of Big 12 championships and a return trip to the CWS in 2005. Smith’s 1999 team won a school-record 50 games, including a mind-blowing stretch of 31 wins in 33 games from mid-February to early April.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
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Catching up to BU’s swiftest cross country runners
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Most folks know that Baylor is a perennially strong track school. But even when BU’s runners aren’t bounding around the oval, they’re still pretty swift.
Baylor’s cross country programs have produced plenty of success over the years. Most recently, BU’s women have become an every-year NCAA meet contender. The Baylor men, meanwhile, boasted one of the Southwest Conference’s top programs up until the league’s disbanding.
If you were staging a fantasy cross country meet, you’d certainly fare well with the following names on your roster. Each team consists of seven runners, but remember — only five can score.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Bill Adams (1977-79): Adams is the only BU runner to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships more than once as an individual, reaching that stage in both 1976 and ‘77.
Tyler Cooper (1988-92): As a senior in ‘92, Cooper helped guide Baylor to its first-ever Southwest Conference title. He also qualified for the NCAAs individually that year, finishing 67th overall in a time of 32:17.
Jeff Cunningham (1990-94): Cunningham was an intregal part of BU’s 1994 SWC title team that also became the first BU squad to qualify for nationals. He finished 81st nationally at that meet.
Todd Harbour (1978-81): One of the school’s all-time best distance runners, Harbour qualified for the NCAA Championships in Wichita, Kan., as a senior. He also was a two-time SWC indoor champion in the mile and won four straight SWC titles in the 1,500 meters outdoors.
Brian Keim (1993-95): In 1993, Keim darted to an overall victory at the SWC meet, becoming BU’s first conference champion in 22 years. A year later, Keim finished third at the SWC meet in helping propel the Bears to their second conference title in three years. He competed in two NCAA meets, one as an individual and the other as part of BU’s qualifying team.
Kyle King (2002-04): Tall and angular, King used his long strides to become the first BU runner in nearly a decade to qualify for nationals in 2002.
Pete Morales (1970-73): Morales was BU’s first runner to win a conference title and first to reach the NCAA meet in 1971.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Erin Bedell (2005-present): An all-region performer as a freshman back in 2005, Bedell finished 30th at that year’s NCAA meet. This year she finished 37th, yet managed to become the fifth Lady Bear runner to attain an All-American designation.
Karin Ernstrom (1997-2000): Ernstrom competed in three NCAA meets, finishing 22nd at the 1999 event to achieve All-America status.
Sally Geis (1991-93): At the 1992 SWC meet, Geis broke away from teammate Catherine Hall at the one-mile marker to win the women’s 5,000-meter race and lead Baylor to its third straight title. A year later, she repeated as SWC champion, and so did the Lady Bears.
Lauren Hagans (2005-08): A former walk-on, Hagans earned a scholarship by the time she left, finishing 35th at the 2007 NCAA meet, her fourth straight trip to nationals.
Natalie Nalepa (1988-91): Opposing runners had a tough time catching Nalepa, who won back-to-back SWC titles in 1990 and 1991. Her senior year, she also finished fifth at the NCAA meet, which is still a school record for the best individual finish. Nalepa was inducted into the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sherri Smith (1998-99): After Nalepa, no BU runner has ever performed better at the NCAA meet level than Smith, who finished 20th in 1998 with a time of 17:24.61.
Lisa Stone (1988-91): A key member of BU’s first-ever conference championship team in 1990, Stone finished second to Nalepa at the SWC meet. Stone also performed well on the national stage, finishing 49th (BU’s top finish) in 1989 and 41st in 1990. Like Nalepa, Stone is a member of BU’s Athletic Hall of Fame, earning enshrinement in 2003.
Coach: Steve Gulley. Certainly Todd Harbour has built the BU women’s team into a very strong program nationally. But Gulley gets the nod as BU’s all-time coach for having led BU’s women to four straight conference titles from 1990-93 and for having guided the BU men to two SWC crowns in three years in 1992-94, plus the program’s only team NCAA meet berth.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Baylor's all-time teams
Introducing BU’s all-time volleyball all-stars
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball is such an entertaining, fast-paced sport, that it’s a shame Baylor hasn’t generated more success in it.
Oh, there have been a few highlights here and there, but the program has never been able to sustain it. In fact, only one Baylor volleyball coach had an overall winning record during her time in Waco — Margaret Woody, who was 22-20 in BU’s inaugural varsity season in 1978.
But I’m betting the following group of all-time BU volleyball standouts would be able to win a few matches:
Setter: Dana Chuha (1998-2001): Chuha delivered more tasty dishes than Restaurant Row during her time in Waco. “Chewie” twice led the nation in assists, and ranks as Baylor’s all-time leader in that category, with 4,955.
Setter: Cory Siverston (1991-94): A three-time all-Southwest Conference and three-time all-region star, Siverston registered more games (527), digs (1,575) and aces (195) than any other Baylor player in history. Her .338 career attacking percentage is also No. 1 on BU’s all-time list.
Middle blocker: Desiree Guilliard-Young (2003-06): An intimidating presence at the net, Guilliard-Young recorded 600 blocks (second only to Erin McElwain) and a school-record 1.45 blocks per game.
Middle blocker: Erin McElwain (1992-95): The program’s leader in both matches (148) and blocks (625), McElwain was also steady from the service line, tallying 113 aces.
Middle blocker: Jana Ranly (1985-88): Of Baylor’s players during the Southwest Conference days, Ranly was the only one to earn first-team all-conference recognition more than once. She finished her run with 534 blocks and 136 aces.
Middle blocker: Kia Young (1996-99): In her senior year of 1999, Young turned in one of Baylor’s best all-time seasons, earning all-Big 12 and all-region honors while helping the Bears reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Outside hitter: Stevie Nicholas (2000-03): Perhaps the most athletically-gifted player in school history, Stevie was a high-flying kill machine, finishing with 1,548 for her career. She had more 30-kill matches (seven) than any other Baylor player, and was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year in 2000. Injuries her last couple of seasons probably prevented her from reaching her full potential.
Outside hitter: Elisha Polk (1996-99): Any list of BU’s best volleyball players should start with Polk, a two-time All-Big 12 and one-time all-region standout. James Bond wishes he had as many career kills as this lady. Polk is Baylor’s all-time leader in kills by a wide margin, hammering 2,272, a number that ranks sixth in NCAA history. Her 620 kills and 557 digs as a senior in ‘99 still stand as single-season records.
Outside hitter: Heather Williams (1989-92): A solid all-around contributor, Williams dots several of Baylor’s all-time stat lists. She’s third in kills with 1,506, third in aces with 168 and sixth in digs with 1,236.
Defensive specialist: Dana Atkinson (1997-2000): Atkinson could scoop it with the best of them, racking up 1,515 digs, No. 3 on BU’s all-time list. She also hummed in 114 service aces.
Coach: Brian Hosfeld (1996-2003): Though he finished with a career record under .500 (129-132), Hosfeld led Baylor to its greatest volleyball success. He won more matches than any other BU coach, and led the Bears to the only two NCAA tourney appearances in school history in 1999 and 2001. That ‘99 team notched a school-record 26 wins and defeated Texas for the first time ever. A well-respected recruiter who managed to pluck several talented players out of volleyball-fertile California, Hosfeld now is an assistant coach for the Longhorns.
- Introducing the all-time Baylor football team
- Baylor soccer's all-time squad
- The Best of Quarter-Miler U
- Nothing but aces for Baylor golf
- Baylor baseball's field of dreams
- Catching up to BU's swiftest cross country runners
- Introducing BU's all-time volleyball all-stars
- BU's all-time tennis teams
- These Bears could ball
- Baylor softball's all-time lineup
- BU women's hoops dream team
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Baylor's all-time teams
