By Patara Williams

I’m never speechless.

Never.

But as I approached a white-washed pedestrian bridge overlooking a glorious river, I was. Until now, I had never seen the Brazos displayed with such grandeur. Glorious. Thousands of things crossed my mind:

Since when is the Brazos blue?

Is it blue?

Is my mind playing tricks on me?

Will this bridge fit 40,000 people at one time?

Of course not Patara, that’s preposterous.

WHOA. What’s that?!

As if it were rising from the dead, the McLane Stadium rose from the waters majestically, and then there was a flood…of tears.

I began to recall all of my experiences at Floyd Casey Stadium…my Baylor years flashed before my eyes.

More than 45,000 people gathered last Sunday to witness the Bears take down the SMU Ponies, and boy did they do it!

With each sack, with each run, with each interception, my heart raced, and my blood pressure soared…and I loved it. I was making history. There are 300 million people in America, and I can say I was one of 45,000 to experience Baylor’s first game in McLane Stadium. Why does that excite me so much?

Maybe, it’s because the Bears haven’t been ranked so highly in pre-season since 1957!

Maybe, it’s because I can recall when the stands were far from full, and the people in the stands before this Golden Era were equaled to the current number of Baylor freshmen.

Maybe, it’s because I feel so delighted and so spoiled by God to be able to experience Baylor at a time when it’s unparalleled.

But maybe, it’s just because I love football.