Special “Farewell to Floyd Casey Stadium” graphic courtesy BaylorBears.com and Inside Baylor Sports Productions.
THIS SATURDAY marks a bittersweet moment for fans of Baylor football as we bid farewell to the program’s home for half a century. Floyd Casey Stadium – formerly Baylor Stadium – will host its final home game this Saturday as the Bears take on long-time in-state foe the University of Texas. It’s a big game with potentially program-changing implications: if Baylor wins and the University of Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State University, Baylor will be sole possessor of the Big XII conference title and gain an automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl, a BCS bowl game. But first we have to beat Texas in front of a sell-out crowd at “The Case” for the final time.
There are a number of great tributes to Floyd Casey Stadium out there on the web today, among them:
> A fantastic Flickr set of images documenting its past, courtesy The Texas Collection at Baylor University
> A “Farewell to Floyd Casey Stadium” presentation from Inside Baylor Sports
As part of our work hosting the Baylor University Libraries Athletics Archive (BULAA), we wanted to add our own unique elements to the remembrances of Floyd Casey, so we added two new videos to the BULAA (pronounced “boo-luh,” if you’re wondering). You can view them as embedded YouTube videos below, or look for them on the BULAA homepage at http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/33athletics.
The “Hex Tex” Pep Rally of 1983
Up first is some raw footage of the 1983 “Hex Tex” pep rally held at Floyd Casey on November 18, 1983. This footage was transferred from its original Umatic-S format video tape and is presented without digital manipulation, so it’s got some minor audio issues – you’ll want to turn up the volume to hear it well. But it accurately captures the moments of an early 1980s pep rally, complete with performances by Baylor yell leaders, song leaders, the Golden Wave Band and a line of twirlers.
In addition to these performances, the rally gave Coach Grant Teaff a chance to reflect on the 1983 season and to preview the next day’s game against UT at Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. It also was a time to present the Mike Singletary award, which was given to wide receiver Gerald McNeil. The award, which was voted on by the entire student body, went to the diminutive wideout for his exceptional abilities on and off the field.
Finally, the rally was a chance for the team captain and co-captains to address the Baylor faithful and reflect on a season that would see the Bears play in the Bluebonnet Bowl against Oklahoma State University, a game which they would lose by a score of 24-14 but would be their second bowl game in four seasons. And though the Bears would lose the next day’s game at #2 UT in a squeaker, 24-21, the Bears’ enthusiasm and appreciation for their fans – as well as the rally’s setting at Floyd Casey Stadium – make this footage a fun addition to the celebrations around the stadium’s final game.
(NOTE: The audio quality on the original video is poor to fair, so you may need to adjust your volume accordingly.)
The Grant Teaff Show, Baylor vs. University of Texas, 1984
The next season’s meeting against UT would go much better for the Bears. In a disappointing season that would see them finish 5-6 (with a .500 record in the Southwest Conference at 4-4), the Bears were looking for a big win against the #6 Longhorns for their final home game of the season, and boy, did they get it. In front of one of the largest home audiences of the season, the Bears dismantled the ‘Horns 24-10 and gave their senior players a decidedly upbeat end to their playing days at Baylor.
This footage is the entire broadcast of “The Grant Teaff Show” from November 25, 1984, the day following the Bears’ win over UT. Produced by Greenhouse Media of Waco, the show features highlights, Coach Teaff’s analysis and lots of great footage of an impressive win on the turf at Floyd Casey Stadium.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this historic footage of two great memories from Floyd Casey Stadium. We’ll be adding more video to the BULAA in the coming days and weeks highlighting Baylor football in the Grant Teaff era, so check back soon!
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BONUS CONTENT During the process of creating the access files for these videos, I came across some awesome commercials for Baylor University and the Medical Center at Dallas. You can see several of them as part of our Baylor University Archives Collection, or view the 1982 Athletics Endowment commercial, added as part of the BULAA.
The Grant Teaff Collection of materials related to his time as coach at Baylor University is part of the collections at The Texas Collection.