By Samantha Garza | Staff Writer, Brady Small | Broadcast Reporter
The annual Mass Meeting marked the fourth day of homecoming traditions Thursday in the Ferrell Center. Filling up the seats in a stream of gold jerseys, the freshman class of 2026 gathered together to hear the story of the Immortal Ten.
For more than 90 years since the tragic 1927 bus accident that took the lives of 10 student-athletes, Baylor has made it a homecoming tradition for the freshman class to listen to, receive and embody the spirit of those who died.
According to Baylor, Mass Meeting was originally an event set to kick off homecoming activities, promote school spirit and review Baylor traditions and ideals. Only male freshmen were allowed to attend the event. A separate chapel memorial service was later held for women who “remained excluded from the Mass Meeting.” Both ceremonies were combined in 1972.
The event includes the lighting and passing on of the eternal flame. Originally, the flame was encased in a metal canister known as the smudge pot, which has been a part of the homecoming tradition since 1947. The flame is lit and passed down to a freshman class representative as a “symbolic welcome into the Baylor family.”
In 2009, the smudge pot was replaced with a torch, in honor of the words of former Baylor President Samuel Palmer Brooks: “To you seniors of the past, of the present, of the future, I entrust the care of Baylor University. To you I hand the torch.”
Following the event, freshmen gather on Fountain Mall to build the homecoming bonfire.
This year was no different. Ten chairs with basketball jerseys on top lined the court of the Ferrell Center, each symbolizing a different immortal Bear. Ten students had the opportunity to stand in front of a chair and represent a member of the Immortal Ten.
The event started off with prayer, followed by the telling of the story of the Immortal Ten and the lighting of the torch, which was then passed down by representatives of each generation to the class of 2026.
Afterward, head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew gave a few remarks, and the night ended with a special commemoration of “That Good Old Baylor Line.”
Tyler freshman Kate Sharkey said listening to the story of the Immortal Ten was touching.
“To really hear that story is so impactful, because you hear the phrase ‘the Immortal Ten,’ but it just kind of goes over your head,” Sharkey said. “You don’t think about it; it’s just a statue on campus. But hearing about the actual lives of these people and the impact they’ve made on this campus — oh, it’s just heartwarming.”
Beaumont freshman Major Hargraves said his biggest takeaway from the event was that the Immortal Ten were outstanding students of the university.
“They really encompassed the Baylor spirit as we know today, and they’re the people that we look up to and that we should try and replicate,” Hargraves said. “I think it’s cool that the Baylor spirit is celebrated through them.”
Tulsa, Okla., senior Rachel Head — who was representing William Winchester, one of the Immortal Ten — said it was kind of “nerve-wracking” at first.
“I knew that it was such an honor and blessing to get to do this and be a part of this huge tradition,” Head said. “I remember being at Mass Meeting my freshman year and seeing all of it and just thinking it was so heartwarming and almost like a magical moment.”
