By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
After years of speculation, an ESPN article has dubbed Baylor as the founder of the homecoming tradition in college football.
The article from last week discusses who really hosted the first-ever homecoming, and Baylor was featured as a lead contender. The article describes Baylor’s first “home-coming” weekend 115 years ago as a pivotal weekend for the Bears when they defeated the TCU Horned Frogs.
“If history wants to remember the first official homecoming game in college football, all the evidence suggests this was it,” the article stated.
Former university President Samuel Palmer Brooks is to thank for kicking off this long-standing tradition. According to the 1910 Roundup Yearbook, a celebration was held during the week of Thanksgiving, drawing crowds of students and alumni as they took part in a plethora of activities. Brooks was responsible for organizing and hosting the events, which began on Nov. 24, 1909 and included a bonfire, concerts, class reunions and a big reception in Burleson Hall.
The next morning, students attended a series of speeches given by professors and university leaders, and that afternoon they experienced the first-ever homecoming parade on the corner of 11th Street and Washington Avenue.
These activities were originally hosted as social events for alumni, but they were open to the rest of the Baylor family as well. The campaign was to “catch the Baylor spirit again,” according to Brooks. The Baylor Lariat played a role by delivering postcard invitations that read, “Faculty and students desire your presence.” Thus, one successful homecoming with over a thousand alumni attendees was the beginning of a very special tradition.
Other schools like the University of Missouri, University of Illinois and Southwestern University also claim to have started the tradition of homecoming. Multiple sources accredit Missouri as host of the first homecoming game, but this game was held in 1911, two years after Baylor’s. Illinois also claims to be the original trendsetter, but its game was held in 1910.
Southwestern is said to have held a homecoming event in April 1909. Primary sources from the university’s archives validate this, depicting a large fundraising and social event for alumni and members of the community as the first ever “home-coming.”
However, these events were not associated with football, nor did they include a parade. So while Southwestern may have been the one to spark ideas about a homecoming, Baylor was the one to truly start the tradition.
Baylor’s 2024 Homecoming Chairman Beau Blakely agreed that Baylor was the true founder of the homecoming tradition.
“I do think that Baylor is the home of the oldest homecoming in the nation,” Blakely said. “As far as I have ever seen, everyone else that claims to be the oldest did not start their homecoming festivities until 1910.”
Baylor’s annual homecoming has evolved over the years, but the bonfire and parade are two examples of traditions that have not been swept away by time.
Blakely said that he thinks the bonfire-building is the most unique event, and it is one of his favorite traditions.
“This event is specifically for new students after the conclusion of the Mass Meeting program, and I think it makes the bonfire even more special when students have memories of building it from their first year at Baylor,” Blakely said.
Class of 2011 alumna Melissa Jones said that the bonfire was one of the most memorable events for her as she reminisced on her homecoming experiences as a Baylor student. She also said that the 2008 homecoming football game was “unforgettable” and full of high spirits.
“Baylor was playing Mizzou and my roommate and I left in the second quarter to go study for midterms. She came into my room later and told me the game was tied at the beginning of the fourth quarter,” Jones said.
Jones said that she and her friend drove all the way back out to the old Floyd Casey Stadium to see the game’s ending, joining a huge crowd of students flooding back in to cheer on the bears in the final quarter.
“Baylor ended up losing on a last-second field goal, but it still felt like a win and I’ll never forget running with everyone back into the stands,” Jones said.
Jones also said she remembers staying up late to work on a parade float and recalls the excitement of seeing the parade in action the next day.
“We get emails and calls every year from other universities asking us how we put on our homecoming parade,” Blakely said. “It is definitely something that other schools notice and want to incorporate into their events as well.”
In the last Presidential Perspective email, President Linda Livingstone referenced the ESPN article, saying she was excited for the first Baylor Homecoming as the true founders of the homecoming tradition.
“I could not be more excited to celebrate with our students and, most importantly, welcome our Baylor alumni back home,” Livingstone said.
