By Hannah Webb | Focus Editor & Copy Editor
For 125 years, The Baylor Lariat has been more than just a campus newspaper. It has been a proving ground for young journalists, a late-night newsroom buzzing with deadlines and — uniquely for some — a family tradition passed from parent to child.
This Family Weekend, three Baylor families reflected on how The Lariat had shaped not only their college years, but also the careers and callings that followed for their children.
When Yale Youngblood arrived at Baylor in 1974, he quickly found his way into the newsroom. By spring of his freshman year, he was sports editor, later joining the three-person editorial board that guided the paper.
“The four best years of my life were the years I spent at Baylor,” he said. “The Lariat played a huge role because of the friendships, the knowledge I gained from wise mentors and the preparation it gave me for a career in journalism.”
His son, Daniel Youngblood, carried on the tradition decades later, working first as a sports reporter, then as sports editor. Like his father, he found that newsroom friendships became lifelong ones.
“Some of my best memories are just being outside Castellaw, throwing the football with friends after deadline,” Daniel said.
He still keeps up with many of his fellow staffers. One of his best friends was his best man, and Daniel said they still talk about every Saturday Baylor game.
Journalism runs even deeper in the family for the Youngbloods.
“My granddad was a sports writer and columnist too,” Daniel noted. “So I’m a third-generation journalist.”
For Yale, seeing his son take on the same newsroom he once called home was deeply meaningful.
“Luckily, technology had advanced to the point where I could see his work more often,” he said. “It was just a joy to keep the chain going and watch him grow and develop not only as a journalist, but as a young man. Baylor had a big influence on that.”
Yale admitted that while he had a great career, he is the “third-best writer” among the Youngblood bloodline. Today, Daniel runs a sports website in Abilene, where his father now freelances for him.
“We’ve come full circle,” Yale said. “I work for Daniel now — he’s my boss.”
Robert Darden’s name is well known on campus — both as a longtime faculty member and as a former Lariat staffer himself. As a student, he wrote music and movie reviews alongside editorial cartoons and illustrations, and served as editor-in-chief for Roundup yearbook. For his son Van Darden, following in those footsteps felt almost predetermined.
“It was maybe inevitable that I pursued this profession, given who my father is,” Van said. “He is my greatest source for inspiration, personally and professionally.”
As a staff writer, Van tackled challenging stories, from campus crime to controversial administrative plans. His reporting occasionally put him at odds with Baylor officials, but he never backed down.
“That taught me persistence and not to let someone in power push me back from the truth,” he said.
One investigation he co-reported revealed a secretive university plan that was being denied publicly. Their reporting forced the administration to abandon it.
“Those articles ended up picked up citywide, statewide and even nationally,” Van said. “It didn’t make me a lot of friends, but it was the right thing to do.”
Robert remembers the fallout with pride.
“I got some of the angriest letters from people furious with Van,” he said. “And I was so proud. That was journalism with a capital J. He chose the harder road because it was the truthful road.”
For Bailey Dixon, The Lariat was part of her Baylor story before she even enrolled. When she visited campus for Baylor Premiere in high school, her father, Matthew Brammer, insisted their first stop be the newsroom.
“We picked up some papers and took those back to the hotel room,” Dixon said. “That was my first Baylor experience. After that weekend, I said, ‘I want to go to Baylor, and I want to work on The Lariat.’”
Dixon joined the paper during her freshman year in 2016 and never looked back. She rose from a staff writer to page one editor, then served as editor-in-chief from 2017–2018 and spent her last year as Lariat TV News’ executive producer.
“I spent more time in the newsroom than in my dorm,” she said. “I basically lived there, but I loved it and wouldn’t have changed a thing.”
Brammer, who was a Lariat reporter himself in the late 1980s, said the newsroom shaped both their careers, and that he could see his daughter’s calling from an early age.
“She was writing newspapers in fifth grade,” he said. “She’s been writing for a long time. Writing is in her soul; it’s part of who she is.”
Dixon credits her parents for introducing her to the world of journalism.
“Both of my parents really instilled that love for storytelling,” Dixon said. “The things I learned and honed at The Lariat are still things that I take into what I do every day.”
Though their stories span decades, all three families point back to the same foundation: the newsroom as a crucible for growth, resilience and lifelong storytelling. The bylines were in the bloodline for these writers, and as The Lariat celebrates 125 years, the Youngbloods, Dardens and Brammers embody the way journalism ties generations together.
“It was just a joy to keep the chain going,” Yale said of watching his son step into the same newsroom he once called home.
Robert echoed that sentiment after his son’s toughest assignments: “I couldn’t be prouder that he went this route — not because it was easy, but because he had stories to tell that were important.”
And Brammer put it simply: “Writing is in her blood. She was born for this.”
And for Van, the mission hasn’t changed.
“Journalism remains a noble pursuit,” he said. “The pursuit of truth is as important today as it was 125 years ago.”
