By Tripp Henderson | Staff Writer
Homecoming week at Baylor is one full of traditions, from bonfires and football to Broadway-style Pigskin performances. As current students take part in these traditions, the week also gives alumni a chance to reconnect and remember the place and people they love.
Dating back to 1909, Baylor’s Homecoming is recognized as the nation’s oldest homecoming. Instituted by then-President Samuel Palmer Brooks, the tradition was meant to give alumni a chance to reunite with Baylor and the relationships they made there; 117 years later, that purpose remains true.
Kailey Abshire (’20) said homecoming is a chance to reconnect with loved ones and share the campus with her family.
“It’s kind of a time where [my friends and I] can all go back together to a place that we met, enjoy those memories together and bring our families that we’ve now built with [spouses] and kids to come and see what we felt was so special about the campus,” Abshire said.
Abshire called homecoming a “common place” for everyone to meet after branching out post-college.
Before she was ever a student, 13-year-old Abshire began attending homecoming with her family.
“My mom and my aunt both went to Baylor, so they brought us up with that homecoming tradition and made sure we always knew we have the oldest homecoming tradition out of anyone,” Abshire said.
She said it was a special experience that taught her about Baylor’s culture and history, and it also encouraged her to eventually attend the university.
Likewise, Justin Joiner (’20) grew up exposed to Baylor Homecoming. He said his dad, a former Baylor football player, passed down the tradition by making sure they attended every homecoming football game. Growing up in Austin, Joiner said he was surrounded by fans of other colleges, but going to the games every year helped him become a Baylor fan.
Joiner said that going to the games “ingrained” in him from a young age that “this is [his] team, and this is where [he’s] going to go.”
Not all alumni had the same homecoming experience, and some favor certain traditions more than others. For Joiner, the game was what he was most involved in, calling it the “culmination” of homecoming week.
Abshire said that the must-do tradition is the homecoming parade. As a former member of Alpha Chi Omega, Abshire not only attended the parade but also helped build a float. She said that the parade is a great place for the community, students, faculty and Wacoans alike to come together and show their support for Baylor
“It was just fun to see Waco so full of people who love that campus all in one spot,” Abshire said.
For many alumni, the memories they make during Homecoming will last forever. John and Angela Herrington, a married couple from the class of ‘76, reflected on some of their favorite memories.
Angela was an Alpha Omega, now Pi Beta Phi, and said her favorite homecoming memory was participating in Pigskin Revue, where the top All-University Sing acts from the previous spring perform.
John also reflected on some of his best memories, including pranks and “shenanigans” from the NoZe Brotherhood and football victories.
“My senior year, we won the old Southwest Conference Football Championship for the first time in 50 years,” John said. “It was an amazing homecoming that year.”
Abshire said homecoming is not just about remembering the past but also looking forward and passing down the tradition her family instilled in her.
“It’s a mixture of remembering the times that I had while attending Baylor, looking back on memories that I cherish and love so much, and also excitement for the future,” Abshire said. “For homecoming next year, well, I’m going to bring my daughter.”
