May 14, 2001

WACO, Texas - The press box at the Baylor Ballpark has been known as the Jack Loftis Baseball Press Box since last season when the Bears were Big 12 Champions, but it had never been dedicated. The press box was to be dedicated earlier this season, but that ceremony had to be canceled when the game on that date was washed out. Baylor University and the Baylor Athletic Department set a new date for Sunday, April 22, when the Bears would close out their series with Texas.

Before the game Sunday, Loftis threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Many of his former teammates and classmates from the mid 1950s were on hand to watch. With his wife Beverly, President Robert Sloan and Athletic Director Tom Stanton standing in support on the mound, Loftis made the first pitch and the game began.

Loftis was a baseball player for the Bears in the mid-1950s before graduating with a degree in journalism. He began as a sports writer for the Hillsboro Mirror before eventually moving to Houston, where he worked for the Houston Chronicle. Jack is currently the Editor and Associate Publisher for the Chronicle.

After the game, while Baylor fans were celebrating the run-rule victory over Texas, a reception was held in the Mickey Sullivan Room at the Baylor Ballpark. The reception was attended by a number of former Baylor baseball players, especially those who had played with Loftis. Many of his colleagues from the press, both from Hillsboro and Houston, also were on hand to congratulate Loftis.