Sept. 2, 2001
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ARKANSAS STATE at BAYLOR
Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)
Waco, Texas
September 8, 2001 * 6:00 p.m. (CDT)
The Skinny
Baylor opens its 2001 season by hosting Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State (0-1) at Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000).
Series
Baylor and Arkansas State have never met.
Coaches
Kevin Steele (Tennessee, 1981) is 3-19 in his second season at Baylor. He has never faced Arkansas State.
Arkansas State's Joe Hollis (Auburn, 1969) is 11-34-1 in his fifth season as the Indians' head coach and 15-39-2 in his sixth head coaching season overall. Hollis has never face Baylor.
Baylor In Season Openers
Entering its 100th season of football, Baylor is 64-30-5 in previous season openers. The Bears defeated North Texas, 20-7, on the road last year in their season opener.
Baylor In Home Openers
The Bears are 73-21-5 all-time in home openers, including a 35-16 mark since moving to Floyd Casey Stadium in 1950.
Late Starters
After opening the 2000 season on Aug. 31, Baylor doesn't have its 2001 season opener until Sept. 8. It's the Bears' latest opener since starting the 1998 season on Sept. 12.
Starting At Home
This marks the first time since 1997, and just the second since 1994, that Baylor has opened a season at home. The Bears began the 1998 season at Oregon State, the 1999 season at Boston College and the 2000 campaign at North Texas.
Baylor vs. the Sun Belt
Baylor is 11-0 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, with all 11 wins coming against North Texas.
No Rest For Bears
For just the second time in 18 seasons, Baylor will not have an open date during the regular season. This season and the 1998 season are the only two since 1984 that has had the Bears playing 11-consecutive weekends during the regular season.
Baylor is one of just nine I-A schools not to have an open date this season.
Bears Face Tough Schedule
Seven of Baylor's 11 2001 opponents (Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Nebraska) participated in bowl games last season.
Baylor's 2001 opponents went a combined 73-58 (.557) in 2000.
Bear Captains Named
A pair of seniors, SS Samir Al-min and C Joe Jackson, have been selected by teammates as captains for the 2001 season.
BU Leads Big 12 In Grad Rates
According to the latest NCAA graduation rates, Baylor's football team has posted an 82 percent success rate in this category, far higher than the rest of the Big 12 and the NCAA division I average (48 percent).
Nebraska was second among Big 12 football programs with a 50 percent graduation rate, while Baylor's fellow Big 12 South foes came in at 46 (Texas Tech), 45 (Oklahoma State), 42 (Texas), 38 (Texas A&M) and 17 percent (Oklahoma).
AFCA Recognizes BU Academics
For the fifth time in six years, the American Football Coaches Association recognized Baylor for producing one of the top football teams in America in terms of academic performance.
The Bears were one of 28 schools nationally to receive the AFCA's award for graduating over 70 percent of its players.
Baylor Injury List
Here's an updated list at Baylor's injuries heading into its season opener:
Matt Amendola, DB Knee (r) Out indefinitelyCharles Bungert, OL Shoulder (l) DoubtfulKerry Dixon, WR Shoulder (r) Out 3-5 weeksJon Erickson, OL Mono QuestionableJamaal Harper, LB Knee (r) Out for seasonDerek Long, OL Neck Out 3-5 weeksKhari Long, DL Shoulder (r) Out 2-4 weeksRyan McDaniel, OL Knee (l) ProbableChedrick Ricks, RB Shoulder (l) QuestionableChris Sipes, OL Ankle (r) Probable
BU Walk-on Program Strong
Two current scholarship Bears, starting left tackle Jon Erickson and second-team quarterback Josh Zachry, were former walk-ons who earned their scholarships.
Baylor currently has nearly 60 walk-ons in its non-scholarship program. In the last two years alone, seven walk-on student-athletes have earned athletic scholarships. The Bears even have a specific scholarship, the Williams M. Harman III Memorial Scholarship, that is designated for a former non-scholarship player.
Family Ties
A number of Bears have noteworthy family connections:
- WR Reggie Newhouse is the son of former Dallas Cowboy RB Robert Newhouse.
- The father of FB Jonathan Evans, Dr. Tony Evans, is the host of a nationally syndicated daily radio program which can be heard on 250 stations in the U.S. and in 40 countries. He is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a national organization seeking spiritual renewal in urban America through the church. He also serves as chaplain for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
- WR John Martin is the son of Dave Martin, current associate AD at Oklahoma State and one-time interim commissioner of the Big 12.
- QB Josh Zachry is the son of Pat Zachry, a 10-year major league veteran who as a member of the 1976 World Champion Cincinnati Reds won the National League's Rookie of the Year award.
- Freshman CB Michael Boyd is the cousin of former Baylor standout Thomas Everett, a two-time All-SWC performer and winner of the inaugural Thorpe Award in 1986.
- Freshman DL Lorenzo Davis is the cousin of 14-year NBA veteran Derrick McKey.
- Freshman LB Jamaal Harper is a cousin of Kenyon Martin, who plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets.
Turnovers Key BU Wins
Under Head Coach Kevin Steele, Baylor is 3-0 when winning the turnover battle.
Preseason BU Honors
LB John Garrett and WR Reggie Newhouse were named honorable mention All-America by Street & Smith.
DL Kevin Stevenson (Lindy's)and P Adam Stiles (The Sporting News) were both named second-team All-Big 12.
Teaff To Join Hall Of Fame
Former Baylor coach Grant Teaff, who became the Bears' winningest coach from 1972-92, has been selected to join the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame in December.
Teaff compiled a 128-105-6 record while leading the Bears to a pair of Southwest Conference championships and eight bowl games. While posting 12 winning seasons, Teaff, who still resides in Waco and currently serves as the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, guided six of his Baylor squads to season-ending national rankings.
Teaff joins six previous Baylor additions to the Hall of Fame: Barton Koch, Jim Ray Smith, Lawrence Elkins, Bill Glass, Morley Jennings and Mike Singletary.
Penalties Down Under Steele
One sign of the discipline Kevin Steele has brought to the Bear football program is the low penalty numbers. Baylor has committed just 128 penalties in the last two seasons combined, its lowest two-season penalty total since 1973-74 (112). The Bears finished 1999 with its lowest penalty total (57) in nearly 30 years.
BU has been flagged four times or less in 9-of-22 games under Steele.
Bears Close in on Win No. 500
Baylor needs seven more wins to join the 500-win club all-time. The Bears are 493-457-43 since beginning football play in 1899.
Entering the 2001 season, 48 schools have reached the 500-win plateau.
Baylor Through the Years
Baylor is 493-457-43 since beginning football play in 1899 ... Baylor has had winning seasons in nine of the last 15 campaigns ... The school record for wins came in 1980 when the conference champion Bears won 10 games ... Baylor has 16 seasons of eight-or-more wins and five of nine-or-more victories ... The Bears' last eight-win season came in 1991 and the last nine-win mark in 1986.
Baylor Football on the Air
The Baylor Radio Network provides Bear broadcasts to 19 stations throughout the state of Texas. For a list of the affiliates, click here.
Baylor Games on the Internet
The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.
Inside BU Sports TV Show
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, will air weekly throughout Central Texas and other regional outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox SportsNet Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18).
KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays while Fox shows it at 1:00 p.m. Wednesdays.
