June 27, 2001
Go to the Chat
WACO, Texas - On Thursday, July 5 at 2 p.m. CT, Baylor Athletic Director Tom Stanton will make a special visit to chat with the fans about the past season and what lies ahead in the upcoming year.
Under the guidance of Stanton, the Baylor athletic department has experienced unprecendented growth in capital improvements. Baylor has spent more than $30 million on new and renovated construction under his leadership.
Current athletic building projects include the completion of the Bear Ridge Golf Course and the Bill and Roberta Bailey Golf Center, the construction of new football locker and weight rooms, and new locker and meeting facilities at the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex.
Recently completed projects include the Floyd Casey Stadium press box with luxury suites, the state-of-the-art Julie and Jim Turner Riverfront Athletic Complex, including Baylor Ballpark (baseball), Getterman Stadium (softball), Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field, Baylor Tennis Center and the new Dutch Schroeder Plaza, as well as new Ferrell Center offices for men's and women's basketball.
While putting Baylor on par with the nation's finest from a facilities standpoint, Stanton has also gone to great lengths to make the Bears competitive from a coaching perspective. He has hired such nationally renowned individuals as football coach Kevin Steele, men's basketball coach Dave Bliss, women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson and softball coach Glenn Moore.
Stanton has also been instrumental in helping the University establish new attendance records. In 2000-2001, Ferrell Center attendance marks were set in both men's basketball (91,421) and women's basketball (55,419). A school record of 95,367 was established at the Baylor Ballpark in 2001. In 1995, football set an all-time best with a 40,543 average per game at Floyd Casey Stadium.
Most Baylor fans would point to the university's rising fortunes on the fields and courts of competition as Stanton's most important legacy. Under Stanton, Baylor's ranking in the Sears Director's Cup rankings has jumped from 125th (1996-97) to top 55 finishes each of the last three seasons. In five seasons of play in the Big 12 Conference, Baylor has earned four team championships (baseball, men's golf, men's tennis, soccer).
Stanton won't hit the chat room until Thursday, July 5 at 2 p.m. CT. Feel free to drop him some questions here and we'll save them for his arrival.
