Alumni, students, and faculty of History, Religion & Sociology, please join us on October 25th from 3:00 - 4:00 pm in the Tidwell Foyer to reconnect with fellow alumni. 

Take a tour of the building and enjoy some refreshments while seeing friends. 

As a sixth-generation Baylor Bear, freshman Caroline Gorham is not new to the deep-rooted Baylor University traditions. With Homecoming right around the corner, Caroline said that it will be “one big family reunion, but then again, it always is.” Six generations of her family have attended Baylor, and today, Caroline is blazing her own trail as a Baylor student pursuing a career in physical therapy.

Several parking lots and roads on and around the Baylor University campus in Waco will be closed Tuesday and Friday-Saturday because of Baylor Homecoming-related activities. Baylor University Shuttle (BUS) services also will be modified.

If you’re looking to learn a little Baylor or Baptist history, Alan Lefever (BA ’84) is your man.

In his day job, Lefever serves as director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection, leading the BGCT’s efforts to preserve and communicate the history of Baptists in Texas. He’s also the author of The History of Baylor Sports, an excellent coffee table book chronicling the history of varsity sports at BU.

In a recent Baylor Connections interview, Lefever discussed the history of Baylor Homecoming. Here are five tidbits about the tradition’s beginnings that you might not know:

For over a century, Baylor has hosted its annual Homecoming. Alumni from all over the world return to Waco for the weekend — for the bonfire, Pigskin, the parade, the football game, and to celebrate and reunite with those who also bleed green and gold.

At the same time, Waco locals are also prepping for the country’s oldest homecoming celebration. Many are Baylor graduates, but many others (despite connections to other schools) have adopted Baylor as their hometown team.

In 1909, Baylor hosted the first collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation. This week, we again renew that tradition, as the Baylor Family returns to campus to “catch that Baylor spirit again,” as President Samuel Palmer Brooks famously wrote more than a century ago.

At Homecoming, Baylor rolls out the red carpet to welcome you — alumni and friends — home. It’s the biggest Baylor Family reunion of the year — all about seeing old friends, recalling fond memories, sharing those stories with the next generation, and celebrating together as one.

Whether you’re a Homecoming regular or this is your first trip to campus in years, you’ll want to start your Baylor Homecoming experience this year at the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center.

The Hurd will serve as “Homecoming headquarters” for visitors this week, with Baylor staff on hand Friday and Saturday to answer questions and help you connect with school/college/campus events — plus a host of activities, photo ops, student performances and more for Bears of all ages.