News

Baylor football will host six games at McLane Stadium as part of its 2026 schedule, it was announced by the Big 12 Conference on Wednesday morning. 

Every Saturday at McLane is like a Baylor Family reunion — but Homecoming weekend is THE annual family reunion, the one you don’t want to miss.

The nostalgia factor was high for the thousands of Bears who made their way home to Waco this past weekend for Baylor Homecoming 2025. For those who couldn’t make it — or for those who want to relive it — we bring you a look back at the weekend:

For so many in the Baylor Family, Homecoming is more than just a weekend — it’s the joy of showing loved ones that Baylor spirit, revisiting old stomping grounds, and reconnecting with the people and places that shaped their stories. Every October, that first glimpse of the bonfire signals that we’re home again.

For Scott Floyd (BA ’11, MDiv ’14) and his wife, Olivia (BS ’15), Homecoming has always carried extra meaning. The couple met in 2012 when Scott was in his second year at Truett Seminary and his future wife was a Baylor sophomore. Their friendship quickly blossomed into something more, and by the time Homecoming rolled around in October, they were officially dating.

“What school hosted the first collegiate homecoming?”

It’s a question that’s been long debated. But if you picture an alumni event centered around a varsity football game when you think of homecoming, then there’s no question that Baylor University hosted the first collegiate homecoming, all the way back in 1909.

Several parking lots and roads on and around the Baylor University campus in Waco will be closed starting Wednesday, Oct. 29, due to Baylor Homecoming-related activities. Baylor University Shuttle (BUS) services also will be modified.

In 1909, Baylor hosted the first collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation. This week (Oct. 27-Nov. 1), 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 Hurd Welcome Center.

The Hurd will serve as “Homecoming headquarters” for visitors, 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.

Baylor Homecoming is just a month away — time to make your plans (if you haven’t already)! Here’s a round-up of what you’ll want to work into your schedule:

Returning to Waco for Homecoming? Make Homecoming at the Hurd your first stop. Located in the Mark and Paul Hurd Welcome Center at the corner of I-35 and University Parks Drive, this hub of information, performances and activities for the entire family is your Homecoming headquarters. 

Whether returning to Waco or finding your own Baylor community wherever you call home, these shared experiences continue to bring the Baylor Family together.

When the Baylor Family gathers bright and early on Saturday, November 1, for this year’s Homecoming parade, they will be continuing a fun tradition that goes all the way back to 1909.

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.

Baptist historian and Truett Seminary  professor Alan Lefever, Ph.D., joins this week’s Baylor Connections podcast to talk about the roots of Baylor Homecoming, the traditions that have become Baylor icons and even the occasional shenanigans that accompany college students through the years.

The Baylor Geosciences Department invites alumni and friends of the department to join us for our homecoming open house event on Friday, October 25th from 1:30 -3:00 pm.  We will be in the Baylor Sciences Building, E.401 Clock Tower (4th floor).  We look forward to seeing you!

Thousands of Baylor alumni descend upon Waco each fall for Homecoming. Some have returned every year since graduation; others are setting foot on the Baylor campus for the first time in five, 10, even 20 years or longer. Regardless of how long it’s been since you’ve visited Baylor, there’s likely something new you haven’t seen or done before — and at the same time, plenty of old favorites to revisit and traditions to enjoy.

Presenting: 99 things to see and do during #BaylorHomecoming:

Lots of events bring people to Waco in the fall: Move2BU, football games, Family Weekend, Premiere, Homecoming, Commencement… You get the idea. And the one thing all those visitors have in common? They’ll all need to eat while here.

For years, we’ve been writing up various guides for visitors to Waco. At last, here they all are, in one place — just for you.

The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center is your Homecoming headquarters, welcoming alumni back to their alma mater for the nation’s longest-running homecoming celebration. 

Today, the annual Mass Meeting is a beloved part of Baylor University’s Homecoming festivities during which first-year students hear the story of the Immortal Ten and share in the presentation of the Eternal Flame.