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Olympian Bears
Former Baylor Lady Bear phenom Brittney Griner (women’s basketball - will compete today, USA vs, Senegal @ 11:30 a.m.ET live stream here) and Baylor Bear Travon Bromwell (track and field - will compete later this month) at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
They’ll become the latest in a long line of Baylor athletes who have represented the green and gold on the world stage, symbolically receiving the torch from Baylor Olympians who came before them, dating at least as far back as the 1948 games in London.
Most fans are aware of the accomplishments of iconic sprinter Michael Johnson, BBA ’91, whose four gold medals earned him a spot amongst history’s all-time greats, and more recent stars like three-time gold medalist Jeremy Wariner. But did you know that legendary Baylor track and field coach Clyde Hart coached athletes who won gold medals in six straight Olympics? Or that Baylor’s first-ever gold medal was won by basketball player Jack Robinson, BA ’49, in 1948?
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Brittney Griner wants to set shot blocking standard.
RIO DE JANEIRO— Brittney Griner would love to be the second woman to dunk in the Olympics, though it's not the piece of history she really hopes to get.
That individual goal would be setting the shot block record.
"That's the one I really want," the 6-foot-8 Griner said. "Dunking is nice, but blocking shots helps us defensively and also can lead to offense."
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NBC Olympics asks, "Who is Travon Bromell?"
Bromell is known for racing in short shorts, rather than running tights. "It’s a part of me now," Bromell said. "I can run without it, but it feels better when I do."
Bromell tied with Andre De Grasse for the 100m bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships, behind Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin.
He claimed the 100m title at the 2014 NCAA Championships.
At the age of 17, Bromell broke the high school 100m record by running 9.99 seconds
WacoTrib reporter Bryce Cherry says that Travon Bromell has the opportunity to make his olympic dreams come true.
That day is cresting over the horizon. Not only has Bromell caught up to his dream by making the U.S. Olympic team, but the protagonist he’s chasing is the same guy from that original vision eight years ago. Bolt has worn the banner of the "World’s Fastest Man" for almost a decade, but Bromell may be just the man to snatch it away.
Baylor Bears in NFL
Baylor Wide Receiver Jay Lee settling in with Detroit Lions, and shines. From the Detroit Free Press:
"You work out with these guys every day and you get a feel for them," Lee said of the offense. "So we’re just trying to come together and make sure everything out there is perfect. Obviously it’s not going to be perfect, so you’ve to work every day."
Lee said he had "a little butterflies in the beginning" while making his debut in an NFL stadium as an NFL player. He has played in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, but as a college player.
"You’re on the big stage now," he said, "and you’ve got to perform."
Jay Lee, an undrafted receiver out of Baylor, starred for the No. 2 offense as a vertical threat. He caught a handful of passes, drew a pass interference call near the end zone and even hauled in a touchdown from Dan Orlovsky.
Media Marvels
Sports Illustrated Fansided’s saturdayblitz dot com previews the 2016 Baylor Bears.
The 2016 campaign won’t be any easier for this team, especially with a new offensive scheme with the first-year head coach in charge.
Saturdayblitz has obviously not listened to anything Coach Grobe has been saying about leaving the offensive scheme intact.
Camp BU
Tape time as day 3 of practice at #CampBU has arrived. Time to get better. pic.twitter.com/w66pgUVVZX
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) August 6, 2016
The men in the trenches getting work. #CampBU pic.twitter.com/KjXElzODLC
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) August 6, 2016
"Every day you come out be better than you were the day before." - HC Jim Grobe wrapping up #CampBU practice No. 3 pic.twitter.com/ebxggVWIW0
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) August 6, 2016
Meet the Bears
John Werner of WacoTrib writes about this year’s Meet the Bears and the large crowds that came to show their support.
With close to 3,000 fans crowding the concourse at McLane Stadium, the Baylor football players felt a great deal of support after a tough summer.
Fans came from across the state to meet the players, and some traveled even farther. Linda Carol Trotter, a 1981 Baylor graduate who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, makes an annual pilgrimage for Meet the Bears. Though her daughter Heather attends Baylor, her biggest reason for being in Waco this weekend was to meet the players and show support for them.
Your Russell Athletic Bowl MVP is all smiles at #MeetTheBears. #SicEm pic.twitter.com/IAgtXADjt2
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) August 6, 2016
Another fun day for Cade at #MeetTheBears. Ready to get this season started for the best fans on the planet. #SicEm pic.twitter.com/YMiaThXkzI
— Kellen Coleman (@KellenColeman) August 7, 2016
2016 Meet The Bears. New location, same great crowds. Thanks, Baylor fans. #sicem pic.twitter.com/WNTmNu4r8B
— Heath Nielsen (@HeathNielsen) August 6, 2016
Scandal
WacoTrib examines what is a coach’s off-field role amid scandal.
Legendary Baylor football coach Grant Teaff said coaches lead best by example, and teaching lessons to players verbally but not backing them up is counterproductive. Teaff was Baylor’s head coach from 1972 to 1992 and also served as a longtime executive director of the American Football Coaches Association.
Teaff said societal issues including peer pressure, disrespect and lack of accountability have a greater impact on young athletes today.
"Nothing has changed in the coach’s responsibility, except it has gotten more flagrant," Teaff said.
The following info is from Not Alone, a website created by presidential mandate to educate and assist the general pubic in regard to sexual assault and alert victims of available resources.
The Department of Education maintains individual school level data about campus crime and makes this data publicly available at: http://ope.ed.gov/security. This data is submitted by each higher education institution pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), and is updated on a yearly basis. For the first time, in 2015, institutions must now report the name and contact information of the school’s lead Title IX Coordinator. For information about which schools have been reviewed for non-compliance, visit here.