Carroll Field

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Baylor University in 1892. Carroll Field was located alongside Waco Creek and adjacent to Old Main.
Caroll Field
LocationWaco, Texas
Coordinates31°32′49″N 97°07′15″W / 31.546867°N 97.120866°W / 31.546867; -97.120866Coordinates: 31°32′49″N 97°07′15″W / 31.546867°N 97.120866°W / 31.546867; -97.120866
OwnerBaylor University
Capacity15,000 (1930s)
Surfacegrass
Construction
Opened1906
Renovated1915 (Lee Carroll Field's Athletic Building)
Closed1935
Demolished1939–1940
Tenants
Baylor Bears (1906–1925, 1930–1935)

Carroll Field was owned by Baylor University; the Baylor Bears football program played games there from 1906 to 1925, and from 1930 to 1935.[1] Following the construction of the Carroll Science Building in 1902, the field was located between the building and Waco Creek; the field took over as the location of football games from an unnamed field adjacent to and northwest of Old Main.[2] Lee Carroll made a donation for the field to be constructed, and his father and grandfather had also donated to build the Carroll Science Building and Carroll Library.[3] From 1926 to 1929, Baylor football games were played at the Cotton Palace in Waco. During Baylor's first season, they were beat 33–0 by Texas A&M, but the Waco Times-Herald attempted to make the loss positive, saying, "For an eleven many of whose players did not know the shape of the oval until this season, Baylor put up a fair exhibition.”[4]

During Thanksgiving Day 1909, Carroll Field was the location of Baylor's first Homecoming football game; the 5,000 attendees to the football game paid US$1 each and, at the time, the crowd was known as the largest ever[clarification needed]. In the football game, Baylor defeated Texas Christian University, who had shut out Baylor in their last two games, 6–3.[5]

Student Union Building[]

Current Student Union Building on the site of the former Caroll Field

In 1940, groundbreaking began for Baylor University's Student Union Building on the location of Carroll Field,[6] but since 1935, the new Waco Stadium had hosted Baylor football games. The Student Union Building now has the Carroll Field sign proudly displayed on a wall inside.

References[]

  1. ^ "Floyd Casey Stadium". Baylor Athletics (Baylor University). Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  2. ^ "The Baylor University Annual Published by the Senior Class of Ninety-Six at Waco, Texas". The Texas Collection (Baylor University). 1996. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
  3. ^ "Farewell to Floyd Casey". Giving to Baylor | Baylor University. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  4. ^ Fiedler, Randy. "Waco, Strange but True: Football had tentative start at Baylor". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  5. ^ Mendez, Elizabeth (2004-10-22). "1909 brought new event to campus: homecoming". The Baylor Lariat. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  6. ^ Kent Keeth. "Student Union Building History". Looking Back at Baylor, The Baylor Line (Texas Collection). Baylor University. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
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