1974 Baylor Bears football team
| 1974 Baylor Bears football | |
|---|---|
SWC champion | |
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 21–40 vs. Penn State | |
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 14 |
| AP | No. 14 |
| Record | 8–4 (6–1 SWC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Bill Yung (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Baylor Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Texas | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Texas A&M | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1974 Baylor Bears football team represented the Baylor University in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. Baylor won eight games and captured the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship for the first time since 1924, and in the process defeated the Texas by a score of 34–24 after rallying from a 24–7 halftime deficit.[1] It was Baylor's first victory over the Longhorns in 17 years. The 1974 season and the win over Texas are commonly referred to as the "Miracle on the Brazos" (after the Brazos River, which runs near the Baylor campus) and it remains part of Baylor lore.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 14 | at No. 1 Oklahoma* | L 11–28 | 62,375 | [2] | ||
| September 21 | at Missouri* | L 21–28 | 43,752 | [3] | ||
| September 28 | No. 12 Oklahoma State* | W 31–14 | 30,000 | [4] | ||
| October 5 | at Florida State* | W 21–17 | 25,262 | [5] | ||
| October 12 | at No. 14 Arkansas | W 21–17 | 43,300 | [6] | ||
| October 26 | No. 8 Texas A&M |
| L 0–20 | 48,500–51,200 | [7] | |
| November 2 | at TCU | W 21–7 | 18,792 | [8] | ||
| November 9 | No. 12 Texas |
| W 34–24 | 43,100 | [9] | |
| November 16 | No. 20 Texas Tech |
| W 17–10 | 32,000 | [10] | |
| November 23 | at SMU | No. 16 | W 31–14 | 40,168 | [11] | |
| November 30 | Rice | No. 16 |
| W 24–3 | 40,500 | [12] |
| January 1 | vs. No. 7 Penn State* | No. 12 |
| L 20–41 | 67,500–68,500 | [13][14][15] |
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Team players drafted into the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Neal Jeffrey | quarterback | 17 | 423 | San Diego Chargers |
Awards and honors
References
- ^ "1974 Baylor Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Sooners subdue stubborn Bears". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 15, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mizzou wins in fourth quarter". Neosho Sunday News. September 22, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor upsets Cowboys, 31–14". The Marshall News Messenger. September 29, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor rally nips FSU". Pensacola News Journal. October 6, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bears upset Arkansas". The Galveston Daily News. October 13, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A&M owns SWC lead". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. October 27, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor Bears rip TCU Frogs, 21–7". The Kilgore News Herald. November 3, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Teaff teaches Bears lesson in upset over Texas". The Brownsville Herald. November 10, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor slashes Raiders". Clovis News-Journal. November 17, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor Bears by Mustangs, 31–14". Denton Record-Chronicle. November 24, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bears go in as champs". The Shreveport Times. December 1, 1974. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Campbell, Dave (January 2, 1975). "Baylor Finds Nittany Lions Hard to Handle: 41-20". Waco Tribune-Herald. Waco, Texas. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved April 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Bear dreams falter, Lions win, 41–20". The Paris News. January 2, 1975. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cotton Bowl Classics History; 39th Classic, 1975". Cotton Bowl Classic. Retrieved April 2, 2025.