Bluebonnet Battle (Baylor-TCU Rivalry)

On Saturday, November 18, 2023, Baylor and TCU met on the football field for the 119th time, making it the state’s most played college football series and one of the longest running rivalries in the country. 

Despite the rich history between the two institutions and the passion exhibited by fans of both schools each year as the athletic teams met, no formal acknowledgement of the rivalry or tangible traditions around the shared narrative of Baylor and TCU existed until 2023. 

To commemorate the unique historical moment of the 2023 season, Baylor and TCU Student Government leaders worked tirelessly to advance an initiative to acknowledge the rivalry. The two groups passed legislation, developed an official rivalry name and commissioned the creation of a traveling trophy that would live with the school that won each year’s football contest. On November 13, 2023, the Bluebonnet Battle was formally adopted by Baylor University and TCU.
 

The History

The rivalry between Baylor University and Texas Christian University (TCU) runs deep, with an extensive history of competition in football, baseball, and several other sports. Until 1910 both TCU and Baylor called Waco their home. TCU, then called AddRan Christian University, moved to Waco in 1895, just shy of ten years after Baylor’s arrival from Independence, Texas. And so began the competition between these crosstown rivals. 

Baylor played its first football game against TCU in 1899.  The game ended in a 0-0 tie but sparked what would become one of the longest standing rivalries in college football history.  In 1908, there was some controversy between the schools when TCU published an article in their school paper, The Skiff, accusing a Baylor football player of cheating. This helped promote the rivalry in another notable game on Thanksgiving Day 1909. Baylor proved victorious in that game, which has the distinction of being the nation’s first Homecoming football game. 

In the spring of 1910, TCU’s main academic building was destroyed by fire. In a true show of sportsmanship and partnership, Baylor University officials assisted TCU in finding housing for misplaced students and opened up labs and libraries for their use. The rivalry cooled as TCU explored options for their new campus that extended beyond the Waco city limits. Ultimately, Texas Christian University moved to Fort Worth after city officials offered a generous bid and a plot of land to the University.  

Despite the distance, the rivalry was reignited when both teams joined the Southwest Conference - Baylor University in 1914 and TCU in 1923. In 1938 TCU won a National Championship and a Heisman for player Davey O’Brien. By 1972 when Grant Teaff became head coach of the Baylor football team, many feared that the football rivalry with TCU was fizzling out, as the Bears had lost the previous 8 consecutive games against TCU. Under Teaff, the Bears came back to win 11 of the next 13 matches against the Horned Frogs. The two schools were Southwest Conference members together for nearly 75 years until the conference disbanded in 1996.  

The dissolution of the Southwest Conference led to another point of bitterness between these rivals, as Baylor was invited to join the new Big 12 Conference and TCU was not. Although there were no football games between the rivals from 1996-2005, there was plenty of animosity as TCU moved between 3 different conferences, ultimately finding success in the Mountain West Conference. From 2006-2011, the Bears played the Horned Frogs in non-conference football games, with each team winning 3 of those games. When TCU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012 the overall football series record between the two was tied 52-52, with 7 ties. Neither school has a Big 12 rival that is closer than the other, with Waco and Fort Worth being only 86 miles apart.  

Current Record

TCU Wins: 59 – Baylor Wins: 54 – Ties: 7
Total Games Played: 120

The Name

The Baylor-TCU rivalry has been called various names since the teams first met in 1899, including long stretches without a name at all. The rivalry never received an official name despite its considerable history. In 2022, the Student Governments of both universities began an initiative to develop a name and formal concept for the rivalry. The group considered the naming process to be one of the most important elements of the initiative and understood it also would likely be the most contentious component to complete.

Both student governments endeavored to identify a rivalry name that 1) represented both institutions well, 2) signified the rivalry’s stake in the athletic history of the state, and 3) would be timeless. 

Texas is known for its beautiful wildflower blooms each spring, but none is more celebrated than the bluebonnet, the state flower of Texas. I35, which connects Waco and Fort Worth, is flanked during the spring season by miles of bluebonnets. These flowers do not simply represent the state but also the geographic connection between the two universities. 

After hours of deliberation and dialogue between student leaders at both schools, the bluebonnet emerged as the unifying symbol that met the three objectives. The Bluebonnet Battle emerged as the name of the rivalry. 

The Trophy

The Student Government leaders agreed a trophy that represented the rivalry should be significant in size, unique in design, and inclusive of symbolic elements from both universities. The Bluebonnet Battle represented a history as rich as any of the nation’s most recognized rivalries. Creating a trophy that represented the significance of that story was a priority of the group.

The one-of-a-kind trophy is comprised of two pieces. The base is constructed of wood salvaged from a historic Texas church. It features a lone star – the symbol of the State of Texas. On the back of the trophy is a plaque that reads, “In honor of the rivalry established in 1899, this trophy was commissioned in a joint effort by the student governments of Baylor University and Texas Christian University in 2023. May it be forever remembered as a rivalry of respect created by the students, for the students.”

The top of the trophy is a circular steel shield that represents the strong bond between the two universities through their significant shared history. The shield represents the passionate competition the two institutions have shared for over a century and ties the trophy to the name of the rivalry.  The center of the shield features the state of Texas, which is flanked to the right and left by hand painted metal bluebonnets. Located prominently at the top of the shield are the Baylor and TCU logos. The date that began this storied rivalry, 1899 is located at the bottom of the shield as a reminder of both institutions’ longstanding relationship and impact in the state of Texas.

The Artist

Renown artist and Baylor alumnus, Bryant Stanton, was commissioned to design the trophy by the Student Government leaders. Stanton and his team were familiar with other Baylor projects, such as the All-University Sing trophy and the Eternal Flame that burns throughout Homecoming. In the summer of 2023, STanton began the process of designing and hand crafting the trophy in his studio in Waco, Texas.