Carroll Field

Baylor University in 1892. Carroll Field was located alongside Waco Creek and adjacent to Old Main.

Caroll Field

Location	Waco, Texas
Coordinates	31.546867°N 97.120866°W / 31.546867; -97.120866
Owner	Baylor University
Capacity	15,000 (1930s)
Surface	grass
Construction
Opened	1902
Renovated	1915 (Lee Carroll Field's Athletic Building)
Closed	1935
Demolished	1939–1940
Tenants
Baylor Bears (1902–1925, 1930–1935)

Carroll Field was an exhibition ground in Waco, Texas, owned by Baylor University; the Baylor Bears football program played games there from 1902 to 1925, with the exception of 1906 when football was banned on campus, 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. "2023 Baylor Football Media Almanac (PDF)" (PDF). Baylor Bears. Baylor University. August 25, 2023. p. 179 (p. 182, PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
2. "The Baylor University Annual Published by the Senior Class of Ninety-Six at Waco, Texas". The Texas Collection (Baylor University). 1996. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
3. "Farewell to Floyd Casey". Giving to Baylor | Baylor University. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
4. Fiedler, Randy. "Waco, Strange but True: Football had tentative start at Baylor". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
5. Mendez, Elizabeth (October 22, 2004). "1909 brought new event to campus: homecoming". The Baylor Lariat. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
6. Kent Keeth. "Student Union Building History". Looking Back at Baylor, The Baylor Line (Texas Collection). Baylor University. Retrieved September 20, 2009.