1974 Baylor Bears football team

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.

1974 Baylor Bears football
SWC champion
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 14
Record8–4 (6–1 SWC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBill Yung (1st season)
Home stadiumBaylor Stadium
Seasons
← 1973
1975 →
1974 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 Baylor $ 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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 14at No. 1 Oklahoma*L 11–2862,375
September 21at Missouri*L 21–2843,752
September 28No. 12 Oklahoma State*W 31–1430,000
October 5at Florida State*W 21–1725,262
October 12at No. 14 ArkansasW 21–1743,300
October 26No. 8 Texas A&M 
L 0–2048,500–51,200
November 2at TCUW 21–718,792
November 9No. 12 Texas
  • Baylor Stadium
  • Waco, TX
W 34–2443,100
November 16No. 20 Texas Tech
W 17–1032,000
November 23at SMUNo. 16W 31–1440,168
November 30RiceNo. 16
  • Baylor Stadium
  • Waco, TX
W 24–340,500
January 1vs. No. 7 Penn State*No. 12
L 20–4168,500
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Team players drafted into the NFL

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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

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References

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  1. ^ "1974 Baylor Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2020.