80 Days till Kickoff: Southwest Conference Champion 1980 Baylor Bears

As always, keep track of both the stats and roster countdowns in the Offseason Hub!

The 1980 Baylor Bears were Southwestern Conference champions for the fifth time in Baylor history thanks to a 10-2 record and going undefeated in conference play. Coached by Grant Teaff and led by Mike Singletary and the stifling defense, the Bears made it all the way to No. 6 in the rankings and a Cotton Bowl matchup with No. 9 Alabama.

While the Bears would lose the bowl 30-2, the green and gold enjoyed many great win that year. They doubled up Houston 24-12. They won a battle with SMU 32-28. They went into College Station and demolished the Aggies 46-7, before visiting Fort Worth to beat TCU 21-6. A huge 42-15 win over Arkansas set the stage for the beautiful 16-0 shutout of the Texas Longhorns in Waco to end the regular season.

The only blemish on the Bears’ record before the bowl came at the hand of San Jose State. Baylor lost that contest in Waco 30-22.

Aside from All-American, Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy winner, future Super Bowl winner and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, the green and gold sported some other outstanding players. Receivers Robert Holt and Mike Fisher as well as linebacker Doak Field and guard Frank Ditta were taken in the 1981 NFL Draft. One of Baylor’s all-time great running backs, Walter Abercrombie led the offense.

To my knowledge, Baylor has not gone undefeated in conference play since 1980. That team was the first Baylor Football team to reach double-digit wins, and another interesting note: Texas proceeded to not get shut out for another 24 years after the Bears held them scoreless.