1953 Baylor Bears football team

1953 Baylor Bears football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	7–3 (4–2 SWC)
Head coach	George Sauer (4th season)
Captains	Bob Knowles Ralph "Pete" Erben
Home stadium	Baylor Stadium
Seasons ←  1952 1954  →

1953 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Rice +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Texas +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Baylor	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
SMU	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Arkansas	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Texas A&M	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
TCU	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 1953 college football season. They finished with a 7-3 record in the Southwest Conference for the year. Tackle James Ray Smith was selected as an All American player; Cotton Davidson (Quarterback), Jerry Coody (Halfback) and Smith were all selected All-Southwest Conference players. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	at No. 14 California *	No. 20	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 25–0	34,000	[2]
October 2	at Miami (FL) *	No. 10	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL	W 21–13	28,042	[3]
October 10	Arkansas	No. 9	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 14–7	25,000	[4]
October 17	Vanderbilt *	No. 8	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 47–6	17,000	[5]
October 24	at No. 15 Texas A&M	No. 6	Kyle Field College Station, TX (rivalry)	W 14–13	36,000	[6]
October 31	TCU	No. 3	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX (rivalry)	W 25–7	30,000	[7]
November 7	at No. 19 Texas	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	L 20–21	54,000	[8]
November 14	Houston *	No. 9	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX (rivalry)	L 7–37	15,000	[9]
November 21	SMU		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 27–21	30,000	[10]
November 28	at No. 8 Rice		Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 19–41	68,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. Baylor University, "The Round-Up 1954" yearbook via the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections. Accessed April 29, 2013. http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/ref/collection/tx-annl/id/29681
2. "Baylor crushes California, 25–0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 20, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Baylor slaps Miami, 21–13". The Orlando Sentinel. October 3, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Baylor scores in second half to beat Arkansas". The Commercial Appeal. October 11, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Baylor routs Vandy, 47–6". The Kilgore News Herald. October 18, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Baylor inches by Aggies in 14–13 thriller". The Victoria Advocate. October 25, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Baylor smashes Frogs, 25 to 7". Brownwood Bulletin. November 1, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Texas nips Baylor in 21–20 clash". The Indianapolis Star. November 8, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cougars shock Baylor, 37–7". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 15, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Baylor comeback drops Ponies from SWC race". The Victoria Advocate. November 22, 1953. Retrieved March 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Rice Owls smash Baylor, 41–19". Brownwood Bulletin. November 29, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.