For they are the we of us
The Immortal 10 are ingrained in the history of Baylor. Comprised of 10 Baylor Basketball players who tragically lost their lives when a train collided with their bus en route to Austin to face off against the Texas Longhorns on a misty night on January 22, 1927. As a result of the tragedy that day in Round Rock, the remainder of the 1927 season was canceled.
Rain hampered the vision of the chartered bus driver as debris from the road sprayed the windshield of the bus. Just miles from the team's arrival in Austin, a speeding train from the I&GA Railroad Company rammed into the side of the bus at a railway crossing near the center of the city. Ten of the 21 players, coaches and fans in the Baylor party that traveled on the bus that day were killed.
There was a hero of the accident, James Clyde "Abe" Kelley. Kelley, who was captain-elect of the 1927 football team, saw the train just before impact and pushed his roommate, Weir Washam, out of the bus' window. Kelley is credited with saving the life of his best friend at the greatest expense to himself.
While we never forget the names of these fallen Bears, what makes them resonate with us to this day is that they weren’t heroes, they were members of the Baylor family. Serving as a reminder to cherish life and cherish each other.
Beyond Baylor, the tragedy of the Immortal Ten caused the reevaluation of railway safety and is the origination of railway overpasses in the state of Texas. Eight years after the tragedy, Mays Street Bridge opened over the scene of the accident. This was the first railway overpass in the state of Texas.
Jack Castellaw
Sam Dillow
Merle Dudley
L.R. "Ivey" Foster
Robert "Bob" Hailey
Robert L. Hannah
James Clyde “Abe” Kelley
Willis Murray
James L. Walker
William P. Winchester
10 men, 10 Bears, 10 friends; 10 lives that live on in the hearts of the Baylor family today. With the tale of the Immortal 10 being delivered to each incoming class at every Homecoming celebration during Freshman Mass Meeting, the Immortal Ten are sure to live on in the hearts of Bears for generations to come.
On June 22, 2007, a monument was erected on campus in the then-Traditions Square, now Vera Martin Daniel Plaza, to honor the Immortal Ten.
