Skip to main content

RG3 statue, boats on water at Baylor’s new stadium

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

WACO, Texas (AP) — RG3 in bronze and boats on the water at Baylor.

Before the 10th-ranked Bears beat SMU 45-0 in their first game at McLane Stadium on Sunday night, a 9 1/2-foot bronze statue of Robert Griffin III was unveiled.

The statue of Baylor’s only Heisman Trophy winner is in a plaza between the stadium and the Brazos River, where some fans arrived by boat for the game — and others dived in for relief from temperatures in the mid-90s. That plaza is at the end of a 775-foot pedestrian bridge over the water that many fans walk over to get to the stadium.

“If you go to Washington D.C., before you go watch the Redskins and Robert, you go see Mr. Lincoln. That’s a great statue. If you’re going to go to New York City, go see the Statue of Liberty,” Ken Starr, the school’s president, said during a dedication ceremony. “When you come to Waco, you’re going to see the statue of Judge Baylor, Coach (Grant) Teaff and Robert Griffin III.”

Griffin won the Heisman Trophy in 2011, the same season Baylor won 10 games for the first time since its outright 1980 Southwest Conference title. RG3 played his home games in Floyd Casey Stadium, about 4 1/2 miles from campus, where the Bears were for 64 seasons through last year.

It was during Griffin’s last season at Baylor before being the second overall pick in the NFL draft that the idea of a new campus stadium really took off and donations started pouring in to make that a reality. The Bears hadn’t played on the Waco campus since 1935 before Sunday night’s game against SMU.

“No, it wasn’t just me. If you look at the guys who came in with me, the guys who were there before we got here. They are all part of it, from Grant Teaff to coach (Art) Briles,” Griffin said, before starting to name a long list of his Bears teammates. “They know we couldn’t have done it without each other.”

Sporting a dark green coat representing a primary Baylor color, the Washington Redskins quarterback said he never dreamed of having a statue.

“It’s incredible. People are excited about football. I don’t know if we could have said that many years ago when coach Briles and myself and our first class got here,” Griffin said. “Now we have a lot of guys in the NFL. We’ve got a stadium on campus and the future is very bright. But this is only the beginning. There’s much more to come.”

Fans chanted “RG3! RG3!” during the statue ceremony more than three hours before kickoff. There were more of those chants after he was introduced on the field to give the opening prayer, in which at one point he exclaimed “Wow!”

Griffin and Starr were at midfield for the coin toss by former President George W. Bush, who has a ranch in nearby Crawford and lives primarily in Dallas, where his presidential library is on the SMU campus.

Starr got on campus after an 8:30 a.m. church service, and quickly took a stroll across the long pedestrian bridge.

“It’s beyond our expectations,” Starr said.

Neal Willard, a 1975 Baylor graduate and longtime season-ticket holder with his wife, Cheri, completely agreed after crossing the bridge toward the $266 million stadium.

“It’s everything they said it was going to be, and even better,” Willard said. “Being I was at the school 30 years ago, we would hang out at the river, but it was nothing like this. I think they’ve outdone themselves.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote