James Clyde “Abe” Kelly and Weir Washam were grumpy. Kelly and Washam, former Waco High teammates and now freshman members of the 1924 Baylor football team, watched in frustration as their beloved Bears fell 7-3 in Waco to the Kangaroos of Austin College. For tiny AC, the win was “the greatest Kangaroo victory ever.” For the mighty Baylor Bears, the loss was a wakeup call.
Baylor responded to that Austin College defeat by rolling to a Southwest Conference title. The turnaround began in earnest two weeks later, when Baylor headed south to face the Texas Longhorns. Kelly, Washam, and teammates traveled from Waco to Austin by way of Round Rock, TX, arriving safely. They dominated the Longhorns at the first game ever played at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Because of the win over 1924 SWC champion Baylor, Austin College coach Pete Cawthon declared the Roos “unofficial champions of the Southwest Conference.” The Baylor Bears would not win another conference title for fifty years, until Waco native, Baylor fan, and Austin College Kangaroo Tim Corwin witnessed first-hand the 1974 “Miracle on the Brazos.”
By 1927, both Kelly and Washam were starters on the Baylor men’s basketball team. The hoops season began in earnest in January, when Baylor traveled south to face the Texas Longhorns. Kelly, Washam, and teammates again traveled from Waco to Austin by way of Round Rock, TX.
They never made it.
The bus carrying the Baylor team crossed railroad tracks just south of downtown Round Rock. An unseen train ripped through the back of the bus, killing 10 of the 22 on board. Abe Kelly saw the train just before impact and pushed his friend Weir Washam to safety. Kelly and 9 of his teammates were killed on impact. They are remembered at Baylor as the “Immortal Ten.”
Baylor was a small school in 1927, not unlike Austin College today. Because of its size, the impact of the tragedy was immediate. The 10 basketball players lost that day were family known well by all Bear students. As Baylor grieved, the condolences began to pour in from around the state.
From the President of Austin College to Baylor President Samuel P. Brooks:
“Baylor University: Austin College extends Baylor [its] deepest sympathy in her great sorrow. [President] T.S. Clyce”
Round Rock, TX honors its link to this tragic episode in Baylor basketball history. In 2017, the city improved the original structure and renamed it the “Immortal Ten Bridge.” New plaques were installed honoring both the survivors and victims of the accident. According to the city, the bridge serves “as a symbol of the indelible link between the city of Round Rock, Baylor University, and the history they share.”
The Immortal Ten are also memorialized on Baylor’s campus. Statues of the 10 men of Baylor basketball were constructed in 2007 in front of Pat Neff Hall, and a plaque salutes the former players with the well-known Bear phrase “For They Are The We Of Us.” Every year, Baylor freshmen are introduced to the story of the Immortal Ten at their first Homecoming.
Baylor basketball itself honors the Immortal Ten every year at a game played close to the January 22nd anniversary of the tragedy. The names of Abe Kelly and his 9 teammates are worn on the jerseys of all Baylor basketball players. The 2021 edition of the Immortal Ten game took place on January 26th, when Baylor defeated Kansas State in Waco.
At the time of the 2021 Immortal Ten game, Baylor was ranked #2 in the nation. The #1 spot was occupied by Gonzaga University. Tonight, they meet to decide a national title. Dislodging the undefeated Zags will require a huge effort, as Gonzaga is led by Drew Timme, the grandson of former Austin College Kangaroo QB and AC Hall of Honor member Jerry Bishop. Baylor vs. Gonzaga may be a title game for the ages.
If Baylor manages to upset Gonzaga, you can bet the Bears will hang a national championship banner by the statues of the Immortal Ten on campus. But win or lose, Baylor will continue to honor those basketball players lost on that rainy January day in 1927. Because Baylor, an historic Texas institution like Austin College, never forgets its past. And never forgetting your past, my friends, is how you become immortal.
“Good luck Baylor University: Austin College extends Baylor [its] deepest hopes tonight for her greatest Bear victory ever.”
A big tip of the hat to Round Rock native and Austin College Kangaroo John Cotton for giving birth to this story.
