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The Immortal Ten

The Immortal Ten

Name: The Immortal Ten
Author: Todd Copeland
ISBN: 9781481323390

The Definitive Account of the 1927 Tragedy and Its Legacy at Baylor University

by Todd Copeland

Imprint: Big Bear Books

Sales Date: 2025-12-01

135 Pages, 5.00 × 8.00 in, 33 b&w photos

Paperback
9781481323390
Published: 2025-12-01

$22.99

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On the morning of January 22, 1927, Baylor University’s basketball team set out by bus for Austin to play the University of Texas that night. The game, however, would never be played. Ten of the twenty-two passengers died when a train hit the team’s bus at a railroad crossing in Round Rock—the worst such accident in Texas history at the time. The students who died soon became known as "The Immortal Ten," eulogized across the state and the nation. This is their story.

In this new edition, readers will discover more about the lives and families of the young Baylor students who died, as well as those of the twelve men who survived the accident. Additionally, several important developments in the tradition of the Immortal Ten are featured in this updated account of an episode in Baylor’s history that remains a central part of campus life today.

Preface to the Revised EditionList of Figures1 Departing Baylor2 The Best of Hopes3 In the Company of Friends4 On the Bus5 The Collision6 Among the Dead7 Heartbreaking News8 Days of Mourning9 The Accident’s Aftermath10 An Undying SpiritAppendix 1 A Tradition of RemembranceAppendix 2 A Proper MemorialAcknowledgments and Source Notes

Todd Copeland graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor of arts in English and psychology in 1990. He also holds degrees in English from The University of Georgia (MA), and Texas A&M University (PhD). The author of Like All Light, winner of the Barry Spacks Poetry Prize from Gunpowder Press, he received the John H. Jenkins Research Fellowship in Texas History from the Texas State Historical Association in 2025. He has served for more than thirty years in institutional advancement at Baylor, where he additionally has taught creative writing and American literature.

Todd Copeland's work is a vivid account of a tragedy that left an indelible mark on an institution. He recounts how the pain and hurt of this unforgettable moment gave way to hope and healing that created a special bond among the Baylor Family that survives to this day. In this excellent work Copeland shows how the men who died in the accident have become immortal keepers of the Baylor spirit and how the survivors didn’t let this tragedy become the defining moment of their lives.
~Alan J. Lefever, Director, Texas Baptist Historical Collection

Todd Copeland is a wealth of information about Baylor’s history, and he has combined his meticulous research and captivating storytelling to craft an authoritative account of one of the most tragic and poignant events in our institution’s history. With careful attention to historical accuracy, Copeland recounts the lead-up, collision, aftermath, and legacy of the men aboard Baylor’s athletic bus that day. This account chronicles the passion, pride, and heroism of our students and exemplifies the Baylor Family at its very best.
~Linda A. Livingstone, President, Baylor University

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The Immortal Ten

The Definitive Account of the 1927 Tragedy and Its Legacy at Baylor University

The Immortal Ten

The Definitive Account of the 1927 Tragedy and Its Legacy at Baylor University

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