Sept. 19, 2001

BIRMINGHAM - Samford athletics has signed a contract to face Baylor University on September 7, 2002, marking the first meeting ever between a Bulldog football team and a member of the Big 12 Conference.

The game will be played at Floyd Casey Stadium and is tentatively set for an evening kickoff in Waco, Texas. It will mark the second time in three years that Samford has faced a Division I-A opponent. In 2000, the Bulldogs traveled to Denton, Texas, to face the University of North Texas.

Samford Director of Athletics Bob Roller announced that the Baylor game replaces a previously-scheduled meeting with Chattanooga for the 2002 season. Roller hopes to open the 2002 season with a non-conference home opponent before the Baylor game.

The 2002 season will mark the final year that Samford will compete as a Division I-AA independent. The Bulldogs will join the Ohio Valley Conference in all 17 men's and women's sports in the summer of 2003.