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

by Todd Copeland

Overview

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 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 nation. This is their story.

In this revised 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481323390
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	12/15/2025
Edition description:	second edition
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised Edition
List of Figures
1 Departing Baylor
2 The Best of Hopes
3 In the Company of Friends
4 On the Bus
5 The Collision
6 Among the Dead
7 Heartbreaking News
8 Days of Mourning
9 The Accident’s Aftermath
10 An Undying Spirit
Appendix 1 A Tradition of Remembrance
Appendix 2 A Proper Memorial
Acknowledgments and Source Notes

What People are Saying About This

Todd Copeland has told the story of Baylor's Immortal Ten with a dignity of remembrance justly deserved by the young men who lost their lives. He has made each of the passengers of that ill-fated bus become personal acquaintances to the reader instead of distant shades of memory. The Baylor spirit that is personified in the story of the Immortal Ten has been indelibly enriched by Copeland's masterful treatment of the subject.

Dave Campbell

Since that tragic January day in 1927, and for the several decades that followed, most Baylor people and many Texans vividly remembered the bus-train collision that resulted in the deaths of ten Baylor athletes and students. But details can elude us and memories grow dim with the passage of time. Now, based on some marvelous in-depth research, Todd Copeland has brought that day and those victims and survivors back to life. His dramatic account should be 'must' reading for Baylor people everywhere, as well as for those for whom Southwest Conference history still commands a place close to their hearts.

Dr. Eugene Baker

Todd Copeland has told the story of Baylor's Immortal Ten with a dignity of remembrance justly deserved by the young men who lost their lives. He has made each of the passengers of that ill-fated bus become personal acquaintances to the reader instead of distant shades of memory. The Baylor spirit that is personified in the story of the Immortal Ten has been indelibly enriched by Copeland's masterful treatment of the subject.

Linda A. Livingstone

Todd 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, Todd 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.

Alan J. Lefever

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.

Editorial Reviews

Since that tragic January day in 1927, and for the several decades that followed, most Baylor people and many Texans vividly remembered the bus-train collision that resulted in the deaths of ten Baylor athletes and students. But details can elude us and memories grow dim with the passage of time. Now, based on some marvelous in-depth research, Todd Copeland has brought that day and those victims and survivors back to life. His dramatic account should be 'must' reading for Baylor people everywhere, as well as for those for whom Southwest Conference history still commands a place close to their hearts.

—Dave Campbell, former Waco Tribune-Herald sports editor and founder of Texas Football magazine

Todd Copeland has told the story of Baylor's Immortal Ten with a dignity of remembrance justly deserved by the young men who lost their lives. He has made each of the passengers of that ill-fated bus become personal acquaintances to the reader instead of distant shades of memory. The Baylor spirit that is personified in the story of the Immortal Ten has been indelibly enriched by Copeland's masterful treatment of the subject.

--Dr. Eugene Baker, Baylor University historian from 1981 to 1995 and author of To Light the Ways of Time

From the Publisher