By Karley Rice, Reporter

For some UMHB alumni, Homecoming is more than a weekend of events. It is a chance
to return to a place that once felt like home, remember the people who shaped their college
experience, and see how the university has grown.

“Homecoming is exactly what it says. It’s just the sense of coming home,” said Rachel
Franklin, a UMHB legacy alumna. For Franklin, that feeling is deeply connected to family. Her
mother, sister and son also attended UMHB. Her niece currently attends the university, making
UMHB a part of multiple generations of her family.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will celebrate Homecoming Oct. 9-10 with events
bringing together current students, alumni and families. Stunt Night, the Homecoming Pep Rally,
Carnival on King Street, and the Homecoming football game against Howard Payne University
are among the weekend’s events.

For students, these traditions may feel familiar, but many have been changing and
growing for more than a century.

Stunt Night dates back to 1909 when it began as a class fundraiser. At that time, football
games were played at Belton High School and pep rallies were held in the Field House parking
lot.

The traditions may look different today, but their purpose has stayed much the same:
bringing Crusaders together.

“The heart of things has stayed the same, but the students have made it better,” said Jeff
Sutton, director of Alumni Engagement and a UMHB alumnus.
Sutton said Homecoming gives former students a chance to remember the people and
experiences that shaped their college years while watching current students create memories of
their own.

Gabi Hakke, this year’s Homecoming co-director, said students help shape the event by
giving feedback on what they want to see. Behind the scenes, committee planning involves
speakers, vendors, tables, budgets and approvals.

“UMHB is a place none of us truly ever want to leave,” Hakke said.

These connections also carry onto the football field. Luke Vidal, a junior wide receiver for
UMHB football, said seeing former players and alumni return is a reminder of the program’s
lasting impact.

“They’re always huge supporters and want to see us succeed, so it means the world to
have their support,” Vidal said.

For alumni, returning to campus can mean more than revisiting old traditions.

Beth
Norvell, associate director of Museum and Alumni Engagement, said coming back can give
alumni a deeper appreciation for experiences they may not have fully understood as students.
“Coming back has solidified things that I only thought I knew when I was a student,”
Norvell said. “There is a joy in seeing someone experiencing the thing you saw; it’s even better
than experiencing it the first time.”

That feeling continues across generations of Crusaders. Franklin said returning to UMHB
allows her family to see pieces of their history while watching new generations create memories
of their own.

“Every time we come home, we see traces of the past that were special to us, and it’s
really exciting to see the changes and progress” Franklin said.
Homecoming may look different from one generation to the next, but the tradition
remains: Crusaders come home, make new memories and keep the tradition going.