Bears Writ Large

Baylor University’s (Waco, TX) athletic teams face chronic disadvantages competing in the sports-crazed Big XII Conference. A private Baptist college with approximately 14,000 students, Baylor’s enrollment and athletic budget pale in comparison to the resources available to such behemoth, state-school rivals as the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and others. Therefore, any expenditures must bring a strong return on investment.

Thus, the school’s athletic-department officials hired MMT’s Dallas office to create supersized digital graphics to enhance team identity and visual impact for Floyd Casey Stadium and the Ferrell Center, its respective football and basketball facilities. Before MMT began, Bobby Thompson, its project manager, was escorted to Casey Stadium’s 50-yard-line and asked to describe what he saw. He said, “Except for one or two small displays, I would’ve had no idea whose stadium it was.”

For Casey Stadium, Baylor specified a series of grand-format installations that featured past Baylor greats and commemorated the team’s bowl appearances. The 24, individual-player banners, which measure 28 x 24 ft., were installed between the stadium’s exterior pillars. Also, two, 66 x 31-ft. banners cover pillars on either side of the press-box exterior. Banners that list the team’s past bowl-game appearances and All-Americans measure 9 x 168 and 9 x 580 ft., respectively. Panel sizes varied based on the particular installation; MMT joined them with an RF welding machine.

Thompson said the shop received instruction on whom to feature in the program, but enjoyed autonomy in developing the scale, placement and installation. MMT designed the system using Adobe®’s Photoshop® and Illustrator®, and produced the graphics on either its proprietary, drum-printing system or one of its 3M-approved printing platforms, a Scotchprint 2000 electrostatic printer or an EFI-VUTEk 3360 solvent-ink printer. The graphics received luster- or gloss-finish overlaminates, which depended upon the sun angle and amount of text on the banners. To install them, MMT used a system of installation cables with metal clips and carabiners.

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Pleased Baylor officials subsequently awarded MMT the Ferrell Center. Rather than celebrate the past, the school opted for 18 double-sided banners, which were printed with its EFI-VUTEk 3360 solvent-ink printer, that feature the current men’s and women’s basketball coaches and players. MMT also fabricated a 54-sign wayfinding program that incorporates the Scotchprint™ printing system and 3M Controltac™ repositionable, Comply® air-egress film with 3M’s 8519 luster-finish overlaminate. Installers applied the graphics to opaque, “milk-plex” acrylic backings.

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