Fearless Champions by Steve Giddens

速

Fearless

champions T h e L e gacy o f Re d R a i d e r At h l e t i c s

ÂŠ 2008 by The Booksmith Group All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. Published in the United States of America by ÂŽ

an imprint of a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwestern/Great American, Inc. P. O. Box 305124 Nashville, TN 37230 1-800-358-0560 www.thebooksmithgroup.com ISBN (Standard): 978-1-934892-13-8 ISBN (Premium): 978-1-934892-14-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935755

Publisher: Steve Giddens Publishing Consultant: Ed Toogood Managing Editor: Jennifer Dawn Day Associate Editor: Heidi L. T. Tuey Project Manager: Jason Seely Text: Robert Giovannetti Book Design: Channing Ross Photography: ????? Printed in the United States of America First printing 2008

D Table of Contents d Introduction: POLK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 Chapter one: The Early Years . . . . . . . . 08 Chapter TWO: The 1960 s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chapter Three: The 1970 s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Chapter Four: The 1980 s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Chapter Five: The 1990 s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Chapter Five: The 2000 s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

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When considering all of the important pieces

that make up the puzzle that is Tech athletics, it would be difficult to find anyone more valuable to the entire program than Polk Robison. Some would say impossible. “He’s the single most important individual in our school’s athletic history,” said Gerald Myers, a guy who played for Robison and later became the school’s athletic director himself. Robison truly was the epitome of a Red Raider, having first played basketball for the school and later coaching the basketball program from 1942 to 1961 and becoming the athletic director for ten years after that. His stature and personality made him appear larger than life, a face for the school that was respected everywhere he traveled.

“We simply wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for Coach Robison,” said Myers. “Yes, he was a great coach and administrator, but more importantly, he was a great man.” The list of achievements for the Red Raiders under Robison is long. He had a litany of firsts as the coach of the basketball program. He led the program to three Border Conference championships. He saw the program move into the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, and he coached Tech’s first National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament

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Introduction

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Polk Robison WAS

Red Raider. He WAS champion. game in 1954. And he was the coach when Tech first entered the Southwest Conference (SWC). “That was so important at the time, to become a part of that great conference,” Robison said. “A lot of good people worked long and hard to make that a reality, and we were always grateful for that.” In 1961, Robison’s Tech team won the school’s first SWC championship. They played in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Cincinnati but beating Houston in the third-place game, giving the school its first ever

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NCAA Tournament win. After that season, Robison decided to quit coaching but stayed on as the athletic director. “Coaching takes a lot out of you, gives you stomach trouble,” Robison said. “I’ve always felt for coaches. I know how hard they work.” His coaching experience made him a successful athletic director as well. “He was so wellrespected by everyone,” said John Scovell, who played football at Tech in the 1970s and years later saw his three sons play for the Red Raiders as well. “The things that made him a great coach

made people respect him and helped him lead the athletic department.” The sixties were a critical time for the growth of the athletic department. It was a new playing field in the SWC. Tech was the dominant player in the Border Conference; the new conference had newer, stronger, and bigger players both on and off the field. “We had to prove ourselves,” Robison said. “That’s the great thing about Red Raiders, nothing was given to us.”

AS the epitome of a AS truly a fearless “I’m convinced we wouldn’t be in the Southwest Conference or the Big 12 without Coach Robison,” Gerald Myers said. “Everything he did can still be felt today.”

The school honored Robison with a bronze bust of his likeness in the United Spirit Arena in what is now known as the Polk Robison Men’s Basketball Hall of Honor in the main lobby. There’s also a banner hanging in the arena with

his name. And before he passed in June of 2008 many times you could find Robison in the arena, watching his beloved Red Raiders. “It’s changed in a lot of ways,” he said of the game he loves most. “But the fundamentals are still the same; it’s still the same game Dr. Naismith created.” Robison said he’s honored that many at Tech still remember him. “Good friends tend to let friendships extend real knowledge. I appreciate it.”

Today, Tech fans young and old, even those who have never heard Polk’s name, will forever enjoy the fruits of his hard work and dedication to the school. His contributions to the program are incalculable, his legacy intact. Polk Robison was the epitome of a Red Raider. He was truly a fearless champion.

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Chapter one

The Early

YEARS Tech athletics before the sixties

was marked by historic firsts.

A relatively new school that had opened in 1925, Tech quickly set out to make its mark in the Border Conference, a league they would dominate with a 54–5–3 record over the years. Legendary coach Pete Cawthon would lead the Matadors (eventually the Red Raiders) to some big wins over the years, including an undefeated season in 1938. It’s rumored that Cawthon hated to lose so much, he would jump off the train after a loss and disappear for days as he tried to get over the defeat. As the school continued to grow, many had visions for greater prizes, and thus Tech applied to join the Southwest Conference. The SWC was an established league with old time rivals that were quick to try and block the school from Lubbock from joining. But with a little innovation and a threatened Neiman Marcus boycott, Tech found itself a part of the SWC in 1956.

The early years at Tech were a simpler time, but much was accomplished. The Masked Rider made his national debut in the Gator Bowl in 1954 and Cawthon made his mark nationally by having his team travel all over to play. Along the way, the seeds were sown for Texas Tech to become the athletics program that many of us enjoy today.

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Border Conference Before becoming a member of the Southwest Conference, Tech was a power player in the Border Conference. The conference consisted of nine schools and spanned three states. It was active from 1931 until its disbandment in 1962. Tech was a major player in the conference which also included the likes of the Arizona, Arizona State, Texas Mines (now UTEP), and New Mexico. “We had some great rivalries built up in those days with some of those schools,” said Tech athletic director Gerald Myers. Myers played on the first Red Raider SWC team and was Tech’s first All-Southwest Conference basketball player.

Tech won nine Border Conference championships in football and five in basketball. DeWitt Weaver led Tech to conference championships in football in four of the last five years of Border Conference play. “We took great pride in our conference championships,” said Jack Kirkpatrick, who was a quarterback for Tech in the early fifties. “We felt like our program was as good as anyone’s, but we didn’t get the respect we deserved because we played in the Border Conference.” Many felt that Weaver was an instrumental player in getting Tech into the Southwest Conference. “He was like everyone else. He felt like we should play on a bigger stage,” Kirkpatrick said. As strong as the Red Raiders were in the Border Conference, they have never been able to carry over the championships to the Southwest Conference and later the Big 12. Since the nine Border Conference championships in football, Tech has won only two SWC titles and no Big 12 football championships. “It’s just a different game today,” said Myers. “We certainly recognize what a great part of our heritage the Border Conference always will be.”

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It’s just a different game today,” said Myers.“We certainly recognize what a great part of our heritage the Border Conference always will be.

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P e t e

C aw t h o n

For whatever success the Texas Tech football program has experienced, or will experience, a foundation had to be laid. And most observers believe Pete Cawthon did just that. Cawthon coached the Red Raiders for eleven seasons, from 1930 to 1940. During that time, he piled up seventy-six wins versus thirty-two losses. He was Tech’s all-time winningest coach until Spike Dykes came along. But with Cawthon, his accomplishments amounted to much more than just the wins on the field. In 1930, Tech had a fledgling program and was in need of a leader to take hold and guide the ship. University president Paul Whitfield Horn was looking for a disciplinarian when he convinced Cawthon to leave Austin College in Sherman and take the reins in Lubbock. Cawthon had been successful and was also known to have a unique ability to manage his players. Cawthon displayed his innovation as the Tech coach. He dressed his players in scarlet jerseys and red satin pants. He

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was a firm believer in traveling to play games and was one of the first coaches to use air travel to get to a game. In 1937, Cawthon and his team flew to Detroit, only to lose 34–0. A noted poor loser, on the way back, players overheard Cawthon grumble, “I wish this plane would fall and take all of us with it.” Cawthon did not attempt to hide his disdain for losing. “Show me a man who likes to lose, and I’ll show you a man who will never amount to anything in his life,” he said.

Known as the “Tender Tyrant” because of his relationship with his players, Cawthon was also a motivator. Following a poor first half he told his team, “The first half you were playing for your school. The second half you’re playing for your lives.” He organized the Texas Tech Coaching School, an organization that today is known as the Texas High School Coaches Association School.

Cawthon was inducted into both the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor in 1961. D The Early Years d

Arch Lamb For some Tech fans, when you think of Red Raider athletics, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard not to think of the Saddle Tramps. And when it comes to the Saddle Tramps, there is no more respected name than that of its founder, Arch Lamb. During the 1930s, Lamb could not continue in the dairy business because of an injury, so he enrolled at Tech. He was a huge sports fan, and at the urging of his friends, he became the head cheerleader. In 1936, along with fellow cheerleaders Paul Bowers and Bud Thompson, he started the Saddle Tramps as a nonpolitical spirit organization. Within a year, the number of Tramps had grown from ten to fifty, and by their second year, they had planted twenty thousand trees on campus and bought forty uniforms for the Tech band. Lamb came up with the idea of the Masked Rider. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also credited for the Tramps playing the Victory Bells after a Tech victory. In 1938, he promised if Tech beat Texas Wesleyan University in football that the Tramps would ring the bells all night long. Tech won and the bells started ringing. Citizen complaints forced them to stop in the middle of the night, but it became firmly entrenched as a Tech tradition. He maintained contact with the organization in the years after he left school. He never dreamed early on how important the Tramps would become in the Tech athletic landscape. 14

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Lamb Came up with the idea of the masked rider. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also credited for the tramps playing the victory bells after a tech victory.

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The Masked Rider Ask the average Tech fan what their favorite athletic tradition is, and most will respond that it is when the Masked Rider leads the team onto the field at Jones Stadium. The Masked Rider is indeed one of Tech’s most cherished and storied traditions. In 1936, the Masked Rider—then known as “Ghost Rider” because no one knew his identity—first appeared at Tech games. The rider, wearing a cape and mounted on a palomino stallion, would circle the field and then disappear. Years later, it was discovered that George Tate, a member of the class of 1937, was the original Ghost Rider.

The Masked Rider made an impression nationally at the January 1, 1954, Gator Bowl. Tech student Joe Kirk Fulton—wearing Levi’s, a red shirt, a cape, and a black cowboy hat—led the team onto the field riding a horse named Blackie. Ed Danforth of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, “No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance.” It’s also important to note that Tech won the game 35–13 over Auburn University. Many fans also wonder how the mascot name, the Red Raiders, came about. During the early years of Tech football, the mascot was the Matador. However, during the thirties, Pete Cawthon had the players dressed in scarlet jerseys, red pants, and red and black socks. Collier Parris of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal began his coverage of a Tech win against New Mexico by writing, “The Red Raiders from Texas Tech, terrors of the Southwest this year, swooped into New Mexico today.” The nickname caught on, and the Red Raiders eventually replaced the Matadors.

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1954 Gator Bowl With a win over Auburn in the January 1, 1954, Gator Bowl, Texas Tech ended what might be termed a historic season.

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That team was the first in school history to win eleven games. (Only one has done it since: the ’73 team ironically ended with win number eleven in the Gator Bowl as well.) But that Gator Bowl also served as the historic opening ride for the Masked Rider and was the school’s first-ever televised game. Riding a horse named Blackie that belonged to Levelland Sheriff’s Posse member Bert Eads, Joe Kirk Fulton became the university’s official mascot. According to reports from those present at the 1954 Gator Bowl, the crowd sat in stunned silence as they watched Fulton and Blackie rush onto the football field, followed by the team. After a few moments of stunned disbelief, the silent crowd burst into cheers. It was a special win for Tech coach DeWitt Weaver as well. Weaver was a Jacksonville native who relished the opportunity to come back and coach in his hometown. After trailing at the half, Weaver led the Red Raiders to a furious second-half performance that ended with a 35–13 win over the Tigers. Bobby Cavazos had 141 yards rushing in the game and was named the bowl MVP.

“Sometimes everything just comes together, and that’s what happened with us that day,” said quarterback Jack Kirkpatrick. “I still think that was one of the best teams in school history.” For Weaver, it was a sentimental win as well, coming in his hometown. The team carried him off on their shoulders after the game, and he was overcome with emotion. “This has to be one of the most special days in my life,” he told the Jacksonville paper at the time. He was also rewarded with a gold cadillac by Gator Bowl officials.

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SWC Admission Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Good thing the Texas Tech administration didn’t give up. A member of the Border Conference for all of their years of conference competition, the Red Raider faithful longed for a bigger stage on which to compete. The holy grail of conferences back in the 1950s was the Southwest Conference. “We wanted to be on a bigger stage,” said Polk Robison. “Most of the people in this area saw the Border Conference as something less than the Southwest Conference.” As much as Tech longed for admission into the SWC, the feeling wasn’t exactly mutual. Tech began applying for admission into the SWC starting as early as the 1930s. The school was rejected eight times before finally being accepted by the league.

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Tech fans were very upset when Tech was rejected for the eighth time in 1952. Suspecting that Southern Methodist University was blocking their admission, Tech fans united in cutting up their Neiman Marcus cards and mailing them to Dallas, the home base of the retailer. The protest caught the attention of Stanley Marcus, who proceeded to convince the powers at SMU to change their vote. Finally, in 1956, the school was notified that it would indeed be allowed into the conference. Excited Tech fans stormed the streets in celebration.

“It was such a big step for us,” Robison said. “It gave us a chance to show the rest of the state what we had here.” The admission came with a price; Tech had to upgrade Jones Stadium to meet the SWC seating requirements. The massive upgrade of the stadium resulted in new lights and a seating capacity of 41,500. “Getting into the Southwest Conference was as or more important as eventually getting into the Big 12,” Robison said.

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G E R A l d If there was ever truly a Mr. Texas Tech, Gerald Myers would be the man. Starting out as point guard on the Red Raider basketball teams of the late fifties and working his way up to head basketball coach and eventually athletics director, Myers has certainly seen the alpha to the omega of Texas Tech athletics.

“We’ve certainly enjoyed our time here,” said Myers. “Carol [his wife] and I love Texas Tech. We love being Red Raiders.” Not surprisingly, Myers’s stints have always been met with success. He was the school’s first-ever All-SWC performer in 1958. After taking over for Bob Bass in mid-season in 1971, Myers went on to guide Tech to two SWC championships and three SWC post-season championships on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leader in wins. In 1990, he became assistant athletic director and eventually moved on to the athletic director’s role permanently in 1997. Under his watch, Tech has seen a significant increase in their athletics budget and the greatest facilities upgrade in the school’s history. “To compete in the Big 12, you have to have the facilities. I’ve always believed that,” Myers said. “We’ve accomplished a great deal, but there’s still so much I’d like to see us get done.”

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M Y E R S As a former coach himself, Myers is known as a coach’s athletic director, and he has a keen eye for coaching talent. His hires include football coach Mike Leach, track coach Wes Kittley, and of course, legendary basketball coach Bob Knight. “I would not have come to Tech if it hadn’t been for Coach Myers,” Kittley said. Kittley had achieved phenomenal success at Abilene Christian University but felt that Tech was a sleeping giant on the South Plains. “A lot of that potential is Gerald. He knows what it takes to win, and he believes in his coaches,” Kittley said. Myers has had the unenviable task of leading the program through probation and into the rugged waters of the Big 12. Not many people could have handled the transition. “I believe Gerald has been the best man for the position,” said John Scovell, who played football for Tech in the 1960s and later served on the school’s board of regents. “He cares deeply about the school, and he knows what it takes to win and produce winners.” As for Myers, all of the trappings are great, but it’s the athletes he still cares about the most. “Just to watch some of these kids go out and represent our school and compete . . . . That’s what it’s all about.”

“Just to watch some of these kids go out and represent our school and compete . . . . That’s what it’s all about.”

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Chapter TWO

The

1960s

The new kids on the block established

themselves pretty quickly.

Tech, still getting acquainted with their Southwest Conference foes, quickly established itself as a force with back-to-back basketball championships in 1961 and 1962. “It was important to get those trophies so that teams would recognize that we were on equal footing,” Polk Robison would say years later.

Football began to make its mark as well. Back-to-back bowl trips in the mid sixties told just part of the tale. It was a golden era of Red Raider football with Donny Anderson, E. J. Holub, and Dave Parks becoming heroes to children and adults alike. All three would go on to professional careers, with Parks becoming the first and only number one draft pick in school history. There were some memorable upsets as well. Players and fans alike still remember the ’67 upset of the University of Texas at Austin, as fans lined the runway at the airport preventing the team from landing on time. Eventually, the Red Raiders landed in Amarillo and bussed home to Lubbock. Racial barriers were broken as well. Danny Hardaway came on campus to become the first African-American athlete ever at Tech. He played football from 1969 to 1970 and started a path that would soon be followed by thousands of other AfricanAmericans through the years.

Clockwise from the top: 1&2. Dave Parks remains the only number one draft pick in school history. 4&5. E. J. Holub was renowned for his toughness and started on both sides of the ball in the Super Bowl.

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Donny Anderson As great as Donny Anderson was on the field, his records were perhaps surpassed only by hisnicknames. Called the “Stinnett Flash” and the “Golden Palomino,” Anderson is still thought by many to be the greatest player in Tech history. “I’m not sure where any of those nicknames came from anymore,” he said. “I guess I should just be glad they were calling my name.” As a running back for the Red Raiders from 1963 to 1965, Anderson was a three-time All-Southwest Conference performer. He led Tech to the 1964 Sun Bowl and the 1965 Gator Bowl. He set the school all-purpose yards record, which stood for thirtyeight years. J. T. King, his coach, said that Anderson was such a gifted athlete, he could start at any of four positions for any team in the country. “I’m not sure that was true or not. I think he said it because he always thought I should be a linebacker,” Anderson said. Perhaps he would have been a great linebacker, but he ended up as a pretty good running back. His number, forty-four, was retired and he was twice named an All-American. When he left school, he signed the most lucrative rookie contract ever when he joined the Green Bay Packers. “I had a very good run of luck and success,” Anderson said. “I enjoyed my time at Tech and what it allowed me to do.”

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“Those were great times,” he said. “We certainly made our mark in the Southwest Conference.”

Dub Malaise U

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Records are made to be broken. But don’t tell Dub Malaise that. Playing for the Tech basketball team in 1966, Malaise lit up the Texas Longhorns for fifty points in Gregory Gym in Austin, a scoring record that stands to this day. “When you think of some of the great scorers, it’s kind of ironic that my record still stands,” Malaise said. “You don’t think of something like that when you set it. I’m just proud to have been able to do that.” Malaise was the leading scorer on the 1966 team that won the Southwest Conference title but had to relinquish the crown due to playing an ineligible player in two games. “That stung,” he said. “We certainly felt like we were the best team in the league.” Had the Red Raiders been able to accept their championship, they would have advanced to the NCAA Tournament the year that Texas Western won the national championship. On their way, Texas Western had to stop in Lubbock in the NCAA Regionals.

“I’ll always remember our crowds back then,” Malaise said. “The coliseum was packed and they’d overflow them into the auditorium next door. The people of Lubbock really supported us then.” Malaise doesn’t claim the Red Raiders would have stopped Texas Western on their way to the title, but he would have liked the opportunity. “Our team and fans were so disappointed to not get in. We would have liked a shot.” Malaise ended his career as a three-time All-SWC performer and as the 1965 conference player of the year. “Those were great times,” he said. “We certainly made our mark in the Southwest Conference.”

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The Scovells When going through the annals of Tech athletics, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be hard pressed to find a more dedicated Red Raider family than the Scovells. 32

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U U U U U U U U U U U U U U “I didn’t push any of them to go to Tech, but I’m certainly pleased they ended up there,” said Scovell, who years later served on the Tech Board of Regents.

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qqqqqqqqqqq John Scovell was a quarterback for Tech in the late sixties. His direction of a Tech upset win over Texas in 1967 is still remembered by many as one of the greatest games in Tech history. But John Scovell was not alone in donning scarlet and black with the Scovell name stitched to the back of his jersey: all three of his sons eventually played for the Red Raiders as well. Field, King, and Dupree Scovell all followed in their dad’s footsteps, but it wasn’t because of any prodding from John.

“You know my father [Field, also known as Mr. Cotton Bowl] was an Aggie,” John Scovell said. “My whole life everyone thought I was going to A&M, but my dad never pushed that on me.” Applying that lesson with his sons, John let all three of his boys choose their own path, and all ended up in Lubbock playing football for the Red Raiders. “I didn’t push any of them to go to Tech, but I’m certainly pleased they ended up there,” said Scovell, who years later served on the Tech board of regents. “We’ve all got a lot of fond memories of playing ball there.” All of the Scovells excelled in the classroom as well, graduating after their playing days and moving on to successful careers. John says that’s the most important thing. But he also remembers one additional fact: “We’re the only family where every one of us has scored a touchdown at Jones Stadium,” he said with a laugh. Who knows, maybe he’ll eventually watch his grandsons try to continue that streak.

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U U U U U U U U U U U U U U Who knows, maybe he’ll eventually watch his grandsons try to continue that streak.

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“It was just one things,” Scovell sa we were going to w 1967 Texas Game John Scovell thought the hardest part of the day might be getting back to Lubbock.

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e of those team aid. “You felt like win all day long.” He never would have thought that at the beginning of the Saturday in 1967 when Scovell and the Red Raider football team were preparing to take on the University of Texas in Austin, a place where Tech had won only once before.

It was the conference opener for both teams, and a sellout crowd of sixty-six thousand plus was there to watch. “There was a mystique about them back then,” Scovell said. “There were no scholarship limitations, and they’d sign a bunch of guys just to keep them from playing somewhere else,” he said. But Scovell and the rest of the team were determined not to be intimidated by the Longhorns or their crowd. In an epic performance, Scovell ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Red Raiders upset Texas 19–13. “It was just one of those team things,” Scovell said. “You felt like we were going to win all day long, and we came out on top.” But then the hard part came. Tech fans were so excited about the victory, they rushed to the airport to wait for the team plane. A reported gathering of over 7,500 fans crushed the fences and eventually spilled over to the runway, preventing the team plane from landing. “I swear to you, we looked out the windows and we could see fans running around on the runway,” Scovell said. “It was crazy. There was no place to land.” Eventually, the pilot diverted the plane north and the team touched ground in Amarillo. “Certainly, it was an exciting day,” Scovell said.

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ContinuingWhat Polk Started When Polk Robison kicked himself upstairs to take over as athletics director, he made sure one of his guys, Gene Gibson, continued the tradition that Robison had started. And Gibson didn’t disappoint his boss. In his first season, Gibson led Tech to a 19–8 record, including 11–3 in the SWC. The Red Raiders finished tied for first and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Tech defeated Air Force in the first round of the Midwest Region to become the first Tech team to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Colorado in the region semifinals. “Gene had a great understanding of not only the game but how to motivate players,” Robison would say years later. “He was a natural fit to take over because he knew what we had established and had a relationship with those players.” After his first team tied for the SWC crown, Gibson’s second team finished fourth before jumping back up to second in 1963–64. The following season Gibson had put together perhaps his best team but suffered a huge loss when Norman Reuther was declared ineligible because he didn’t have enough accumulative credit hours. Despite winning the league with a 12–2 record, the Red Raiders were disqualified from competing in the NCAA Tournament. “That was a hard thing for all of us to get over, including Gene,” said Robison. “That team was special and had a realistic chance of doing well in the NCAA Tournament.” When Gibson stepped down after the ’69 season, he had led Tech to more conference wins than any other coach in school history (he would later be passed by Gerald Myers and James Dickey). Gibson also played for the Red Raiders in the late 40s and early 50s. He was named All-Border Conference in 1950 and helped the ’49 team to twenty-one wins, including two NIT victories.

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Double Tough One of E. J. Holub’s good friends remembers the story vividly. It was a day not too long ago and Holub, the former Red Raider great, had been hospitalized for some health issues. Holub had been sent home and ordered to stay in bed and get some rest. So his friend decides to go over and check on Holub and see if he can do anything for the man who was nicknamed “The Beast” during his college playing days. But imagine his friend’s surprise, when he pulled up to Holub’s house and found E. J. not resting in bed, but rather out mowing his front lawn! A little health issue was not going to keep Holub down. Years after playing at Tech and in the NFL, Holub can still hold his own against just about anyone. But back in his playing days, number 55 (now retired) was as good as anyone in the country, finishing 10th in the Heisman balloting as a linemen . . . something that almost never happens. “I just loved football,” Holub said. “It went beyond the game, the physical nature of getting after your opponent. It was also about being a teammate and a friend. Fighting through things when things got tough.” No one did it better than Holub who some consider the greatest ever to don a Red Raider uniform. He played for Tech during the tail end of the Border Conference years and in the first Southwest Conference campaign. But it didn’t matter who was lined up against him, Holub was generally the best player on the field. “We didn’t get caught up too much in the whole SWC thing,” Holub said. “We’d put on our helmets and go play.” Holub became the school’s first two-time Consensus All-American and was the first All-SWC performer for the Red Raider football program. “He was the kind of guy you wanted lined up next to you,” said another Red Raider great, Dave Parks, who followed Holub at Tech in the early 60s. “You know how some people just have that knack of being a good teammate? E. J. had that.” It translated into the professional ranks as well. Holub was drafted in the first round of the AFL Draft in 1961 by the Dallas Texans (later the Kansas City Chiefs). He’d go on to a successful pro career, playing eleven years. He’s the only player in NFL history to start two Super Bowls on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage (Super Bowl I at linebacker and Super Bowl IV at center). He’s been recognized by just about every honoring association that can be named as he’s a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Helms Athletic Hall of Fame, All-Time Texas Professional Football Association, Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, One on One Hall of Fame for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. You can still find E. J. around as he works in fund-raising for the school. He walks a little funny, twelve knee operations will do that to a man but he’s still not someone you would fool with. “People call me old school,” said Wes Welker, another Red Raider great. “But I look at guys like E. J. Holub and Dave Parks and I say those guys know what it’s like to be old school. They want to head butt me when I’ve got a helmet on and they don’t.” Every year, Texas Tech recognizes a football player with an award in Holub’s honor and it’s based on desire and dedication. You don’t get it by resting in bed.

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The First Player Is

The NFL Draft is an event in today’s sports world. It is covered live on television and you can see every selection if that’s your choice. It wasn’t as big a deal spectator wise but it was still an event when the San Francisco 49ers—with the first pick in the 1964 NFL Draft—selected Dave Parks, a receiver out of Texas Tech. Parks, a West Texas boy out of Abilene, had just completed a successful career for the Scarlet and Black. He had shattered every receiving record in school history but was also an adroit blocker and could play some defense as well. As was described about another Red Raider, E. J. Holub, Parks was old school. “I loved my teammates,” Parks said. “I lived for those other guys in the locker room and to play with them and for our school. We weren’t very good but hey, we were getting to play football on Saturday.” Parks, who was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was the school’s first twotime All-Southwest Conference football player. And he was named to the All-American Blocking Team as well. “I’d have given up all of that for a few more wins,” Parks said. As good as he was on offense; Parks also was pretty good on the other side of the ball. He holds a school record for a ninety eight-yard interception return for a touchdown in 1962 against Colorado. “What do I remember about that?” Parks said. “I remember I was tired!” Parks enjoyed a successful ten year career in the NFL and played in three Pro Bowls. “I had some good times in the NFL but my favorite memories are of being a Red Raider,” he said. High praise from the nation’s number one pick.

The Letter OF INTENT Following recruiting has become almost a sport in itself, especially in the revenue sports football and basketball.

As competitive as recruiting has become in all sports, it’s hard to imagine the athletic world without the LOI.

Twice a year, fans anxiously await the news to see which highly sought after high school or junior college athletes will sign a letter of intent (LOI) with their university. As competitive as recruiting has become in all sports, it’s hard to imagine the athletic world without the LOI but that’s exactly what existed until 1964 when Texas Tech was directly involved in changing the landscape of intercollegiate athletics forever. Dr. J. William Davis was chairman of Texas Tech University’s Athletic Council from 1948 to 1969. He created a form, the national letter of intent, to prevent coaches from pulling recruits from other schools. The form was adopted in 1964 by the College Commissioners Association. Under the “Davis Plan,” as a news service dubbed the program, major conferences agreed to honor each others’ letters of intent; that is, agreements by high school athletes to accept an athletic scholarship from a particular school. A national letter of intent embracing all NCAA members, failed to pass at the 1962 NCAA convention, when smaller colleges opposed the plan. Davis served as Southwest Conference president, NCAA vice-president, and was a member of the NCAA Infractions Committee. And while the LOI has changed in stature since the 60s, it is still essential to help provide stability and equal footing among all schools.

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Chapter Three

The

1970s

The ReD Raiders started making

some noise in the League.

The seventies were an interesting decade as the Red Raiders, now firmly entrenched in the Southwest Conference, started making some noise in

the league, especially in basketball and football. In 1970, Gerald Myers took over the basketball program when Bob Bass left to coach in the American Basketball Association. Myers had been an All-Southwest Conference guard in the fifties, the school’s first All-SWC performer. He’d go on to coach the Red Raiders to a 1976 SWC championship and to the first-ever SWC Tournament championship. Myers would coach into the nineties and eventually move into the role of athletic director at his alma mater.

The seventies were also marked by the Jim Carlen era in football. Carlen proved to be a dynamic recruiter and a winner on the field. His 1973 team finished 11–1 with a national television victory over Tennessee in the Gator Bowl to end the season. He would leave after the ’74 season, but he left the cupboard full for his successor, Steve Sloan. Sloan’s ’76 team was arguably the best in school history. They tied conference newcomer Houston for the league championship, losing an epic battle to the Cougars 27–19 at Jones Stadium. Sloan’s ’77 team was ranked in the top five nationally before seeing their hopes dashed when Rodney Allison broke his leg in the game against Texas A&M University. That game and that play still plague Tech fans to this day. The seventies also saw the emergence of women’s athletics on campus. Title IX was enacted in 1972, making schools give equal consideration to women’s sports on campus. Jeannine McHaney would direct Tech’s women’s programs and eventually leave a memory that still permeates the program.

Clockwise from top left: 1,3–4 & 7(middle). “Kid Coach” as Steve Sloan was known, led the Red Raiders to a co-championship in 1976. 2&5. Rodney Allison’s versatility helped lead the Red Raiders to their first ever SWC football championship. Bottom, Allison’s broken leg in ’77 against A&M dashed Tech’s SWC and national title aspirations.

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Tech Football Makes its Mark For many, the 1970s could be considered the salad days for Texas Tech football. The Red Raiders went to six bowl games during the decade, second in the conference only to the University of Texas. That’s right, the Red Raiders went to more bowl games during that time period than Arkansas, Texas A&M, and the rest of the league. “It was a great time for Tech football,” said Don Rives who played from 1970 until 1972. “We felt like we could play with anyone during those days.” Perhaps the pinnacle was the ’73 team which went to the Gator Bowl and defeated Tennessee on national television. Joe Barnes and Andre Tillman were key components of a squad that some would argue was the best in Tech history. “We lost early in the year to Texas but we were rolling by year’s end,” Tillman said. “We would have loved another shot at them.” Tillman was later honored on the Bob Hope All-American Team with Hope saying to a national television audience, “Andre is the fastest moving big man since Cannon (a 70s television detective known for his girth) backed into his barbecue grill.” After Carlen left to take a job at South Carolina, the school hired Sloan to take over the job. Interestingly enough, Sloan had coached Vanderbilt against Carlen’s Red Raiders in the ’74 Peach Bowl. It turned out to be the last game for each at their respective school as Sloan moved on to Lubbock. The Sloan Era was highlighted by the ’76 team which eventually moved up to number five in the national rankings before losing a heartbreaker to the University of Houston which cost the Red Raiders a sole conference championship and a shot at the Cotton Bowl. The Red Raiders bounced valiantly back that day against the Cougars, rallying from 27–5 down to make it 27–19 late in the game. Needing only a tie to later advance to the Cotton Bowl, their chances were dashed when a Rodney Allison pass was intercepted by Elvis Bradley at the Houston goal line. “I think about that pass every single day,” Allison said recently. “We felt like we had the better team, we just didn’t get it done.” The Red Raiders would play in the ’77 Tangerine Bowl before suffering a nine year bowl drought. “Man, that’s hard to believe,” said former Red Raider Billy Taylor who played on the ’76 and ’77 teams when told his ’77 squad was the last to go bowling for almost a decade. “We just took it for granted we’d be in bowl every year.” The bowl run in the 70s remained unmatched until the Mike Leach era in the 2000s. The impetus of that era still lingers as the Red Raiders are 17th nationally in all-time bowl appearances.

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1973 Team Gerald Myers says there will always be something special about any conference champion. That’s true, especially when talking about your first one. Myers’ first conference champion came with the 1973 Texas Tech basketball team which won the Southwest Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament . . . no small feat back then as only twenty-five teams played in the event. “To win a conference championship, well that says something,” Myers said. “You might get lucky in a tournament and get hot but a team that can win the regular season championship; they generally had to be ready night in and out for sixteen games.” That ’73 team was led by a reluctant hero, freshman Rick Bullock. “He didn’t want to start,” Myers said. “We had some older guys on that team and Rick came to me and asked me to bring him off the bench.” Myers agreed but it quickly came apparent that the freshman from San Antonio was a special player and needed to see the floor early and often. Following a road trip to Western Kentucky and St. Louis, in which Bullock came off the bench to record two double doubles, Myers realized he couldn’t keep Bullock out of the starting lineup. “I called him in and told him, ‘look you’ve got to start,’ and he agreed,” Myers said. “From that point on he started and we moved William Johnson to play the sixth man.” Led by the twin towers of Bullock and Ron Richardson, the Red Raiders rolled to a conference championship and met up with South Carolina in the first round of the tournament in Wichita. “That team (South Carolina) had five players who ended up playing in the NBA,” Myers said. “We played well but just came up a bit short.” The Red Raiders lost to the Gamecocks 78–70. Myers would go on to coach another regular season champion in ’85 but the ’73 team remains dear to his heart.

“You always remember your first one,” he said. “That was a very special group.”

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First-Ever SWC Tourney

C row n

Gerald Myers still remembers “the shot.” “It was huge,” he said. Playing in the first-ever Southwest Conference Basketball Tournament, Myers and his Red Raiders were in a dogfight with the Texas A&M Aggies. This was back in the day when only thirty-two teams went to the NCAA Tournament and the SWC decided to take a page from the Atlantic Coast Conference and play a tournament to determine its champ. And Tech’s final possession that night was crucial. Playing at Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus, Tech and the Aggies were tied at seventy-two points and Tech had the ball. “We had the best player in the league in Rick Bullock,” Myers said. “I think everyone was thinking he’d get the ball.” But instead, Mike Russell found himself in a position to make the play. The junior from Buffalo, New York, was at the top of the key with little time remaining but a wide-open look. He calmly nailed the jumper and the Red Raiders secured the first-ever tournament title.

“It was a lot different back then—more pressure, because not as many teams got in to the tournament,” Myers said. “That was a great shot by Mike.” Tech would go on to win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over Syracuse University before losing to the University of Missouri in the Sweet 16 round.

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Rocket Ron Ron Reeves was a Lubbock legend long before stepping foot on the Texas Tech campus. Name a sport, and Reeves dominated it growing up in Lubbock and at Monterey High School. “I grew up in the shadows of Jones Stadium,” Reeves said. “Today, kids grow up playing Xbox and video games. We grew up playing in vacant lots and front yards. I wouldn’t change that for a thing.” The big question for Reeves was what sport he would end up playing. He was an impressive quarterback and linebacker at Monterey High School but also excelled as a pitcher for the Plainsmen. “I just felt like playing football was the right decision for me,” he said. Although he wasn’t highly recruited as a quarterback, Reeves found himself as the backup on the 1978 Red Raider squad coached by Rex Dockery. With the Red Raiders struggling, Dockery turned to Reeves late in the first half of his second game against Arizona. Reeves led the Red Raiders to a come-from-behind win and was the starter the rest of his career.

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“I wasn’t sure how much I would play my freshman season,” he said. “It was one of those deals where you needed to make yourself ready.” His play his freshman season earned him Newcomer of the Year honors in the SWC. He left Tech as the career leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. His best two single-season passing yardage totals were good for second and fourth in school history at the time.

“We didn’t throw it [the ball] as much then as they do now,” he joked. After leaving Tech, Reeves played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Houston Oilers and also played in the United States Football League (USFL). He now lives in Lubbock as a homebuilder.

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Don James will always remember Gabe Rivera. James, who coached the successful University of Washington program for years, still thinks the performance that Rivera put on against his Huskies was the greatest single defensive performance he ever witnessed.

“The guy was a monster, a beast,” James said. “Nothing we could do could stop him.” Rivera and the Red Raiders played the Huskies—at the time the nation’s top-ranked team—to a virtual standstill that day in Seattle. The game was scoreless midway in the fourth quarter until both teams traded field goals. Washington was able to capitalize on an onside kick that did not go ten yards, to regain the ball late and drive down to win the game 10–3. However, Rivera might have been the big winner. “Señor Sack” spent the day in the Washington backfield and was named the National Defensive Player of the Week for his effort. “That would have been big to beat those guys,” Rivera said years later. “We had them scared. They were glad to be finished with us.” It was just another example of how dominating Rivera was during his career at Tech. He became a starter at defensive lineman in the fifth game of his freshman season and dominated throughout his career. His senior season, he was an All-American at tackle as well as Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with 321 tackles, and his 105 tackles as a senior were the most ever by a Tech defensive lineman. “He was probably the greatest player I ever coached,” said Jerry Moore, who coached Tech from 1981 until 1985. “He was incredibly dominating.” Rivera was the twenty-first pick of the 1983 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His NFL career was cut short by an automobile accident that left him a paraplegic.

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Señor Sack

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He was probably the greatest player I ever coached.

Jeannine Mchaney Look around the United Spirit Arena during a Lady Raiders home game. The program is consistently in the national top ten for crowd size. It’s truly a corner piece program for not only the school but also for the Big 12. But it wasn’t always that way. In the mid eighties, when the Tech women’s athletic department merged with the school’s department as a whole, there were many hoops to jump through and many treacherous waters to cross. Without a steady leader, the transition might not have been a smooth one. Jeannine McHaney was just such a leader. Poised and confident, McHaney led the program as women’s athletic director through the eighties and into the nineties before succumbing to cancer in 1994. Her leadership came at an opportune time not only for the Lady Raider basketball program but also for the department as a whole. “She helped fight the Title IX battles and other things in the offices,” said former Lady Raider basketball coach Marsha Sharp. “She let the coaches worry about coaching, and she handled those other issues.”

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McHaney led the program as womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s athletic director through the eighties and into the nineties.

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McHaney’s ability to get along with everyone helped win some battles that might otherwise have been more heated.

“She had a kind soul,” said current Tech women’s senior administrator Judi Henry. “She was tough, but she knew how to get along with everyone.” “She was an inspiration to all of us,” said former Lady Raider player Noel Johnson. “We’d look up in the stands and see her there. With all she was battling . . . . It made us realize there were bigger problems in the world.” Perhaps McHaney’s proudest moment was getting to see the Lady Raiders win the national championship in 1993. “I was very proud that she was around for that,” Sharp said. “She was a big part of this program, helping us accomplish our goals. It was important to all of us that she got to see us cut down those nets.” McHaney’s fingerprints can still be seen today as the Tech women’s programs continue to grow. The trophy cases and hall of fame outside the Lady Raider offices bear her name, along with a sculpture of her likeness. “She’ll always be a part of whatever is accomplished here,” Sharp said.

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Chapter Four

The

1980s The Biggest news of the decade

came off the fielD.

While the eighties were marked by a few notable games, the biggest news of the decade came

off the field as Tech hired personnel who would affect the programs perhaps for the rest of the school’s history. In the early part of the eighties, little attention was paid to a hire made by women’s athletic director Jeannine McHaney. She was looking for a new coach to direct the fledgling women’s basketball program as they struggled to compete in the new NCAA format of women’s athletics. McHaney decided to take a shot on a young assistant on the Tech staff named Marsha Sharp. The two would make history that would culminate in not only a national championship but also with a women’s program that would become the envy of schools nationwide.

T. Jones was hired as athletic director in the mid eighties, and he would go on to become one of the more successful administrators in school history.

He started the facility upgrades that pervade the campus to this day, and he also made two hires during this decade that would change the paths of two of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier programs. When David McWilliams left Tech after one year to head to Austin, Jones moved quickly to hire Spike Dykes to take over the program. Dykes would become one of the most beloved figures in Tech history and would also win a lot of games while doing so. Jones also made a crucial hire for Tech baseball. Looking to change the direction of the program, Jones looked across town to Lubbock Christian University to snatch up Larry Hays. Jones had long admired Hays and wanted him to direct the fortunes of the Tech program. Hays would move over to Tech and build a program that he still runs to this day.

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Clockwise from top left: 1. Larry Hays led Tech on a successful run starting in the mid 90s. 2 . Spike Dykes became a familiar figure on the sidelines throughout the 90s. 3. Larry Hays was honored for his success with a stint coaching Team USA baseball. 4. Dykes and Byron Hanspard made national news with Hanspardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Doak Walker win. 5. Dykes and his players celebrate a 24â&#x20AC;&#x201C;17 win over Texas in Austin, the Red Raiders first win at Texas since the late 60s. 6. Dykes and faculty representative Robert Burns receive a scholarship check. 7. Dykes is interviewed after a big win. 8. Middle, T. Jones enjoyed a successful run as Tech AD.

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The Legend of Billy Joe The 1985 season appeared to be headed nowhere for the Texas Tech football team. Jerry Moore was in his fifth year at the helm in what would be his final season at Tech. In an effort to improve the program’s offense, he had installed the wishbone offense. But after a promising 3–0 start, the Red Raiders had lost three straight games and appeared headed for a fourth in a home game against a hapless Rice University squad after Owls kicker James Hamrick booted a school record fifty-seven yard field goal to give them a 29–27 lead with less than thirty seconds.

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With no timeouts and over fifty yards to the end zone, Moore needed a miracle. He decided to try an unproven redshirt freshman from Boyd, Texas, who had a shock of red hair and freckles and a cannon arm. “Billy had looked good in practice,” Moore said about Billy Joe Tolliver, his then freshman quarterback. “He wasn’t very mobile, but as you know, he could really throw the ball.” Tolliver trotted out on the field and promptly proceeded to sail a perfectly thrown long bomb into the waiting arms of Tech receiver Lemuel Stinson. Problem was, Stinson dropped the pass. The twenty-nine thousand or so Tech fans in attendance must have thought, “Where did this guy come from?” The Tolliver long ball was perfectly thrown. Incredibly enough, there was still time for one more play and Tolliver again delivered, on the money, a ball thrown some sixty or so yards in the air. Again, Stinson dropped the pass.

The game was over, but the legend was born. Tech fans clamored to see more of the kid they would eventually know as Big Opie. Two games later, Moore started Tolliver against Texas Christian University, and the legend really picked up steam. Tolliver threw for a then-school record

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422 yards and seven touchdowns in a 63–7 route. Tolliver started the last two games, but it wasn’t enough to save Moore’s job. “I really liked Coach Moore, and I appreciate him giving me my shot,” Tolliver said. “Sure, I would have liked to play earlier, but I waited my turn.”

Tolliver, because of his demeanor and arm, became an instant fan favorite. A local radio station disc jockey wrote a song, “The Legend of Billy Joe,” and he was recognized everywhere. The next year, as a starter, Tolliver led the Red Raiders to their first bowl appearance in nine years, and his career was littered with dramatic come-from-behind victories. “I wouldn’t trade my time for Tech for anything,” he said years later. “I learned a lot and made a lot of great friends.” After graduating, Tolliver went on to have a ten-year NFL career and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Tolliver also picked up another game while in Lubbock; he started playing golf during his sophomore season. “I lost plenty of money on the course,” he laughed. But his game has notably improved, as he is now a staple as one of the leading players in various celebrity golf tournaments.

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U U U U U U U U U U U U U U The game was over, but the legend was born. Tech fans clamored to see more of the kid they would eventually know as Big Opie.

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“T” as in Tech T. Jones will always remember his welcome to Lubbock. Jones was about to be named the athletics director at Texas Tech in 1985. He had come to Tech after many years as an associate athletics director at Texas. “I turned my radio on and listened to a local sports radio show,” Jones said. “And most of the callers said I should just pack up all of my orange jackets and move back to Austin.” Welcome to town. Jones, with the help of his staff and some former athletic directors and coaches, overcame the initial skepticism and became one of the more successful ADs in Tech history. “There were lots of people very helpful to me,” he said. “We had a low budget and were really understaffed, but everyone pitched in to make this thing work.” Jones’s tenure was marked by the successful hiring of coaches, including Spike Dykes and Larry Hays. The hiring of Dykes came after Jones’s previous hire, David McWilliams, left Tech after one season to return to the University of Texas. “It was a natural to hire Spike,” Jones said about the coach who would go on to become the winningest football coach in school history. “I knew I could work with him in upgrading our recruitment of student athletes.” Jones is also proud of his work done with the Tech baseball program. He was familiar with Hays who had brought many successful Lubbock Christian teams to take on the Longhorns in Austin.

“He’s just a fabulous person,” Jones said of Hays. “When we made the change, we were so fortunate to get Larry, and he’s done very well in that position.” Jones also saw to the first substantial changes in the facilities for Tech baseball. “When I went to my first game here, we didn’t even have a flagpole. We got the community involved, and we got a new field, new lights, and a new scoreboard.” He stayed on the job until 1993 and remained in Lubbock for seven years after that—a long time for someone who was greeted by those calls on the radio. “I had a great experience at Tech, very positive. I hope when I left, it was a little better than when I got there. It’s a great school.”

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A Tech Legend Begins U

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He’s standing outside of his perfectly landscaped home alongside one of the three golf courses at Horseshoe Bay near Austin. A pickup truck is parked haphazardly in the drive, covered with dirt and other remnants of a late-night drive home from a speaking engagement in Lubbock the evening before. The pickup may show signs of needing a rest, but dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, he looks tanned, rested, and relaxed. Spike Dykes looks like he could pass for eighteen. Golf, fishing, late night drives back to Horseshoe Bay, and enough speaking engagements to make him never want to see another piece of chicken—such is retirement for Dykes, and he is enjoying every minute of it. Dykes interrupts the interview to take a phone call from one of his former players from his high school coaching days.

“That’s what it’s all about, the players,” he said after hanging up the phone. “There’s a guy I coached thirty years ago who’s calling to tell me about taking his family to Six Flags. When you coach somebody, you really develop a bond, and that’s what makes it so special.” And that bond is what kept him going for over forty years in coaching, including his last sixteen at Tech. He spent three years in Lubbock as the defensive coordinator before taking the reins at the Independence Bowl in 1986. Thirteen years later, when he finally retired, he could look back on a career that saw him leave as the winningest coach in Tech history. He coached the Red Raiders to six bowl games, was named the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year three times, and won the honor once in the Big 12. He’s also been inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor, and most recently, he was enshrined in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Through all the big wins and bitter losses, Dykes remained the face of Texas Tech. Some people think there was never a better ambassador. “As soon as David McWilliams resigned [in 1986], I had Spike in my office,” said T. Jones, Tech athletic director at the time and now his neighbor in Horseshoe Bay. “We needed that continuity he provided. I don’t think anyone realizes how great an ambassador he was . . . and still is, for the school.”

Jamie Gill, Tech quarterback under Dykes from 1989 to 1991, believes that his qualities go well beyond the playing field. U

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“He groomed me not only into a quarterback but into a man,” Gill said. “We had a group of players who would have run through a wall for that man.” You don’t get to be the winningest coach in school history without some big wins along the way, but Dykes said that for some reason, the losses will be remembered most. “Say what you want, but ugly is ugly and pretty is pretty,” he said. “We can alibi all we want, but when you’re the favorite and you don’t win, and you don’t look very good, there’s no way you can say that’s pretty. That’s just fact.” You won’t hear Dykes complaining about the losses or the probation which hung over the program his last few years. “Everything is not supposed to be downhill all the time . . . . You’re supposed to pedal uphill every once in a while,” he said. “You’ve got to take the bitter with the sweet. It’s part of the deal.” The probation may have put a damper on the last few years of his tenure, but Dykes said when it was time to go, there was no looking back. “We beat Oklahoma in my last game on a Saturday afternoon, and by five the next day, I was here [Horseshoe Bay],” he said. “But I did that the way I would want the guy before me to do it if I was coming in.” Dykes has kept a close eye on the program since he left. He’s been back for numerous functions, and his son Sonny was on Mike Leach’s staff for seven years. In October of 2007, the Red Raider Club introduced a Spike Dykes Endowment.

“Gosh, yes, I pull for Tech,” he said. “You don’t spend sixteen years somewhere and not feel something for the place. I feel this is a very special place.” And while he’s no longer in the game, he still understands what football means. “You know, not many people sweat anymore, not many people hurt anymore, not many people have to get up after being knocked down anymore. Usually their parents are there to pick them up,” he said. “Well, there are no parents on the field. It’ll teach you how to deal with adversity . . . . It’s a great game.”

He adds there’s no feeling like a game day. “When you won when you shouldn’t have won, or lost a hard fought game, or when you got the heck beat out of you . . . . There are such emotional shifts,” he said. “The real people come out then, it’s amazing.” He pauses for a moment, and one could almost imagine him reliving some of those moments in his mind when the phone rings again. Another former player calling to catch up.

Don’t be fooled for a second, he may be retired but he’s still coaching.

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’89 Team Goes Bowling To win a game thanks in large part to scoring on a third and twentysix play is incredible. To do it twice in the same season against your two biggest rivals is unheard of. Unless you’re the 1989 Texas Tech Red Raiders. That ’89 team, arguably the best of the Spike Dykes era, pulled the third and twenty-six at home against A&M and on the road against Texas, on their way to a 9–3 record and a win over a Steve Spurrier-coached Duke squad in the All-American Bowl.

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qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq The team got off to a 3–0 start that season with an upset win over number twenty-ranked Arizona, along with wins over New Mexico and Oklahoma State University. After losing a tough one at Baylor University, the Aggies came to Lubbock. Tech rallied for two late touchdowns in that game to shock the then number nineteen-ranked Aggies. The big play was provided by quarterback Jamie Gill and receiver Travis Price. Facing the aforementioned third and twenty-six, Gill eluded a heavy pass rush and found Price for the game-winning score with just fifty seconds remaining. The Red Raiders hung on to win 27–24. Three weeks later in Austin, Gill turned the trick again against the number twenty-two ranked Texas Longhorns. With a little over four minutes left in the game and Tech trailing 17–14, Gill and the Red Raiders again found themselves facing third and twenty-six. This time he hit receiver Anthony Manyweather streaking down the field for a sixty-five-yard touchdown bomb to give Tech a lead they would never surrender in a 24–17 victory.

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“Football is a crazy game,” Dykes said. “Go figure having two big pass plays that turn around games against two big rivals.” For Gill and his teammates, it was almost too good to be true. “We had so many big wins that year, it was incredible,” he said. “When we beat UT, it was incredible. We hadn’t won there in so many years . . . . We didn’t want to leave the field.” It was indeed Tech’s first win in Austin in twenty-two years at the time. Tech players spent a long time celebrating with the band and the Tech fans that remained in the stands. “I couldn’t find our players for an hour after that,” Dykes said. “They just didn’t come to the dressing room. It was wild and it wasn’t orchestrated . . . . Nobody said hey, if we win, let’s stay on the field for an hour. It was crazy.” The Red Raiders lost their season finale at Houston before carving up Duke in the bowl game, 49–21. During that game, Tech senior running back James Gray ran for 280 yards, a bowl game record that stood until 2006. “We had great chemistry on that team,” Gray, a member of the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor, said. “We won a few games early that built our confidence, and it just went up from there.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had so many big wins that year, it was incredible.â&#x20AC;?

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Chapter Five

The

1990s

From national championships to conference championships,

the nineties had something for everyone.

The 90s was as topsy turvy of a decade as ever seen in Tech athletics. From national championships to conference championships to a new conference and NCAA sanctions, the nineties had something for everyone. The early nineties were marked with the news that the struggling Southwest Conference was disbanding. Tech, along with Texas, A&M, and Baylor would be heading off to become part of the new Big 12, while the remaining conference schools, save Houston, would become part of the Western Athletic Conference. But before the conference would dissolve, perhaps the greatest team accomplishment in school

the Lady Raider basketball program won the school’s first NCAA championship. Along with the championship, the Lady Raiders history occurred when, in 1993,

built a powerful program that would be successful on the floor, graduate all of their players, and build as rabid a fan base as could be found in women’s basketball. But the Lady Raiders weren’t the only program to see success during the decade. Tech baseball made an historic run under Larry Hays, on a couple of occasions falling just short of making it to Omaha and the

College World Series. Along the way, they did rack up several conference championships and even achieved a number one national ranking during the regular season. The men’s hoops team was on the move as well. Darvin Ham and the Red Raiders found themselves on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1996 as they smashed a backboard on their way to the Sweet 16. That team ran undefeated through the SWC on their way to a school best 30–2 record. Football under Spike Dykes continued to be a force in both the SWC and the Big 12. They played the first-ever game in the Big 12 against Kansas State University in Manhattan. Dykes would eventually retire at the end of the ’99 season, leaving as the winningest coach in school history. The school perhaps reached its peak in the 1995–96 season when Tech shared or won SWC championships in football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. Tech and the University of Arkansas were the only two schools to do that in the conference’s history. It wasn’t all good news as the school was hit with probation in the late nineties. Football and baseball were hit the hardest with scholarship reductions. But good news came out of the maelstrom as Tech built a student academic services department that to this day is a leader nationally in helping athletes maintain their eligibility and get their degree.

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Lady Raiders Set the Stage Marsha Sharp was quick to point And what Lady Raider basketball has become is a model of success, both on and off the floor, which has endured since out that when she was inducted Sharp left the program in 2006 and was succeeded by Kristy into the Women’s Basketball Hall Curry. Lady Raider Basketball is as much about college degrees and model citizens as it is about wins and championships. It of Fame in 2003 that the award has, in all sense of the word, become a “program”—a program was as much about Texas Tech as that expects success and nothing less. A program that realizes that the product off it was about her. the court is every bit as, if not more, important And she’s right. Because Sharp, unlike anyone before in the than the one that’s put between the lines. history of Tech athletics, became so uniquely So she was right when she says it’s about the school because synonymous with her program, in essence the Texas Tech is about Lady Raider Basketball. Why wouldn’t the mention of her name embodied all that she university and its fans want to support this program? For most of us, when we look at the packed houses at the and the program had become. United Spirit Arena watching the Lady Raiders play, it’s hard It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a strong leader from the top to build a program from the ground up, and indeed that is what Sharp did. She crafted an efficiently successful program from basically nothing, leading the charge on the floor and off, enduring trying times until she built what you see before you today: Lady Raider Basketball.

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to remember what women’s college hoops used to be like. For Sharp, it’s hard to forget. Coming out of Tulia High School in the early seventies, Sharp’s decision about where to play basketball in college was not a hard one. Wayland Baptist University in Plainview was the holy grail of women’s basketball at the time. At that time, Tech didn’t even have a program. It was there that Sharp developed a desire to coach, due in large part to the tutelage of Dean Weese, who coached her senior season. “I really got more opportunities to coach under Dean,” she said. “He probably shaped my fundamental knowledge more than anyone else. That jump-started my career.” While coaching the Wayland Baptist freshmen, Sharp came to Lubbock to coach against the varsity team of a fledgling Texas Tech program. While the game itself is historically irrelevant, it had a long-range impact for both Tech and Sharp because that’s when she first met Jeannine McHaney. McHaney, Tech’s women’s athletic director at the time, made note of the up-and-coming coach and watched as Sharp progressed in her coaching career. In 1981, when there was an opening on the Tech staff, McHaney immediately thought of

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Sharp. And when the head coaching position came open in 1982, McHaney promoted Sharp to the job, which she held for twenty-four years. “She took a little bit of a chance on me,” Sharp said. The Lady Raiders have always been proud of the family atmosphere that pervades their program. It is something that was firmly established by the Sharp-McHaney connection. “The men’s and women’s departments were separate when I first came,” Sharp said. “She [McHaney] was the athletic director. She gave me the opportunities.

“We made a deal: I’d fight the battles on the court and she’d fight them off the court, and together we would make this thing work.” It didn’t come easily, but the plan did work. “She did so many things away from the floor such as raising money and putting scholarships in place and providing me with a staff,” Sharp said. “All those things can be taken for granted now but not then. “If I would have had to fight those battles alone, I wouldn’t have survived.” McHaney had to fight another battle: dying of cancer in 1994. But not before getting a chance to see Lady Raider Basketball bring home a national championship in ’93. “I’ll always be so proud that she was able to see us win that,” Sharp said. “She had such a huge role in our being able to accomplish that.” The landscape of Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball is significantly different now than the one Sharp faced in 1982. She resigned in 2006 after twenty-four years and 570 wins, the national championship, four Elite Eights, eleven Sweet 16s, and eighteen NCAA Tournament runs. She led Tech to two Big 12 championships and five Southwest Conference titles. But on top of that, she built a community of support that stands strong to this day—the development, if you will, of the Lady Raider Nation. “The fan support is always something I will cherish,” Sharp said. “Our fans are as much a part of the program as anything; they truly are behind our kids every year.” The numbers prove it. The Lady Raiders consistently are near the top nationally in women’s basketball attendance. Even during lean years, the fans have shown up. They think of this team, this program, as partly their own. They think of the players almost like family, something Sharp set out to instill all those years ago. “You can’t emphasize enough about what Coach Sharp means to not only Tech basketball but all of women’s basketball,” said Curry on the day she was named the new coach of the Lady Raiders. “I can only be myself and just try to carry on what she built here.” Perhaps the greatest testament to the program that Sharp built is that it has endured, even now that she’s gone. Her ultimate goal was to build something that would last, even well after she was no longer on the sidelines. Because, after all, more than anything in her mind, it was about the school.

Her mission was accomplished.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fan support is always something I will cherish,â&#x20AC;? Sharp said.

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National Championship Marsha Sharp said she’ll never forget the sound. Krista Kirkland-Gerlich said it was one of the most exciting moments of her athletic life. Anyone who was there will remember the buzz and the roar when the caravan of limousines carrying the 1993 National Champion Lady Raider basketball team entered from the southeast corner of Jones Stadium to an awaiting crowd of forty thousand strong. “I almost got sick when I realized I had to get up and speak in front of all those people,” Sharp joked. The players soaked up the adulation, sticking their heads out of the sunroofs and waving to the fans. It was a fitting conclusion and celebration to the run that ended with the first-ever national championship for the school in any team sport.

“It was so amazing how it all came together,” Kirkland-Gerlich said. “We were close as a team and for us to make that run—just indescribable.” After dusting off Texas in the Southwest Conference Tournament finals, the Lady Raiders ran through Washington, the University of Southern California, the University of Colorado, and Vanderbilt University on their way to the national championship game against Ohio State University. While Sheryl Swoopes deservedly gets the attention for her high scoring run through the tournament, including an NCAA record forty-seven points in the final, it truly was a team effort. Kirkland-Gerlich was the glue that held the team together, and they also had heady guard play from Stephanie Scott and Noel Johnson. Johnson also hit two crucial free throws down the stretch to help ice the victory. “She had ice water in her veins,” Sharp said of Johnson. And then it was back home for the welcome-home bash at Jones Stadium. “For those of us involved, we’ll never forget that night,” Sharp said. As for her speech to the crowd? “I can’t even remember what I said. I just spoke and got out of there,” she laughed. Gerald Myers still marvels at the reaction from the crowd to the team that night. “No one saw that coming. We thought there might be a good crowd but nothing like what showed up. It was very special.”

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Swoopes as in Hoops An Ohio State basketball player entered the elevator at an Atlanta hotel. The Ohio State guard was being interviewed by a reporter as her Buckeye team was preparing to play the Texas Tech Lady Raiders later that day for the 1993 NCAA national championship. The reporter asked the player about Sheryl Swoopes of Texas Tech. The player responded that she had never heard of Swoopes and so wasn’t sure if she should be concerned or not. The Tech fans on the elevator looked at each other with smug smiles. There was reason for concern for Ohio State, and that Buckeye player—along with the rest of the country—would soon know all about Swoopes and the Lady Raiders. Swoopes story is one that has been told over and over. She was a highly-recruited guard out of Brownfield, Texas. Although Tech was close to home, she chose instead to go to Texas at Austin. She quickly learned that Austin was not Brownfield.

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She never got acclimated to the environment and left after just four days. She enrolled at South Plains College in Levelland where she was named National Junior College Player of the Year. And when it was time to cast her lot with a Division I program, she decided to stay closer to home.

“I was at a golf tournament and about drove the cart into a tree when I got the news,” said Marsha Sharp about the news that Swoopes would sign with her and the Lady Raiders. “It certainly was a turning point for the program.” You could say that. With Swoopes, the Lady Raiders won the Southwest Conference twice, making a Sweet 16 run in her junior year. In her senior season, she averaged 27.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as the Lady Raiders compiled a 31–3 record, including the aforementioned national championship. In the finals of the SWC championship game against Texas, she set the all-time scoring record in Reunion Arena in Dallas with fifty-three points. “To think of all the great players who’ve come in here and played, it’s just a tremendous honor to set that record,” she said.

She helped lead the Lady Raiders through the NCAA field including thirty-one points and eleven rebounds in a Final Four semifinal win over Vanderbilt. She may have saved her best for last, however, as she scored forty-seven points in the 84–82 championship game win over Ohio State. “It was the greatest performance I’ve ever seen,” Sharp said. “She simply dominated throughout.” Swoopes was greeted by thousands of fans at Jones Stadium in Lubbock the day after winning the national championship. The fans greeted her with the customary chant of “Swoopes,” but also with a Wayne’s World “we’re not worthy” bow. Her teammates and Sharp joined in as Swoopes waved to the crowd. “She will be a legend in basketball, not just women’s basketball,” Sharp said at the time. Swoopes went on to continue making her mark. She won Olympic and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) championships and captivated the country with her charisma and marketability.

And you can bet everyone has heard of her now.

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The Ham Slam In one glass-shattering instant, the 1996 Texas Tech basketball team got the national recognition they’d been missing all year. The Red Raiders had entered the NCAA Tournament with a stellar 28–1 record, including undefeated sweeps through the Southwest Conference regular season and post-season tournament. But national pundits still weren’t sold on a Tech team from a weakened conference and the Red Raiders entered the tournament as a numberthree seed in the East Region. Most Tech fans and many national observers felt that the Red Raiders deserved a number-two seed from the Midwest Region. “We felt like we were better than a three,” said James Dickey, the coach of the ’96 Red Raiders. “But the great thing about the tournament is that you can prove yourselves on the court, and that’s what we set out to do.” After an uninspiring one-point victory over Northern Illinois University, the Red Raiders looked to gain a measure of respect against the University of North Carolina, perhaps one of the most storied programs in the nation. Although the Tar Heels were just a six seed, the game provided an opportunity for Tech to show the rest of the country that they belonged in any serious national discussion. That year’s version of the Red Raiders was defined by a group of seniors who led both on and off the court. Burned by a NCAA Tournament snub the year before, the team entered the 1995–96 campaign on a mission to not only dominate the SWC but to also get to and succeed in the NCAA Tournament.

The seniors, led by Jason Sasser, Darvin Ham, Koy Smith, and Jason Martin, were instrumental in keeping the Red Raiders focused, even after a December loss to Eastern Michigan University. With those seniors, and underclassmen Tony Battie, Cory Carr, and Stan Bonewitz, Tech and Dickey felt they could do some damage in the tournament. “All year long those guys kept their eye on the prize,” Dickey said. “We had great leadership throughout.” So after the Northern Illinois win, the Red Raiders had a chance to make the rest of the country sit up and take notice. If they could get by North Carolina, the program would move on to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history. “Oh yeah, we were ready for North Carolina,” Sasser said. “I don’t care what they were ranked, this was North Carolina.” The two teams traded blows for the first eight minutes of their matchup in the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia. But with Carolina up 16–14 came perhaps the singular most defining moment in Tech hoops history: a glass-shattering event that landed the Red Raiders on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the lead story on sportscasts across the nation. Sasser put up a jumper from the middle of the lane that bounced off the rim right into the waiting hands of Ham, who had come crashing down the lane. Ham’s ensuing slam not only brought down the house, it brought down the rim and the backboard as well, sending the Richmond crowd into a frenzy as the glass rained down. “It took me a minute to realize what had happened,” said Ham. But once the moment came into focus, Ham whooped it up with his teammates and flexed for the raucous Tech crowd in attendance. “I’ve been on an NBA championship team, but that’s still my all-time favorite moment,” Ham said. The game was delayed thirty minutes while a new backboard was put into place, but when play resumed, Tech came out on fire while the Tar Heels still seemed dazed and confused. The Red Raiders pulled away to an easy 92–73 win, propelling them into a Sweet 16 match up with Georgetown University. “I know it has been hard for them to get recognition, but they got it today,” said North Carolina coach Dean Smith.

“Anytime you beat a program like this, it is a special win,” Dickey said.

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a Clockwise from top left: 1.Tony Battie made his name as a big man but he could step outside and hit the jumper. 2. Stan Bonewitz was perhaps one of the best ball handlers to ever come through Lubbock. 3. Cory Carr provided instant offense from off the bench during the 30–2 season. 4. Jason Martin provided valuable leadership from the point guard position. 5. Battie shows he’s not all about the jumper. 6. Middle, James Dickey dubbed Jason Sasser as the “Ultimate Warrior.” 7. Bonewitz shows off more of his ball skills.

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a Clockwise from top left: 1. Koy Smith, from just up the road in Hale Center, was a cornerstone of Tech basketball in the 90s. 2. James Dickey led the Red Raiders to three NCAA Tournaments and the NIT during his tenure. 3. Cory Carr was an electric scorer during his Tech career. 4. Jason Martin was known as Little J to Jason Sasserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big J. 5. Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jumping ability provided versatility. 6. Tony Battie left the Red Raiders after his junior year and became a lottery pick.

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Hanspard Chooses Tech If it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for a revelation in the shower, Byron Hanspard may never have ended up as a Red Raider.

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Hanspard was a highly sought running back out of DeSoto. His recruiting battle was legendary, as several big name schools were after his signature on a letter of intent. But according to Hanspard, it all cleared up to him one day after a shower. “God spoke to me and told me to go to Tech,” he said. An ordained Pentecostal minister, Hanspard was serious about religion and football. It turned out to be a good decision for both the Red Raiders and Hanspard since he left Tech as the school’s all-time leader in career rushing yards (4,219 yards in three seasons) and rushing yards per game. He ranks second in career rushing attempts. He also holds school records for single-season rushing attempts (339 in 1996) and most yards in a single game (287 against Baylor in 1996—one of seven career 200-yard games). He also ranks second in career rushing attempts and is in a four-way tie for seventh in single-season and career touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named the 1996 Doak Walker Award-winner, awarded to the nation’s best running back, making him the second winner of that trophy in school history (Bam Morris won it in 1993). “For my money, Byron Hanspard was the greatest running back, maybe player, in school history,” said Rick Dykes, who served as offensive coordinator during Hanspard’s career. “He was as dominant a back as I’ve ever seen.”

“God steered me towards Tech for a reason,” Hanspard said. “I felt like I did some great things on the field and was able to touch some lives off the field as well.” Hanspard left school after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.

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A LOt of us had gre the SWC. A New League Politics and sports sometimes make strange but necessary bedfellows. Just like when they entered the Southwest Conference more than thirty years prior, Texas Tech needed a little help to join the Big 12. But when it was all said and done, Tech, along with SWC mates Texas, A&M, and Baylor, were leaving their old conference to make new rivalries with the schools from the Big 8 to form the new Big 12. 98

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The death knell for the SWC was probably rung in 1990 when Arkansas left the conference after seventy-six years to join the Southeastern Conference. The landscape of college athletics was changing, and the SWC was decaying, with few television households and three private schools. So in 1994, when Texas and A&M started looking at their options to leave, Tech had no choice but to look to leave as well. “We all appreciated the SWC, but it was time to let it go,” said Gerald Myers, who was an

associate athletic director at the time before later becoming athletic director. “We had some great old rivalries, but the league needed to either change or disband.” When word got out that Texas and A&M were looking to leave, state politicians Bob Bullock and Ann Richards made sure that Tech and Baylor were not left behind. “I’m not sure we would have been left out, but it was nice to have their support,” Myers said. The newly formed Big 12 came with instant credibility as a power conference. Big 12 football

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formed a South and North Division which set up nicely for a championship game and more revenue to distribute among the schools. “A lot of people ask me about facilities and keeping up in the Big 12,” said Tech senior associate athletic director Steve Uryasz. “I tell them that it is expensive to play in the Big 12, but it would be a lot more expensive to not be in the league.” As a sort of SWC and Big 12 alpha and omega, Tech made history by hosting the final SWC Baseball Tournament and track and field

championship in May and then taking part in the first-ever Big 12 football game the following August at Kansas State. “A lot of us had great memories from the SWC, so it was kind of bittersweet to let some of those go,” Myers said. “But certainly the Big 12 has been all we all thought it would be.” Since joining the league, Tech has seen facility growth and expansion in almost all sports. In addition, the Marsha Sharp Center for StudentAthletes opened in 2002, giving Tech a stateof-the-art facility to help their student-athletes

concentrate on their studies. Also, the Tech athletic budget has grown from less than ten million dollars annually to over forty million dollars annually since the league’s inception.

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B a s e b a l l’ s R u n Larry Hays knew he would get it for the first time in school history. After being going at Texas Tech, he just didn’t upset by California State University, Fresno in the opener, the Red Raiders fought back to know when. play USC in a semifinal elimination game on He took over the program in the mid eighties and realized there a Saturday afternoon in Lubbock. Tech would was work to be done in the difficult Southwest Conference. While lose to the Trojans 13–10, but many still think Hays had personal post-season success at Lubbock Christian, the Tech program had never been to the NCAA Tournament and that was one of the best games they’ve ever witnessed. had been an infrequent participant in the SWC Tournament. Much like turning around a big battle ship, a lot of work went into building a baseball program. But once he got it started turning, it was hard to get the rest of the country to notice. “We had a couple of years there where I thought we deserved a tournament bid,” Hays said years later in assessing the early nineties. “Both the ’93 and ’94 teams probably deserved a bid.” But both of those forty-win teams would miss out, primarily because of strength of schedule, something Hays had little control over because of Tech’s location. “It’s hard sometimes to schedule out in this part of the country in the spring,” Hays would say. Finally, in 1995, Hays and the Red Raiders took it out of the selection committee’s hands, winning the regular season and post-season SWC Tournament. It would signify the start of a stretch that would see Tech win two conference regular seasons and two post-season conference tournaments. And the Red Raiders would have some NCAA success as well, coming ever so close to getting to Omaha and the College World Series in 1996. “I thought we had it in ’96,” said Matt Miller who was a pitcher on that team. “We had all the pieces and were just one out away but couldn’t put Stanford away.” “Yeah, it hurt a little bit,” Hays said. “But at the time we felt like we were close to making a run every year. We felt like our time would come.”

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“That USC team was loaded,” Miller said. “But it was such a great atmosphere, great crowd; we just came up a little short.” The 1997 team would win the Big 12 regular season crown and even climb to number one in the national rankings. However, they ended the season playing poorly, losing two at New Mexico State University and two of three against A&M. They never got it going in post-season, losing in the Big 12 Tournament and then getting bounced in two games in the NCAA Tournament regional, which again Tech was hosting. “It was a disappointing way to end the season, once we lost it. Sometimes it’s hard to get back,” Hays said. The last bit of post-season success came in the 1999 season in a Regional which again was held in Lubbock. Having to win one of two games against Rice to advance to a super regional, the Red Raiders couldn’t put the Owls away, losing one game 3–1 and the next 15–11. “We probably pressed a little bit, being at home and all,” Hays said. “We certainly had our chances.” Tech came close again in 2001, nearly knocking off California State University, Fullerton at their park. “We’ve had our chances to get it done but just have missed out,” Hays said. “That’s a level we’re certainly striving to get back to.” Hays would go on to continue his run of success. In 2008 he became only the fourth coach in NCAA history to reach the 1500 win milestone. After the 2008 season he decided to retire and hand the reins over to Dan Spencer, a former player at Tech and a highly sought after coaching prospect who had helped Oregon State win two national championships.

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Clint Bryant Clint Bryant could always hit. “From the time I met him, he was always great at swinging the bat,” said former Tech pitcher Matt Miller, who, like Bryant, played high school baseball at Lubbock’s Monterey High School before coming to Tech. By the time Bryant left campus, he was known as the greatest hitter to ever wear the Tech uniform. Bryant was a two-time national player of the year finalist, a four-time All-American, two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year, and the SWC’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete for the 1995–96 school year. He still holds Tech career marks for games played (240), at-bats (918), hits (341), doubles (73, tied with Josh Bard), RBIs (271), home runs (44), runs scored (271), total bases (574), and walks (140). “He’s the kind of guy you could build a program around,” said Tech coach Larry Hays. “Just a great hitter and great kid.”

When you look at the wall at Dan Law Field, you can see Bryant’s retired number, twentythree. In 2006, he was named to the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor. The only other retired jersey belongs to the late Brooks Wallace. “I had a great career there,” said Bryant. “I stayed healthy and played four years. You can’t ask for more than that. I’ll always appreciate what Coach Hays allowed me to do.” Bryant’s breakout junior year coincided with Tech’s first-ever NCAA appearance. He hit .422 with sixteen home runs and ninetythree RBIs while playing third base for the Red Raiders.

“He was a big part of our success. That’s an understatement,” Hays said. “He was just a great hitter who would make pitchers pay for their mistakes.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x2122;95 Copper Bowl Bowl games had started to take on a bad name at Texas Tech. Following consecutive blowout losses in the 1993 John Hancock Bowl and the 1995 Cotton Bowl, Tech fans faced the 1995 Copper Bowl with some reluctance. As it turned out, this bowl would have a happy ending: a 55â&#x20AC;&#x201C;41 win over the United States Air Force Academy in which the Red Raiders scored as many points in the bowl win as they had given up the previous season to USC in the Cotton Bowl.

The Red Raiders caught the Falcons by surprise by coming out quickly in a no-huddle offense. The up-tempo attack never allowed Air Force to get a feel for what Tech was trying to accomplish.

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“It was all Dick Winder [Tech offensive coordinator],” said coach Spike Dykes. “It was his brainchild; it was well-conceived and well-executed.” Tech ended the night with 606 yards of total offense, including 260 yards on the ground by running back Byron Hanspard. “We worked on the no-huddle all year long and finally utilized it to throw them off,” Hanspard said. Hanspard also scored four touchdowns. Tech quarterback Zebbie Lethridge threw for 245 yards and ran for another ninety-five. His 340 all purpose yards broke the then-school record set by Tom Wilson in the 1965 Gator Bowl.

The nine wins were the second nine-win campaign in Dykes’s tenure. “I’m proud of our players for staying focused and finishing the season strong,” Dykes said. “Our guys really grew this season.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;We worked on the nohuddle all year long and finally utilized it to throw them off.â&#x20AC;?

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107

Dale Signs Off Long before there was the Internet or SportsCenter or a million televised games a year on cable, we had Jack Dale. For a half-century or so, whether it was Texas Tech football or basketball, Jack Dale was the eyes for all of us as we invited him into our homes to hear his familiar voice call the action. Dale brought us Tech sports from Tokyo (the one in Japan) to Waco (the one in Texas). He was the one constant over the years for Tech fans. Anyone that heard Dale in the seventies remembers him telling us about Barnhill Arena, Gregory Gym, or the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum—even if you had never been to any of those places; Dale made you feel like you knew them well. We didn’t need SportsCenter to show us Ira Terrell, Otis Birdsong, or the Arkansas Triplets—we had Jack Dale, and his descriptions were just fine, thank you. He was also a pretty good prognosticator as well. In the mid eighties, while talking about a struggling Tech basketball team that had only eight players, he predicted success down the line. Two years later, they were cutting down the nets as Southwest Conference champions.

Jack Dale will forever be synonymous with and linked to Texas Tech University. He’s forever a part of our tradition and lore. Yes, he has been replaced, but in a way, he never can be. He represents another time and a part of Texas Tech that can never be recaptured. Like lightning in a bottle, catch it while you can, because before you can blink, it’s gone.

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Leigh Daniel Growing up in Lubbock, Leigh Daniel wasn’t sure what she wanted to do in college. All she knew was that she wanted to go somewhere away from home and had no plans for athletics. While she ran track at Monterey High School during her senior season, it was mostly to bridge the time between basketball and graduation. But after winning her first two-mile race and finishing third in the state in the 3,200 meters, her plans changed.

“Tech offered me a scholarship to run track,” she said. “I had never thought about running in college because I didn’t think I was that good.” Turns out she was right—she was better than that good. Daniel ran cross-country and track for the Red Raiders from 1998–2001. While at Tech, she set school records in the outdoor five thousand meters and ten thousand meters and the indoor three thousand meters and five thousand meters. Daniel won seven Big 12 championships and two national championships (1999 indoor five thousand meters and 1999 outdoor ten thousand meters) while being named All-American eight times.

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qqqqqqqqq “It was just a special time for me because I really didn’t know all about what it took to compete at the college level,” she said. “Times, training—I didn’t have a clue.” With all of the accolades she received during college, Daniel still takes the most pride in her first national championship at Tech. “Everything just started to come together from all the training that I was putting in, and my times were starting to come down,” Daniel said. “When I qualified, I didn’t think I was going to win. I just had a great race and ended up surprising myself and maybe some other competitors that had never heard of me before. That was definitely a special moment.” Daniel now watches from afar as Sally Kipyego threatens to break all of her records. “It seems like every time I look up, I see another one of my records broken by her. But I am proud for her, and she just seems like a really sweet young lady, and I would love to meet her. I think it’s cool how she is continuing on that tradition and hopefully [for] many years to come it will continue.” Her records may fall, but Daniel will always be remembered for her dominating performance at Tech. In 2006, she was named to the Big 12 10th Anniversary Track and Field team.

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Kittley Takes Charge Before Wes Kittley, the Texas Tech track and field program was an afterthought. Sure, on occasion a great athlete might breeze through, but for the most part, track was a ho-hum sport on the Tech campus. Kittley would have none of that. Known nationwide as a winner for his program at Abilene Christian, Kittley brought a new mentality and new direction to the program in 1999, and it keeps building to this day.

“I used to look up here [to Lubbock] and see the tremendous potential of Texas Tech track,” Kittley said. And let’s face it, Kittley knew a little about the sport to make such an assumption. He had piled up twenty-nine national championships at ACU, turning that program into a Division II powerhouse. He was a legend at the school, having also taken on duties as associate athletics director. “I love Abilene and ACU, but I wanted the challenge of Texas Tech,” he said. “Gerald Myers [Tech athletic director] is what sealed the deal for me. I knew he was committed to letting me do what needed to be done to build a program here . . . something that would last year after year.” For Myers, the admiration was mutual. “How could you not look at Wes?” he asked. “He had accomplished all that you could ever accomplish in Abilene, he is a West Texan and a Tech grad . . . . He was a perfect fit for the job.” Myers allowed Kittley to build the program from the ground up, and the move paid off as he turned it into a powerhouse of a program. The 2005 season is considered by most to be the best season the program has ever seen. The men’s squad won the 2005 Big 12 Outdoor championships, the first track and field team title for Texas Tech. The men also boasted four individual champions. During his time at Texas Tech, Kittley has coached thirty student-athletes to seventy All-American titles. He has trained two national champions, directly guiding one in his fifth year with the Red Raiders. Jonathan Johnson was crowned the national champion in the eight hundred meters during the 2004 outdoor season. Johnson was also the Big 12 and Midwest Regional champion in the eight hundred meters during the same season. And while he has much to be proud of, Kittley won’t rest until more championships reside in Lubbock. “We want to win national championships. That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “As long as we keep building, the wins and the championships will come.”

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Chapter SIX

The

2000s

The 2000s ushered in a new era inTexasTechathletics.

Not only were the 2000s a new century, but they also ushered in a new era in Texas Tech athletics.

The first eight years saw a tremendous change in the landscape on campus. Three of the four revenue sports saw coaching changes with the addition of Mike Leach, Bob Knight, and Kristy Curry. In the case of Leach and Curry, they found themselves replacing legends in Spike Dykes and Marsha Sharp, but the changes led to new directions for both programs. Knight took over a struggling basketball program; not only did he give it instantaneous credibility off the floor, but he gave it an immediate winner on the court as well. Leach hit the ground running as perhaps the most innovative coach in the college game. His first eight seasons yielded eight consecutive bowl teams, and the record books couldn’t hold the offensive numbers piled up by his high-powered machine. In addition, fans became enamored with his Air Raid attack, and Jones Stadium saw record-setting crowds come through the gates. Other changes abounded as well. We saw the emergence of two new power players in Big 12 competition in track and field and in men’s golf. Wes Kittley led the men’s track program to their first ever Big 12 championship while Greg Sands built a solid golf program that went to consecutive NCAA championships while winning regular season tournaments and contending in the powerful Big 12.

It was also an industrial revolution in terms of facilities. The United Spirit Arena remained the jewel of the Big 12 basketball facilities, but Tech also saw the renovation of Jones Stadium as well as a state-of-the-art football training facility. All student-athletes were privileged to be able to get academic help at the new Marsha Sharp Center for Student-Athletes. And ground was broken on a new soccer stadium while Dan Law Field underwent some renovations as well. In addition, the Rawls Course burst on the scene as one of the finest golf facilities in the country. With the opening of the links-style course, Tech not only had a course that could compete with any program in the nation, but it also gave rise to the up and coming menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program. Even baseball was affected by change in the 2000s. Larry Hays remained at the helm through the 2008 season before deciding to retire. He was replaced by Dan Spencer who had previously helped Oregon State to two national championships. Spencer had played for Tech in the 1980s but it still signified a new era in Tech baseball. And Gerald Myers continued his legacy as a Red Raider, leading the program through change and innovation in the ultra-competitive Big 12.

a Clockwise from top left: 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3. A familiar sight at the United Spirit Arena was Andre Emmett driving the baseline and finishing with a slam. 4. Ronald Ross went from walk on to All Big 12 during his four years at Tech. 5. Cody Hodges led Tech to a thrilling win at home over OU in 2005 which propelled the Red Raiders into the Cotton Bowl. 6. Bob Knight became the face of Tech basketball in 2001. 7. Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominance over A&M was a story of the 2000s, here Robert Johnson clinches a last second win over the Ags in College Station in 2006.

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Clockwise from top left: 1. Plainviewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alesha Robertson was a fan favorite on and off the floor. 2. Tech soccer under Tom Stone made great strides in 2007. 3. Cody Hodges was another in a line of prolific Mike Leach quarterbacks. 5. Ronald Ross led the Red Raiders to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2006. 6. The United Spirit Arena became the crown jewel of Tech facilities and the best in the Big 12.

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Leach Takes Over Football When Gerald Myers went looking to replace Spike Dykes as coach of the Tech football program, he wanted to find a young coach with an explosive offense. Mission accomplished. The Tech athletic director didn’t have to look far for his man, hiring Mike Leach away from the University of Oklahoma in late 1999 to take over the Red Raider program when Dykes retired. Leach was serving as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, who coincidentally was the last team on Tech’s schedule in the ’99 season. Leach interviewed for the job after the game and came back a couple of weeks later to interview again before being hired.

“We just saw something in Mike that we thought would translate well here in Lubbock,” Myers said years later. Leach, who had no previous head coaching experience on the Division I level, came in with a bit of a learning curve, but he found out how to manage the nuances of the position while on the job. “As a coordinator, you just have to worry about coaching and the next play,” Leach said. “As a head coach, there’s so much more to do and be responsible for.” The on-field success turned out to be the easiest thing for Leach and his staff. He led the Red Raiders to bowl games in each of his first seven seasons, making him the first Tech coach to ever accomplish that feat. Along the way, he piloted a victory in the Holiday Bowl over the number four-ranked team in the nation and brought the program back to the Cotton Bowl for the first time since the mid nineties. On top of that, he created a lasting offensive identity for the program. His throw-at-all-costs Air Raid offense has not only broken records, it has given the program national notoriety as well. “Throwing the ball is kind of what we’re known for,” he said. Leach’s offenses have not only shattered the Tech record books but also national offensive records as well. “He’s successful because he’s committed to his offense and sticking with it,” said former Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie, who engineered the Holiday Bowl win in 1994. “He believes in what he’s doing and knows that if the players do their job, they will be successful.” Under Leach, the program has improved in other areas as well. During every year of his tenure, the program has been consistently at the top of national and Big 12 lists for graduating players, averaging an over 70 percent success rate. “We try to make them keep in mind that they’re here to earn their degree,” Leach said. In addition, with the national recognition, recruiting continues to improve as Leach builds his program. “We just want to improve, every game, every year,” he said. “If we take care of our business, everything should fall into place.”

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Bob Knight Hired The Texas Tech men’s basketball program was in need of a shot in the arm in 2001. Following NCAA sanctions and four consecutive losing seasons, the program desperately needed something to happen to get better immediately. That something turned out to be Bob Knight. Knight, considered by many to be the greatest college coach in basketball history, accepted the Tech job in March of 2001, and the turnaround was instantaneous. The program that had ended a 9–19 season in ’01 with attendance problems, now saw thousands show up to greet their new coach, “the General.” Knight was not unfamiliar with Lubbock and Tech. In 1979, he had brought an Indiana team to play the Red Raiders in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). In 1999, he had brought his Hoosiers to town to help open the United Spirit Arena. He accepted the latter date as a favor to his good friend and Tech athletic director, Gerald Myers. Knight brought instant credibility to the program. Although he had been out of coaching for a year, he had three NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal on his resume. He was arguably the most recognizable face in all of college basketball.

“You can’t put a price tag on what Coach Knight means to this program,” Myers said. Most importantly, Knight brought the knowledge and ability to win to a program that had suffered through four consecutive losing seasons, each progressively worse than the one before. Tech fans knew that times had changed when Knight was asked how soon he expected to win. “Next year,” he replied. “Why would I expect anything less?” And he made good on that statement as the Red Raiders advanced to the NCAA Tournament that year for the first time in six years. During his first six seasons on campus he led Tech to the NCAA Tournament four times, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2005. He also led them to the NIT Final Four in 2003. Along the way, Knight racked up historic wins, becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history. He brought national notoriety to the program and the school. His fund-raising exploits are legendary, as he not only raised funds for endowed scholarships for his program but he also brought in money for the Tech library. “He’s a national institution,” said Tech chancellor Kent Hance. “He commands presence everywhere he goes. We’re lucky to have [had] him at Texas Tech.” 120 D Fearless ChampioNS d

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“I’ve had some mile never had one in f I’ve appreciated th Eight Hundred and Counting You know what they say: Sometimes the eight- hundredth win is the hardest one to get. Entering the 2002–03 campaign with 787 wins, it was a given that Bob Knight would get his eight hundredth win, but nobody knew 122 D Fearless ChampioNS d

when. Like a vacation, sometimes the fun part is getting there. Knight and the Red Raiders encountered some bumps, bruises, bloody noses, and an errant timekeeper on the way to eight hundred. But in the end, eight hundred was just another victory in the storied career of one of the game’s greatest coaches. With a 75–49 dismantling of Nebraska, Knight joined an elite group of

coaches to reach the magic number. Nebraska jumped out to a 5–0 lead on the night before a smothering Tech defense held them scoreless for the next eight minutes. By the time the Cornhuskers could look up and score again, it was 26–5 Tech, and the only drama remaining was what kind of post-game celebration awaited. Knight gave the crowd what they wanted as

estones, but I’ve front of a crowd his much.” he spoke to the eleven thousand or so left in the United Spirit Arena. “I’ve had some milestones, but I’ve never had one in front of a crowd I’ve appreciated this much,” he said. The crowd erupted, the Red Raiders circled and hugged him, and Knight was off, presumably already planning win number 801. The win might have come sooner if not for a

timekeeping snafu in Norman against Oklahoma that cost the Red Raiders a game. That would have been win number 799. Instead, win number 799 came against Colorado in a game that was very physical and included a bloody nose or two. When Knight returned to coaching at Tech, most people figured he would get number eight hundred eventually. However, most were

surprised he got it so soon, considering he inherited a program that had won just twentyone games combined the two previous seasons.

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K n i g h t ’ s Ru n There was tremendous optimism surrounding the Texas Tech basketball program when Bob Knight was hired. After all, Knight had won three national championships and an Olympic golf metal as a coach. He was moving up the career wins mark and was regarded by many as the greatest coach the game had ever seen. But much of the enthusiasm over the hire was tempered by the state of the Tech program. Knight took over a team that had lost nineteen games the previous year and had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons. So it only made sense for someone to ask the legendary coach how long before he expected to win in Lubbock.

“Immediately,” he said without hesitation. “I don’t expect anything less than to start winning this year.” Maybe some people scoffed, but everyone should have known better. Under Knight, the Red Raiders found themselves back in post-season play his very first year, winning twenty-three games and getting back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. As a matter of course, winning became commonplace under Knight. He led the program to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance in his first six seasons. His 2005 team made it to the Sweet 16 before losing a heartbreaker to the University of West Virginia. Under his guidance, Andre Emmett became the leading scorer in school history while Jay Jackson finished second in the record books. Attendance grew and West Texas found Knight to be a perfect fit. Knight also continued to raise awareness for the school and the city. Everywhere he went, he became a walking, talking billboard for Tech and Lubbock. The national cameras focused on Tech as Knight claimed his eight hundredth coaching victory in 2003 against Nebraska and then again in 2006 when he started his assault on Dean Smith’s all-time victory record. The Red Raiders entered the 2006–07 season just eleven victories short of getting Knight win number 880. As the wins accumulated, more cameras and more reporters followed the program. “It was fun, in a way,” said assistant coach Chris Beard. “It was a very special time for all of us to get to experience that with Coach.” 124 D Fearless ChampioNS d

As a matter of course, winning became commonplace under Knight. He led the program to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance in his first six seasons. D The 2000s d 125

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The historic win came on New Year’s Day in 2007 on ESPN against New Mexico. In a nail biter, the Red Raiders won 70–68, giving Knight the historic milestone. “I’ve simply tried to do what I think is best in the way that I think you have to do it,” Knight said. “I think I’ve put myself out on a limb at times, knowingly, simply because I thought what I was going to do or say was the best way to get this kid to be the best player or the best student.” The USA speakers blared Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” while red and black confetti fell. There were speeches by Knight and administrators, plus videotaped tributes from Smith, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, and Texas’s Rick Barnes as well as statements from several NBA coaches who played for Knight. He also received two trophies and the game ball, and a banner was unfurled marking his achievement. But perhaps more importantly, the team went on to get invited to the NCAA Tournament where they lost a first round battle against Boston College. The previous year proved again why Knight is more valuable than just his wins on the court. In 2006, Knight was the central character in a reality show for ESPN. The show, titled Knight School, followed a handful of Texas Tech students as they competed for the right to join the Red Raiders as a non-scholarship player. Tyler Hoffmeister won the competition and made the 2006–07 roster. He made the team again the following season.

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Ag g i e Killers

When it comes to Tech versus A&M football memories, there are enough to fill volumes of books. But for three players, there would be three distinctive plays that will forever stand out in the minds of Tech fans, and as luck would have it, those three players would be joined together for a season together in the NFL.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be hard pressed to come up with three more memorable plays in a college career than the three provided by Zach Thomas, Sammy Morris, and Wes Welker. And coincidentally, all three happened against the Aggies. In 1995, it had been six years since the Red Raiders had beaten A&M on the football field. It had been three years since A&M had lost any conference game. And late in that game at Jones Stadium, with the score tied at seven, it appeared the best Tech could do was muster a tie. But Thomas, who had a knack for the big play, came up with the biggest of his decorated career. Staying back in passing coverage, the middle linebacker intercepted a pass by Cory Pullig with just over thirty seconds left in the game and returned it for a touchdown. Thomas celebrated with the Saddle Tramps and Banging Bertha, and Tech fans

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celebrated the first of what would turn out to be a long streak of wins against the Aggies in Lubbock. “That was certainly one of the top plays of my college career,” said Thomas. Standing on the sideline that day was Morris, a freshman running back who was spending the season as a redshirt. The next year at Kyle Field, it would be his turn. Trailing 10–7 with six minutes remaining, quarterback Zebbie Lethridge found Morris streaking down the sideline, and the two hooked up for an eighty-one yard touchdown. As Morris sprinted toward the score, he ran right past a stunned Aggie Corps. Six years after that, again at Kyle, Welker got his shot. In front of 86,478 fans with Tech trailing 34–31, he gathered a punt at Tech’s twelve and raced eighty-eight yards for the score that would eventually help lead to a Tech win. Like Morris, he ran by stunned Corps members on his way to pay dirt. “When Wes ran his in, the paper had a picture of his return and my touchdown with the caption ‘Déjà vu.’ They were almost identical with the Corps in the background looking disgusted,” Morris said. Welker would go on to set an NCAA record with eight punt-return touchdowns, but that was his favorite. “Just the entire situation and what that game meant was big,” he said. “Plus it kind of got my name out there.”

The three Aggie killers found themselves linked together again five years after Welker’s score as they spent a year on the Miami Dolphins’ NFL roster. “It was kind of funny,” Welker said. “During A&M week, we talked about our scores and we gave the other Big 12 alums a hard time.”

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“That was certainly one of the top plays of my college career.”

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When you see Jonathan Johnson for the first time, he certainly doesn’t look like a typical eight hundred meters-runner. His build looks more like that of a sprinter. He also runs the four hundred meters. He loves the competitive nature and strategy of the eight hundred meters, though, and that’s where he has made his mark. The story has been told and retold a hundred times by now. Johnson comes to Tech out of Abilene and sets the track world a blaze. In 2003, he narrowly missed out on an NCAA championship but in ’04, not only did he win the Big 12 eight hundred meters for the third straight year, but he also pocketed the NCAA championship as well, becoming Tech’s first-ever male individual national champion. But his story goes beyond what you see on the track. Johnson had a hard life growing up. His single mom in Abilene raised him and his four brothers and sisters. While not the worst of environments, it was hard on Johnson and helped mold him into the type of person he is today. Ask anyone who has spent any time around him, and they all comment on his kindness. “He’s just an incredible guy, nice to everyone,” said Holly Krivokapich, who covered Johnson in ’04 working for Tech media relations. “He’s really kind and extremely funny.” Like many great athletes, Johnson’s outward demeanor masks an internal fire that seems to be always burning. There’s no downtime for this guy. He’s always on. Those same people who talk about his kindness rave about his intense competitiveness. Like any competitor, he hates to lose, and according to those closest to him, when he does lose, he carries it around with him until he gets the chance to redeem himself the next time out. Good thing he doesn’t have much experience with it. To list the number of races he has won and the number of records he has set would take more space than anyone has to write or read. It should suffice to say that it’s no fluke he has gotten to where he is. He was named All-American nine times and received sixteen all-conference awards including four Big 12 championships. To put it simply, he’s the greatest male track athlete in school history. But he also didn’t do it alone. He’s close to his family, and he’s also extremely close with his coach at Tech, Wes Kittley. The two have formed a tight bond, and Kittley filled the right role in Johnson’s development. Kittley has had a profound effect not only on Johnson but also on the emergence of Tech track on the national scene. And with all of his championships and trophies, Johnson forever etched himself in Tech lore with his performance in the 2004 Olympic Trials as he attempted to qualify in the eight hundred meters. He made Tech fans everywhere track fans. Tech alums across the country now had a serious interest in what was going to happen in the Olympic trials. Johnson didn’t disappoint from the outset, appearing on television screens in his Tech uniform as he prepared for the race. He and another runner battled it out the entire way. And JJ did the impossible. He held off the challenger, he responded to every burst with a burst of his own. And remember he hates to lose? It didn’t matter, he wouldn’t—he won the race in style. And in one of those defining moments, he does it. In a flash, as he crossed the finish line. With all eyes upon him, he flashed the “Guns Up!” In a split second, JJ went from Tech hero to Tech idol. He has forever etched himself in Tech’s collective psyche, wearing his Tech uniform, flashing the “Guns Up” while winning the Olympic trials. In a time of personal triumph, he shared it with all of us. And that, perhaps more than anything else, defines Jonathan Johnson.

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C u m b i e ’ s H o l i d ay Sonny Cumbie wrote a story that Hollywood would love. So it was only fitting that he’d end his Texas Tech career and a magical season on a winter night in, of all places, California. Cumbie was not the prototypical spread offense quarterback coming out of high school in Snyder. Yes, he had a strong arm, but that was about the only quality that would make him a candidate to lead a high-powered college offense. But he wanted to play in the Big 12, and he wanted to play at Tech—so he came to Lubbock on his own dime and he waited. He watched Kliff Kingsbury succeed and he waited. He watched B. J. Symons succeed and he waited. And when he’d finally earned a scholarship of his own, he fought off a couple of other contenders to be able to finally earn the starting job during his senior season. It was bumpy at first, including a disappointing loss in New Mexico. And when Tech found themselves trailing TCU 21–0 at home, the boo birds started calling for Cumbie’s backup. But that’s where the story gets interesting. Instead of hanging his head, Cumbie engineered an explosive comeback that ended up in a 70–35 Tech win. Later in the year, he’d hang seventy more on Nebraska—the most Nebraska had ever given up in their storied program history. And so on that winter night in California in the Holiday Bowl, Cumbie wrote the final, historic chapter to his career. Not only did he lead Tech to a win over the highest ranked team they’d ever beaten in a bowl game, the number four University of California Golden Bears, he was also named Offensive MVP in the process. In that game, he threw for 520 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

“These guys and coach Leach, they never lost faith in me,” Cumbie said. “I’m proud to be their teammate, and I’m proud to be a Red Raider.”

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Cotton Picking On the final carry of his senior season, on the final play of his final home game, Taurean Henderson found just enough reach to send Texas Tech to the Cotton Bowl. Henderson took a handoff from Cody Hodges with two seconds left and went up the middle—and after several excruciating minutes while the play was reviewed in the booth, his touchdown stood, and the Red Raiders overcame the Oklahoma Sooners.

“I was confident, although you never know,” said Henderson about the touchdown and the ensuing replay. “They still haven’t tackled him,” Tech coach Mike Leach says to this day. As it was, the score stood, and the Red Raiders earned their first Cotton Bowl trip in a decade. The crazy finish culminated a thirteen-play Red Raider drive that covered sixty-five yards in just over ninety seconds. The drive included three instant replay reviews, including a circus catch by Danny Amendola on a fourth down conversion, and later, a bobbled near-touchdown catch by Joel Filani. “I’m starting to rethink my position on instant replay,” Leach said. “There’s no dialogue at that point. The review happens and the decision is made.” The win snapped a five-game OU win streak over the Red Raiders and was Leach’s first win over his old boss, Bob Stoops.

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After the shock wore off when Marsha Sharp decided to step down as head coach of the Lady Raider basketball program after twentyfour years, speculation immediately turned toward who would be the next coach to take over the highly successful program. Many names popped up as potential candidates, but Athletics Director Gerald Myers remained mum as to possible successors. But then news out of Indiana indicated that Purdue University coach Kristy Curry was the leading candidate. Curry was running a successful program of her own. In her seven years at the helm of the Boilermakers, she compiled a career record of 179–51 (.778) and was 86–26 (.768) in Big Ten Conference games. Curry’s teams won two Big Ten regular-season (2001, 2002) and three Big Ten Tournament (2000, 2003, 2004) championships. She also guided her teams to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Final Four and championship game in 2001. And although she was coaching in the Midwest, Curry’s heart remained in the South. Her family lived in Louisiana and her husband, Kelly, a coach on her staff, was from Texas. So in what became Lubbock’s worst kept secret, Curry visited campus after the Purdue season ended in the NCAA Tournament. A Tech-related website tracked her plane’s progress as it flew from Indiana to Lubbock and as she and Kelly got off the plane, they were greeted by camera crews taping her every moment.

“I think it showed how much we care about women’s basketball in West Texas,” Myers said. “She saw right away that we are serious down here about the program.” Curry accepted the job and filled out her staff with Kelly and Bill Brock, a respected assistant who had helped build Baylor into a national powerhouse. “I’m not Marsha Sharp, and I’d never try to be her,” Curry said. “All we can do is our best and hope that’s good enough. I’ll be Kristy Curry and hope that people can accept that.”

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Greatest Comeback in Bowl History

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Everyone knows about the explosiveness of the Texas Tech offense. But even the most optimistic of fans would have been hard pressed to expect the Red Raiders to come from thirty-one points down to top the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Insight Bowl. Oh sure, there were signs of life late in the first half when Tech drove seventy-seven yards in seven plays to reduce a 28–0 Minnesota lead by seven. But what do the Gophers do? They immediately drive the length of the field to tack on seven more points before halftime. At that point, things appeared gloomy at best—especially considering Minnesota got the ball to start the second half. The Red Raiders would have to play near-flawless football to pull out the win.

“I think at halftime, everybody sort of recommitted—understood that we had a great opportunity,” said Tech coach Mike Leach. Great opportunity or not, Minnesota wasn’t cooperating early in the third quarter. Tech needed the ball in their hands quickly, but instead, the Gophers drove seventy-eight yards to add a field goal to their lead which now stood at 38–7. Perhaps more importantly, they also burned off over seven minutes of clock in the process. “It would have been nice to just be a three-play drive,” Leach said. “Maybe it would have taken a little pressure off.” Now trailing 38–7, the Red Raiders would embark on a comeback of historic proportions. Who would have guessed that with just over seven minutes and thirty seconds left in the third quarter that by the time it was all said and done, Tech would have engineered the biggest comeback in bowl history? And they did it without the benefit of a turnover or even a recovered onside kick. Incredibly, it was simply the result of sheer will, determination, and execution. It took a near-perfect performance from players and coaches alike, along with a little luck. The Red Raiders drove seventy-six yards in six plays. The key play was a third and six on their own twenty-eight. Graham Harrell thew a perfect strike to Todd Walker for a twenty-yard gain. What was almost a three and out for the Red Raiders turned into a momentum-changing drive. On third and short, Harrell double-pumped and threw a perfect deep ball to senior Joel Filani to make it 38–14 Minnesota. The Gophers got the ball back, and after gaining one first down, they stalled. Inexplicably, despite some success running the ball, quarterback Bryan Cupito attempted to throw on three straight snaps. On third down, he was sacked by Tech’s Dek Bake. Tech got the ball back and went sixty-one yards in eleven plays. Again, a key play was Harrell to Walker, this time on a fourth and twelve from the Gopher twenty-second. The duo struck for fourteen yards to get inside the ten yard line. Later, Harrell found Robert Johnson for eight yards and a touchdown on the first play of the last quarter, and it was 38–21.

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The Gophers found their offensive groove on their next possession and marched into Tech territory. But their drive hit a snag, and they found themselves with a fourth and six at the Tech thirty-one. Too far to attempt a field goal but too close to punt, Minnesota went for the first down. Again, needing a big play, the Tech defense came through as Daniel Charbonnet slipped into the backfield to sack Cupito. The next drive amplified the quick strike ability of the Red Raider attack. Going no-huddle, Tech quickly drove down the field. Harrell found Johnson for a ten-yard strike to the Gopher one yard line. Then, Harrell finished with a one-yard plunge. 38–28. Everyone in the house sensed that the tide had turned hopelessly against the Gophers. Tech needed a quick defensive stop and they got it, holding Minnesota to a three and out. Just when it looked as if Minnesota might pin Tech back deep on the punt, junior Danny Amendola added fuel to the fire, returning a punt thirty-three yards to the Tech forty-four. At this point, every play was a big one, but on third and goal from the Minnesota four, Dominic Jones was called for pass interference on Johnson in the end zone. Giving Tech four plays from the two was akin to letting the fox sleep in the hen house. Sophomore Shannon Woods found pay dirt from the one yard line. 38–35. With two minutes and thirty-nine seconds left, the Red Raiders decided to try an onside kick. Although the Cory Fowler kick was executed well, it just eluded Tech’s possession and went out of bounds. Again, the defense was called upon to keep the onslaught alive. Tech’s Paul Williams came up big, sacking Cupito for an eight-yard loss on a third down play and forcing Minnesota to punt again. The Gophers pinned Tech back at their eleven with barely more than a minute remaining and no timeouts. Again playing with no timeouts and in a no huddle, Harrell drove Tech down the field. Tech was aided by two chain measurements which allowed for the clock to stop and the Red Raiders to get lined up for the next play. Needing a few more yards to get into field goal range, Harrell found Johnson for nine yards to the Gopher thirty-five. Tech’s Alex Trlica calmly pounded a fifty-two yarder that would have been good from sixty-five yards as well. His career-long kick put the game into overtime. “I told myself to stay calm and in my routine,” Trlica said. Tie game. No one, probably including the Gophers, believed Minnesota could pull out a win in overtime. The Minnesota sideline appeared dazed and confused—possibly wishing for a quick and painless finish, which the Red Raiders delivered. Minnesota got the ball first and the Tech defense held them to a field goal. Having scored on their previous six straight possessions, not many doubted the Red Raiders would punch in a score for six after that. After a first down incompletion, Harrell found Filani for twelve yards to the Gopher thirteen yard line. The nightmare continued for the Minnesota players. Starting at the three, Woods dove into the end zone, completing the incredible comeback. 44–41, Tech. “You never feel like you’re going to run out of time with this offense,” said Harrell, who would later be named offensive MVP of the game. So for the fourth time in Leach’s tenure, Tech ended their season with a bowl win. Perhaps in any other circumstance, an Insight Bowl win might be forgotten as the years pass. But instead, it ended up as a game that Tech fans and college football fans will remember for the rest of their lives.

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Leach and Bowls For a long time, bowl games were a good news, bad news situation for the Tech program. The good news: The program had been to a lot of them. Heading into the 2007 season, only eighteen other programs had been to more. The bad news for many years was that once they got there, it was a fun reward, but the end result left something to be desired. As early as 2001, Tech had the second-worst winning percentage in the NCAA in bowl games. But all of that started to change under Mike Leach in 2002 at the Tangerine Bowl. After losing the first two bowl games under Leach, the Tech staff seemed to figure out how to win these things, winning five of their next seven. “We kind of figured out a formula,” said former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorson. “There are so many distractions at these things, you just have to kind of take them as they come.” There were some memorable wins along the way to creating the formula. In 2002, behind senior Kliff Kingsbury, Tech crushed Clemson University in the Tangerine Bowl. Who can forget the memory of Kingsbury leading the band in song after the game?

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In 2003, the most explosive offense in NCAA history went to the Houston Bowl and picked apart a scrappy United States Naval Academy team. It was a great sendoff for seniors B. J. Symons, Wes Welker, Mickey Peters, and Carlos Francis. In 2004, the Red Raiders defeated the highest-ranked team Tech had ever played in a bowl game, dismantling a top five Cal team in the Holiday Bowl. And after a Cotton Bowl loss in early ’06, Tech came back in December ’06 to produce the greatest comeback in bowl history with a win over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. Just when you thought they couldn’t top that, the Red Raiders mounted another comeback in January of 2008 to defeat Virginia in the Gator Bowl 31–28. “Bowls are fun and everything, but we want to win them,” Leach said. So now, the bad news is usually for whomever Tech lines up against in bowl season.

the bad news is usually for whomever Tech lines up against in bowl season.

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Leach and Pirates It’s rare when a football coach in West Texas can make news in New York City, but that’s what happened when Tech coach Mike Leach appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 2005. Appearing in a picture between two offensive linemen, the headline read, “Mike Leach Goes Deep, Very Deep.” Inside was a feature that not only gave an in-depth look at what makes Leach tick; it also gave birth to a pirate phenomenon amongst Tech faithful. Renowned writer Michael Lewis spent a couple of weeks with Leach as he researched the story. Lewis, best known for his works such as Moneyball and Liar’s Poker, went deeper than just the usual sportswriter’s look at a coach. He truly tried to get to the essence of what makes Leach successful. “He was as interesting a subject as I’ve ever dealt with,” Lewis said. “He was so free and open to not only me but those who worked for him, I found it very refreshing.” During that season, one of Leach’s favorite phrases to his players was, “Swing your sword.” He had spent an off-season reading about pirates and had become fascinated with them. So following that line of thinking, he shared some of his insight with his players.

“He’s not your typical football coach,” Lewis said. “With me, I happened to focus on the pirate angle, but he has many diverse interests . . . . He has one of the greatest gifts of digression that I’ve ever come across.” Tech fans took to the pirate mentality. They purchased pirate skullcaps and flags and displayed them proudly at games and tailgates. Leach fed the frenzy even further by proclaiming in 2006 after a win over Texas A&M, “It proves that sometimes a pirate can beat a soldier!” Two years after the Times article came out, Tech fans were still celebrating the pirate mentality. “I love it,” Leach said. “There’s nothing wrong with pirates.” Other people paid attention to the story as well. In 2007, PBS came to Lubbock to do a documentary on the Tech program as part of a series of stories on football in the United States. The Lewis article was the primary reason they chose Tech. “There’s a tremendous story there with Mike,” Lewis said. “He’d make a great subject for a book.”

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Tennis and Sweet 16 For Tim Siegel, it has never been about the numbers. But even he was impressed with the ledger put together by the 2005 Tech men’s tennis team. “I have never been concerned with the numbers,” said Siegel, who came to the program in 1994. “I always just looked at if the kids worked hard. We’ve had success before, but it really came together in ’05.” That is an understatement. The ’05 men’s tennis team went 25–4, including a seventeen-match winning streak to open the season, a national top-ten ranking, and the school’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16. Several Red Raiders gained post-season honors that year, including Bojan Szumanski and Radek Nijaki, who both made the Big 12 team. Siegel was also named Big 12 coach of the year. It wasn’t just success in the matches; the Red Raiders also drew the attention of the local fan base. Their home campaign was capped off with a record-setting crowd of over one thousand to watch a match with Baylor. The crowd was raucous, and Siegel hoped that would spur the program even further. “I can’t imagine coaching anywhere but Lubbock,” he said. “Our support is outstanding. My goal when I started here was to not only build a solid program but also a tennis community. I think we’ve done just that.”

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Ru n , S a l ly, Ru n Sally Kipyego likes to run. She grew up running in Kenya, and now that she’s in the United States and at Texas Tech, she keeps running. And she’s pretty good at it. Less than twenty-four hours after winning the ten thousand meters at the NCAA championships, Kipyego fell short of her bid to make history as she took the silver in the five thousand meters. The sophomore Red Raider ran a time of 15:24.22 to finish behind Wake Forest’s Michelle Sikes who ran a championships-best and second-best NCAA time of 15:16.76. So just when you think she couldn’t top that, she did. Adding three more individual NCAA championships in 2007– 08, Kipyego ended her second season with seven national championships, the most in school history.

And she keeps running. “The problem we have with Sally is she’d run every day if we let her,” said Tech track coach Wes Kittley. “She’s such a hard worker and has such a great work ethic; we have to make sure she doesn’t overdo it.” 150 D Fearless ChampioNS d

But make no mistake: Kittley knows the type of talent he has with Kipyego. “She has the chance to leave here as not only the most decorated athlete in Tech history but also as one of the best ever in the NCAA.” Kipyego is not one to take for granted the opportunity afforded to her to be able to run for an education. A nursing major, she’s excited about her career and her prospects after running is over. “I am so excited about nursing,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be able to help others, and I’ll be able to do that as a nurse.” Kipyego came to Tech after running a year at South Plains College in Levelland. Her track career has taken her all over the world and given her the opportunity to experience many new things. But what is her favorite experience so far in the United States? “Snow!” she said, laughing. “The first night it snowed, I was so excited. I ran outside and yelled for my roommate to come outside. We just ran around in the snow!”

After all, she likes to run.

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Knight Retires When you consider the fanfare associated with his arrival at Texas Tech, Bob Knight’s retirement from basketball seemed almost anticlimatic. There was no press conference, no televised event. Rather simply, a press release went out in February, twenty games in to the season, stating the Hall of Fame coach was retiring and that Pat Knight was now the head coach of the Red Raiders. “When you look back at it you realize it was kind of crazy,” said Pat Knight. “But I think my dad wanted to give me that experience of the last part of the season. I think it will be invaluable to me down the road.” During his tenure at Texas Tech, Knight was 138–82, and he led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in four of his six seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2005. He also led Tech to the NIT Finals one time. His six year tenure may go down as the most successful period ever in Tech basketball annals. And true to form, when he decided to stop, Bob Knight did it his way.

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Patience Sometimes a heart of a champion can be measured by the results on the field of play. Other times, that heart is measured by something accomplished off the field. In Patience Knight’s case it’s both. Knight, a track and field thrower, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor near her heart in February of ’07. “It’s funny, the first thing I thought was that I was going to have to redshirt,” Knight said. “All I could think of was how soon I could get back to training. I think in the long run that helped me.” Knight was able to keep training while undergoing chemo throughout ’07. Even on days she didn’t feel great, she kept her eye on the bigger prize and kept working out. “What an inspiration she has been to us all,” said track coach Wes Kittley. “How can you complain about a nagging injury or not feeling okay when you look over at her and what she’s been through? It’s truly a case of her helping us while we help her.” Knight fought through tremendous adversity during that ’07 season. One day she realized she didn’t feel well and discovered a small portion of the catheter used to administer her chemo treatment had broken off and fallen into her heart. Her doctors surgically repaired the port and she was back off and throwing. “I was feeling sorry for myself a little bit at times,” she said. “But I started to get stronger and I felt that staying on the team was really the best thing I could do.” Her perseverance paid off in ’08. Cancer free, she had a breakout year. During the indoor season she earned her first All-America honor and won the Big 12 Indoor Championships in the shot put with a throw of 56’-4.5.” During the outdoor season, she set another school record in the shot put with a throw of 57’-11” and qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in both the shot put and discus. She was also named the 2008 recipient of the twentieth annual Honda Inspiration Award. This award is given annually to an outstanding female college athlete who has overcome adversity to excel in her sport. “I am truly blessed,” said Knight who also carries a 3.9 GPA. “I’m healthy, I’m playing the sport that I love and I have great coaches and teammates. What else could you ask for?”

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Facilities When Gerald Myers’s legacy as athletic director at Texas Tech is written, it will cover a lot of ground but perhaps none more important or impressive than the tremendous strides the school made in facilities under his direction. “It’s so important in the Big 12 to compete in facilities,” Myers said. “We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re proud of where we are.” Indeed, fans of the school should be proud, as most of the school’s venues have been significantly upgraded over the last decade. Tech boasts state-ofthe-art facilities in basketball, football, and golf, as well as a student academic services building that is second to none. The building boom was imperative if Tech wanted to stay competitive in the ultracompetitive Big 12. “We say it all the time: It’s expensive to play in the Big 12,” said Steve Uryasz, executive director of the Red Raider Club. “But it would be more expensive to not be in the Big 12.” The old saying goes that if you’re not moving forward, then you’re losing ground. And Tech has adopted that philosophy in building. Some of the changes in the last decade include the following.

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most of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s venues have been significantly upgraded over the last decade.

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Ba s k e t ba ll The 15,050 seat United Spirit Arena opened in 1999 as Tech hosted Indiana University, then coached by Bob Knight. Funded by donations including a major gift from United Supermarkets—and student fees, the USA cost sixty-two million dollars and became the largest arena in the Big 12. “We felt strongly that we wanted to build it that size, not only for our basketball but also to be able to hold concerts,” said Myers. And that vision has come to fruition as several big-name national acts have made the USA part of their tours. The USA remains one of the crown jewels of the Tech athletic landscape. It holds twenty-four soldout suites and houses both the men’s and women’s coaching staffs. Each team has its own dressing room and lounge, and there are weight rooms and practice floors. “I was really impressed with the USA when I interviewed here,” said Lady Raider coach Kristy Curry. “We can show this place to recruits and tell them it’s as good as any arena in the country.” A ribbon scoreboard was added in 2007 to improve the game-day atmosphere in the USA. “We just want to constantly upgrade and add things to improve that facility,” Myers said.

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Golf When you think of Lubbock, you don’t typically think of a links-style golf course. But that’s exactly what Tom Doak envisioned when he overlooked the parcel of flatland at the corner of 4th Street and Indiana Avenue in 2001. And that’s what he delivered when he built the Rawls Course. Named after Tech alum Jerry S. Rawls, the course is one of the finest collegiate courses in the country. It bears Rawls’s name because he donated eight-anda-half million dollars to get the project rolling. “We dreamed about [this course],” Myers said. “We had plans and hopes of what would happen, but we didn’t have any idea at one point that we had an alum out there willing to make a donation of 8.5 million dollars to make this possible. Because I don’t think we would have had the funds to build a golf course of this caliber in any other way than to have a gift from an alum.” The course is the pride of the campus as it’s not only home to friends of the university to play; it’s also the home of the Tech men’s and women’s golf programs. Both programs have utilized the course, with the men going to back-to-back NCAA nationals in 2006 and 2007. “No question the course has helped us,” said men’s coach Greg Sands. “Not only does it give us something to use in recruiting, it also allows us to prepare our guys for any tournament type condition.” In addition to the eighteen-hole layout, the Rawls Course has three holes reserved exclusively for the golf programs as well as a private practice range area. The course has been honored by numerous golf publications since its inception. It still remains a great, affordable venue. In addition to hosting an NCAA women’s regional, the Big 12 also held their cross-country championships on the course in 2007.

Football Along with the United Spirit Arena, Jones AT&T Stadium has become one of the most recognizable venues on campus. The largest renovation project to date was the $51.9 million, 175,000 square-foot press box that included luxury suites, club seating, and decks for television cameras and the press. This added two thousand seats and was completed during the 2003 season. The renovated areas made the stadium among the best in the Big 12. In 2006, the stadium was upgraded with a two million dollar inner-field wall that matches the traditional Texas Tech-style brick facade. An inscribing of the Matador Song at the Double T in the north and south end zones was also added. Additionally, the project included a FieldTurf playing field. “It’s funny because they only play there five or six times a year, but it’s important to show recruits the stadium and where they will be playing,” said football coach Mike Leach. “Our administration has shown a tremendous commitment to the program by continuing to upgrade the stadium.” In addition to stadium renovations, the Red Raider football team moved into their new football complex in the fall of 2003. Located next to Jones AT&T Stadium, the new facility houses a ten thousand square foot weight room, a luxurious player’s lounge with big screen TV, a spacious locker room with 130 lockers, showers, and two large whirlpools. The facility also showcases a state-ofthe-art training facility and rehab center with the newest rehab equipment, team meeting rooms that seat 130, team breakout rooms for every position, and coach’s offices and meeting rooms that overlook the practice field. “Really, this building is the most important because [the players will] be spending most of their time here,” said Leach. “This gives us a chance to compete with just about anyone.”

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Marsha sharp centEr For Student-Athletes In the aftermath of NCAA sanctions in the late nineties, the Tech administration made a pledge to increase their commitment to athlete academics. Spurred in part by a one hundred thousand dollar donation by then–Lady Raider coach Marsha Sharp, work began on a new academic center. The new academic facility officially opened in January 2004 and is located across the street from Jones AT&T Stadium and the athletics department. The facility is available to all student-athletes and contains tutor rooms, quiet, comfortable study rooms, and thirty-eight computer terminals equipped with Dell computers, software, and flat screen monitors. A group of seven full-time academic members staff the facility. “We’re committed to helping our athletes succeed,” said John Anderson, associate athletic director for academics. “This building gives our staff and our athletes all the tools they will need to succeed.”

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Dan Law Field Dan Law Field is home to Red Raider Baseball. Upgraded in 2001, Dan Law Field now sports a brand new clubhouse, luxurious locker rooms and lounge, and a new, state-of-the-art video score board. The field also showcases an ultra-modern light system, new concession area, ticket booth, and restroom facilities. Fourteen luxury skyboxes were completed in 1996. In the fall of 2007, FieldTurf was installed to replace the previous AstroTurf. “Our facilities are really player friendly,” said Dan Spencer, who took over the reigns of Tech baseball in June ’08. “We have a first-rate clubhouse and workout arena and the FieldTurf is an ideal surface.”

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Tennis The McLeod Tennis Facility features twelve lighted courts, bleachers, and an electronic score board for each court. Planned events for the facility include college tournaments, community events, and annual professional exhibitions. The 4.6 million dollar softball and tennis complex has seating for 589 and room for one thousand temporary seats. It not only serves the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis teams; it also features locker rooms for the softball team, two rooms for visiting teams, a press box, a full-service concession stand, and an outdoor batting cage.

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FinalThoughts There is a certain West Texas pride involved when discussing Texas Tech athletics. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost impossible in a book like this to describe the names, the faces, the events that have helped shape the landscape of Red Raider sports from the first season in 1926 to where we stand today. But we tried to give you a few of those stories, to help you relive some of the things that make us all love this great university and the players who have donned the Scarlet and Black. There is no greater feeling than to be a Red Raider. From a beautiful fall evening at Jones Stadium to a springtime afternoon at The Law we are Red Raiders. We share a bond . . . . from our early days in the Border Conference, to our struggles to join the Southwest Conference, to our admittance and battles in the Big 12 . . . . we bear our banners far and wide. We stand together on the West Texas Plains cheering on more than a school as we stand on heights of victory.

We are the Red Raiders. We are Fearless Champions.

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