Texas Tech Red Raiders football
Encyclopedia
Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football
team that represents Texas Tech University
(variously "Tech" or "TTU"). The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference
, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA). The program began in 1925
and has an overall winning record, including a total of eleven conference titles and one division title. On January 10, 2010, Tommy Tuberville
became the team's 14th head coach, replacing Mike Leach. Home games are played at Jones AT&T Stadium
in Lubbock, Texas
.
) fielded its first intercollegiate football team during the 1925 season
. The team was known as the "Matador
s" from 1925 to 1936, a name suggested by the wife of E. Y. Freeland
, the first football coach, to reflect the influence of the Spanish Renaissance architecture
on campus. In 1932, Texas Tech joined the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
, also known as the Border Conference. The school's short-lived Matadors moniker was replaced officially in 1937
with "Red Raiders", a nickname bestowed upon them by a sportswriter impressed by their bright Scarlet uniforms that remains to this day. That same year, the team won its first conference championship and was invited to the Sun Bowl
. The game was played on January 1, 1938, and resulted in a 7–6 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers
. Texas Tech suffered four more bowl losses before their first postseason win in the 1952 Sun Bowl. Before withdrawing from the Border Conference in 1956, the Red Raiders won eight conference championships and one co-championship, the most held by a Border Conference member.
In 1956, Texas Tech was admitted to the Southwest Conference (SWC) but was ineligible for any title during a four-year probationary period. It gained full SWC membership and began official conference play in 1960. The Red Raiders won conference co-championships in 1976 and 1994. The team remained in the SWC until the conference dissolved in 1996. The university was invited and became a charter member in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference
. Texas Tech is the only member in the history of the Big 12 to boast a winning record every year since 1996, when the conference began. In 2008, the Red Raiders were one of three football teams involved in the first three way conference division tie
.
The Red Raiders play their home games on campus at Jones AT&T Stadium
. The stadium opened in 1947 as Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium. In 2000, Jones Stadium was renamed, Jones SBC Stadium, in recognition of a $30 million donation from SBC Communications. Reflecting SBC Communications' rebranding as AT&T, Inc.
, the stadium's name was renamed in 2005 as Jones AT&T Stadium. Then known as the Matadors, Texas Tech's first home field was a make-shift stadium at the South Plains Fairgrounds
in Lubbock, for the 1925 season and first game of the 1926 season. In 1926, Tech Stadium, a wooden horseshoe shaped 12,000 seat stadium, was built on campus. Twenty-years later, Jones Stadium as was completed for the 1947 season. Two years prior to the stadium's opening, Clifford B. Jones, former Texas Tech University president, established a $100,000 trust toward construction for a new football stadium. The Texas Tech Board of Directors voted to name the new facility in honor of the former president and his wife's contribution.
Since opening with a seating capacity of 18,000, the stadium has been continuously expanded and renovated. In 1960, the addition of a lower bowl doubled the seating capacity to 41,500, an expansion in 1972 added over 10,000 seats, during the 1990s, 2,000 seats were added, and additions in the 2000s brought the current seating capacity to 60,454. In 2003, a seven-story building including 47 suites, a club seat level and new press box replaced the former press box constructed in 1959. In 2010, expansion to the east side of the stadium included a five-story addition that includes 1,000 general-admission seats, 542 club seats, 30 suites, a dining club, and pro shop
. Also, ticket and athletic offices are expected to relocate to the East Side Building.
When Jones AT&T Stadium opened in 1947, the playing surface was originally natural grass. However, at the beginning of the 1972 season, the stadium's natural grass was replaced with AstroTurf
. Jones AT&T Stadium has had a FieldTurf
playing surface since 2006. Jones AT&T Stadium set an attendance record of 60,454 spectators September 18, 2010, when the Red Raiders hosted the Texas Longhorns. The game was the 60th between the in-state rivals. The previous record, with 57,733 in attendance, was set against the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Goin' Band from Raiderland, originally known as The Matador Band, is as old as Texas Tech itself. The band performed at the team's first game in October 1925
, fielding between 21 and 25 members. The following year the band earned its name when it became the first collegiate band to travel to an away game. American humorist Will Rogers
once aided in financing a trip to Fort Worth, Texas
, so the band could perform at a game against the TCU Horned Frogs
. Today, in keeping with the campus' Spanish Renaissance architecture
, the uniforms of the Goin' Band are styled after the trajes of matador
s, complete with cape and a flat-brimmed "gaucho
" hat. The 450-member band, which was awarded the Sudler Trophy in 1999, performs at all home football games and at various other events.
The Masked Rider
is Texas Tech University's oldest mascot. The tradition began in 1936, when "ghost riders" were dared to circle the field prior to home football games. The Masked Rider became an official mascot in 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton led the team onto the field at the Gator Bowl
. According to reports from those present at the game, the crowd sat in stunned silence as they watched Fulton and his horse Blackie rush onto the football field, followed by the team. After a few moments, the silent crowd burst into cheers. Ed Danforth, a writer for the Atlanta Journal who witnessed the event, later wrote, "No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance." In 2000, The Masked Rider tradition was commemorated with the unveiling of a statue outside of the university's Frazier Alumni Pavilion. The sculpture, created by artist Grant Speed, is 25 percent larger than life.
Today the Masked Rider, with guns up
, leads the team onto the field for all home games. This mascot, adorned in a distinctive gaucho
hat like the ones worn by members of the marching band, is one of the most visible figures at Texas Tech. Christi Chadwell, a sophomore agricultural communications major from Garland
, will represent the university as the Masked Rider during 2010/11.
Texas Tech's other mascot, Raider Red
, is a more recent creation. Beginning with the 1971 football season, the Southwest Conference forbade the inclusion of live animal mascots to away games unless the host school consented. For situations where the host school did not want to allow the Masked Rider's horse, an alternate mascot was needed. Jim Gaspard, a member of the Saddle Tramps student spirit organization, created the original design for the Raider Red costume, basing it on a character created by cartoonist Dirk West
, a Texas Tech alumnus and former Lubbock mayor. Though the Masked Rider's identity is public knowledge, it has always been tradition that Raider Red's student alter ego is kept secret until the end of his or her tenure. The student serving as Raider Red is a member of the Saddle Tramps or High Riders.
and have played annually since 1960 when Texas Tech began participating in the Southwest Conference. Since the 1996 season
, the Chancellor's Spurs
, a traveling trophy, has been exchanged between the two university system chancellors, in honor of the two universities' rivalry. The 2008 game
was one of three games that led to a three-way tie controversy
in the Big 12 Conference South Division, the first three-way tie in a collegiate conference division. The Texas Longhorns lead the all-time series record with 45 wins of the 60 games played and has won 11 of 15 games since the Chancellor's Spurs were first exchanged.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have played more games against the Texas A&M Aggies
and Baylor Bears
, than any other opponents. Texas Tech first played the Aggies in 1927 and the teams have played annually since 1957. The two universities' football rivalry
has experienced multiple altercations off the playing field between coaches, players and fans. The Texas A&M Aggies lead the all-time series with thirty-six wins of the sixty-nine games played. Since both teams joined the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Texas Tech has won 10, while Texas A&M has won 6, of the these last 16 meetings. Texas A&M currently has a three game winning streak against Texas Tech following their 2011 victory against Texas Tech in Lubbock.
A prior to Texas Tech joining the SWC, a traveling trophy was exchanged between the TCU Horned Frogs
and Red Raiders. The trophy was of a miniature saddle and the game between the teams was dubbed "The West Texas Championship."
s" from 1925 to 1936, a name suggested by the wife of E. Y. Freeland
, the first football coach, to reflect the Spanish Renaissance architecture
on campus. The students followed the suggestion, and later chose scarlet and black as the school colors inspired by a matador's traditional red cape and black outfit. In 1934, head coach Pete Cawthon
ordered scarlet satin uniforms for the football team. He said that if the team did not attract attention by their playing, they would at least be noticed because of the flashy uniforms. The football team, wearing its new outfit, defeated heavily-favored Loyola Marymount
in Los Angeles on October 26, 1934. A Los Angeles sports writer called the Matadors a "red raiding team", coining the moniker Texas Tech's athletics teams use today.
Texas Tech's uniform consists of any combination of scarlet, black, and white. Since 2006, Under Armour
has been the team's outfitter.
The 2010 team
was the first to wear white helmets since 1974. The white helmets were similar in design to the ones warn during the Jim Carlen era from 1970-1974 featuring a one inch scarlet stripe in the middle bordered by two half inch black stripes. The helmets used in 2010 feature a black face mask instead of scarlet and the current version of the Double T
. The helmets were worn for away games against the New Mexico Lobos, Iowa State Cyclones, and Oklahoma Sooners.
, Hub Bechtol
, E. J. Holub
, and Dave Parks
, have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
. Anderson, Holub, and Parks are the only three players at Texas Tech to have had their numbers retired.
Two Red Raiders, Donny Anderson
in 1965 and Graham Harrell
in 2008, have named Sporting News College Football Player of the Year
, which is bestowed upon the most outstanding college football player of that season by Sporting News. While no Texas Tech player has ever received the Heisman Trophy
, seven Red Raiders have received votes by the award's selection committee. Donny Anderson
and Graham Harrell
both finished fourth in the voting in 1965 and 2008 respectively, the highest ranking any Red Raider has received from voters. Additionally, Michael Crabtree
, Byron Hanspard
, E. J. Holub
, Kliff Kingsbury
, and B. J. Symons were Heisman candidates, receiving enough votes to finish in the top ten.
Texas Tech football players have won several individual awards based on their position. At the end of the 1993 season, Bam Morris
received the Doak Walker Award
, and in 1996, Byron Hanspard
became the second Red Raider to receive the award. Michael Crabtree
became the first two-time winner of the both the Fred Biletnikoff Award
and Paul Warfield Trophy in back-to-back seasons. While three Texas Tech quarterbacks, Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, and Graham Harrell, have been awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy
, but only Harrell received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
. In 2003, Wes Welker
won the Mosi Tatupu Award
, given annually to the best special teams player.
In 1935, Herschel Ramsey
was the first football player from Texas Tech to be named an All-American. Since then, a total of forty-seven players have been named to an All-American team, twenty-nine were selected as first team All-Americans. Ten Red Raiders have been named consensus All-Americans, players who were awarded a majority of votes at their positions by the selectors. Michael Crabtree
was named as a consensus All-Americans in 2007 and 2008, and is the only Red Raider to receive the honor twice. Ten Red Raiders have been named academic All-Americans.
Texas Tech has played in 34 post-season bowl games with an all-time record of 12 wins, 21 losses, and 1 tie. The Red Raiders rank fourth among current Big 12 Conference
programs in bowl game appearances, and also boast the distinction of being the only program in the conference to be bowl eligible every season since its formation in 1996. Along with the Miami Hurricanes
and Ole Miss Rebels
, the 33 bowl game appearances by the Red Raiders rank the program 17th all-time in bowl games played.
Texas Tech's first bowl game was at the conclusion of the 1937 season, only 13 years after the program was established. The Red Raiders played in the 1938 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas
, against the West Virginia Mountaineers
on New Year's Day. Nine of Texas Tech's 33 bowl game bids have been to the Sun Bowl
., the most appearances by any team to the second-oldest college football bowl game. Texas Tech's most recent bowl game appearance, the 2011 TicketCity Bowl, occurred on January 1, 2011, when the Red Raiders won, 45-38, against the Northwestern Wildcats
. The game was the team's eleventh consecutive bowl appearance that began with the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
, in former head coach Mike Leach's first season.
In 10 seasons, Mike Leach's 9 bowl game appearances and 5 wins are the most of any the program's head coaches. Only 4 head coaches, E. Y. Freeland
, Grady Higginbotham
, Rex Dockery
, and Jerry Moore
, have not led Texas Tech to a postseason bowl game. In the 1952 Sun Bowl, DeWitt Weaver
was the first head coach to led the Red Raiders to a bowl game victory. Although both Pete Cawthon
and Dell Morgan
had led the program to previous bowl games, neither posted wins in their 5 combined appearances.
The Red Raiders' fans have set attendance records at 10 bowl games, including the team's first bowl game appearance in the 1938 Sun Bowl. Although 8 of the 10 attendance records were eventually broken, attendance records from 2 bowl game appearances, the 2004 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
and 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, remain unbroken. The 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic's attendance record of 88,175 was the second-most attended bowl game of the 2008–09 bowl game season.
championships with the Red Raiders: Pete Cawthon
, Dell Morgan
, DeWitt Weaver
, Steve Sloan
, and Spike Dykes
. Mike Leach is the only head Texas Tech football coach to win a division title. Dykes is the all-time leader in games coached and years coached, while Leach is the all-time leader in overall wins. Higginbotham is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Red Raiders have had; he won one game while losing seven games and tying two, giving him a .200 winning percentage. Cawthon's .693 winning percent ranks as the highest among the coaches.
Dell Morgan
, DeWitt Weaver
, Spike Dykes
, and Mike Leach have each received Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization. Morgan was named Border Conference Coach of the Year in 1949. Twice–in 1951 and 1953–Weaver was named the Border Conference's Coach of the Year. Dykes was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1989 and two other years. Dykes was also named the first Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 1996. In 2008, Leach was the second Texas Tech head coach to be named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. The same season, Leach was also named the FieldTurf/Howie Long Coach of the Year and was awarded the Woody Hayes Trophy and George Munger Award
; all three awards recognize the top collegiate coach of the season.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team that represents Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
(variously "Tech" or "TTU"). The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA). The program began in 1925
1925 college football season
The 1925 college football season ended with the University of Alabama's recognition as a football powerhouse. The Rose Bowl was closer to a national championship than had been seen previously, providing an intersectional matchup between two unbeaten teams, the Washington Huskies and the Alabama...
and has an overall winning record, including a total of eleven conference titles and one division title. On January 10, 2010, Tommy Tuberville
Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season...
became the team's 14th head coach, replacing Mike Leach. Home games are played at Jones AT&T Stadium
Jones AT&T Stadium
Jones AT&T Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, United States. It is the home field of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team of the Big 12 Conference.-Planning and funding:Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium opened in 1947...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
.
History
Texas Tech (then known as Texas Technological CollegeHistory of Texas Tech University
The history of Texas Tech University dates back to the early 1880s, but the university was not established until 1923.-Establishment:The call to open a college in West Texas began shortly after the arrival of settlers in the area in the 1880s. In 1917, the Texas legislature passed a bill creating a...
) fielded its first intercollegiate football team during the 1925 season
1925 college football season
The 1925 college football season ended with the University of Alabama's recognition as a football powerhouse. The Rose Bowl was closer to a national championship than had been seen previously, providing an intersectional matchup between two unbeaten teams, the Washington Huskies and the Alabama...
. The team was known as the "Matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
s" from 1925 to 1936, a name suggested by the wife of E. Y. Freeland
E. Y. Freeland
-External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
, the first football coach, to reflect the influence of the Spanish Renaissance architecture
Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance architecture was that style of architecture which evolved firstly in Florence and then Rome and other parts of Italy as the result of Humanism and a revived interest in Classical architecture...
on campus. In 1932, Texas Tech joined the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Border Conference , was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961-1962 season...
, also known as the Border Conference. The school's short-lived Matadors moniker was replaced officially in 1937
1937 college football season
The 1937 college football season ended with the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh being named the nation’s #1 team by 30 of the 33 electors in the Associated Press writers' poll...
with "Red Raiders", a nickname bestowed upon them by a sportswriter impressed by their bright Scarlet uniforms that remains to this day. That same year, the team won its first conference championship and was invited to the Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
. The game was played on January 1, 1938, and resulted in a 7–6 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
. Texas Tech suffered four more bowl losses before their first postseason win in the 1952 Sun Bowl. Before withdrawing from the Border Conference in 1956, the Red Raiders won eight conference championships and one co-championship, the most held by a Border Conference member.
In 1956, Texas Tech was admitted to the Southwest Conference (SWC) but was ineligible for any title during a four-year probationary period. It gained full SWC membership and began official conference play in 1960. The Red Raiders won conference co-championships in 1976 and 1994. The team remained in the SWC until the conference dissolved in 1996. The university was invited and became a charter member in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. Texas Tech is the only member in the history of the Big 12 to boast a winning record every year since 1996, when the conference began. In 2008, the Red Raiders were one of three football teams involved in the first three way conference division tie
2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy
The final standings of the 2008 Big 12 Conference's South Division football regular season resulted in the first 3-way division tie in the Big 12. The decision of which team would be selected to represent the division in the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game was controversial...
.
Stadium
Jones AT&T Stadium
Jones AT&T Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, United States. It is the home field of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team of the Big 12 Conference.-Planning and funding:Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium opened in 1947...
. The stadium opened in 1947 as Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium. In 2000, Jones Stadium was renamed, Jones SBC Stadium, in recognition of a $30 million donation from SBC Communications. Reflecting SBC Communications' rebranding as AT&T, Inc.
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, the stadium's name was renamed in 2005 as Jones AT&T Stadium. Then known as the Matadors, Texas Tech's first home field was a make-shift stadium at the South Plains Fairgrounds
South Plains Fairgrounds
The South Plains Fairgrounds was the first home field for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. The Red Raiders played their home games at the fairgrounds during the 1925 season and the first game of the 1926 season against the Schreiner Institute.At the time, the campus of Texas Technological...
in Lubbock, for the 1925 season and first game of the 1926 season. In 1926, Tech Stadium, a wooden horseshoe shaped 12,000 seat stadium, was built on campus. Twenty-years later, Jones Stadium as was completed for the 1947 season. Two years prior to the stadium's opening, Clifford B. Jones, former Texas Tech University president, established a $100,000 trust toward construction for a new football stadium. The Texas Tech Board of Directors voted to name the new facility in honor of the former president and his wife's contribution.
Since opening with a seating capacity of 18,000, the stadium has been continuously expanded and renovated. In 1960, the addition of a lower bowl doubled the seating capacity to 41,500, an expansion in 1972 added over 10,000 seats, during the 1990s, 2,000 seats were added, and additions in the 2000s brought the current seating capacity to 60,454. In 2003, a seven-story building including 47 suites, a club seat level and new press box replaced the former press box constructed in 1959. In 2010, expansion to the east side of the stadium included a five-story addition that includes 1,000 general-admission seats, 542 club seats, 30 suites, a dining club, and pro shop
Pro shop
A pro shop is a sporting-goods shop within a public or private-membership amateur sporting activities facility of some kind, most commonly a golf course, where it will typically be located in the country club building...
. Also, ticket and athletic offices are expected to relocate to the East Side Building.
When Jones AT&T Stadium opened in 1947, the playing surface was originally natural grass. However, at the beginning of the 1972 season, the stadium's natural grass was replaced with AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
. Jones AT&T Stadium has had a FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
playing surface since 2006. Jones AT&T Stadium set an attendance record of 60,454 spectators September 18, 2010, when the Red Raiders hosted the Texas Longhorns. The game was the 60th between the in-state rivals. The previous record, with 57,733 in attendance, was set against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Goin' Band from Raiderland
1925 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* Chicago Cardinals win a controversial National Football League title.* Five new teams join the NFL: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Providence Steam Roller, a new Canton Bulldogs team and the Pottsville Maroons....
, fielding between 21 and 25 members. The following year the band earned its name when it became the first collegiate band to travel to an away game. American humorist Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
once aided in financing a trip to Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, so the band could perform at a game against the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
. Today, in keeping with the campus' Spanish Renaissance architecture
Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance architecture was that style of architecture which evolved firstly in Florence and then Rome and other parts of Italy as the result of Humanism and a revived interest in Classical architecture...
, the uniforms of the Goin' Band are styled after the trajes of matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
s, complete with cape and a flat-brimmed "gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
" hat. The 450-member band, which was awarded the Sudler Trophy in 1999, performs at all home football games and at various other events.
Mascots
The Masked Rider
The Masked Rider is the primary mascot of Texas Tech University. It is the oldest of the university's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider", it was an unofficial mascot appearing in a few games in 1936 and then became the official mascot with the 1954 Gator Bowl. The...
is Texas Tech University's oldest mascot. The tradition began in 1936, when "ghost riders" were dared to circle the field prior to home football games. The Masked Rider became an official mascot in 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton led the team onto the field at the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
. According to reports from those present at the game, the crowd sat in stunned silence as they watched Fulton and his horse Blackie rush onto the football field, followed by the team. After a few moments, the silent crowd burst into cheers. Ed Danforth, a writer for the Atlanta Journal who witnessed the event, later wrote, "No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance." In 2000, The Masked Rider tradition was commemorated with the unveiling of a statue outside of the university's Frazier Alumni Pavilion. The sculpture, created by artist Grant Speed, is 25 percent larger than life.
Today the Masked Rider, with guns up
Guns up
Guns Up is the slogan and hand signal of Texas Tech University. It is used by students and alumni as a greeting. It is also used as a victory sign during athletic events.-The gesture:...
, leads the team onto the field for all home games. This mascot, adorned in a distinctive gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
hat like the ones worn by members of the marching band, is one of the most visible figures at Texas Tech. Christi Chadwell, a sophomore agricultural communications major from Garland
Garland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
, will represent the university as the Masked Rider during 2010/11.
Texas Tech's other mascot, Raider Red
Raider Red
Raider Red is one of the mascots of Texas Tech University. The main mascot is The Masked Rider who rides a live horse. Raider Red is used at events where The Masked Rider is not allowed or would not be appropriate....
, is a more recent creation. Beginning with the 1971 football season, the Southwest Conference forbade the inclusion of live animal mascots to away games unless the host school consented. For situations where the host school did not want to allow the Masked Rider's horse, an alternate mascot was needed. Jim Gaspard, a member of the Saddle Tramps student spirit organization, created the original design for the Raider Red costume, basing it on a character created by cartoonist Dirk West
Dirk West
Gerald Glynn "Dirk" West was an editorial cartoonist and journalist from Lubbock, Texas most famous for his caricatures of collegiate mascots. He was born in Littlefield, Texas but his family moved to Lubbock soon after. He attended Texas Tech University where he drew cartoons for The University...
, a Texas Tech alumnus and former Lubbock mayor. Though the Masked Rider's identity is public knowledge, it has always been tradition that Raider Red's student alter ego is kept secret until the end of his or her tenure. The student serving as Raider Red is a member of the Saddle Tramps or High Riders.
Rivalries
The teams first played during the 1928 season1928 college football season
The 1928 college football season had the USC Trojans recognized as champions under the Dickinson System, but the Rose Bowl was contested between the #2 and #3 teams, California and Georgia Tech...
and have played annually since 1960 when Texas Tech began participating in the Southwest Conference. Since the 1996 season
1996 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators crowned National Champions, but not as unanimously as the Bowl Alliance would have hoped....
, the Chancellor's Spurs
Chancellor's Spurs
The Chancellor's Spurs is a trophy awarded to the winner of the in-state college football rivalry game between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders. The trophy is a set of spurs exchanged between the chancellors of the University of Texas System and Texas Tech University System...
, a traveling trophy, has been exchanged between the two university system chancellors, in honor of the two universities' rivalry. The 2008 game
2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game
The 2008 Texas vs. Texas Tech football game was a Big 12 Conference game played between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, United States.-Pregame:...
was one of three games that led to a three-way tie controversy
2008 Big 12 Conference South Division 3-way tie controversy
The final standings of the 2008 Big 12 Conference's South Division football regular season resulted in the first 3-way division tie in the Big 12. The decision of which team would be selected to represent the division in the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game was controversial...
in the Big 12 Conference South Division, the first three-way tie in a collegiate conference division. The Texas Longhorns lead the all-time series record with 45 wins of the 60 games played and has won 11 of 15 games since the Chancellor's Spurs were first exchanged.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have played more games against the Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
and Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
, than any other opponents. Texas Tech first played the Aggies in 1927 and the teams have played annually since 1957. The two universities' football rivalry
Texas A&M – Texas Tech football rivalry
The Texas A&M–Texas Tech football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Texas A&M Aggies football team of Texas A&M University and the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team of Texas Tech University. The series began as a non-conference rivalry when the first game was played in...
has experienced multiple altercations off the playing field between coaches, players and fans. The Texas A&M Aggies lead the all-time series with thirty-six wins of the sixty-nine games played. Since both teams joined the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Texas Tech has won 10, while Texas A&M has won 6, of the these last 16 meetings. Texas A&M currently has a three game winning streak against Texas Tech following their 2011 victory against Texas Tech in Lubbock.
A prior to Texas Tech joining the SWC, a traveling trophy was exchanged between the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
and Red Raiders. The trophy was of a miniature saddle and the game between the teams was dubbed "The West Texas Championship."
Uniforms
Texas Tech's football team was originally known as the "MatadorMatador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
s" from 1925 to 1936, a name suggested by the wife of E. Y. Freeland
E. Y. Freeland
-External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
, the first football coach, to reflect the Spanish Renaissance architecture
Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance architecture was that style of architecture which evolved firstly in Florence and then Rome and other parts of Italy as the result of Humanism and a revived interest in Classical architecture...
on campus. The students followed the suggestion, and later chose scarlet and black as the school colors inspired by a matador's traditional red cape and black outfit. In 1934, head coach Pete Cawthon
Pete Cawthon
Peter Willis Cawthon was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1930-1941.Cawthon graduated from Houston Central High School in 1917 and went on to attend Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He lettered in baseball, football, and basketball during his freshman year...
ordered scarlet satin uniforms for the football team. He said that if the team did not attract attention by their playing, they would at least be noticed because of the flashy uniforms. The football team, wearing its new outfit, defeated heavily-favored Loyola Marymount
Loyola Marymount Lions
The Loyola Marymount Lions are the athletic teams that represent Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit institution in Los Angeles, California. The school competes in NCAA Division I, with its primary affiliation in the West Coast Conference, an organization consisting solely of...
in Los Angeles on October 26, 1934. A Los Angeles sports writer called the Matadors a "red raiding team", coining the moniker Texas Tech's athletics teams use today.
Texas Tech's uniform consists of any combination of scarlet, black, and white. Since 2006, Under Armour
Under Armour
Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes...
has been the team's outfitter.
The 2010 team
2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by first-year head coach Tommy Tuberville and played its home games at Jones AT&T Stadium. They were members of the South Division of the Big 12...
was the first to wear white helmets since 1974. The white helmets were similar in design to the ones warn during the Jim Carlen era from 1970-1974 featuring a one inch scarlet stripe in the middle bordered by two half inch black stripes. The helmets used in 2010 feature a black face mask instead of scarlet and the current version of the Double T
Double T
The Double T is a logo that is the most readily identified symbol of Texas Tech University.-History:The Double T is generally attributed to Texas Tech University's, then Texas Technical College, first football coach, E. Y. Freeland, and assistant coach, Grady Higginbotham. The Double T's design...
. The helmets were worn for away games against the New Mexico Lobos, Iowa State Cyclones, and Oklahoma Sooners.
Individual honors
Many of Texas Tech's players have been recognized for their accomplishments while with the program. Four Red Raiders, Donny AndersonDonny Anderson
Garry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
, Hub Bechtol
Hub Bechtol
Hubert "Hub" Edwin Bechtol was a college football player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991.-External links:*...
, E. J. Holub
E. J. Holub
Emil Joe Holub is a former American football center and linebacker in the American Football League and the National Football League . Collegiately, he played for Texas Technological College .-College:E.J. Holub graduated from Lubbock High School in 1957 and went on to attend Texas Technological...
, and Dave Parks
Dave Parks
David Wayne Parks is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL. He was the first overall selection in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Texas Technological College . Parks was selected to three Pro Bowls...
, have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. Anderson, Holub, and Parks are the only three players at Texas Tech to have had their numbers retired.
Two Red Raiders, Donny Anderson
Donny Anderson
Garry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
in 1965 and Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell is an American football quarterback. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers and is currently on their scout team. He played college football at Texas Tech.-Early years:...
in 2008, have named Sporting News College Football Player of the Year
Sporting News College Football Player of the Year
Beginning in 1942 The Sporting News, now known as Sporting News, awarded the top collegiate football player its own award. The publication picked players that often were not seriously considered by the Downtown Athletic Club, who voted on the Heisman Trophy, such as underclassman or defensive...
, which is bestowed upon the most outstanding college football player of that season by Sporting News. While no Texas Tech player has ever received the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, seven Red Raiders have received votes by the award's selection committee. Donny Anderson
Donny Anderson
Garry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
and Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell is an American football quarterback. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers and is currently on their scout team. He played college football at Texas Tech.-Early years:...
both finished fourth in the voting in 1965 and 2008 respectively, the highest ranking any Red Raider has received from voters. Additionally, Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
, Byron Hanspard
Byron Hanspard
Byron Courtnay Hanspard, Sr. is a running back who played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back in 1996. He later played in the NFL.-College:...
, E. J. Holub
E. J. Holub
Emil Joe Holub is a former American football center and linebacker in the American Football League and the National Football League . Collegiately, he played for Texas Technological College .-College:E.J. Holub graduated from Lubbock High School in 1957 and went on to attend Texas Technological...
, Kliff Kingsbury
Kliff Kingsbury
Klifford "Kliff" Kingsbury is an American Football Coach, serving as the current co-offensive coordinator for the University of Houston Cougar football team. Prior to his current role, Kingsbury was a Quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in a...
, and B. J. Symons were Heisman candidates, receiving enough votes to finish in the top ten.
Texas Tech football players have won several individual awards based on their position. At the end of the 1993 season, Bam Morris
Bam Morris
Byron "Bam" Morris is a former American football running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs.-Early life:...
received the Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
, and in 1996, Byron Hanspard
Byron Hanspard
Byron Courtnay Hanspard, Sr. is a running back who played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back in 1996. He later played in the NFL.-College:...
became the second Red Raider to receive the award. Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
became the first two-time winner of the both the Fred Biletnikoff Award
Fred Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award has been presented since 1994 to America's top college football receiver by the TQC Foundation, Inc. , an independent not-for-profit organization which created the award in 1994 and has sponsored it since...
and Paul Warfield Trophy in back-to-back seasons. While three Texas Tech quarterbacks, Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, and Graham Harrell, have been awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy
Sammy Baugh Trophy
The Sammy Baugh Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top college passer. The award is named in honor of former Texas Christian University and Washington Redskins quarterback "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh. The trophy has been given out by the Touchdown Club of Columbus since 1959...
, but only Harrell received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's outstanding senior quarterback in college football. It was established in 1987 by a foundation named for Johnny Unitas , the Hall of Fame quarterback who played his college career at the University of...
. In 2003, Wes Welker
Wes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
won the Mosi Tatupu Award
Mosi Tatupu Award
The Mosi Tatupu Award was given annually to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year by the Maui Quarterback Club and the Hula Bowl, from 1997 to 2006....
, given annually to the best special teams player.
In 1935, Herschel Ramsey
Herschel Ramsey
Herschel Randolph "Red" Ramsey was a professional American football player who played end for four seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles. Ramsey was the first football player drafted from Texas Technological College in the 1938 NFL Draft....
was the first football player from Texas Tech to be named an All-American. Since then, a total of forty-seven players have been named to an All-American team, twenty-nine were selected as first team All-Americans. Ten Red Raiders have been named consensus All-Americans, players who were awarded a majority of votes at their positions by the selectors. Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
was named as a consensus All-Americans in 2007 and 2008, and is the only Red Raider to receive the honor twice. Ten Red Raiders have been named academic All-Americans.
Post-season bowl games
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
programs in bowl game appearances, and also boast the distinction of being the only program in the conference to be bowl eligible every season since its formation in 1996. Along with the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
and Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
, the 33 bowl game appearances by the Red Raiders rank the program 17th all-time in bowl games played.
Texas Tech's first bowl game was at the conclusion of the 1937 season, only 13 years after the program was established. The Red Raiders played in the 1938 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, against the West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
on New Year's Day. Nine of Texas Tech's 33 bowl game bids have been to the Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
., the most appearances by any team to the second-oldest college football bowl game. Texas Tech's most recent bowl game appearance, the 2011 TicketCity Bowl, occurred on January 1, 2011, when the Red Raiders won, 45-38, against the Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
. The game was the team's eleventh consecutive bowl appearance that began with the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
The 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Texas Tech University Red Raiders from the Big 12 and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas on December 27, 2000. It was the inaugural game in the...
, in former head coach Mike Leach's first season.
In 10 seasons, Mike Leach's 9 bowl game appearances and 5 wins are the most of any the program's head coaches. Only 4 head coaches, E. Y. Freeland
E. Y. Freeland
-External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
, Grady Higginbotham
Grady Higginbotham
Roswell Grady Higginbotham was the first head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball team. Leading it to a 14–18–0 record from 1925 to 1927....
, Rex Dockery
Rex Dockery
-References:...
, and Jerry Moore
Jerry Moore
Gerald Hundley "Jerry" Moore is the current head football coach of the Appalachian State University Mountaineers located in the town of Boone in Watauga County, North Carolina. He has filled the position since 1989. Moore has had a winning record in 19 out of the last 20 seasons. He led the...
, have not led Texas Tech to a postseason bowl game. In the 1952 Sun Bowl, DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Thompson Weaver, Sr. was the head football coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1951 to 1960.He was the first head football coach at Texas Tech to win a bowl game during his first season—an accomplishment unmatched at Texas Tech until Tommy Tuberville's first season, in 2010-2011.In...
was the first head coach to led the Red Raiders to a bowl game victory. Although both Pete Cawthon
Pete Cawthon
Peter Willis Cawthon was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1930-1941.Cawthon graduated from Houston Central High School in 1917 and went on to attend Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He lettered in baseball, football, and basketball during his freshman year...
and Dell Morgan
Dell Morgan
-External links:...
had led the program to previous bowl games, neither posted wins in their 5 combined appearances.
The Red Raiders' fans have set attendance records at 10 bowl games, including the team's first bowl game appearance in the 1938 Sun Bowl. Although 8 of the 10 attendance records were eventually broken, attendance records from 2 bowl game appearances, the 2004 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
2004 Holiday Bowl
The 2004 Holiday Bowl was the third bowl game played of the 2004-2005 bowl season on December 30, 2004. The game was held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, pitting the Pac-10's and the Big 12's Texas Tech Red Raiders...
and 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, remain unbroken. The 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic's attendance record of 88,175 was the second-most attended bowl game of the 2008–09 bowl game season.
Conference championships
- Border Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationBorder Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationThe Border Conference , was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961-1962 season...
championships: 1937, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955
- Southwest Conference championships: 1976, 1994
Division championship
- Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
South Division championship: 2008
Players
- 149 players draftedNFL DraftThe National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
into the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) - 9 players currently in the NFL
Head coaches
Texas Tech has had 14 head coaches, and 1 interim head coach. Four coaches have won conferenceAthletic conference
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other at the professional, collegiate, or high school level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels...
championships with the Red Raiders: Pete Cawthon
Pete Cawthon
Peter Willis Cawthon was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1930-1941.Cawthon graduated from Houston Central High School in 1917 and went on to attend Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He lettered in baseball, football, and basketball during his freshman year...
, Dell Morgan
Dell Morgan
-External links:...
, DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Thompson Weaver, Sr. was the head football coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1951 to 1960.He was the first head football coach at Texas Tech to win a bowl game during his first season—an accomplishment unmatched at Texas Tech until Tommy Tuberville's first season, in 2010-2011.In...
, Steve Sloan
Steve Sloan
Stephen Charles Sloan is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965 and then played for two seasons in the National Football League with the Atlanta Falcons...
, and Spike Dykes
Spike Dykes
-External links:***...
. Mike Leach is the only head Texas Tech football coach to win a division title. Dykes is the all-time leader in games coached and years coached, while Leach is the all-time leader in overall wins. Higginbotham is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Red Raiders have had; he won one game while losing seven games and tying two, giving him a .200 winning percentage. Cawthon's .693 winning percent ranks as the highest among the coaches.
Dell Morgan
Dell Morgan
-External links:...
, DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Weaver
DeWitt Thompson Weaver, Sr. was the head football coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1951 to 1960.He was the first head football coach at Texas Tech to win a bowl game during his first season—an accomplishment unmatched at Texas Tech until Tommy Tuberville's first season, in 2010-2011.In...
, Spike Dykes
Spike Dykes
-External links:***...
, and Mike Leach have each received Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization. Morgan was named Border Conference Coach of the Year in 1949. Twice–in 1951 and 1953–Weaver was named the Border Conference's Coach of the Year. Dykes was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1989 and two other years. Dykes was also named the first Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 1996. In 2008, Leach was the second Texas Tech head coach to be named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. The same season, Leach was also named the FieldTurf/Howie Long Coach of the Year and was awarded the Woody Hayes Trophy and George Munger Award
George Munger Award
The George Munger Award was presented to the NCAA Division I college football coach of the year by the Maxwell Football Club from 1989 to 2009. The award was named after former University of Pennsylvania head coach George Munger...
; all three awards recognize the top collegiate coach of the season.
Current staff
| Name | Position | Years at Texas Tech | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Tuberville Tommy Tuberville Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season... |
Head Coach | 2 | Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University is a public four-year institution located in Magnolia, the seat of Columbia County in Arkansas, United States, not far from the Louisiana state line.-Location:Southern Arkansas University is located in Magnolia, which, as of the census... |
| Neal Brown Neal Brown Neal Brown is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive coordinator & QB coach at Texas Tech.-Background:... |
Offensive Coordinator | 2 | University of Massachusetts University of Massachusetts This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst... |
| Chad Glasgow Chad Glasgow Chad Glasgow is an American football coach and former player. Currently, Glasgow is the Texas Tech Red Raiders football program's defensive coordinator. From 2001-2010, Glasgow was safeties coach for the TCU Horned Frogs.-Early years:... |
Defensive Coordinator | 1 | Oklahoma State University |
| Sonny Cumbie Sonny Cumbie Sonny Jack Cumbie is an American football Assistant Coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, serving as Inside Receivers Coach... |
Inside Receivers | 2 | Texas Tech University Texas Tech University Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the... |
| Tommy Mainord | Outside Receivers | 2 | Tarleton State University Tarleton State University Tarleton State University is a public, coeducational, state university located in Stephenville, Texas. It is the largest non-land-grant university primarily devoted to agriculture in the United States.... |
| Sam McElroy Sam McElroy -External links:*... |
Defensive Line | 2 | Southwest Texas State University Texas State University–San Marcos Texas State University–San Marcos is a doctoral-granting university located in San Marcos, Texas... |
| Matt Moore | Offensive Line | 5 | Valdosta State University Valdosta State University Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta... |
| Robert Prunty | Defensive Ends and Outside Linebackers | 2 | Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, also known as Alabama A&M University or AAMU, is a public, historically black university, Land-grant university located in Normal, Madison County, Alabama.... |
| Otis Mounds | Secondary | 1 | Auburn University Auburn University Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts... |
| Chad Scott | Running Backs | 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States... |
| Joe Walker | Head Strength & Conditioning Coach | 2 | Auburn University Auburn University Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts... |