Texas Tech Red Raiders football

Texas Tech Red Raiders football
2015 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
First season 1925
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury
3rd year, 19–19 (.500)
Stadium Jones AT&T Stadium
Seating capacity 60,454[1]
Field surface FieldTurf
Location Lubbock, Texas
Conference Big 12
Past conferences Border Conference
Southwest Conference
All-time record 544–419–32 (.563)
Bowl record 14–21–1 (.403)
Claimed nat'l titles 0
Conference titles 11
Division titles 1
Heisman winners 0
Consensus All-Americans 12[2][3]
Colors Scarlet and Black[4]
         
Fight song Fight, Raiders, Fight
Mascot The Masked Rider /
Raider Red
Marching band Goin' Band from Raiderland
Rivals Texas Longhorns
Texas A&M Aggies
TCU Horned Frogs
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Baylor Bears
Website texastech.cstv.com

The Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University (variously "Texas 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 December 12, 2012, former Red Raider quarterback Kliff Kingsbury became the team's 15th head coach, following the resignation of Tommy Tuberville. Home games are played at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.[5]

History

Texas Tech (then known as Texas Technological College) fielded its first intercollegiate football team during the 1925 season. The team was known as the "Matadors" 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.[6] 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.[7] The university was invited and became a charter member in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech was the only member in the history of the Big 12 to boast a winning record every year since the conference's formation, until suffering their first losing season in 2011.[7][A 1] In 2003, Texas Tech was the only team to ever have 5 or more players with at least 60 receptions in a single season. In 2008, the Red Raiders were one of three football teams involved in the first three way conference division tie.

Conference affiliations

Texas Tech has competed as a member of 3 different conferences since 1925.

Championships

Conference championships

The Red Raiders have won 11 conference championships; the first 9 were Border Conference championships, and the most recent was the Big 12 South Championship won in 2008.

Pete Cawthon.
Pete Cawthon, Texas Tech head coach 1930-1941
Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1937 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Pete Cawthon 8–4-0 3–0-0
1942 [A 2] Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Dell Morgan 4-5-1 4–0
1947 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Dell Morgan 6-4–0 4-0-0
1948 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Dell Morgan 7–3–0 5-0-0
1949 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Dell Morgan 7–5–0 5-0-0
1951 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association DeWitt Weaver 7–4–0 5-0-0
1953 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association DeWitt Weaver 11–1–0 5-0-0
1954 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association DeWitt Weaver 7-2-1 4-0-0
1955 Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association DeWitt Weaver 7-3-1 3-0-1
1976 [A 3] Southwest Conference Steve Sloan 10-2-0 7-1-0
1994 [A 4] Southwest Conference Spike Dykes 6-6-0 4-3-0
Conference Championships 11

Division championships

The Red Raiders were previously members of the Big 12 South between its inception in 1996 and the dissolution of conference divisions within the Big 12 in 2011.

Season Division Championship Game Result Coach Overall Record Conference Record
2008 Big 12 South N/A† Mike Leach 11-2-0 7-1
Division Championships 1

† Denotes co-champions (Oklahoma represented the South Division in the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game due to a higher BCS Ranking.)

Bowl games

Texas Tech defeated Auburn in the 1954 Gator Bowl Game.
1954 Gator Bowl Champion Red Raiders, victors over the Auburn Tigers

Texas Tech has played in 37 post-season bowl games with an all-time record of 14 wins, 22 losses, and 1 tie.[19] The Red Raiders rank fourth among current Big 12 Conference programs in bowl game appearances, and also boasted the distinction of being the only program in the conference to be bowl eligible every season since its formation in 1996, until the 2011 season.[20] The 37 bowl game appearances by the Red Raiders rank the program 17th in all-time in bowl games played[21] and 13th in all-time bowl wins.

Texas Tech's first bowl game was at the conclusion of the 1937 season, only 13 years after the program was established.[22] The Red Raiders played in the 1938 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, against the West Virginia Mountaineers on New Year's Day.[23] Nine of Texas Tech's 37 bowl game bids have been to the Sun Bowl,[23] the most appearances by any team to the second-oldest college football bowl game.[A 5]

Texas Tech's 2011 bowl game appearance, the 2011 TicketCity Bowl, occurred on January 1, 2011, when the Red Raiders won, 45–38, against the Northwestern Wildcats.[26] The game was the team's 11th consecutive bowl appearance that began with the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, in former head coach Mike Leach's first season.[27] In 10 seasons, Mike Leach's 9 bowl game appearances and 5 wins are the most of any the program's head coaches.[27] Only 4 head coaches, E. Y. Freeland, Grady Higginbotham, Rex Dockery, and Jerry Moore, did not lead Texas Tech to a postseason bowl game.[A 6] In the 1952 Sun Bowl, DeWitt Weaver was the first head coach to lead the Red Raiders to a bowl game victory.[27] Although both Pete Cawthon and Dell Morgan had led the program to previous bowl games, neither posted wins in their 5 combined appearances.[27]

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.[29] 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.[29][30]

The 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, occurred on December 28, 2012, when the Red Raiders won, 34–31, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The last time the two teams had met was during the 2006 Insight Bowl, in which Texas Tech completed the biggest comeback in bowl history. After falling behind 38-7 with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter, rallied to score 31 unanswered points to send the game to overtime. In the 2006 game, the Gophers scored a field goal in overtime, but the Red Raiders responded with a touchdown to win.

Texas Tech's most recent bowl game win, the 2013 National University Holiday Bowl, occurred on December 30, 2013. The Red Raiders won, 37–23, against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The last, and only other, time these two teams met was in the 1999, in both teams' preseason opener despite both teams having been members of the Border Conference. In this Holiday Bowl meeting, the Red Raiders led the entire game, with the smallest lead of 7 points only lasting 11 seconds on the game clock, as Reginald Davis returned a 90-yard kickoff for a touchdown, to answer the Sun Devils' Taylor Kelly's 44-yard touchdown run, early in the third quarter. This was Kliff Kingsbury's first season as head coach of the Red Raiders.

The 2015 Texas Bowl was Texas Tech's most recent bowl game. The Red Raiders lost to the LSU Tigers by a score of 56-27.

Honors and achievements

Retired numbers

Texas Tech Red Raiders retired numbers
No. Player Position Career
44 Donny Anderson RB 1963-65
55 E.J. Holub C, LB 1958-60
81 Dave Parks Split end 1961-63

Ring of Honor

In 2012, Texas Tech introduced the creation of a Ring of Honor to honor former Tech players. The names are etched onto the west stadium building that faces the surface of the stadium, screen by a selection committee that makes formal recommendation to the athletic director of suitable candidates. There are currently four members, three of whom who already had their numbers retired.

Individual honors

Many of Texas Tech's players have been recognized for their accomplishments while with the program. Six Red Raiders, Donny Anderson, Hub Bechtol, E. J. Holub, Dave Parks, Gabriel Rivera, and Zach Thomas have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[31] Anderson, Holub, and Parks are the only three players at Texas Tech to have had their numbers retired.[32]

Two Red Raiders, Donny Anderson in 1965 and Graham Harrell in 2008, have been 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.[33][34] While no Texas Tech player has ever received the Heisman Trophy, seven Red Raiders have received votes by the award's selection committee.[35] Donny Anderson and Graham Harrell both finished fourth in the voting in 1965 and 2008 respectively, the highest ranking a Red Raider has received from voters.[36][37] 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.[36][37]

Texas Tech football players have won several individual awards based on their position.[38] 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.[39] Michael Crabtree became the first two-time winner of the both the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy in back-to-back seasons.[40][41] Three Texas Tech quarterbacks, Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, and Graham Harrell, have been awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy. Harrell received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.[40][42] In 2003, Wes Welker won the Mosi Tatupu Award, given annually to the best special teams player.[43]

In 1935, Herschel Ramsey was the first football player from Texas Tech to be named an All-American. Since then, a total of 49 players have been named to an All-American team, 30 were selected as first team All-Americans.[44] Twelve Red Raiders have been named consensus All-Americans, players who were awarded a majority of votes at their positions by the selectors with the most recent selection being tight end Jace Amaro in 2013.[45] Michael Crabtree was named as a consensus All-Americans in 2007 and 2008, and is the only Red Raider to receive the honor twice.[45] Ten Red Raiders have been named academic All-Americans.[46]

NCAA records held by individual Red Raiders

Player Position NCAA Record Statistic
Amaro, JaceJace Amaro TE Yards gained by a tight end, season 1,352 (2013)[47]
Amaro, JaceJace Amaro TE Yards gained by a tight end per game, season 104 (2013)
Amendola, DannyDanny Amendola WR Most passes caught by two players same team, season 243 (2007) with Michael Crabtree
Calhoun, CharlieCharlie Calhoun P Most punts, game 36 (vs Centenary 1939)
Calhoun, CharlieCharlie Calhoun P Most punting yards, game 1,318 (vs Centenary 1939)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most passes caught by two players same team, season 243 (2007) with Danny Amendola
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most passes caught by a freshman, season 134 (2007)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most passes caught by a freshman, season per game 10.3 (2007) (134 in 13 games)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most receiving yards gained by a freshman, season 1,962 (2007)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most receiving yards gained by a freshman, season per game 150.9 (2007)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most games gaining 100 yards or more receiving by a freshman, season 11 (2007)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most touchdown passes caught by a freshman 22 (2007)
Crabtree, MichaelMichael Crabtree WR Most touchdown passes caught in freshman and sophomore seasons[48] 41 (2007 (22) & 2008 (19))
Doege, SethSeth Doege QB Highest percentage of passes completed, game (min. 40 completions) 90.6% (vs New Mexico 2011)
Flugence, LawrenceLawrence Flugence LB Most total tackles, season 193 (2002)
Francis, CarlosCarlos Francis WR 3 players, same team, each gaining 1,000 yards receiving, season 2003 (Welker, Francis, Glover) (tie)
Francis, CarlosCarlos Francis WR 5 players, same team, each catching 60 passes or more, season 2003 (Welker, Peters, Francis, Glover, Henderson)
Glover, NehemiahNehemiah Glover WR 3 players, same team, each gaining 1,000 yards receiving, season 2003 (Welker, Francis, Glover) (tie)
Glover, NehemiahNehemiah Glover WR 5 players, same team, each catching 60 passes or more, season 2003 (Welker, Peters, Francis, Glover, Henderson)
Hanson, JoselioJoselio Hanson CB Most passes defended, game 8 (vs Oklahoma State 2002)
Hanspard, ByronByron Hanspard RB Earliest game reaching 1,000 yards, season 5th (1996) (Tied)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most passes completed, season 512 (2007)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most passes completed per game, career 31.2 (2005–08)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most passes completed per game, season 39.4 (2007)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most games gaining 400 yards or more passing, season 11 (2007)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most games gaining 400 yards or more passing, career 20 (2005-2008)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most yards gained passing against one opponent, career per game 486.3 (Texas Tech vs Texas 2006-2008)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most seasons gaining 4,000 yards or more of total offense 3 (Tie)
Harrell, GrahamGraham Harrell QB Most games gaining 400 yards or more, Total Offense, career 21 (2006-2008)
Henderson, TaureanTaurean Henderson RB 5 players, same team, each cathing 60 passes or more, season 2003 (Welker, Peters, Francis, Glover, Henderson)
Henderson, TaureanTaurean Henderson RB Most passes caught by a running back, career 303 (2002-2005)
Hill, MiltonMilton Hill PR Most punt returns, game 20 (vs Centenary 1939)
Hill, MiltonMilton Hill PR/KR Total Kick and Punt Returns, game 20 (vs Centenary 1939)
Kingsbury, KliffKliff Kingsbury QB Most plays, season 814 (2002)
Kingsbury, KliffKliff Kingsbury QB Most plays, career per game 50.1 (1999-2002)
McLendon, PaulPaul McLendon LB Touchdowns scored by fumble return and interception, same game 2 (vs North Texas 2001)
Peters, MickeyMickey Peters WR 5 players, same team, each catching 60 passes or more, season 2003 (Welker, Peters, Francis, Glover, Henderson)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most games gaining 400 passing yards or more, season 11 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained passing, season / Season (13) Games 5,833 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained passing, season / Season (12) Games 5,336 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most passes attempted, season 719 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained passing in 4 consecutive games 2,239 (Sept 20 - Oct 11, 2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained, Total Offense, season 5,976 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained, Total Offense, 3 games 1,799 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most yards gained, Total Offense, 4 games 2,328 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most games gaining 400 yards or more, Total Offense, season 11 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most consecutive games gaining 400 yards or more, Total Offense, season 9 (2003)
Symons, B. J.B. J. Symons QB Most consecutive games gaining 400 yards or more, Total Offense, career 9 (2003)
Trlica, AlexAlex Trlica K Most consecutive extra points, career 233 (2004-2007)
Welker, WesWes Welker PR Most punt returns, season 57 (2002)
Welker, WesWes Welker PR Most yards on punt returns, career 1,761 (2000–03)
Welker, WesWes Welker PR Most touchdowns scored on punt returns, career 8 (2000–03) (Tied)
Welker, WesWes Welker WR 3 players, same team, each gaining 1,000 yards receiving, season 2003 (Welker, Francis, Glover) (tie)
Welker, WesWes Welker WR 5 players, same team, each catching 60 passes or more, season 2003 (Welker, Peters, Francis, Glover, Henderson)

Annual individual champions

NCAA Records Reference (Last referenced for 2015 season) [49]

NCAA team records held by Texas Tech

B.J. Symons owns 11 NCAA Records
Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, owner of 11 individual NCAA football records
NCAA Record Statistic
Highest percentage of passes completed 90.0% (Min 35 comps vs New Mexico 2011)
Most Consecutive Games Scoring On a Pass[49] 69 (Sept. 23, 2006 through Oct. 22, 2011)
Most Consecutive Games Passing for 200 Yards or More[49] 121 (Oct. 21, 2000, through Sept. 11, 2010)
Fewest Plays[49] 12 (vs Centenary 1939)
Fewest Plays, both Teams[49] 33 (with Centenary 1939)
Fewest yards gained, Total Offense both Teams[49] 30 (with Centenary 1939)
Fewest rushes, both Teams[49] 28 (with Centenary 1939)
Fewest rushes allowed, game[49] 5 (vs Houston 1989)
Most First Downs, game[49] 45 (vs Iowa State, 2003)
Fewest Plays allowed[49] 12 (vs Centenary 1939)
Most punts, game[49] 39 (vs Centenary 1939)
Most punts, both teams[49] 77 (with Centenary 1939)
Most punts returns, game[49] 22 (vs Centenary 1939)
Most punt returns, both teams[49] 42 (with Centenary 1939)
Most first downs per game[49] 32.2 (418 in 13 games 2003)
Most passing first downs per game[49] 23.5 (305 in 13 games 2003)
Most points overcome to win a Bowl Game [49] 31 Texas Tech (44) vs. Minnesota (41) (ot), Dec. 29, 2006 (trailed 38-7 with 7:37 remaining in 3rd quarter)
Space Layout overcome to win a game (vs FBS) 90.0% (Min 35 comps vs New Mexico 2011)

Annual team champions

NCAA Records Reference (Last referenced for 2015 season) [49]

Venue, atmosphere, and culture

Stadium

Main article: Jones AT&T Stadium
Jones AT&T Stadium
Exterior of Jones AT&T Stadium

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.[50] Then known as the Matadors, Texas Tech's first home field was a makeshift 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.[51][52] 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.[53]

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 a seating capacity to 60,454.[1] 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.[54][55] 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 relocated to the East Side Building.[56] In 2013, the stadium was once again renovated with 368 seats being added, an upgraded video board and sound system installed, a colonnade and connecting concourse in the north endzone, and a 40-person observation deck.

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.[1] Jones AT&T Stadium set an attendance record of 61,836 spectators November 2, 2013, when the Red Raiders hosted the 2013 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, and the student attendance record was set during the same season. The student section has been named as the best in the Big 12 by ESPN.[57] The stadium has played host to 14 seasons in which the Red Raiders went undefeated at home. In July 2014, the athletic department announced that all season tickets had sold out for the first time in school history with a record 38,502 tickets sold.[58]

Uniforms

Texas Tech's football team was originally known as the "Matadors" 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.[59] 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.[60] 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.[61] The football team, wearing its new outfit, defeated heavily favored Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on October 26, 1934.[62] A Los Angeles sports writer called the Matadors a "red raiding team", coining the moniker Texas Tech's athletics teams use today.[61]

Texas Tech's uniform consists of any combination of scarlet, black, and white. Since 2006, Under Armour has been the team's outfitter.[63] In 2013, head coach Kliff Kingsbury was given creative control over the team's uniforms and equipment design via a contract clause.[64]

The 2010 team was the first to wear white helmets since 1974. The white helmets were similar in design to the ones worn 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.[65] The helmets were worn for away games against the New Mexico Lobos, Iowa State Cyclones, and Oklahoma Sooners.[66][67] The 2013 team saw a great expansion of uniform combinations and designs coinciding with Kingsbury's creative control over the uniforms.[68]

Goin' Band from Raiderland

Texas Tech Marching Band
The Goin' Band from Raiderland performing in 2008

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.[69][70] The following year the band earned its name when it became the first collegiate band to travel to an away game.[70] 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.[71] Today, in keeping with the campus' Spanish Renaissance architecture, the uniforms of the Goin' Band are styled after the trajes of matadors, complete with cape and a flat-brimmed "gaucho" hat. The 450-member band, which was awarded the Sudler Trophy - an award only allowed to be awarded once - in 1999, performs at all home football games and at various other events.[72]

Mascots

Main articles: The Masked Rider and Raider Red
Raider Red
Raider Red displaying the Guns up hand gesture

The Masked Rider is Texas Tech University's oldest mascot, and was the first official mounted mascot in the country. 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."[73][74] 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.[75] 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.

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.[76] 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.[77] The student serving as Raider Red is a member of the Saddle Tramps or High Riders.

Rivalries

Chancellors Spurs
The Chancellor's Spurs is the traveling trophy between the Red Raiders and Texas Longhorns

Texas Tech first played Texas during the 1928 season and have played annually since 1960 when Texas Tech began participating in the Southwest Conference.[78] 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.[79] 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.[A 7] The Texas Longhorns lead the all-time series record with 46 wins of the 61 games played and have won 12 of 16 games since the Chancellor's Spurs were first exchanged.[90]

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have played more games against the Texas A&M Aggies and Baylor Bears than any other opponents.[91] Texas Tech first played the Aggies in 1927 and the teams played annually from 1957 to 2011. The Texas A&M–Texas Tech football rivalry has experienced multiple altercations off the playing field between coaches, players and fans.[92] 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.[93]

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."[94]

It is common for Texas Tech students to camp out a few days prior to home football games against the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners.[95]

Coaches, players, and recruits

Coaches

Head coaching history

Texas Tech has had 15 head coaches, and two-interim head coaches. Four coaches have won conference 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 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; winning only one game while losing seven, and tying two, giving him a .200 winning percentage.[96] Cawthon's .693 winning percent ranks as the highest among the coaches.[A 8]

Morgan, Weaver, Dykes, and 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.[97] Twice—in 1951 and 1953—Weaver was named the Border Conference's Coach of the Year.[98] Dykes was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1989 and two other years.[99] 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.[100] Kliff Kingsbury became the first Big 12 Conference coach to begin his career with 7 wins in 2013.

Current staff

Kliff Kingsbury.
Kliff Kingsbury, head coach
Name Position Year at Texas Tech Alma mater
Kliff Kingsbury Head Coach/Quarterbacks 4th Texas Tech University
David Gibbs Defensive Coordinator/Safeties 2nd University of Colorado
Eric Morris Offensive Coordinator/Receivers 4th Texas Tech University
Joe Robinson Special Teams 1st LSU
Lee Hays Offensive Line 4th Texas A&M University–Kingsville
Emmett Jones Offensive Assistant 2nd University of North Texas
Kevin Patrick Defensive Line 1st University of Miami
Zac Spavital Linebackers 2nd Murray State University
Karl Scott Cornerbacks 1st McMurry University
DeShaun Foster Running Backs 1st UCLA

Players

Recruiting

Texas Tech Red Raiders Football Scout.com, Rivals.com, and ESPN team recruiting rankings:

Rankings
Class # of Commits Scout Rivals ESPN† Top Player (Scout.com)
2014 27 35[103] 43[104] 35 Payton Hendrix
2013 23 59 51 57 Dylan Cantrell
2012 27 25 26 20 Michael Starts
2011 32 14 20 NR Delvon Simmons
2010 26 36 41 NR Scotty Young
2009 25 30 33 NR Brandon Mahoney
2008 15 59 45 NR Broderick Marshall
2007 27 44 52 NR Lonnie Edwards
2006 17 34 25 NR Ofa Mohetau
2005 21 36 37 McKinner Dixon
2004 26 17 40 Graham Harrell
2003 24 37 44 Daniel Christian
2002 24 14 48 Johnnie Mack

† ESPN ranked the top 25 teams from 2006-2012, and had no rankings prior to 2006.

Schedule

Current schedule

Future schedules

Announced schedules as of June 8, 2015

Future Texas Tech Red Raiders Football Schedule[105][106][107]
Season Date Opponent Site
2016 September 3 Stephen F. Austin Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas
September 10 Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona
September 17 Louisiana Tech Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX
2017 September 2 Eastern Washington Jones AT&T Stadium * Lubbock, Texas
September 16 Arizona State Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas
September 23 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas
2018 September 1 Missouri State Jones AT&T Stadium * Lubbock, Texas
September 15 Houston Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas
2019 August 31 Montana State Jones AT&T Stadium * Lubbock, Texas
September 7 UTEP Jones AT&T Stadium * Lubbock, Texas
September 14 Arizona Arizona Stadium * Tucson, Arizona
2020 September 5 UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium * El Paso, Texas
September 12 Wyoming Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas
September 19 Arizona Jones AT&T Stadium * Lubbock, Texas
2021 September 18 Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas
2022 September 10 Houston Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas
2023 September 2 Wyoming War Memorial Stadium * Laramie, Wyoming

Notes

  1. ↑ While in the Big 12 Conference:
    Baylor's first losing season was in 1996.[8]
    Colorado's first losing season was in 1997.[9]
    Iowa State's first losing season was in 1996.[10]
    Kansas' first losing season was in 1996.[11]
    Kansas State's first losing season was in 2004.[12]
    Missouri's first losing season was in 1996.[13]
    Nebraska's first losing season was in 2007.[14]
    Oklahoma's first losing season was in 1996.[15]
    Oklahoma State's first losing season was in 1996.[16]
    Texas' first losing season was in 1997.[17]
    Texas A&M's first losing season was in 2003.[18]
  2. ↑ Shared with Hardin–Simmons University
  3. ↑ Shared with the Houston Cougars
  4. ↑ Shared with the Baylor Bears, Rice Owls, Texas Longhorns, and TCU Horned Frogs
  5. ↑ The Sun Bowl along with the Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl began at the end of the 1934 college football season.[24] Only the Rose Bowl Game is older.[25]
  6. ↑ Spike Dykes served as interim head coach for the 1986 Independence Bowl after David McWilliams resigned immediately after the regular season.[28]
  7. ↑ The Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic and Coastal divisions, Mid-American Athletic Conference's West division, Southeastern Conference's East and West divisions, and Western Athletic Conference's Mountain and Pacific division have never had multiple division champions.[80][81][82][83][84][85][86] Only the Big 12 Conference's North and South divisions, and the Mid-American Conference's West division have had multiple division champions[87][88][89]
  8. ↑ Because he was an interim who only acted as head coach in one game, Ruffin McNeill's 1.000 was excluded.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2010 Football Media Supplement" (PDF). Texas Tech University. p. 81. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  2. ↑ NCAA (2009). "NCAA Football Award Winners" (PDF). p. 16.
  3. ↑ Russo D., Ralph (17 December 2013). "Amaro named to AP All-America team". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Official Colors". Texas Tech University. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  5. ↑ "Texas Tech Football History Database". Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  6. ↑ "Texas Tech Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  7. 1 2 "Texas Tech Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Baylor Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  9. ↑ "Colorado Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  10. ↑ "Iowa State Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  11. ↑ "Kansas Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  12. ↑ "Kansas State Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  13. ↑ "Missouri Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  14. ↑ "Nebraska Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  15. ↑ "Oklahoma Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  16. ↑ "Oklahoma State Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  17. ↑ "Texas Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  18. ↑ "Texas A&M Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
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  39. ↑ "Doak Walker Award Recipients". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  40. 1 2 "Past Honorees". Touchdown Club of Columbus. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
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  42. ↑ "Past Winners: 2008, Graham Harrell". Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  43. ↑ Reiss, Mike (2010-02-24). "Mosi Tatupu's cause of death not given". ESPN. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  44. ↑ "All-Americans" (PDF). 2010 Football Media Supplement. Texas Tech University. pp. 42, 43. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  45. 1 2 "Consensus All-Americans by College" (PDF). Award Winners and All-Americans. National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
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  47. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24393248/texas-tech-te-jace-amaro-head-to-the-nfl-after-recordsetting-season
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