Talk:Saddle Tramps

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Formed by Texas Tech student Arch Lamb in 1936, Saddle Tramps is an all-male booster organization that supports men's athletics at Texas Tech. The name "Saddle Tramp" came from a memory from Lamb's childhood. He spoke of traveling men who would come to a farm for a brief time, fix up some things and move on. Lamb said he decided that since he would only be at Tech for four years, he could fix up some things himself before moving on. Thus, the Saddle Tramps were born. Since that time the saddle tramps believe if something was for the betterment of Texas Tech then they would work at it.

These Midnight Raiders "paint the campus red" with crepe paper before big home games. They also form the legendary "Bell Circle" just moments before kickoff. Tramps ring Bangin' Bertha, participate in parades and other campus events, including the large Carol of Lights, and ring the Victory Bells for 30 minutes after Red Raider victories.

They are also known for Raider Red, the mascot of Texas Tech. Taken from a cartoon created by Dirk West, Jim Gaspard created the costume out of paper mache following an NCAA rule created in 1971 banning live mascots from being taken to away games without the home teams consent.

Currently the Saddle Tramps have declared a philanthropy called Guadalupe House, an after school program for elementary kids. There the Saddle Tramps have the ability to mentor the young minds, while they wait for the parents to pick the children up.