Texas Tech Red Raiders
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| Texas Tech Red Raiders | |
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| University | Texas Tech University |
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| Conference | Big 12 |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Gerald Myers |
| Location | Lubbock, TX |
| Varsity teams | 17 |
| Football stadium | Jones AT&T Stadium |
| Basketball arena | United Spirit Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Dan Law Field |
| Mascot | The Masked Rider & Raider Red |
| Nickname | Red Raiders |
| Fight song | Fight Raiders, Fight |
| Colors | Scarlet and Black
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| Homepage | www.redraiders.com |
Texas Tech Red Raiders is the name given to the sports teams of Texas Tech University. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, all other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 17 varsity teams (eight men's and nine women's).
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[edit] Athletics
Texas Tech has teams in these varsity sports:
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Texas Tech also has teams in 27 club sports, including:
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[edit] Basketball
Bob Knight became the men's basketball coach in 2001. He retired on February 4, 2008. On New Year's Day 2007, a 70–68 defeat of New Mexico by Tech marked the 880th total win for Knight, making him the winningest coach in men's college basketball history. Knight also has several other distinctions, including being the only coach to win the NCAA, the NIT, the Olympic Gold, and the Pan-Am Gold, and has been given several awards. Knight is succeeded by his son Pat Knight.
Of the varsity sports, Texas Tech has had its greatest success in women's basketball. Led by its star player Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp, the Lady Raiders won the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1993. In early 2006, Lady Raiders coach Marsha Sharp retired and was replaced on March 30, 2006 by Kristy Curry, who had been the coach at Purdue.
[edit] Football
Texas Tech played its first intercollegiate football game on October 3, 1925. The contest, against McMurry University, ended in a controversial 0–0 tie.[1]
The team has the distinction of being the only one in the Big 12 to have a winning season each year since the conference was created in 1996.[2] In July 2007, ESPN ranked all 119 FBS (formerly 1-A) football programs on performance from 1997-2006 and placed Texas Tech at number 32.[3] Also, with 12, the Red Raiders rank fifth nationally in consecutive winning seasons, trailing only Florida State (30), Michigan (22), Florida (19), and Virginia Tech (14).[4]
Described as a program on the rise, the Red Raiders earned 56 wins from the 2000 through the 2006 season. During the same period, only three other Big 12 teams had more victories—Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska.[5]
[edit] Baseball
Texas Tech's baseball team plays at Dan Law Field and is coached by Larry Hays. Hays has been the Red Raider's head coach for 22 years accumulating over 800 wins with Texas Tech.[6] On April 2, 2008, Hays became just the fourth coach in NCAA baseball history to win 1,500 career games.[7][8] The Red Raider's first ever win came on April 5, 1926 against New Mexico Military Institute.[9] During the 1990s, Tech players drew notice from 17 big league organizations. Two Red Raiders were selected in the second round, one each in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds.[10] As of 2002, 16 former Tech players have appeared in Major League Baseball.[11]
[edit] Cross Country and Track & Field
Texas Tech's cross country and indoor/outdoor track & field teams are coached by Wes Kittley. Under his leadership, the program has reached new heights. At the 2005 Outdoor National Championships, Tech qualified 31 men's and women's athletes, more than any other school in the country.
From 1990 to 2006, the men's team garnered 91 All-America awards, 20 Big 12 championships, and one individual national title. In the same time period, the women's team won 32 All-America awards, 29 Big 12 championships, and five individual national titles. In 2007, the women had another strong showing behind Sally Kipyego, who won four individual national titles (cross country, indoor 3000m and 5000m, outdoor 10,000m) and placed second in her bid for an unprecedented fifth title in one academic year (outdoor 5000m). Kipyego opened up the 2007-08 year with two more individual national titles (cross country, indoor 5000m).
[edit] Golf
2007 saw the men's golf team compete in it's first back-to-back National Championship tournaments since 1960. The team, coached by Greg Sands, qualified for the tournament after finishing 7th in NCAA Central Regional.[12]
[edit] Tennis
Tim Siegel has been coaching at Tech for 15 years, helping the men's tennis team to numerous winning seasons. Siegel was recently honored as the 2008 Big 12 Coach of the Year.[13] He has coached players who are now college coaches themselves.[14]
The men's tennis team is having a very successful 2008 season being ranked as high as #17 in the nation. The Red Raiders have faced 11 ranked teams and have only lost to two, #31 TCU and #11 Tulsa.[15] Texas Tech ended the regular season ranked #17.[13]
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Bangin' Bertha
Bangin' Bertha is a bell on a trailer. It is carried to home basketball and all football games. It was designed in 1959 by Saddle Tramp Joe Winegar and donated by the Santa Fe Railroad.[16]
[edit] Goin' Band from Raiderland
Texas Tech's band is known as the Goin' Band from Raiderland. It traces its beginnings back to the founding of the school and performed at the opening football game, fielding twenty-one (some sources say twenty-five) members.
[edit] Guns up
Guns up is the handsign of the Red Raiders. It is made from a closed hand by extending the index finger forward and the thumb up resembling a gun.
[edit] Mascots
The Masked Rider is the oldest of Texas Tech's remaining mascots, tracing its origins to 1936. It became the official mascot in 1954.
Beginning with the 1971 football season, the Southwest Conference created a rule restricting the use of live animal mascots. Since this rule applied to the horse ridden by the Masked Rider, Raider Red was created as an alternative.
[edit] Songs
[edit] Alma Mater
"The Matador Song" dates from 1931. The lyrics were written by Tech student R.C. Marshall and the music was composed by Tech Band Director Harry LeMaire. The words and melody have remained unchanged.
[edit] Fight Song
"Fight, Raiders, Fight" is the fight song of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was written for the Matadors, the original name of teams representing the school (known at the time as Texas Technological College). In 1936, Tech band members Carroll McMath and James Nevins updated it to reflect the teams' new name, Red Raiders.
[edit] Spirit
Red Raider spirit is led by such organizations as the Saddle Tramps, the High Riders, and the Spirit Squads (consisting of the Cheer Team and the Pom Squad). In April 2007, the Texas Tech cheerleaders finished fifth at the National Cheerleading Association's Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship.[17]
[edit] Rivalries
Texas Tech's main rival in athletics is Texas A&M.[18] Texas is also considered another major rival.[19] It is common for people to camp out in front of Jones AT&T Stadium a few days prior to home football games against the Aggies, the Longorns, and the Sooners.[20]
[edit] Head coaches
| Sport | Coach |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Larry Hays |
| Basketball, Men's | Pat Knight |
| Basketball, Women's | Kristy Curry |
| Cross Country, Men's & Women's | Jon Murray |
| Football | Mike Leach |
| Golf, Men's | Greg Sands |
| Golf, Women's | Stacey Totman |
| Soccer | Tom Stone |
| Softball | Teresa Wilson |
| Tennis, Men's | Tim Siegel |
| Tennis, Women's | Cari Groce |
| Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field, Men's & Women's | Wes Kittley |
| Volleyball | Nancy Todd |
[edit] Facilities
| Sport | Venue |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Dan Law Field |
| Basketball | United Spirit Arena |
| Equestrian | Texas Tech Equestrian Center |
| Football | Jones AT&T Stadium |
| Golf | The Rawls Course |
| Ice Hockey | City Bank Coliseum |
| Rodeo | Texas Tech Equestrian Center / Dub Parks Memorial Arena |
| Soccer | R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field |
| Softball | Rocky Johnson Field |
| Tennis | Don & Ethel McLeod Tennis Center |
| Track and Field, Indoor | Athletic Training Center |
| Track and Field, Outdoor | R. P. Fuller Track and Soccer Field |
| Volleyball | United Spirit Arena |
[edit] Notable athletes, coaches & athletics faculty
In the sports world, Texas Tech Red Raiders have gone on to play in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, and more.
[edit] References
- ^ Traditions = Texas Tech Red Raiders :: The Official Athletics Site
- ^ Big 12 breakdown: Texas Tech
- ^ ESPN - Middling major conference teams, top mid-majors among Nos. 26-50 - College Football
- ^ LubbockOnline.com - Texas Tech-SMU game facts 09/03/07
- ^ ESPN - Teams just outside top 25 include big names, underachieving programs - College Football
- ^ Hays earns 1,500th win with sweep of A&M-CC
- ^ Texas Tech's Hays becomes fourth coach to 1,500 wins
- ^ Hays Earns His 1,500th Career Win As Tech Tops TAMU-CC
- ^ Texas Tech Baseball - Milestone Victories
- ^ Texas Tech Baseball - Raiders in the Draft
- ^ Texas Tech University Baseball Players Who Made it to a Major League Baseball Team
- ^ Men's golf to participate in NCAA Championship. The Daily Toreador (May 31, 2007).
- ^ a b Siegel Voted Big 12 Coach of the Year
- ^ Flock of Siegel: Tech's tenured tennis coach has built program from the bottom, up. The Daily Toreador (April 5, 2007).
- ^ Tech Jumps to No. 17 in ITA National Rankings
- ^ Traditions - Texas Tech Turns 75
- ^ Texas Tech cheerleaders finish fifth in national competition. The Daily Toreador (April 11, 2007).
- ^ T-sippers or tortilla-throwers - Opinion
- ^ Texas Longhorns/Texas Tech Raiders Preview Saturday, October 28, 2006 Yahoo! Sports. October 28, 2006.
- ^ Raiderville residents set up camp for Saturday's game
[edit] External links
- Texas Tech Athletics
- Texas Tech Recreational / Club Sports
- Sports holdings at the Texas Tech University Archives
- PBS Nightly Business Report featuring Texas Tech football
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