Seneca Sinclair Wallace is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Wallace was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. He became a coach after his playing career.
William McKinley "Max" Venable is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, and California Angels. Venable also played for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and coached for the SK Wyverns of the KBO League.
Michael Charles Leach was an American college football coach who primarily coached at the NCAA Division I FBS level. Nicknamed "The Pirate," he was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting air raid offense. He was the head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history. After Texas Tech, he coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history. He then coached at Mississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.
Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech, finishing in the top three in several school passing records before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He later played for other teams before entering coaching in 2008.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name.
Sonny Jack Cumbie is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University, a position he has held since the 2022 season. Cumbie previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech University and was the interim head coach after the departure of Matt Wells in 2021. He also served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). Cumbie played college football at Texas Tech and was the team's starting quarterback during the 2004 season, when he led the nation in passing and total offense and a guided the Red Raiders to win in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, earning MVP honors for the game. Cumbie played professionally in the Arena Football League (AFL), the Indoor Football League (IFL), and briefly in the National Football League (NFL).
Stephen Charles Sloan was an American professional football player who became a college football coach and athletics administrator. He played in college as a quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965 and then spent two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Atlanta Falcons (1966–1967). Sloan served as the head coach at Vanderbilt University (1973–1974), Texas Tech University (1975–1977), the University of Mississippi (1978–1982), and Duke University (1983–1986), compiling a career record of 68–86–3. He also served as the athletic director at the University of Alabama, the University of North Texas, University of Central Florida, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before his retirement in 2006. In 2000, Sloan was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He died on April 14, 2024, at the age of 79.
William Taylor "Spike" Dykes was an American football coach. A high school and college football coach throughout his career, he last served as head coach at Texas Tech University from 1986 to 1999.
John "Rex" Dockery was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Texas Tech University from 1978 to 1980 and at Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis, from 1981 to 1983, compiling a career college football record of 23–40–3. Dockery was killed in a plane crash in 1983.
David Wayne Parks was an American football wide receiver and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He was the first overall selection in the 1964 NFL Draft out of Texas Technological College. Parks was selected to three Pro Bowls, and was an All-Pro selection two times. In 1965 he captured the "triple crown" of receiving, leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. In 2008 Parks was selected to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Byron Courtnay Hanspard, Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top college running back. A second-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Graham Stanton Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college football for Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2004 to 2008. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2013, with his longest tenure as a player with the Green Bay Packers. He served as the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green (2016–2018), USC Trojans (2019–2021) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2022).
Robert Hardy "Bake" Turner is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). He played college football at Texas Technological College, then professionally for nine seasons. He was with the AFL's New York Jets, where in 1963 he replaced Art Powell who had been traded to the Oakland Raiders. He was a member of the Jets' AFL and Super Bowl III teams after the 1968 season, and also played for the Baltimore Colts and Boston Patriots of the NFL.
Texas Tech University traditions are an important part of the culture of Texas Tech University.
The 1959 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Technological College—now known as Texas Tech University—as an independent during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their ninth season under head coach DeWitt Weaver, the Red Raiders compiled a 4–6 record and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 158 to 139. The team's statistical leaders included Ken Talkington with 603 passing yards, Carl Gatlin with 211 rushing yards, and Bake Turner with 444 receiving yards. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium.
The 1960 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Technological College—now known as Texas Tech University—as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1960 NCAA University Division football season. In their tenth and final season under head coach DeWitt Weaver, the Red Raiders compiled a 3–6–1 record, finished in sixth place in the SWC, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 182 to 148. The team's statistical leaders included Glenn Amerson with 464 passing yards, Coolidge Hunt with 527 rushing yards, and Bake Turner with 173 receiving yards. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium.
Seth Colton Doege is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd. After playing college football for Texas Tech University, he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2013. On February 27, 2014, he was signed to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Doege was Texas Tech's starting quarterback for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Chad Allen Morris is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2015 to 2017 and the University of Arkansas from 2018 to 2019.
Ron Reeves is a former American football quarterback who played two seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Denver Gold, Chicago Blitz and New Jersey Generals. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the tenth round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Tech University and attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. Reeves was also a member of the Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Concordes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Colin Schooler is an American football linebacker for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He went to Texas Tech University, where he played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team after his tenure as an anchor on defense at the University of Arizona.
