Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Logo
University	Texas Tech University
Conference	Big 12
Division	Division I
Athletic director	Gerald Myers
Standort	Lubbock, Texas
Varsity teams	15
Football stadium	Jones AT&T Stadium
Arena	United Spirit Arena
Mascot	The Masked Rider
Nickname	Red Raiders
Colors	Scarlet and Black
Website	www.texastech.com

Jones AT&T Stadium's main grandstand.

Texas Tech Red Raiders is the name of the sports teams of Texas Tech University. Texas Tech is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in Division I-A for athletics in all "major" sports. Teams are the Red Raiders, except for the women's basketball team who are called the Lady Raiders.

Of the major sports, Texas Tech has had its greatest success in women's basketball. In 1993, the women's team won a national championship led by its star player Sheryl Swoopes and head coach Marsha Sharp.

In addition to the "major" collegiate sports, the university offers other sports such as rugby, lacrosse, and soccer through campus intramural sports organizations. Facilities include Jones AT&T Stadium, mostly used for football, and the United Spirit Arena, a multi-purpose arena which is home Tech's basketball and volleyball teams.

The Masked Rider is the oldest of Texas Tech's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider," it was an unofficial mascot starting around 1936 when an unknown student (or students) would circle the field on horseback at home football games, riding into the stadium and away. The Masked Rider became the official mascot with 1954's Gator Bowl and has led the team onto the field at nearly every football game since. The rider dresses in black pants and black shirt and wears a black cape with a red lining. He also wears a black mask and black hat, and sits astride a black horse. The Masked Rider was the nation's first horse ridden mascot used in football games. The Florida State Seminoles and the USC Trojans are other notable schools that use such a mascot today.

Tech's other current mascot, Raider Red, is more recent. Around the time of the 1971 football season, the Southwest Conference created a rule that forbade the bringing of live animal mascots to away games unless the host school permitted it. Since the Masked Rider's horse would fall under this rule an alternate mascot was created. 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 Lubbock cartoonist and former mayor Dirk West. Texas Tech did not trademark West's cartoon cowboy as Raider Red until 2001. 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 tenure. The student serving as Raider Red is a member of Saddle Tramps.

Coach Bobby Knight has served as men's basketball coach since 2001. In early 2006, Marsha Sharp announced her resignation.

Fight Raiders, Fight is the Fight song of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Originally written for the "Matadors", the first name of teams representing the then Texas Technological College, the fight song was updated by Carroll McMath in 1936 to reflect the change from "Matadors" to "Red Raiders".

External links

• Texas Tech Athletics - Official Site