Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University, which is located at Lubbock Texas, was established on February 10, 1923. This public university was originally called the Texas Tech University System, which is known for being one of the largest contiguous campuses in the US. Also, this institution is the only one in Texas that houses undergraduate, medical, and law schools at the same campus or location. When it comes to sports, the athletic teams that represent this school are called the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Women teams are also called Red Raiders, except for the women’s basketball team which is called the Lady Raiders.

The Texas Tech University has two mascots, Masked Rider and Raider Red. The former is actually the oldest mascot of the university. Although the Masked Rider was first used by the athletic teams of the school in 1936, it became an official mascot only in 1954 when Joe Kirk Fulton together with his horse Blackie led the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team into the field at the Gater Bowl. An Atlanta Journal writer, Ed Danforth, even wrote that there is no team in any sports bowl to have ever made a sensational entrance such as the one that Fulton, along with the rest of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, pulled that day. To commemorate this unforgettable tradition, a statue of the Masked Rider created by renowned artist Grant Speed was unveiled in 2000.

The other mascot of Texas Tech University, Raider Red, is a fairly recent addition to the team. This mascot was actually unveiled during the 1971 football games because the Southwest Conference did not allow the inclusion of live and breathing animal mascots on the games unless the host school explicitly consented. So, in games or situations where the home team cannot bring the beloved Masked Rider’s horse, the raiders usually bring Raider Red, which was created by Jim Gaspard. Although the true identity of the Masked Rider is known to everyone, the identity of the one who is wearing the Raider Red costume is not public knowledge, at least until the end of the student’s tenure. However, one thing is for sure, the one who dons Raider Red should be a member of the High Riders or the Saddle Tramps.

For the longest time, the rivals of the Texas Tech University in athletic competitions have been the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Longhorns. The students and fans of Texas Tech usually camp outside the Jones AT&T Stadium the night before important games against the Aggies, the Longhorns, and even the Oklahoma Sooners are held. Aside from the mascots, another popular school tradition of Texas Tech is the Double T Logo. Whenever you see this symbol, it is a good bet that the one wearing it is a student, alumni, or a fan of the Texas Tech teams. The first one who used this symbol to decorate the football team’s sweater is EY Freeland, who is also the first coach of the Texas Tech football team. The logo was updated in 2000 to make the Double T look more three-dimensional.