Texas Tech University traditions

Did You Know?

• The Goin' Band from Raiderland is the 450-member marching band of Texas Tech University.
• The Matador Song, the school's alma mater, was written by Harry Lemaire and R.C. Marshall; Lemaire composed the music and Marshall wrote the words in 1930.
• The Double T logo is generally attributed to Texas Tech's first football coach, E. Y. Freeland, and was first used as decoration on football players' sweaters.

Mascots

The Masked Rider, Texas Tech's primary mascot, originated from a 1936 prank when George Tate borrowed a horse from the Texas Technological College Dairy Barn and led the football team onto the field. After several repetitions that season, the practice disappeared for 17 years. At the Gator Bowl on January 1, 1953, Texas Tech student Joe Kirk Fulton, riding Blackie, rushed onto the field ahead of the football team; the crowd sat in stunned silence before bursting into applause. That game made the Masked Rider the official mascot of Texas Tech and the first mascot in major college sports to feature a live horse. The rider wears a black gaucho hat, a black mask, and a scarlet rider's cape. From its inception until 1974, the rider was always male; Ann Lynch's selection as the first female rider caused controversy. Today, the Masked Rider Advisor Committee selects the student after a written test, preliminary screening, and equestrian skills tryout. Ashley Adams served as the 60th Masked Rider for the 2021-22 academic year. A sculpture by Grant Speed, 25 percent larger than real life, was unveiled in 2000 outside the Frazier Alumni Pavilion. Raider Red, a costumed mascot, was created in 1971 when the Southwest Conference forbade live animal mascots at away games unless the host school consented. Jim Gaspard of the Saddle Tramps designed the costume based on a character by cartoonist Dirk West. While the Masked Rider's identity is public, Raider Red's student alter ego is kept secret until the end of their tenure.

Campus

A well-known campus landmark is the statue of Will Rogers on his horse Soapsuds, created by Electra Waggoner Biggs and dedicated on February 16, 1950, by Rogers' friend Amon G. Carter. Carter stated that Texas Tech was the ideal setting for the statue and that it would be an appropriate addition to the traditions and scenery of West Texas. The statue, estimated to cost $25,000 in 1950, stands 9 feet and weighs 3,200 pounds. The plaque reads: 'Lovable Old Will Rogers on his favorite horse, "Soapsuds", riding into the Western sunset.' A campus legend holds that the statue was originally intended to face due west, but that position would cause Soapsuds' posterior to face east toward the main entrance and downtown Lubbock, potentially insulting the business community. Though proven apocryphal, legend states the statue was turned 23 degrees east, causing Soapsuds' rear to face College Station, Texas, home of rival Texas A&M University. On Saint Patrick's Day in 1939, President Clifford B. Jones and Engineering Society President Dosh McCreary unveiled the Blarney Stone monument in front of the old Electrical Engineering Building. The stone was said to have been discovered on March 7, 1939, by petroleum engineers on a field trip and reported to be 'identical with a piece of the original Blarney Stone which disappeared from Blarney Castle...in 1659'; how this was determined is unknown. The Double T Bench, donated by the class of 1931, sits in the courtyard behind the Administration Building; no freshmen are allowed to sit on it.

Events

Each spring, Texas Tech students come together to plant flowers and new trees around campus, a practice that started in 1937 when President Knapp set aside the day. The Saddle Tramps hosted the first Arbor Day, during which students and faculty put 20,000 trees into the ground. The Carol of Lights takes place every year to mark the holiday season. The university’s combined choirs perform classic holiday songs at the Science Quadrangle, while the Saddle Tramps lead the way with torches. Then more than 25,000 red, white, and orange lights are switched on across the 13 buildings that ring Memorial Circle. This tradition goes back to 1959, when Harold Hinn came up with the idea and paid for lights on the Science Quadrangle and Administration building. But students were on Christmas break and missed the display. So the next year, the Residence Hall Association started the Christmas Sing, which later became the Carol of Lights. It is now one of the school’s most beloved customs. Texas Tech homecoming happens every fall, beginning in 1930 with a football loss of 20–6 to Hardin–Simmons. The celebration includes a bonfire built by the Saddle Tramps, a pep rally, parade, open houses, awards programs, and float competitions. A key part is the election of a queen, first held in 1954 with Suzanne Matteson. RaiderGate is an official student tailgating event that starts four hours before each home football game and usually draws about 10,000 students. Live bands perform while students barbecue, hang out, and take part in games run by student groups. The Student Government Association organizes it.

Spirit organizations

The Saddle Tramps, founded in 1936, is the oldest student organization at Texas Tech. That year, students Arch Lamb, Paul 'Grandma' Bowers, and Bud Thompson observed that school spirit was being channeled in the wrong direction, with the student body overly exuberant and unorganized. Lamb conceived an organization to lead this enthusiasm into constructive channels. The Saddle Tramps were designed as a non-political organization dedicated to improving and advancing Texas Tech through service and leadership. The name came from early Texas ranchers who would hire a 'saddle tramp' based on ability and willingness to tackle any task; the first members were the top students in each college, who then chose others. Projects have included rallying freshmen at athletic events, supervising the planting of 20,000 trees on campus in 1938, and raising money to buy the first forty band uniforms. They helped obtain the fountain and seal at the Broadway Street entrance. In spring 1990, they established the Saddle Tramp Student Endowment Scholarship Fund and donated money to renovate the Tech Dairy Barn the following year. The Saddle Tramps wrap the Will Rogers & Soapsuds statue in red crepe paper before each home football game and in black crepe paper to mourn national tragedies. They ring the victory bells for thirty minutes after every home football, men's basketball, and baseball win; after a Big 12 championship; after a Tech athlete is selected as an All-American; and after every graduation. They also construct the Homecoming bonfire, conduct a torchlight parade at the bonfire and the Carol of Lights. Saddle Tramp Jim Gaspard created Raider Red, and the identity of the person playing Raider Red is known only to the Saddle Tramps during their tenure.