Texas Tech is a member of the Big 12
Conference and competes in Division I-A for athletics in all "major"
sports. Men's teams are the Red Raiders, women's teams are the Lady
Raiders.
The university was a dominant member of the Border Intercollegiate
Athletic Association from 1932 to 1956. Texas Tech became a member of
the Southwest Athletic Conference in May of 1956 and remained so until
the conference was disbanded.
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.
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 Masked Rider was the nation's first horse
ridden mascot used in football games. The Florida State Seminoles and
the USC Trojans are the most 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. 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.
Legendary coach Bobby Knight has served as men's basketball coach since
2001. In early 2006, Marsha Sharp announced her resignation.
