Deadspin: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Another Mike Leach Book Inscription: "Anybody But Craig James For Senator"

Dom Cosentino — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:15:04 EDT

Last night, we showed you the personalized message Washington State football coach Mike Leach left when autographing a copy of his book for a fan, which referenced the possibility that Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU. More »

Texas Tech Football Player On Scooter Collides With Bus; Bus Gets The Worst Of It

Dom Cosentino — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:05:00 EDT

This is what happened to the campus shuttle bus that collided this morning with Austin Stewart, a safety for the Texas Tech football team. Stewart was riding his motorized scooter when the collision occurred. He was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated, but a Texas Tech spokesman has described his injuries as minor. The photo was tweeted by Stewart's roommate, Chris Payne, a linebacker for the Red Raiders. The Texas Tech website lists Stewart as 6-foot-2, 202 pounds. The bus likely has no idea what hit it. More »

Texas Tech Football Coach Tommy Tuberville Accused Of Fraud In $1.7 Million Federal Lawsuit

Dom Cosentino — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:10:00 EST

In July 2009, between his departure at Auburn and when he was hired at Texas Tech, Tommy Tuberville was featured in a Birmingham News story as an "amateur stock guru." At the time, the article said, Tuberville was brought in to help "drum up a little business for a big-time hedge fund." Now, he's been listed in a federal lawsuit that accuses him and his partner of defrauding investors out of $1.7 million. More »

Texas Tech's Happiness Osunde Is Sad After Suffering This Gruesome Leg Injury

Timothy Burke — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:26:37 EST

Kudos to Fox Sports for not shying away from showing multiple replays of this nasty injury to Texas Tech's Happiness Osunde that took place in the Red Raiders' matchup tonight against Baylor. It's possible the insult of an ACL tear was added to the injury of a broken ankle, from the looks of the replay; Osunde was carted off the field in an inflatable leg cast, his mood a visible contradiction of his eponym. [Fox Sports] More »

Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Tech Are Both Very Very Texas

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:40:00 EDT

It is always fun when athletes play dress-up, because the idea of tens of men all wearing the same uniform is a kind of dress-up anyway. The Brewers shed their road grays for flannel on their recent trip to Houston. It was all at the suggestion of manager Ron Roenicke, who got the idea of theme road trips from Joe Maddon. On Friday, the entire team descended on a local Western store, and bought up scores of big hats, big boots, big belt buckles, and lots and lots of flannel. More »

Obama Released His Birth Certificate In The Face Of Unrelenting Pressure From Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Craggs — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:30:40 EDT

Tuberville, appearing Tuesday on Sean Hannity's TV show: "We've got enough controversy going on in this country. I don't know why he wouldn't just step up and say, ‘Here it is.' Obviously, there's got to be something on there he doesn't want anybody to see." [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal] More »

Texas Tech Fans Turn Into Giant Vaginas

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:05:00 EDT

Yesterday some guy called for football fans to keep it quiet. But he was a Canadian (scoff) philosophy professor (double scoff). Well now it's some Red Raider fans, asking for the stadium to be silent when UT has the ball. More »

Tommy Tuberville Gets The Keys To The Texas Tech Shed

Tommy Craggs — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:00:13 EST

Tuberville, late of Auburn, is Mike Leach's replacement at Texas Tech, according to Ivan Maisel's sewing circle. A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow. [ESPN] More »

Mike Leach Saga Slowly Morphing Into An Outtake From Rio Bravo

Tommy Craggs — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:30:05 EST

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Chris Level of RedRaiderSports.com reports that Mike Leach is filing a motion in his lawsuit against Texas Tech, and "the crowd at the courthouse is growing by the minute." [@ChrisLevel] More »

Mike Leach Has Never Been Particularly Nice To Adam James

Barry Petchesky — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST

This just gets better and better for Leach, doesn't it? Two of his witnesses just turned stoolies for the university, and now video emerges of him cussing out James and kicking him out of practice. More »

The Golf Channel Gets Racy After Dark

Barry Petchesky — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day. More »

The Mike Leach Firing: What The Hell Happened?

Tommy Craggs — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:15:38 EST

Mike Leach's treatment of Adam James, in the midst of a sport-wide awakening to the perils of concussions, was unforgivable. But as Spencer Hall suggests, Leach was probably a goner before Craig James even picked up the phone. More »

Mike Leach Situation Helpfully Summarized By Diss Track

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:25:24 EST

The Texas Tech-Mike Leach-Adam James saga is a confusing he said/he said drama of bizarre accusations and hurt feelings. I just wish someone would re-write the lyrics to an Eminem song, explaining what happened and whose side I should take. More »

At A Junction: Mike Leach And The Fading Autonomy Of The Coach

Tommy Craggs — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:15:14 EST

So it appears that even the sharpest, most forward-thinking free radical in college football isn't any more evolved than Bear Bryant in the Texas hills. Mike Leach, for all his smarts, is on the wrong side of a movement now. More »

Mike Leach Walks The Plank (MORE UPDATES)

Tommy Craggs — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:30:31 EST

Texas Tech has suspended its coach after receiving a "complaint from a player and his parents regarding [Leach's] treatment of the athlete after an injury." He won't coach in the Alamo Bowl. UPDATE: It's Craig James's kid. See below. More »

Now College Football Season Can Begin

Dashiell Bennett — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:00:55 EDT

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Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to tips@deadspin.com. Subject: Morning crap. More »

Big Night For The Kid From Humble, Texas (With Update)

Rick Chandler — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:30:18 EDT

Who is Mike Singletary, and why are Texas A&M fans cursing his name this morning? High NCAA Tournament seed not yours, Aggie fans. More »

Pat Knight Gets Some Quiet Time In The Naughty Corner

Rick Chandler — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:45:34 EST

Pat Knight gets his first suspension as a head coach. Bobby says that is the proudest day in a father's life. [Associated Press] More »

Pat Knight Carrying On The Family Business

Dashiell Bennett — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:45:00 EST

It must be tough being a basketball coach when your dad is in the Hall Of Fame. How are you supposed to live up to his legendary reputation for insane tirades? More »

Harrell Sets NCAA TD Record, But Ole Miss Leads Cotton Bowl

Rick Chandler — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:45:31 EST

If you bet the under in the Cotton Bowl, our condolences. Ole Miss just hit a field goal to take a 24-21 lead into halftime. More »

Graham Harrell Snubbed By Heisman Travel Agency

Dashiell Bennett — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:30:54 EST

Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and The Exhalted One will be in New York City this weekend to eat fancy steaks, take one of those lame bus tours, and try hard not to mention the name "O.J. Simpson." Of course, there will be one young quarterback who won't be joining the Holy Trinity on their victory tour. More »

Mike Leach Mesmerized By UFO's, Barry Switzer Card Tricks

Rick Chandler — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:45:58 EST

Mike Leach, head coach of Texas Tech and one of the most prolific distributors of free ham college football has ever seen, has visited the UFO exhibits at Roswell, N.M., and declared them "awesome." He is also the master of voodoo card tricks, and has stared down the biggest tornado in U.S. history, all according to him. (Video below). This should all come as comforting news to Red Raiders fans, whose team can clinch its first Big 12 title on Saturday in Norman, Okla. More »

Saturday Night Live Blog: #9 Oklahoma State at #2 Texas Tech

Matt Sussman — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:55:00 EST

The Big XII has thirteen teams in the Top 10, and this is just another night in which two of them square off on a Saturday night. The undefeated Red Raiders get their second straight prime-time big game against the once-defeated Cowboys. Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit brand cows with their initials. What the world needs now, is jump, sweet jump. More »

Texas Tech Bikinigate Shocks, Arouses A Nation (With Update)

Rick Chandler — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:15:12 EST

Sunday's afternoon blogdome featured this photo, purportedly of the Texas Tech women's swim team and part of Gunaxin's salute to the girls of Texas Tech. Only one problem: Texas Tech doesn't have a women's swim team. The photo, says Deadspin reader and Lubbock native Jesse Tow, is an obvious Photoshop. And indeed, upon closer scrutiny, the evidence of fakery fairly jumps off the screen. From Gunaxin:

As the game came to a 39-33 close with Texas Tech on top, students stormed the field to celebrate. Let's look at some of the sexy Texas Tech girls that were probably part of the mayhem.

Tow responds via email:

I grew up in Lubbock, and as much as I'd like to confirm the hotness of Texas tech women, that swim team pic from the blogdome is an obvious photoshop. They haven't had a swim team in years. The other pics beyond the link, are absolutely valid of course. Makes me wish I didn't have to be an egghead and go to Cal....

Indeed, notice how the Texas Tech logos are presented on different sides of the bikini tops; on the sides that just happen to be unobstructed? The logos also all seem to be very, um, flat. A visit to the university's athletic site reveals that Tech has no swim program whatsoever; men's or women's. I doubt they even have a pool. Now, compare Gunaxin's version of the Texas Tech cheerleaders, with the photo of the 08-09 squad that I found on their web site. What are you trying to pull here, Gunaxin? Any Texas Tech students or alumni out there who want to weigh in on this? I will not rest until this mystery is solved. UPDATE: Bikinigate mystery solved. These girls are actually the Tampa Bay Storm cheerleaders, circa 2004. Gunaxin has removed the photo, with this explanation:

We use google just like everyone else. Are you actually suggesting that we should check our sources and all of these images for their validity? We're not a failing newspaper, we're a failing blog! It's the internet, everything is fake. We had no intention to deceive, so we have no problem taking down photos that are falsely representing the hotness of Texas Tech girls. Thanks for the links Deadspin, and in the future we'll try to make sure all of our girls are 100% natural, although that won't be as much fun.

Here's the original photo (thanks to Jayson Werth, whom I'm sure only kept it to clear up any potential controversies): Remember, without eternal vigilance, it could happen at your school! Texas Tech Athletics Girls Of Texas Tech [Gunaxin] More »

Missing The Terrible (And Amazing) Authoritarianism Of Bob Knight

Leitch — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:15:03 EST

When we first began studying to be a journalist at the University of Illinois — as much as one ever "studies" to be a journalist — one of our professors told us that you're not really a journalist until you've done the worst, but necessary, job in the journ world: You've called up the family of someone who has died in an accident. It's part of the job, and, if you'll exclude the crudeness, it's a cherry you have to break to become the hard-bitten, aggressive, clear-eyed reporter you're expected to be. In the sports department at the Daily Illini, there was an equivalent: Standing up and asking Bob Knight a question. It involved less of a moral stand, but just as much intestinal fortitude. More »

Goodnight, Knight

Leitch — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:01:48 EST

As you've probably heard by now, Bob Knight has resigned as coach of Texas Tech because he's "tired of coaching. Obviously, much more about this tomorrow, but for now, we'll say this: Growing up, there was no more fierce Leitch family villain that Bobby Knight. He served as a stand-in for all that was wrong with the planet. We have slightly different feelings now, but no matter to all that: It's obvious that we will miss him immensely. More »

Bob Knight, Remaining Mellow

Leitch — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:10:18 EST

One would think, by this point of his career, Bob Knight would have grown a little bit of a thicker skin. But, of course, that would make him someone other than Bob Knight, now, wouldn't it? More »

Bob Knight, A Shotgun And A Video Camera: What Could Go Wrong?

Leitch — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:15:08 EST

Yesterday, we told you about the wacky hijinks involving Bob Knight, a shotgun and his neighbors. Well, the Dallas Morning News has exclusive video of the actual confrontation between Knight and a neighbor who claims he was shooting too close to his house. More »

Do Not Taunt Bob Knight When He Has A Gun

Leitch — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:35:26 EST

What's scarier than Bob Knight running rampant on the streets? Why, Bob Knight running amuck through the woods with a shotgun, of course! More »

Hopefully, Tech Won't Be Put On "Probation"

Leitch — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:10:05 EDT

It was only a matter of time, really, until the ~~adjective~~ verb "to Vick" became an acceptable taunt between rival college football fans. More »

All The Big Stars Come Out To St. Louis

Leitch — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:32:00 EDT

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight and "Arliss" — sorry: "Arli$$" — star Robert Wuhl were guests of Cards manager Tony La Russa during last night's brutal, nasty, hideously played 14-inning Cardinals-Royals game. (The Cardinals won, but it was not something they should be proud of.) More »

NCAA Pants Party: Boston College Vs. Texas Tech

Leitch — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:30:59 EDT

Boston College Eagles (20-11) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (21-12) More »

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Leitch — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 00:00:08 EST

1. Nic Cage Likes Them Out of the East. The "Masked Rider" mascot of Texas Tech began unofficially in 1936 as "The Ghost Rider," as unknown groups of students would circle the field on horses at home football games, then depart the stadium. At the 1954 Gator Bowl, The Masked Rider became the official mascot and the first horse-ridden mascot in major college sports. Tech's other mascot, Raider Red, so developed because of an old Southwestern Conference Law preventing live animal mascots at away games, is played by a student who cannot reveal his identity during the entire duration of his tenure as "Raider Red." More »

Bobby Knight Unlocks Another Mystery

rickchand — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:00:34 EST

Bobby Knight sure has been chatty since breaking the all-time NCAA men's win mark. Here's his take on the whole Bill Parcells situation in Dallas. Parcells, a longtime friend of Knight's since their coaching days at Army, resigned earlier this week. The reason? It's all because of Terrell Owens, of course. More »

A Little Hoops Slip 'N Slide

Leitch — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:45:48 EST

Far be it from us to deign to understand what it takes to schedule a sporting event, but we would like to suggest that, in the future, basketball games continue to be played indoors. More »

"I Took You Out Because You're Not SMILING Out There"

Leitch — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 10:00:13 EST

Well, we know college basketball season is officially upon us: Bob Knight is being accused of brutalizing a player again. This time, it was Texas Tech sophomore forward Michael Prince, who made the mistake of not making eye contact with Knight while being lectured after a timeout. Knight bopped Prince under the chin, and Prince, being a trained athlete and not, say, an infant, did not break his jaw or burst into tears. More »

The Red Raider Weather Man

Leitch — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:45:59 EDT

Big ups to The Wizard Of Odds (via Every Day Should Be Saturday) for unearthing this April video of embattled Texas Tech coach Mike Leach — no relation — living a lifelong dream by playing a weatherman on a local station. It's raining mud! You know, it's possible that Bob Knight isn't even the looniest coach on his own campus. More »

ESPN-Sponsored Texas Tech Recruiting Materials

mjdeadspin — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 18:29:00 EST

As you may know if you've watched ESPN at any point over the last few weeks, tonight debuts "Knight School," a six-episode reality show detailing the quest of sixteen young men to be chosen as a walk-on to the Texas Tech basketball team. More »

Stay (Beep!)Tuned, You Stupid (Beep!)

Rick Chandler — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 09:15:12 EST

When we first heard of plans for a Bobby Knight reality series on ESPN, we just assumed that it would focus on hunting. No such luck — it's about basketball. Anyway, the latest — and we were shocked to hear this — is that, occasionally, the coach's language may have to be censored. More »

The Gospel According To Bobby Knight

Leitch — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:00:12 EST

Remember the Larry Krueger radio imbroglio from this past summer? His replacement on KNBR-680 Sportsphone radio, Damon Bruce, hasn't really been all that much of an improvement (although he refrains from slurs against Dominican hitters, we'll give him that). Bruce has his moments, though. One came on Monday night, in a recurring feature he calls "The Gospel According to Bobby Knight." More »