Texas Tech Should Embrace Tradition
Among Texas Tech football traditions, few are more classic than the red Double-T prominently displayed on a black helmet. Yet for some reason the school’s trademark helmet is often being thrown aside and ignored.
Texas Tech fans do not have a long list of traditions. Tradition is what really sets college football apart from other perfectly exciting sports.
Alumni, current students, and future students are connected by the traditions and pageantry their schools display on Saturdays in the Fall.
When Red Raider fans think of traditions associated with the football program besides tortillas, the red Double-T clearly visible on both sides of a black helmet comes to mind.
Birth Of A Classic
The black helmet shell with a red Double-T outlined in white on the sides was first introduced in 1964. The Red Raider football team played in some version of the black helmet with the red Double-T for 35 consecutive years between 1975 and 2010.
Unfortunately, since former player Kliff Kingsbury became head coach, the significance of the classic red and black helmet has been repeatedly ignored.
Texas Tech Is Not Oregon
Why mess with a classic? The Texas Tech program has to compete with football programs throughout the US. Some programs, such as Oregon, use their uniforms as a way to differentiate their schools from the pack. But the strongest programs in college football like Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, and Texas do not get involved in a uniform arms race.
“Dance with the one that brung you” was a favorite expression of legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal. It means you should stick with what is successful. Say what you will about UT, but the white helmet with the burnt orange Longhorn is instantly recognizable, and the cohesion has helped establish the brand.
Classic Helmet For Classic Moments
Many of the Texas Texas football program’s most legendary highlights have come in the classic red and black helmet.
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The often reproduced picture of Wes Welker’s 2002 long touchdown punt return in Kyle Field would not be so iconic if he was wearing a helmet with a hard to make out matador.
Michael Crabtree’s historic catch against the Texas Longhorns in 2008 would not have been so beautiful if he was wearing a white helmet.
When current coach Kliff Kingsbury quarterbacked Texas Tech to a huge comeback against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field back in 2002, he was wearing a black helmet with a red Double-T.
No Longer Instantly Recognizable
According to the Texas Tech University System website the school does in fact have official colors and shockingly, they are neither white nor gray,
Actually the website, www.ttu.edu , specifically states the following :
“Texas Tech red and Texas Tech black are our official colors and the primary palette we use to represent Texas Tech University.” Furthermore the site goes on to say: “Red and black should dominate all Texas Tech University endorsed identities such as logos, marks, or promotional graphics.”
So how did red and black become confused with white and gray? Alternates are fun, but they continue to distance Texas Tech from its brand.
Tradition Important To Alumni
During my final military deployment I found myself in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, away from my family over the holidays again.
However, I was shocked and my morale was crushed when the Red Raiders took the field against Arizona State in the 2013 Holiday Bowl wearing charcoal gray uniforms and helmets that were missing the trademark Double-T.
It’s time for Texas Tech football to start winning again — and it is time to go back to the classics.