Counting down the worst Texas Tech coaches of the Big 12 era

No. 5: Dan Spencer

Following in the footsteps of a legend is never easy.  So when Dan Spencer took over for Larry Hays in 2009, he was in somewhat of a no-win situation.  Of course, “no-win” could also describe his four-year tenure as head baseball coach.

In his tenure, Tech went just 44-61 in Big 12 play and only 115-112 overall.  What’s more, in only one of his seasons, 2011, did Tech muster more than 30 wins.

But when he arrived, Spencer was seen as a great hire.  He had spent the previous eleven seasons at Oregon State, including three as associate head coach and pitching coach.  During that time, he helped the Beavers capture a pair of National Titles.

Hired as the coach in waiting in 2007, he was on board for the final two years of the Hays era in Lubbock.  But that didn’t make the transition any smoother.

In his first season at the helm, he went just 25-32 and 12-15 in the Big 12.  It never got all that much better.   His most successful season was just a 33-25 campaign in 2011 but the next year, his team finished last in the conference and was not invited to the Big 12 Tournament.

But Spencer did make one fantastic move before he was fired.  Prior to his final season (2012), he hired Tim Tadlock to be associate head coach and the rest is Red Raider history.  But that move along isn’t enough to keep Spencer off of the list of the worst coaches of the Big 12 era.