Texas Tech football: Who should be next Ring of Honor Inductee?

Graham Harrell

The most logical choice to be the ninth member of the Texas Tech Football Ring of Honor is the program’s most accomplished quarterback, Graham Harrell.  In fact, many think that he should have gone into the Ring of Honor at the same time that Crabtree did given how linked those two players are in Red Raider history.

Harrell is the program’s all-time leader in too many categories to list.  His name sits atop the Texas Tech lists for career passing yards, career total yards, and career touchdown passes, the latter of which was an NCAA record (a record that has since fallen).

In all, Harrell still holds eight NCAA records.  But his standing as one of the greatest Red Raiders of all time goes beyond just statistics.

The Red Raiders experienced their greatest period of success during Harrell’s three years as a starter.  Going 28-11 from 2006-08, Tech gained national notoriety like never before.

Of course, in that unforgettable 2008 season, Tech reached No. 2 in the national polls for the only time in program history and that came after Harrell’s shining moment.  His last-second TD pass to Crabtree to down No. 1 Texas 39-33 in Lubbock is the most iconic play in Texas Tech football history and one of the most memorable moments in NCAA history.

He also produced other jaw-dropping moments like when he hit Robert Johnson in the endzone for a last-minute win at Texas A&M in 2006, when he engineered the largest comeback in bowl history against Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl, or when he and Crabtree stunned No. 4 Oklahoma in 2007.

Harrell never went on to NFL fame as Mahomes did.  But as a Red Raider, he did far more than Mahomes and he deserves serious consideration as the next member of the Ring of Honor.