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Texas Tech basketball: Bob Knight’s most memorable moments as a Red Raider

By Matthew Conner

Portrait of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight at Texas Tech on July 28, 2006.
Portrait of legendary basketball coach Bob Knight at Texas Tech on July 28, 2006. /
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Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the ESPN College GameDay set prior to the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the ESPN College GameDay set prior to the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports /

Knight has epic moment on ESPN’s College GameDay as Texas Tech hosts Texas in 2008

About ten months after his final game, Knight stepped back into the public spotlight to represent Texas Tech.  However, this time, it was Red Raider football that was the talk of the nation.

Ahead of the showdown between No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 1 Texas in Lubbock, ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast from Lubbock for the first (and so far, only) time ever.  Knight was asked to be that week’s guest picker and he didn’t disappoint.

After making picks on all of the other marquee games of the day, it came time to pick the Tech vs. UT game and Knight did so in a way only he could.

"“There are a lot of people at Texas that I like,” Knight said to host Chris Fowler.  “But this isn’t the time for that.  I mean, I deeply hope we beat their ass today.”"

Of course, that remark drew cheers from the thousands of Texas Tech fans gathered there there morning.  Then, ESPN’s Lee Corso would make his pick in another epic moment.

Donning the headgear of Raider Red, Corso also fired off Raider Red’s guns causing his co-host, Kirk Herbstreit to duck for cover.  It was the start of what would ultimately be the most unforgettable day in Texas Tech history.

Of course, the Red Raiders would beat the Horns thanks to a last-second TD pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree.  That would vault the Red Raiders to No. 2 in the national polls, the highest the program has ever been ranked.

Knight set the tone for the day with a wild moment on national television and it kicked off a 24-hour period of celebration the likes of which Lubbock has not seen since.  It was fitting and satisfying for Knight to be able to put his stamp on a day that was all about the football program because Knight transcended sports.  He was a cultural icon who was relevant even outside the world of basketball.

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