A Brief History of Texas Tech Basketball Coaches

Get to know the men who have led the Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team throughout the years. From Sonny Dykes to Bob Knight, find out a little bit about each of the coaches who have helped shape the program.

Introduction

Since it was founded in 1925, Texas Tech University has had 27 men’s basketball head coaches This is a list of those coaches, their years of tenure, and their accomplishments while at Texas Tech

The Early Years

Texas Tech basketball traces its origins to 1925, when the school’s first team was assembled. Since then, there have been a number of different coaches leading the Red Raiders on the court. In the early years of the program, Texas Tech saw a number of different coaches come and go. Among them was E. Y. Freeland, who led the team to a 19-3 record in his only season at the helm in 1925-26. Other early coaches included Potsy Clark, who coached for two seasons (1926-28), and Dixie Howell (1928-29), who led Tech to a Southwest conference championship in his lone year at the helm.

The Rise of Texas Tech Basketball

Texas Tech Basketball has seen a number of successful coaches in its history. The program began with E.Y. Freeland, who led the team to a Conference Championship in his first season. Freeland would go on to win two more conference titles before leaving Texas Tech in 1926.

In the years that followed, Texas Tech saw a number of successful coaches, including Mark massage, who led the team to four NCAA tournament appearances in his six seasons at the helm. Massage was followed by Gerald Myers, who coached Texas Tech for 25 years and is credited with helping to turn the program into a national power.

Myers was succeeded by Bob Knight, who coached Texas Tech for seven seasons and led the team to its first-ever number one ranking in 2003. Knight was followed by Billy Gillispie, who pieces together one of the best recruiting classes in school history before being replaced by Tubby Smith.

Smith would lead Texas Tech to its first-ever Elite Eight appearance in 2018 before being replaced by Mike White Under White, Texas Tech has reached new heights, winning the 2019 NCAA Tournament and earning the school’s first-ever number one ranking.

The John T. Montgomery Era

John T. Montgomery served as the head basketball coach at Texas Tech from 1951 to 1966, accumulating a record of 190-266. Montgomery is credited with reviving the Basketball Program and is the school’s second-winningest coach of all time. He guided the Red Raiders to three NCAA tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.

The Billy Gillispie Era

Billy Gillispie was hired in March of 2011 to replace Pat Knight as the Head Coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders Knight had been let go after finishing the season with a record of 9-19, and Tech fans were hoping Gillispie would be able to turn the program around.

Gillispie had a successful college coaching career, leading the Kentucky Wildcats to two NCAA tournament appearances. He also had head coaching stints at Texas A&M and UTEP.

In his first season at Tech, Gillispie led the Red Raiders to a record of 15-16. The following season, Gillispie was diagnosed with acute kidney failure and was hospitalized for several weeks. He would eventually recover, but he was forced to miss several games due to his health issue.

Gillispie would finish his tenure at Tech with a record of 16-17, and he would be replaced by Tubby Smith in 2012.

The Tubby Smith Era

Tubby Smith was hired as the head basketball coach at Texas Tech in March of 2013. He replaced Billy Gillispie, who was let go after only two seasons. Smith, a native of Scotland, had been the head coach at the University of Kentucky for six seasons. He led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament every year, and won a National Championship in 1998.

Smith was hired with the intention of returning Texas Tech to prominence in the Big 12 conference. In his first season, he led the Red Raiders to a 19-13 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament It was the first time Texas Tech had made the tournament since 2007. The Red Raiders lost to eventual National Champion Louisville in the second round.

In his second season, Smith led Texas Tech to a 20-12 record and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament The Red Raiders lost to South Dakota State in the first round.

Texas Tech has not made the NCAA tournament since then, but Smith has continued to build a competitive team. In 2016-17, the Red Raiders finished with an 18-14 record and came within one win of making the NCAA Tournament

Smith has been very successful in recruiting talented players to Lubbock. In 2017, he signed guard Jarrett Culver, who was ranked as one of the top High School players in the nation. Culver went on to have a stellar freshman season, averaging over 15 points per game He is expected to be one of the best players in college basketball for years to come.

Smith has also been successful in improving Texas Tech’s facilities. In 2015, he helped lead a $25 million fundraising campaign for upgrades to United Supermarkets Arena, which is now one of the best arenas in college basketball

Smith is currently working on building a new practice facility for the Basketball Program When completed, it will be one of the finest facilities in all of college basketball

The Chris Beard Era

In 2016, Beard was hired as the Head Coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, succeeding Tubby Smith. In his first season with the team, he led the Red Raiders to a school-record 27 wins and a share of the Big 12 regular season championship. The following year, he guided the team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA championship game.

The Future of Texas Tech Basketball

The future of Texas Tech basketball is looking bright. There have been some great coaches in the past, but the current crop of coaches is poised to take the program to new heights.

Texas Tech has had some Great players come through the program over the years, but the coaches have always been the driving force behind the team’s success. The current group of coaches is no different. They have a passion for the game and a willingness to work hard to ensure that their players are successful.

The future of Texas Tech basketball is in good hands with the current group of coaches. They have the experience and knowledge to take the program to new levels of success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the history of Texas Tech Basketball coaches is a long and varied one. Starting with the Head coach of the inaugural season, Matta Buford, the program has seen a total of 18 different men take charge of the team. Dick Phelps led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1965, while Bob Dillard guided the Red Raiders to their first ever NCAA tournament win in 1971. Tubby Smith became the first black head coach in program history when he was hired in 2016, and Chris Beard led the team to its first ever National Championship appearance in 2019. The Red Raiders have had a wide variety of successful coaches over the years, and there is no doubt that this tradition will continue into the future.

Sources

Texas Tech has a long and proud tradition of Basketball excellence. The Red Raiders have been to the NCAA Tournament 27 times, with 3 final four appearances and an National Championship game appearance in 2019. The team has also won 11 conference championships the most recent being in 2018-2019.

Texas Tech’s Basketball Program began in 1925 with the hiring of its first coach, Ewing Y. Freeland. Coach Freeland led the Red Raiders for three seasons, before being succeeded by former player Les Murdock. Murdock would go on to coach the team for 12 seasons, amassing a record of 134-76 (.638).

In 1940, Texas Tech hired its first head coach with previous collegiate coaching experience, Hugo Bezdek. Bezdek would go on to lead the Red Raiders for two seasons, before being succeeded by another former player, Dutch Lonborg. Lonborg coached at Texas Tech for three seasons before moving on to the University of Oklahoma.

In 1949, John Wicker became the Red Raiders’ head coach Wicker would lead Texas Tech for two seasons before being replaced by Mark Dampier. Dampier would only coach one season at Texas Tech before being replaced by Polk Robison. Under Robison, the Red Raiders made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance in 1954. Robison would go on to coach Texas Tech for 10 seasons, compiling a 136-113 (.547) record before retiring in 1963.

Texas Tech’s next head coach was Gerald Myers, who played basketball at Texas Tech from 1958-1962. Myers would go on to have a storied career as head coach of his alma mater, coaching the Red Raiders for 32 seasons from 1971-2002 and compiling a 637-271 (.700) record. Myers retired in 2002 as the winningest Head Coach in school history and was succeeded by Bob Knight.