On and off field, what to know about the Texas Tech Red Raiders, long time Big 12 staples (2025)

(Editor’s note:This is part of the Star’s ongoing “Big 12 Blitz” series, where we introduce U of A fans to the on- and off-field need-to-know details surrounding each member of the new 16-team Big 12. Today: Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas.)

Two of the biggest stories in the offseason for Texas Tech sports revolved around investments.

One was to the athletic program's infrastructure; the other to a college athlete.

First, Jones AT&T Stadium, the Red Raiders' long-time Lubbock, Texas, home field for football, is near completion of a $242 million upgrade as the 2024 season approaches. This includes the additional 17 luxury suites — pushing the number of boxes to 102; the stadium's south end zone now has four levels, including a field-level stadium club that the Red Raiders will walk through when they come onto the field. There's also a new visitor’s locker room in a separate building with a new entrance for the opponents on the northeast side — directly opposite of how they rushed onto the field for the last 76 years.

Next was the story that rocked the college softball world: NiJaree Canady, USA Softball's reigning collegiate Player of the Year, transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech; the Red Raiders are competitive, but hardly a softball powerhouse, with six all-time NCAA Tournament appearances (all since 1999), but just one in the last 12 seasons (2019). Canady, a rising junior, is receiving a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal said to be the largest in softball to date, at just over $1 million.

According to astory published by The Athletic, alumni John and Tracy Sellers presented Canady with the offer at dinner on her visit to Lubbock. John Sellers played football under former coach Mike Leach, while Tracy (nee Cartier) played softball at Tech. They alsodonated $11 millionfor the upgrades to Jones AT&T Stadium.

Don Williamsof theLubbock Avalanche-Journal, who primarily covers Texas Tech football, baseball and track and field, said that while he doesn’t know if these types of deals will become the norm for softball, he also wondered “what singular player can take a team from middle of the pack to contender, just like that, than a softball (pitcher)?”

The Star talked to Williams prior to the start of the 2024-25 season to learn more about Texas Tech, Lubbock and the best barbecue in West Texas. Here's a portion of that conversation, which has been lightly edited.

Besides ASU, which is 90 miles up the road from Tucson, Texas Tech is the closest Big 12 school to UA. There is an opportunity for a geographic rivalry.

A:“Nineteen-eighty-nine was one of Texas Tech's really big seasons in football. Texas Tech was picked sixth in the Southwest Conference, then wound up winning nine games with a team that started six former walk-ons. It's a special group in Texas Tech history that beat four top-20 teams, and the first one was Arizona at Jones AT&T Stadium, in a season opener. The Dick Tomey team was a good football team and came in here ranked No. 20. Texas Tech knocked them off that night, 24-14.

"It's a natural reconnection, because, they were in the same Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association way, way back (charter members from 1931-62). It’s what Tech fans have referred to as an ‘old Border Conference rivalry.’”

As somebody who's seen Lubbock evolve and grow over the last couple of decades, what should an Arizona fan expect?

A: “I think there is a misconception that people who haven’t been here before. (They) think of Lubbock as a small college town. We're definitely not that. I like to say it's kind of small town, big city. We have a lot of the conveniences of a major metro without some of the problems of a major metro. The nickname is ‘The Hub City’ because Lubbock is centrally located amidst a whole bunch of small communities. I think a lot of people from 25, 30, 40 miles away, drive to Lubbock to do shopping and buy the kids school clothes and those sorts of things. At one point, 10-15 years ago, I remember a study that said Lubbock has the most restaurants per capita of any city in the U.S. I don't know if that's true or if it's still true, but I believe it, because, boy, there's a ton of places to eat here.”

If someone is coming in for a game, what type of restaurants would they go to? We know BBQ is big in Austin and Fort Worth, but is it the same in Lubbock?

A: “That kind of central Texas barbecue craft, barbecue connoisseurs have really spread across the state. Texas Tech people hate the University of Texas, but one of the good things when you actually had to go to Austin was the BBQ you could get down there. Now, a lot of the best barbecue that used to be really concentrated in Central Texas has really spread across the state. We have a lot of options in Lubbock.Evie Mae’s BBQis regarded as one of the best in the state.The Shack BBQand there’s a small BBQ place in a community called Olton, Texas, calledRejino Barbeque, which is fantastic. There’sPitforks and Smokerings BBQ, in Slaton, which is just southeast of Lubbock.

“There’s Tex-Mex locations all over the city; all over the state. I say I eat from three food groups: BBQ, Tex Mex and homestyle.”

As you said, most of the NIL money at Texas Tech is going towards football and men’s basketball. With the signing of Canady, do you think there will be another NIL deal coming for Aaliyah Chavez, a local girls basketball player, who is listed by ESPN's HoopGurlz as the No. 1 player in the class of 2025?

A: “That would not surprise me at all. There's definitely been people who locally have said, ‘Well, if they can do that and bring in a softball pitcher, they sure need to do that to keep Aaliyah Chavez at home.’

"I became aware of her when she was in eighth grade. A 5-9 guard, can do it all: distributes, scores. She can go pretty much anywhere in the country that she wants. They have a great opportunity to fire another shot for the basketball program.

“(Texas Tech) won the national championship in 1993 with Sheryl Swoops, and had a decade or so, of really good women's basketball. One of the best women’s basketball programs in the country under Marsha Sharp. But since Marsha retired from coaching, they just fell off and have been very middle of the pack, at best. Now, you have a player who is right in your backyard. I mean, literally, three or four miles from campus, who's the No. 1 recruit in America. There will for sure be NIL dollars offered to her. It will simply be, 'is it going to be enough to get her to come to a program that has not been winning, when she can go pretty much anywhere in the country that she wants?'”

Texas Tech’s track and field program has won a couple of national titles. How has this sport been able to be a contender virtually every year?

A: “Back to what we’ve been talking about this entire conversation, is that they’ve poured a lot of money into that program and really invested in it. In the 1990s, Texas Tech had individual standouts in track and field; had its’ share of All-Americans and top performers, who are household names around here. But from a team standpoint, they never had the resources to do what it took to build up the program. They were generally toward the middle, or maybe even bottom of the Southwest conference a lot of years. About 25 years ago, they hired a coach named Wes Kittley, who had been at Abilene Christian University. They are a power in Division II. They targeted him as the coach to build up the program.

“The big thing for them was Texas Tech opened a combination football practice facility, indoor track under one roof. I don't know if it's a one of a kind, but there are very few facilities, if any, like this. Literally, on the east side of the building is 80-yard football indoor training facility that that the football team practices on every day. Then there are these gigantic sliding doors. On the west side is an indoor track, and boy, that indoor track has attracted not only recruits for the for the Texas Tech track and field program, but they hardly ever even have to leave town during the indoor season.

They will host a half a dozen meets a year. … In addition to hosting the college meets, then they will have big-time professional track and field athletes who will come in here and (train).

"Maybe the best indicator of what track and field means around here is you have (11) current or former Texas Tech track and field athletes competing in the Olympics in Paris.”