Texas Tech’s Masked Rider actually has a fascinating, but creepy back story.
Texas Tech has a wide variety of traditions that, at first glance, may feel disconnected. Some are bold, some are quirky, and a few even border on the mysterious. Yet, when you look closer at the history of Texas Tech football, all of these traditions connect into one larger story that makes sense.
Texas Tech football began with the Matadors in 1925 and carried Spanish influences
The very first Texas Tech football team took the field in 1925 under the name “The Matadors.” That choice was inspired by the Spanish Renaissance style architecture that shaped the Lubbock campus. A matador, of course, is a bullfighter—complete with the cape, dramatic stance, and distinctive uniform. It was a fitting name at the time, but it didn’t quite foreshadow the direction the program’s identity would later take.
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