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Texas Tech coach Dykes retires after 15 years at helm
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, who made a career out of
upsetting rivals Texas and Texas A&M on the way to becoming the Red Raiders'
winningest coach ever, announced his retirement after Saturday's 38-28 win over
Oklahoma.
Texas Tech went 6-5 this season and was 82-67-1 under Dykes. The Red Raiders have recently gained notoriety for playing spoiler to Texas A&M, beating the Aggies this season 21-19 while they were ranked No. 5. Dykes posted victories over the Aggies 11 times in his tenure, and he was the first Tech coach ever to defeat Texas five times. But Dykes' unlikely victories over Texas and Texas A&M weren't enough to keep fans satisfied. Red Raiders backers were calling for Dykes' job months ago when the team lost to North Texas, arguably one of the worst teams in all of Division I college football. Postseason losses like last year's 35-18 beating by Mississippi in the Independence Bowl also spawned a sense among many Texas Tech fans that the team wasn't living up to its potential. Dykes, like many of Tech's key players, is a product of West Texas football. He coached at high schools in Big Spring and San Angelo before landing an assistant coaching job at New Mexico in 1977. He returned to high school coaching in 1980 to take the reigns at Midland Lee in 1980, leading the famed team to a 34-11-1 record before coming to Tech in 1984. Locally, Dykes was best known for his good-natured coaching style and friendly disposition. "I think you coach because you love kids," Dykes said. "And if you do that, every day is rewarding. That way you never get your priorities out of perspective. It all boils down to the chance to work with young people, hopefully be an influence on them for the better, help them make something of themselves that is positive."
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