Late Mike Leach, Kliff Kingsbury lead 2023 Texas Tech Hall of Honor, Fame inductees
Mike Leach's impact on Texas Tech athletics will be officially cemented this fall.
The late head football coach will be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor later this year. Kliff Kingsbury, who played quarterback under Leach, headlines the seven-person class that will be inducted into the Tech Hall of Fame, the athletics department announced Wednesday.
The Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor are voted on by the former coaches, players, trainers and managers. Former athletes receive invites to the Hall of Fame while coaches and administrators are selected to the Hall of Honor.
Leach led the Red Raider football team from 2000 to 2009, which marked the most successful stretch in program history. Under Leach's leadership, Tech went 84-43 over 10 season, earning a bowl game appearance in each campaign.
Rodney Allison, executive director of the Double T Varsity Club, which oversees the voting process, said there was little discussion to Leach's induction. Despite how Leach's tenure with Texas Tech came to an end, he received near-unanimous "Yes" votes.
"It requires 90 percent 'Yes" to get into the Hall of Honor," Allison said, "and he was up there. I think it was 96.9 or 97.2 (percent). It's really a significant number and a very positive vote for Coach Leach."
The Red Raiders were synonymous for the "Air Raid" offense implemented during Leach's tenure. Leach has the most wins as a head coach in program history. Leach passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 13 at the age of 61.
Former letterwinners Gonzalo Escobar (men's tennis, 2008-12); Cathy Carlson (women's tennis, 1984-88); Kim Kaufman (women's golf, 2009-13); Greg Lowery (men's basketball, 1970-72); Matt Wingo (football, 1988-91); and Jason Young (track & field, 1999-04) will join Kingsbury as Hall of Fame honorees.
Allison said about 60 athletes were initially nominated for the 2023 Hall of Fame class. The ballots were whittled down to 10 men and five women that were voted one.
Kingsbury helped led the Air Raid offense for the Tech football team, suiting up for the Red Raiders from 1999 to 2002. He set 39 school records quarterbacking the team, recording more than 12,000 passing yards and total offense and earned the Sammy Baugh Trophy — awarded annually to the nation's top college quarterback — as a senior.
"I think everything that's happened with Kliff is a very unique story," Allison said, "because him being a great, great player, then comes here, coaches here, and for whatever reason it didn't work out. And for us to get him back and him still love Texas Tech and want to be part of Texas Tech. ..."
Escobar was a two-time All-American for Tech and is one of only three Red Raiders to have competed in both the NCAA Singles and NCAA Doubles Championships during his career. He was a national runner-up in doubles alongside partner Raony Carvalho in his final season.
Carlson is the winningest player in the history of the women's tennis program, securing 224 career victories — 111 singles and113 doubles.
During her Texas Tech career, Kaufman recorded 15 top-10 finishes with five top-five finishes occurring in just the 2012-13 season. She was the first first-team Academic All-American in program history in 2013 and was the first player in program history to be ranked No. 1 in the country.
Lowery amassed 1,476 points for his career, averaging 19.7 points per game in his three years in a Red Raider uniform. He holds the single-season record for points per game, averaging 24.5 in his senior year. He and Gene Knolle were the first two Black basketball players in Texas Tech history.
Playing for former head coach Spike Dykes, Wingo remains one of the top linebackers in program history. He ranks third all-time with 385 career tackles in his four-year career and earned All-Southwest Conference honors for his junior and senior seasons.
A Junior Olympic Champion before getting to Tech, Young was a two-time NCAA All-American, finishing as the runner-up in the discus throw during the 2004 NCAA outdoor championships. He made the 2012 USA Olympic Team, where he finished eighth in qualification.
The Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at Overton Hotel and Conference Center Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. The class will then be recognized on the field at Jones AT&T Stadium as the Red Raiders host Houston.
Aside from a few logistical issues being worked out, Allison said each of the Hall of Fame selections are expected to be in Lubbock for the ceremony, including Kingsbury. Who will be on hand to represent Leach is still being worked out with the late coach's family.
Ticket sales and table information will be announced later this fall.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Late Mike Leach, Kliff Kingsbury lead 2023 Texas Tech Hall of Honor, Fame inductees
