The Texas Tech, Lubbock, and West Texas community lost a legend Monday when Spike Dykes passed away. From 1986 to 1999 Coach Dykes provided us with so many great memories on and off the field.
Director of Football Operations Tommy McVay who was hired by Dykes shared his emotions on the loss of a beloved friend,
“you know it’s not a very good day it will make you weak at your knees but especially the time that we had together and we lost a great man. He was a great ambassador for Texas Tech and Lubbock and Texas in general.”
Former Texas Tech quarterback Rodney Allison highlighted what made the man so special,
“he treats the president of the university and the janitor the same and there’s not a lot of people that do that, Spike just makes you feel better about yourself. Spike was a special person that it’s going to be hard losing him for sure.”
On the football field the coach was able to turn around a struggling program and cement Tech’s status in the Big 12 according to former athletic director Gerald Myers,
“if our football program hadn’t have been strong like that we would not have been invited to the big 12, we could have been on the outside looking in if that program hadn’t been strong.”
Myers went on to describe what the long time coach meant to the community,
“he is so well like and loved and appreciated that he will not be forgotten that’s for sure. He will be a legend at Texas Tech, he’ll be long remembered by future generations he was just that kind of guy people will not forget him.”
