Texas Tech University - La Ventana Yearbook (Lubbock, TX)

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Once a mysterious figure, the Masked Rider still circles the field with pride ider celebrates 30th anniversar Wearing a scarlet satin cape and mounted on the palomino stallion . . . , the rider circled the field at what looked like breakneck speed. The fans loved it. But who was he? When the rider appeared on the football field on Sept. 26, 1936, before the Tech- TCU game, no one knew who he was — or where he came from. Ex- cept the Saddle Tramps. Arch Lamb, a founder of the Sad- dle Tramps and head yell leader dur- ing the 1936 season, said several Tramps decided the football team needed a mascot. Originally, the team was called the Matadors. But in the early ' 30s, Collier Parrish, sports editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, dubbed the Matadors the Red Raiders. The name stuck. The Tramps, Lamb said, decided if we were Red Raiders, we ought to have a red raider. We called him the Red Raider Rider. So George Tate, student horse herdsman in the campus horse barn, donned a red cape, circled the field before the TCU game and vanished immediately afterward. It was a sneaked-out horse, Tate recalled. I had to get him back quick! And why was the Rider such a mysterious figure? School spirit is like a phantom, Lamb said. Like the soul of a man, you can ' t put your finger on it. School spirit just appears when you need it, then disappears until it is needed again. Same thing with the Rider. Tate rode at two home games dur- ing the ' 36 season. He graduated in 1937, but the Red Raider Rider sur- vived sporadically until the middle years of World War H, when most of the mysterious riders had gradu- ated or been involved in the war. Former Saddle Tramp Rob Lake said, At many alumni functions, a few exes have divulged to the Sad- Masked Rider Zurick Labrier stops as chil- dren ask questions about this once mysteri- ous figure. The Rider appeared in the 1954 Gator Bowl and became a Tech tradition. die Tramps that they, at one time or another, had made appearances as the Rider. And they have always prided themselves in having kept the secret. The mysterious Rider was resur- rected at the 1954 Gator Bowl game between Tech and Auburn and was renamed the Masked Rider. In Jacksonville, Fla., the unex- pected Rider awed the crowd into a momentary stunned silence as he led the team onto the field. Then the silence was broken as the electrified crowd burst into cheering. No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance, reported an Atlanta-Journal sports- writer. The Raiders trampled Auburn 35- 13, a win often partially credited to the Masked Rider ' s ride. That Gator Bowl ride began Joe Kirk Fulton ' s three-year reign as the Masked Rider. At subsequent games he provided his own horse, a black gelding named Blackie. When the team would come out, I would circle the field one time, said Fulton, and when I came back, the team followed me out. In 1974, the first woman was chosen as the Masked Rider. There was a lot of controversy when I was chosen, said Anne Hansen, then Anne Lynch. But 1 was so happy I didn ' t really think about any ramifications of being the first girl chosen. Hansen, the first of three female Riders, was followed by Kathleen Campbell in 1980 and Jennifer Aufill in 1983. In 1984, Hansen and 17 other past Riders celebrated the Masked Rid- er ' s 30th anniversary during home- coming week. A Raider mascot exhibit display in the University Center Courtyard traced the mascot ' s history. Tradition Rides Again was homecoming ' s theme, and the for- mer Riders were honored at recep- tions and pre-game ceremonies, said Judi Henry of the Dean of Stu- dents Office. — Jane Quinn and Preston Lewis (University News and Publications) Masked Rider — 15

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Festivities continued from page 13 faculty members and students said the early date of homecoming kept down interest. 1984 Homecoming Queen Karen Mayfield is a diversified woman with many talents, hobbies, and re- sponsibilities. A fourth-year tele- communications major from Santa Fe, N.M., she enjoys running, skiing, ice skating, swimming, pho- tography, and sportswatching. Mayfield belonged to Chi Omega and held the position of head coordina- tor for Raider Recruiters for the fourth consecutive year. As the reigning queen, Mayfield represented Tech at the Cotton Bowl and attended banquets and public meetings throughout the year. She also did ads for Lubbock businesses. — Jane Quinn During the pep rally, cheerleaders Alicia Oli- va and Steve Minion perform stunts to an enthusiastic pep rally crowd. - m sm AJV.- ' After the crowning, a friend congratulates Karen Mayfield during the homecoming game. Mayfield is a member of Chi Omega. Although the clouds are overcast, band members continue to play in the annual homecoming parade. Uark Mamawal 14 — Homecoming

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. 4 t eaxw STec i V At first. Sherri Moegle thought she had blown it. Moegle. one of 15 contestants in the Miss Texas Tech Pageant Feb. 14. thought her chances for winning the pageant were gone a week be- fore the pageant even started. The pageant itself sponsored by Sigma Delta Chi. the Society of Pro- fessional Journalists, consisted of casual wear and formal wear cate- gories. Personality interviews, however, were conducted a week before the pageant. Basically, the questions came straight from the res- umes we had turned in. ' said Moegle. The judges wanted to see how we planned to become career- conscious women. Moegle said some of the ques- tions were light-hearted — and when she gave an honest but light- hearted answer to one question, she thought her chances were doomed. The hypothetical question con- cerned Moegle s future as a mother and career woman. She was asked what she would do if her husband was out of town, her child was sick and she still had to go to work. Moegle thought for a moment and simply replied. Well. I guess Cal- gon can ' t take me away! Moegle was afraid her humorous answer might have angered the judges, but the opposite occurred. Moegle went on to win the pageant, saying afterward. I was very shocked. It was probably one of the biggest surprises of the year. I couldn ' t ask for anything better. Moegle, a 19-year-old freshman from Lubbock, was sponsored by the Residence Halls Association. Damie Cooper, a 19-year-old sophomore from San Marcos, was first runner-up. and Kerri Norman, a 21-year-old senior from Lubbock, was second runner-up. Cooper was sponsored by Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Norman was sponsored by Delta Delta Delta. — Camille Wheeler Cand - Mathers 16 — Miss Texas Tech