Two More Red Raiders Get Inducted into the Hall of Fame
This summer when Patrick Mahomes was revealed as the latest inductee into the Ring of Honor and Texas Tech Hall of Fame there were also two other names related to the football program to be announced. They might not be national names like Mahomes, but the impact on the program can be felt on similar if not greater levels.
The pair of Kevin Curtis and Tommy McVay were enshrined as Hall of Famers ahead of the Texas Tech Baylor contest which is interesting on multiple levels. For Mahomes, this bye week was a natural fit for his Kansas City Chiefs duties to mesh with the Red Raiders' home game. He'll be honored at halftime of the Baylor game when they drop the curtain on his name after a video presentation at midfield.
For McVay's family attending the ceremony, I think a former Big 12 opponent that McVay faced as the main man in the operations department for five different Texas Tech head coaches.
For Curtis, he'd be in town regardless of his Hall of Fame induction as he's now a coach for the Baylor Bears program that just sent nearly their entire secondary to the NFL after a Big 12 championship last season. Curtis played at Texas Tech for both Spike Dykes and Mike Leach as a safety from 1998-2001.
In high school, Curtis played quarterback for the Coronado Mustangs and was a specialist on defense playing in pivotal moments and on third downs. He'd come to Texas Tech as a safety where he was a three-time All-Big 12 performer and a two-time All-American.
In 1999, Curtis led the conference in tackles with 153 tackles. He had 102 of those across the last six games of the season with more than 20 tackles in two separate games.
McVay didn't play football at Texas Tech but his impact on the program will be remembered forever. He was a shadow of the head coach for every man who led the Red Raiders from Spike Dykes to Matt Wells before he passed in 2020.
The legendary McVay was a problem solver and father figure for Red Raiders and the Texas Tech football program for over two decades. A truly deserving Hall of Famer.