Texas Tech University Athletics
RRC Members Pave the Way For Student Success
October 21, 2017 | General
How the Red Raider Club impacts the lives of student-athletes.
By now, many have heard Nic Shimonek's story.
The heralded quarterback who leads the Red Raiders down the field each Saturday began his Texas Tech career as a walk-on after deciding to transfer from Iowa following his freshman season.
Shimonek wanted to play at the highest level, and to do so, that likely meant walking-on for at least a season, putting a financial burden on himself and his family in the process. Shimonek, who had no guarantee of a future scholarship when he enrolled at Tech, persevered, creating his own furniture restoration business with his girlfriend to offset several of his daily living expenses. Â
The Mildred, Texas native is now on scholarship and thriving for a Red Raider offense that once again ranks among the nation's leaders. Plus, he no longer needs his own business thanks in part to the support of Red Raider Club members.Â
"My scholarship means everything to me," Shimonek said. "It took the pressure off my parents from having to cover the cost of going to school as well as just my daily living expenses. It's definitely a blessing, and I will forever be grateful." Â
Shimonek's story is one of many that can be found inside the Football Training Facility each day along with Texas Tech's other athletics venues across campus. Â
Through the Red Raider Club annual fund, Texas Tech is able to provide Shimonek and hundreds of other student-athletes the resources to succeed not only in competition but also in the classroom and in life. Â
Red Raider Club scholarships cover much more than just books and tuition as student-athletes are provided with additional resources such as cost of attendance, housing, team nutritionists, academic tutors, complete medical expenses and the first-of-its-kind J.T. and Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy.Â
"The support of our Red Raider Club members is vital in helping us fulfill our motto of 'Educating, Serving and Growing Fearless Champions,'" Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. "One aspect we discuss daily with our athletics staff is how we can impact our student-athletes' experiences while they are attending Texas Tech. That will always be our goal."Â
For Hocutt and his staff, the goal is to continue to provide the best resources to its student-athletes. Â
One example is Texas Tech's investment in nutrition. Director of Sports Nutrition Dayna McCutchin and her team of three other dietitians currently monitor and advise each of Tech's 400-plus student-athletes on proper eating habits to enhance their performance on the field. Â
That process includes providing daily meals to each team either at United Supermarkets Arena, the Frazier Alumni Pavilion and the Football Training Facility. This and so many valuable resources would not be possible without donations to the Red Raider Club. Â
"We intend to provide all of our student-athletes the best nutritional care in the country," McCutchin said. "The Red Raider Club has proved to be an invaluable partner in working towards the goal. The support provided has allowed us to invest significantly into nutrition, which is already proving its impact across all of our 17 sports."
In addition to their annual commitment which funds resources like scholarships and nutrition, many Red Raider Club members have made contributions to The Campaign for Fearless Champions. The Campaign has been a tremendous success since its launch in August of 2014. To date, Tech has funded 22 of 25 facilities, added more than $10 million to scholarship endowments and an additional $5 million to mentoring student-athletes through the Talkington Leadership Academy.Â
In recent months, Tech has integrated all of its fundraising efforts into the Red Raider Club under the direction of Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development Andrea Tirey, who now manages the fundraising operation for athletics, including the annual fund, donor-based seating and major gifts, including The Campaign for Fearless Champions. Â
On average, Red Raider Club contributions account for roughly 30 percent of the athletics department's annual budget, providing the framework for Hocutt's vision of assisting student-athletes succeed on and off the field. Â
"Our donors enable us to provide a first-class experience to our student-athletes," Tirey said. "We could not provide the resources our student-athletes need on a day-to-day basis without the support of our Red Raider Club members, and we cannot thank them enough." Â
Those resources allow student-athletes like Shimonek to be just that – a student-athlete.
Shimonek enters today's game among the nation's leaders as he is completing an impressive 70.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,134 yards and 18 touchdowns for a Tech offense that is averaging 44.8 points per game.Â
The days of repurposing furniture are over for the time being. He hopes to never go back to it to be honest. Instead, once his football career is finished, he'd like to one day own and operate his own construction company.Â
His story is one of many special examples of Tech student-athletes in each athletics program. Â
Student-athletes arrive in Lubbock looking to chase their dreams. Texas Tech Athletics wants to help them come true. Â
"When you look at a student-athlete like Nic Shimonek and see the time and effort he's invested in being a leader for our football team, you can't help but smile," Hocutt said. "Our student-athletes invest so much time and effort into each of their sports. We want to make sure we are always investing in them, too."
