Texas Tech University Athletics
Five to Be Inducted Into Texas Tech Hall of Honor
Five to Be Inducted Into Texas Tech Hall of Honor
Aug. 14, 2001 LUBBOCK, Texas - Two former coaches, two athletes and one person who starred in both roles will be inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor during Homecoming festivities on October 5-6. Former football coach Spike Dykes and former volleyball coach Janice Hudson will join football standouts Denton Fox and Maury Buford along with golfer-golf coach Jeff Mitchell as the 2001 inductees on Oct. 5 at the Athletic Hall of Honor Banquet at the United Spirit Arena. The fivesome also will be recognized the following evening at the Texas Tech-Kansas football game. Athletic Hall of Honor Banquet tickets can be purchased through the Red Raider Club at (806) 742-1196. Dykes elevated a Red Raider program that had suffered through seven losing seasons in eight years before he assumed the head-coaching job two weeks before Tech's Independence Bowl game in 1986. In 13 seasons, Dykes led the Raiders to upper division conference finishes every year and his teams beat Texas and Texas A&M a combined 12 times. Not including three years as defensive coordinator (1983-85), Dykes still is the longest tenured and winningest coach in Texas Tech football history. Dykes compiled an overall record of 82-67-1 at Tech and his teams qualified for bowl games in each of last seven seasons. Before retiring in 1999, he coached nine first-team All-Americans, two Doak Walker Award winners and one Dick Butkus Award finalist. He earned three Southwest Conference Coach of the Year Awards and one Big 12 Coach of the Year honor. He was the first Red Raider coach in 56 years to take Tech to the Cotton Bowl (1996) and took teams to six bowl games in all. A native of Ballinger, Dykes is retired and living in Horseshoe Bay. Janice Hudson built a solid foundation for the successful Texas Tech volleyball program. After being named the school's first volleyball coach in 1975, she compiled an impressive 328-198 record in 10 seasons. Her best season was in 1976 when the team was 54-7. In her final season Tech in 1984, she led her team to a 25-9 record and a third-place finish in the rugged Southwest Conference. She starred at Howard College and Lamar University before helping the 1969 USA team challenge international powers at the prestigious Caribbean Cup. Before coming to Tech, she won four state championships at Monahans. While at Tech she was active in USVBA Master's Division competition, earning All-America honors in 1978 and 1981. Since leaving Tech in 1985, she has been active in the Deer Park I.S.D. She is past president of the HAVOC Official's Association and such honors as the HAVOC. Hudson also received the Outstanding Service Award and was named Who's Who in Outstanding Teachers. She has won Southwest Conference and District 23-5A Coach of the Year awards. Fox was a key secondary figure three seasons for coach J T King in 1967-69. Being recognized as first-team All-America in 1969 by the Football Writers of America highlighted his career. A native of Claude, Fox contributed to victories over Texas in 1967 and 1968. As a senior, he intercepted four passes and returned them for 101 yards. The team co-captain and the All-SWC performer represented Tech in the Blue-Gray Game, Hula Bowl All-Star Game and the Coaches All-America Game. He was awarded the Pete Cawthon Award, which goes to the team's best player and is a member of the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. A third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys, Fox currently lives in Dallas and is a co-partner in the National Insurance Marketing Company. Buford, a native of Mount Pleasant, quickly made an impact on the Texas Tech football program in 1978 when he led the nation in punting with a 44.1-yard average -- the first freshman to do so in 35 years. He was named to the second team on the SWC's All-Decade Team, despite for having performed for only two seasons. He kicked every Red Raider punt from 1978-81. Buford still holds such school records as most punts in a season (78) and in a career (293) and most yards in a season (3,493) and in a career (12,670). His 44.8-yard average as a senior led the SWC and is second on the school's all-time list. He was named to numerous All-SWC teams during his four-year career and was an Academic All-American in 1979. Buford was drafted in the eighth round by the San Diego Chargers and performed nine seasons in the National Football League: 1982-84 at San Diego, 1985-86 and 1989-91 at Chicago and 1988 at New York Giants. While at Chicago, he earned a Super Bowl ring in 1985. He currently is an investment representative for Edward Jones Investments in the Metroplex. Mitchell has proved successful both as a golf player and golf coach. He lettered for the Red Raiders in 1974-76, playing in every tournament at that time. He was runner-up in the Southwest Conference Golf Championships as a senior and earned All-SWC and honorable mention All-America honors. After earning a spot on the PGA Tour at age 21, Mitchell spent nine years playing professionally. He made 111 tournament cuts and had 12 top 10 finishes. Career highlights include winning the 1981 Phoenix Open and the 1978 Texas State Open. Mitchell took over the coaching duties of the Texas Tech women's golf team in 1990 and oversaw the men's golf program as well when he became Director of Golf in 1998. He was twice named National Golf Coaches Association's West District Coach of the Year (1993, 1996) and twice the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year (1994, 1996). Mitchell resigned after the 2000 to assume the head men's golf coach position at Stanford. |
