On Thursday, Texas Tech Athletics announced its newest class being inducted into the department’s hall of fame. Not to be confused with the hall of honor, the hall of fame is for former Texas Tech student-athletes only.
The 2020 Texas Tech Hall of Fame class will feature seven former Red Raider student-athletes. Track and field athlete D’Andra Carter, golf’s Brooke Lowrance, volleyball’s Chris Martin, baseball’s Jason Totman, men’s basketball’s Ronald Ross and the duo of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree of football represent this year’s class.
Double T Varsity Club Executive Director and former Red Raider student-athlete Rodney Allison said this class was put together by former players and coaches via Zoom virtual meetings due to COVID-19.
He mentioned this year’s banquet is not yet set in stone, though. They will monitor all COVID-19 developments and make a decision that’s right for all of those involved in order to honor this group of seven.
“I’ll just start out by saying we're excited to get this class behind us,” Allison said. “With these uncertain times, we decided as an athletic department to go ahead and have the 2020 class and elect them into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame. Still in discussions about how that will look moving forward as a banquet recognition– what we're going to do in that regard to honor this really good class. We did all our Zoom meetings as a committee, the nomination, the voting and you probably all know that this is nominated by former players and coaches and it's voted on strictly by former players and coaches and this year we've got about around 88 nominations to the Hall of Fame and it's really tough getting on the ballot this year.
Harrell and Crabtree arguably highlight this year’s class as two of the most memorable Texas Tech football players of all time, Allison said.
Allison, however, said the likes of Carter and Lowrance, for example, make this class even more special as two former Lady Raider All-Americans.
“I think this is my seventh year working with the hall of fame. I think it’s probably from top to bottom one our top classes,” Allison said. “I say that every year but this one’s got a lot of quality and depth to it to really make it outstanding and so forth.”
Allison did say it’s still special to induct Crabtree and Harrell together, though. He said in past years it’s been somewhat of a plan to make that happen but both, at the time, were still very active with the game of football with Harrell now coaching in the NCAA Division I ranking and Crabtree still playing in the NFL.
“It wasn't exactly planned like that but as you know Crabtree – what we usually try to do if you're playing in the NFL we try to hopefully wait until your playing career is over in order to put you in because we like you to be back at the at the banquet so we can actually do it in person,” Allison said. “And with Crabtree that just kind of fell in line with Harrell. Harrell was eligible I guess two years ago but the last two years he's had football conflicts on the weekend that we were going to honor these folks. We've been in constant touch with both over the last few years or last couple years and it just worked out that way with Graham and Michael that we could get them here in the same year and it was somewhat planned. I mean we wanted that to happen and for them two guys to go in together if we could, but it just fortunately worked out. Coach Helton is nice enough at USC to let Graham come if we stay on schedule with our banquet and so that was kind of part of the deal we got approval from. We've been working on that for you know several months and so but ideally, I think it's best that they could go in together. I think it really made for a neat night.”
Ross is the only Texas Tech basketball player being inducted into the hall of fame this year. Ross most recently was a member of Chris Beard’s men’s basketball coaching staff but moved to Dallas along with his family.
The process for Allison is to call the former student-athletes and deliver the news of their selection. He said his conversation with Ross is one he won’t forget.
“He was on the team that went to the Sweet Sixteen. I think this is the first time he’s been on the ballot that I remember, but I may be wrong, but just an iconic player that played for coach (Bob) Knight and coach Beard was here at the time. I kinda hate to see him go. When I talked to Ronald he was thrilled to death to be able to get into the hall of fame … You know my call with Ronald Ross was really a neat call and he was excited and just in couldn't believe it and that type of deal. I get so many responses when I call these folks and it's really a neat thing to get the opportunity to do and Ronald was one of those memorable calls and I'll always remember.”
Allison, a member of the Texas Tech Hall of Fame, said it’s hard for people that didn’t compete in some aspect at Texas Tech to understand the significant impact it has on the former student-athletes. He added he’s thrilled to be a part of the selection.
Allison said they have a plan in order to host a banquet as they do annually, but those plans could change and they’ll have to deal with it like the rest of the country.
“We’re still working. We’ve got a plan to possibly do it virtually,” Allison said. “We’ve got a plan to do it as scheduled. We’ve got a plan to maybe move it to the spring. We’re looking at three or four different things. My feeling is to have a hall of fame class – I think it’s really special for these people to get to come back and be in front of their friends and family and actually be inducted in person. That’s what I hope happens. I think that’s the best-case scenario if we can do that. I just don’t have a great sense on what it would be like to do it not in person. If we have to, then that’s what we’ll do and we’ll do it that way.”
