Steve Sloan began his Texas Tech coaching career in 1975 with victories at home over Florida State and New Mexico. However, in his third Tech game, he took his players to Austin to play coach Darrell Royal's Texas Longhorns.
The 'Horns, who were still smarting from a 26-3 loss in Lubbock a year earlier, crushed the Red Raiders 42-18.
Dirk drew two bullet holes in what was left of the Red Raider's hat, but Tech only had one loss at the time - a departure from the usual custom of matching holes to the number of losses.
The night before the game, someone poured a bucket of orange paint on Tech's horse, Happy Five, in Brady, where Joe Kim King, Tech's 1975-76 Masked Rider, had stopped to visit his parents on the way to Austin. King's father was a veterinarian and immediately began treating the horse when the prank was discovered. Happy Five recovered, and King found a stand-in black horse to ride at the game.
Texas, Arkansas and Texas A&M were all tough in 1975 and all finished with 6-1 Southwest Conference records.
The Boo Bird's "Vandy" comment referred to Sloan's two seasons coaching Vanderbilt University before coming to Tech.
The Baylor Bear quoted the old line about college football ties in that pre-overtime era, but made a good point - Baylor had tied No. 9 Michigan 14-14.
TCU was 0-3 and on its way to a 1-10 season. It would be the Horned Frogs' fourth consecutive losing season.
