Attorney Chuck Lanehart uncovers the unknown history of Texas Tech’s first mascot. Below is a preview of his newest Caprock Chronicle.

The story of Texas Tech’s first mascot is familiar. Saddle Tramp Arch Lamb dreamed up the idea in 1936. That fall, George Tate—wearing a scarlet satin cape—led the Matadors onto the football field riding a horse borrowed from the Tech barn, and the Matadors became known as the Red Raiders. The tradition lapsed until the first masked rider—Joe Kirk Fulton—charged across the field riding the magnificent steed Blackie at the 1954 Gator Bowl.

But the familiar version of the first Tech mascot is inaccurate. The first mascot was not a masked rider on a horse. Tech’s first mascot was instead a bull with a braggadocios brand. He became barbecue.