Legendary Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes passes away

Legendary Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes passes away

Published Apr. 10, 2017 2:55 p.m. ET

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Longtime Texas Tech football coach Spike Dykes passed away on Monday. He was 79.

Dykes was the head coach of the Red Raiders from 1986-99 with an 82-67-1 record. He retired as the winning coach in program history.

Dykes was a legend in Texas. He coached numerous high school programs throughout his career. He was also an assistant at the University of Texas under legendary coach Darrell Royal from 1972-76.

Current Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was recruited and played for Dykes in Lubbock.

"My favorite memory was my very first start at Tech," Kingsbury told FOX Sports Southwest in 2013.  "It was Spike Dykes' last game. We were 5-5 and needed a win to send him out with a winning record. We won the game, beating Oklahoma even though we were big underdogs, and carried Spike off the field in his last game ever."

Dykes’ son, Sonny, was Texas Tech’s wide receiver coach from 2000-06. He is currently an offensive analyst at TCU.

Dykes was a three-time Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, and the 1996 Big 12 Coach of the Year. He was induced into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

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