IN THE LEAD

Caylene Caddell played Lady Raider basketball from 1970-73 – prehistoric times for women’s college athletics.

Prehistoric?

The Lady Raider media guide lists season results starting in the 1975-76 season. So, in that sense, kind of prehistoric.

Her parents would drive 200 miles to watch her play at Tech.

“Sometimes, they were the only ones to watch,” Caddell told an audience celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

“Women’s athletics didn’t exist at that point. Everything we had we had to fight for, scratching and clawing. We had to buy our own uniforms my freshman year for basketball. The coach went to a Ford dealership here in Lubbock and begged for a van for us to travel in. We drove everywhere. We went to Houston one weekend, played four games and drove back to Lubbock,” she said.

It was almost a decade after Caddell’s final season that women’s sports came under the NCAA.

It’s important for Caddell to support Texas Tech women’s sports.

“I had some of the best years of my life at this school – running track and playing basketball. So I’m trying to do whatever I can do to help Texas Tech be its very best. For me to be able to donate money or time or whatever to show support for these women who are playing now is very important,” she said.

Caddell was on one of two panel discussions held in Lubbock’s Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts on January 27. Later that night, a dinner celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1993 Lady Raiders winning the national title.

More events were held the next morning before the Lady Raider-Baylor basketball game, where all Lady Raider alumni came onto court at halftime to huge applause. One of those was Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 47 points in the ’93 title game in Atlanta to defeat Ohio State. Swoopes went on to win multiple Olympic gold medals and WNBA titles.

We Need Strong Leaders

Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech’s Director of Athletics, spoke before the panel discussions.

“I’m fortunate because I get to represent 168 female student athletes,” he said.

Hocutt wants those student athletes to have a world-class experience at Tech that takes what they do in competition and in the classroom to prepare them to be future leaders.

“We need strong female leaders today more than ever,” he said.

“They also accept the responsibility serving as role models for girls in our community, to show girls in Lubbock and the surrounding areas and those daughters of the Red Raider Nation that they can play sports. They can attend and graduate from Texas Tech University,” Hocutt added.

And after graduation?

Brandi Stuart, Tech’s Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator, implored the women in attendance to give back once they’ve moved on.

“Never lose that connection you have with Texas Tech, the time you spent here and the people who poured into you while you were here,” said Stuart.

There are many ways to give back, said Andrea Tirey, Senior Associate Athletics Director/Development – to support Tech’s 168 female student athletes with scholarships, nutrition, academic support, training, mental health and more.

“You can be a donor, buy tickets to women’s sports events and be a Red Raider Club member,” she said.

Stuart came up with the idea for the celebration and hosted one panel. Former Lady Raider Zuri Sanders, now part of Krista Gerlich’s Lady Raider staff, hosted the other.

Their guests talked about who supported them as they developed as athletes, how they impact the future and some stories from Gerlich and one of her teammates of that magical Lady Raider season 30 years ago.

Because of Athletics

Caddell told a story about how sports turned one young girl’s life around.

Caddell taught and coached for 34 years at Lubbock’s Estacado High School. She would contact coaches at Estacado’s feeder schools, asking if they had any athletes who could compete at the varsity level as ninth graders.

One coach mentioned a girl.

Caddell – who kept tabs on athletes at feeder schools – had never seen her compete and asked why. She was told the girl couldn’t compete because she was being disciplined.

The girl had a hard life, raising her 12-year-old sister and dealing with being abandoned by their grandmother at one point, Caddell said.

The girl came to Estacado:

• State champion in the long jump her junior year.

• Scholarship to compete for Kansas, where she got her degree.

• She now teaches in the Metroplex.

“It was all because of athletics,” Caddell said.

Stuart asked Caddell if she passed on life lessons to this athlete during their time at Estacado.

“Absolutely. We still talk occasionally. She has two young daughters who are fantastic. They think I’m their grandmother,” said Caddell, getting a warm laugh from the audience.

Natasha Watley, winner of gold and silver Olympic medals for the U.S. softball team, played softball with Stuart growing up in Southern California. (Stuart went on to play softball at Florida State and is in that school’s Hall of Fame.)

Watley shared a story about speaking in South Los Angeles, showing off her medals and telling young girls how sports can open opportunities. One girl then asked what softball was.

“This was 45 minutes away from where I grew up and she had no idea what softball was,” said Watley, who started a nonprofit to make softball more accessible.

Taylor Limbaugh, a Tech track runner, talked about how she can be an example.

“The biggest thing as a student athlete is our platform and being able to set a good example for little girls all over the state, country and world to show they can achieve their goals whether that’s in or outside of sports,” said the sophomore.

She enjoys volunteering with kids in elementary schools.

“I show them they can do what they want to do even with people going against them, telling them they can’t do that because they aren’t worthy,” said Limbaugh.

Empowering women is one of Gerlich’s primary goals, especially when they deal with social media attacks.

“It’s so difficult for young girls and young women to be confident in what they do because the moment they make a mistake it gets blasted on social media and that never goes away. I’m thankful we didn’t have that when I played,” she told the crowd.

“We tell our kids from day one how much we believe in them and – this is one of my favorite things I say to them and I’m sure they’re like, ‘whatever coach’ – I wish they could see them- selves through my eyes. Because I brought them here for a reason. I see greatness in them, the potential they have and the sky’s the limit,” Gerlich said.

Tech softball player Abbie Orrick echoed Gerlich’s comments, saying even on a bad day she reminds herself she’s good enough to play Division I sports at a school in a major conference.

“My coach always believes in me. I’m here for a reason,” she said.

Limbaugh says support from her coaching staff helps keep her grounded.

“Everyone has an opinion on what you should do, how you should perform, what you should look like, how you should act, especially in sports. So knowing there are a lot of people who truly support us, want us to be here and know we can succeed is really reassuring and empowering,” she said.

Having confidence and trust in yourself is what golf’s about, said JoJo Robertson, who’s led the women’s program at Tech since 2010.

“You learn through preparation. We try to have our team the most prepared we can be. Then, as a coach, when we get to a tournament, we basically turn them loose. You have to trust your own decisions. In golf, you’re the only person out there and the only one responsible for your score. It’s all about preparation and believing in yourself,” Robertson said.

You also learn through failure, said Orrick.

“Softball is a game of failure,” she said. The top players hit safely four or five times out of every ten trips to the plate, which means they fail half or more of the time.

Gerlich agreed.

“It’s so true in any sport. You’re gonna fail more than you succeed. You learn so much more from a failure than you do from a win. It’s about that journey of going through that,” she said.

Panelists told the crowd – many of them Tech female student athletes – to enjoy what they’re doing now, understand failure is part of growth and not to give up.

“Be where your feet are planted, be patient, give yourself some grace,” said Stuart.

Family Impact

Women on both panels talked about support they had growing up from family and beyond.

Limbaugh told the story of her mom running the Chicago Marathon with a stress fracture in her foot and qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

“Stories like that just set the bar for – wow – I can do hard things and my mom is so cool,” she said.

Gerlich said her parents modeled two kinds of love and support.

“My dad was my coach in high school. He taught me how to be tough because he was tough on me,” said Gerlich of her time at Sudan High, where they won a state title.

“My dad taught me what tough love was all about and how I could do hard things and that I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. My mom was always the unconditional supporter who had my back and took me shopping every time I had a bad game,” she said.

Ashleigh Williams, member of Tech’s soccer squad, said her mother has inspired her, instilling in her daughter the belief she can be successful. She played sports with her “guy friends” growing up and learned if you prove yourself, you gain respect and confidence.

National Champions

Marsha Sharp, who led the Lady Raiders to that ’93 title, also had a huge impact on Gerlich, empowering her to be accountable.

Gerlich was going through a shooting slump early in her Tech career.

“Coach Sharp pulled me aside after practice and asked me, ‘what got you to be a Division I basketball player?’” said Gerlich.

Gerlich told Sharp she was in the gym all the time. She grew up in the gym.

“So why aren’t you in the gym all the time now?” Gerlich said Sharp asked her.

Gerlich answered they’d already been in the gym for three hours. Sharp suggested she do four hours instead of three.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks. When you get to college, your mom and dad aren’t there to say ‘hey, why aren’t you training? Why aren’t you putting in the extra effort?’” she said.

Gerlich had no plans to coach, but Sharp’s leadership changed that.

“I want to impact people. I want to empower young women. I want to teach them to be confident in their field, their craft and learn how to win,” she said.

Janice Farris Legan was asked how it all came together the year the Lady Raiders won the title, with Sharp sitting in the front row.

“I’d say this even if Coach Sharp wasn’t sitting right here, but coach was the mastermind. She was great at communication,” said Legan.

Sharp told players what their role was.

“As long as we embraced that role, then things started clicking. Buy-in is huge,” she said.

When the Lady Raiders returned to Lubbock with the national championship – they were surprised by a packed Jones Stadium welcoming them home.

That West Texas support for women’s sports runs from generation to generation, Gerlich said.

“It’s empowering. It’s important. It teaches so many life lessons. I think that’s why there are so many strong women in West Texas to this day,” she said.

West Texas has been for girls and womens’ hoops, Gerlich said.

“You can see that by going to girls’ games today. It’s crazy how many people are in those gyms watching girls’ basketball,” she said, adding how when a small-town team made it to the state finals, the whole town went with them.

Legan also told some funny stories about refereeing, which she started after she stopped coaching. There was a critical need for referees and it kept her close to basketball.

“Some girls are just learning. In one game a girl looked at me and she was so tired. There’s 40 seconds left in the game and she asked me, ‘which basket is ours?’” Legan told the audience.

Legan’s generally impressed at the quality of young coaches and how they work with young athletes.

“They’re positive and pouring into these kids,” she said.

Refereeing has made her more sensitive to those in striped shirts.

“You don’t realize how much you think you know in the stands until you step on the court and make those calls,” she said.

She felt differently 30 years ago, describing how Sharp battled with officials. “She’d battle for us and stand up for us like coaches do,” she said.

The Lady Raiders created a t-shirt with a list of “Coach Sharp’s Top Ten Ref Slams.”

“She had some great ones and whatever she said, they deserved it,” said Legan.

BY TERRY GREENBERG

After Dusty Womble (pictured, left) attended the first meeting of the Big 12 Conference Business Advisory Board, he said, “I’m sure nobody went home after that meeting and told their buddies, ‘Hey, Dusty Womble was at this meeting.’”

Among the roughly three-dozen members of the board are:

• Country superstar Garth Brooks.

• Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.

• High-ranking executives in business, entertainment and sports from companies like Allstate, Nike, the NBA, Molson Coors Beverage, Albertsons, Lowes and Hard Rock International.

“When you read their bios, you really appreciate how significant it is for them to be on that committee and to be on the committee with them,” said Womble, a major donor to his alma mater of Texas Tech – leading the way on the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center and the soon-to-be-built Womble Football Center.

Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech’s Director of Athletics, also attended that first meeting held during the Big 12 Football Championship game. After new Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark talked about the purpose and concept of the advisory board, he got into agen- da items. Most of the members were there in person with others on Zoom.

Hocutt countered Womble’s self-deprecating humor.

“The first person he asked for his thought on a particular topic was Dusty Womble and Dusty provided such great insight. Dusty is a leader, a brilliant mind and he’s going to be a great resource for Commissioner Yormark to have on that advisory board,” Hocutt said.

Bullish on the Big 12

In the middle of 2021, Big 12 Conference members and fans were rocked by news that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving for the Southeastern Conference. Media reports had the Big 12 on life support, with then-Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby saying the value of the conference’s TV rights could be cut in half.

Fast forward to now.

Yormark negotiated a better TV deal than what was expected back in 2021, the conference is getting ready to welcome four new members and the future looks - “I’m very bullish on the outlook for the Big 12. I couldn’t be more optimistic about our future,” Hocutt said.

“From top to bottom it’s one of the most competitive conferences in the country. It is by far the most competitive men’s basketball conference in the country and all our other sports are just as strong,” Hocutt said.

He praised Yormark’s “fresh vision.”

Tech President Lawrence Schovanec is also impressed with Yormark, who he communicates with constantly as chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors, made up of the conference university presidents.

“The commissioner has been wonderful. He’s brought great amount of energy, launched a lot of initiatives and there’s so much more to be done. Most significantly he helped secure a new TV contract. Contrary to the prevailing thought we would take a big financial hit, we did not in the new contract. I have a positive outlook for the league,” said Tech’s president.

More than a week after Schovanec and Hocutt were interviewed for this story, it was announced Texas and Oklahoma will leave a year early, after the 2023-24 school year. The schools will pay the Big 12 $100 million to leave early.

“Finding a satisfactory resolution to this matter that is fair to all parties and best positions the Big 12 moving forward has been a top priority,” said Schovanec in a Big 12 press release.

“This agreement would not have occurred without the collaboration of the presidents and chancellors of all 10 Big 12 universities, and our tremendous partners at ESPN and FOX. I am very grateful for everyone’s efforts to make today’s announcement possible,” Schovanec said.

The League Will Be Fine Womble met Yormark (pictured, left) when he first visited Lubbock.

“I was supposed to spend 30 minutes with him and we ended up spending close to an hour together,” said the Lubbock businessman. “We talked about a little bit of everything. He’s had a very interesting career and is a high energy, charismatic guy. He’s from sports, but not necessarily college athletics. So his perspective of some things in college were a little different. But I love the guy. He’s great,” Womble said.

He's also impressed by the impression Yormark makes on people he knows who’ve spent time with the new commissioner.

Womble was also excited with that first meeting in the Metroplex.

“There was presentation from his staff – very choreographed, very rehearsed, very professionally done. Then we had probably 45 minutes or so of dialogue about specific topics,” Womble said.

Rebranding was discussed.

“Do we refresh and change our logo? And if so what would that do? That was probably one of the more interesting discussions,” he said. Womble will serve on the board’s rebranding/ redesign committee.

In addition, Womble said he’s shared with Yormark an idea about the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament he hopes will eventually be adopted but added it was too early to say anything more at this time.

Womble agrees with Schovanec and Hocutt about the conference’s future.

“I do think we were really concerned with the departure of Texas and Oklahoma, but we’ve caught our breath and realize how valuable the league is,” he said.

Womble also pointed out Texas and Oklahoma have not been the Big 12’s dominant programs since they announced plans to go to the SEC, with neither school playing in the last two Big 12 Conference Championship Football games.

“Do they have a rich tradition? Yes. But if you look at today’s snapshot, this league is going to be just fine,” Womble said, adding the Big 12 will not go backwards when adding Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and UCF – especially in men’s hoops.

“I think the coaches will tell you the league will be tougher, more competitive and highly regarded,” Womble added.

Womble pointed out the way the Big 12 Football Championship game was run as an example of Yormark’s influence with Ashanti singing the national anthem.

“Brett embraces marketing. He understands our image and how we are viewed in the younger demographics, which translates to viewership, which translates to dollars which translates to fan attendance,” Womble said.

People in Womble’s generation may question some things the Big 12 does, but that’s not the target audience.

“Brett’s not trying to embrace 63-year-old Dusty Womble. He’s trying to embrace the prospective college student, the recent college graduate, the young 30s crowd,” Womble said.

Womble also has concerns about the impact of Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal, but believes Yormark and other conference commissioners can find solutions.

Womble has no problem with student athletes earning money but is concerned how some schools can have an unfair advantage.

“The transfer portal is being used for leverage by athletes. It’s not only free agency every year but almost every week and it’s creating chaos. It makes it difficult for our coaching staffs to prepare these young men and women for life because once they get out of school that’s not the way real life is,” Womble said.

He used the example of someone getting a job at a major accounting firm, not liking an assignment and telling their boss they’re going to call a different firm.

“They’re going to find out real fast that’s not the way the real world works,” he said.

“We’ve got some monumental issues we’ve got to address and leaders like Brett will help us do that,” Womble said.

Build & Expand the Brand

Schovanec is impressed with Yormark’s business advisory group as an example of his strengths.

“Brett is very astute in marketing and collaboration and this is just one example of what he’s so effectively brought to the conference. His range of contacts is amazing and he has deep relationships with these people he can call on,” said Schovanec.

Tech’s president also praised Yormark’s ability to build bridges and communicate.

“He’s always bringing new ideas and possibilities to the board and this is healthy for us. University administrators tend to proceed cautiously and Brett pushes the boundaries in ways that are healthy for the conference,” Schovanec said.

Yormark has also built strong relationships with the conference’s athletic directors, some – Schovanec said – who were initially cautious because Yormark didn’t come from a college athletics background.

Hocutt is excited about how Yormark’s ideas and network can expand the Big 12’s footprint.

“How can we build and expand our brand and create new revenue streams? He’s not thinking only across the country, he’s thinking across the world. How can we gain and have different opportunities. He’s challenging our athletic directors to think differently than we’ve ever thought,” Hocutt said.

Speaking of expanding, Hocutt said growing the Big 12 is always an agenda item.

Womble says things have been discussed about expansion.

“But I don’t think people at my level won’t know about it until we read about it in a press release or get a call from Brett,” he said.

Ty Coleman’s teammates at Texas Tech like to call him “Coach Coleman.”

After having shoulder surgery, Coleman was forced to be a designated hitter only last season.

“It almost like being a bench coach,” Coleman admitted. “Players would come to me during the game and ask my opinion. I would try to help them out.”

Wearing the title “Coach Coleman” is a family tradition.