Email this article to a friend
June 5, 2007
2007-2008 Masked Rider Takes the Reins
Horseman fulfills childhood dream by becoming part of the tradition.
Written by Cory Chandler and Gretchen Pressley
Kevin Burns realized his lifelong dream when he was elected to be the new Masked Rider.
Kevin Burns was born on a horse breeding farm and had his picture taken sitting astride a mount only two days later.
He is such an avid horseman – and Red Raider – that as a child he told anyone who’d listen he was going to be the Masked Rider someday.
“I grew up watching the Masked Rider,” says the junior animal science major from Clovis, N.M. “I was a Texas Tech fan and I worked with horses. It was just something I wanted to do.”
Now he’s made good on all those childhood promises, taking up the reins as the 2007-2008 Masked Rider.
Riding Midnight Matador, Burns will make hundreds of appearances in Lubbock and across Texas to promote Texas Tech spirit and goodwill at athletic events, parades, rodeos and elsewhere.
“This is going to be an exciting year,” he says. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this for a long time. The Masked Rider is a Texas Tech icon and I can hardly believe I get to be a part of this tradition.”
Burns already knows his way around a saddle. He grew up showing and training horses and spent his first two years at Texas Tech as a member of the university’s Horse Judging Team. Last summer, he flew to Europe to help teach horsemanship clinics in Germany and Austria.
Now he’ll don the famed cape and mask as the 46th Texas Tech student to officially serve as the Masked Rider, which became the university mascot on January 1, 1954.
Tradition Reins
Despite the Masked Rider’s 53-year history as an official mascot, the mysterious figure has been appearing at Texas Tech athletic events for more than six decades.
Originally known as “Ghost Riders,” the first Masked Riders sporadically stormed Texas Tech home football games when daring students threw on capes and masks and raced across the field.
The mascot itself was birthed as a prank – the brainchild of two Saddle Tramps, Arch Lamb and George Tate, who in 1936 borrowed a horse from the then-college’s dairy barn and raided a game. Lamb came up with the idea while Tate executed the plan.
"Arch told me not to stay long, just like a phantom," Tate said in an interview long after the event. "I didn’t want to stay either because I wasn’t supposed to have the horse. It was top secret. We never spoke of it. Even my roommate–I’m sure he knew it was me, but he never mentioned it."
The rider was not seen again until 1954 when Joe Kirk Fulton traveled to Florida to make an appearance at the Auburn vs. Tech in the Gator Bowl game.
Though the tradition is beloved among Red Raiders and their supporters, the Masked Rider has a long and controversial history.
The famous bronze statue of the Masked Rider proudly stands in front of the Frazier Alumni Pavilion. Bricks presenting the names of former riders surround the statue.
At the beginning, the Masked Rider was chosen by a faculty member from the animal science department. For 20 years, this system worked without a hitch. However, in 1974, Texas Tech faced its first national controversy associated with the mascot: a woman was elected to the Masked Rider position.
Across the country, critics and supporters of Anne Lynch, the first female mascot, wrote to the college newspaper with their opinions. One letter even demanded that Lynch step down from her post. Another wrote that "the feelings of pride and heart pounded excitement that each and every Tech fan has experienced while watching the traditional ride, have just been crushed. What next, women for the football players? What has the great Texas Tech college come to?"
Despite the negative reactions, Lynch retained her esteemed position. Her situation spawned a new way of choosing the mascot every year. A Masked Rider committee was created, composed of faculty members, students and one ex-student.
Since then, both male and female students have served the role in a storied and unique collegiate tradition.
A Horse of a Different Color
Not long after the nation stopped discussing the election of a female Masked Rider, Texas Tech once again started making headlines for other troubles with it's choice of a mascot.
Over the years, several people, including a cheerleader and a referee, were injured by the horse as it rushed past during the football games.
But the most famous accident occurred in 1994, on the debut run of Amy Smart, the newly-elected Masked Rider. The horse's name at that time was Double T. According to historical documents, as Double T flew around the northwest corner of the stadium, the saddle slipped to the left, and Smart was thrown to the track. The riderless horse bolted toward the west sideline as fans, players and officials scurried toward the south end of the stadium. Double T ran into the southwest ramp, slipped and struck his head on the cement wall surrounding the ramp.
Smart wasn't hurt, but Double T died instantly. The students, faculty and administration of Texas Tech agreed that it was a freak accident and not Smart's fault.
Double T wasn't the only horse injured during his time serving the Masked Rider. On two separate occasions, Masked Rider's horses were injured and vandalized because of their roles in exciting the fans at football games.
The first incident occurred in 1963, when a mare known as Tech Beauty was stolen before Texas Tech played A&M. For three days she was hobbled and locked in a shed near Idalou without food or water. Her captors had also sprayed the letters AMC across her side with aluminum paint. Tech Beauty died the following spring due to complications during foaling.
The second time a horse was injured due to a prank was in 1975. The Masked Rider at the time, Joe Kim King, boarded the horse, Happy V, at his father's veterinary stables on the way to Austin for the UT game. During the night, vandals sprayed orange toxic enamel paint all over the horse's hindquarters, tail and back legs. Fortunately for his fans, Happy V recovered in time to finish the football season that year. However, three years later, Happy V died from a ruptured intestine, which may have been caused by the effects of the toxic paint.
Despite these scattered tragedies, the Masked Rider tradition remains one of the most beloved at Texas Tech.
For more information, visit the Masked Rider Web page.
More Texas Tech Traditions:
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.
Web layout by Gretchen Pressley