Remembering the time when Texas Tech played in Japan
Remember the time Texas Tech played in Japan? The college football season kicks off Saturday as Kansas State and Iowa State do battle in Ireland. For the third year in a row, the Aer Lingus Classic will be hosted at Aviva Stadium.
Long before college football was ever taken to Ireland, the Coca-Cola Classic was played in Tokyo, Japan starting in 1977.
It was the 1988 season when Tech took the show overseas in the Tokyo Dome. A glorified regular season game, the Red Raiders squared off with Oklahoma State on Dec. 4. The Cowboys fielded several familiar faces, led by quarterback and legendary head coach Mike Gundy. In his second season as the Pokes’ starter, Gundy was aided by Heisman winner Barry Sanders.
Having just learned he had won the Heisman hours before the game kicked off, Sanders dominated the Red Raiders to the tune of 322 yards and four touchdowns. Still, the 5-5 Tech squad put up a fight, only succumbing to OSU by a final score of 45-42. When the teams played in Japan, it was the first time in 13 seasons since they had met on the field.
Tech played in Japan with several program legends
Head coach Spike Dykes, accompanied by OC Dick Winder and DC Carlos Mainard, were all in their second seasons on the Tech coaching staff.
Quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver led the way for the Red Raiders with 2,869 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Another notable name on the roster came in the form of running back James Gray, the team’s leading rusher with 938 yards and 11 scores.
Other notable names included on the roster were RB Anthony Lynn, WR Tyrone Thurman and a young Rodney Blackshear.
1988 was a roller coaster season for Dykes’ Red Raiders. Tech started the season losing four of its first five games. The Red Raiders wound up rattling off four-straight wins, including rivalry victories over Texas and TCU.
Would Tech ever go overseas again?
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State played in Japan in 1988. This marked the 63rd game of college football not played on United States soil.
Notable participants in the Coca-Cola Classic in Japan were, to that point, Notre Dame (1979), UCLA (1980), Clemson (1982) and SMU (1983).
Texas Tech, both as a school and football program, have made exponential progress since the days of playing in Japan. With the school pushing to play as many home games as possible moving forward, it is unlikely the program will go overseas anytime soon.
