Over the last 30 years, Oregon mega-donor Phil Knight threw so much money at his alma mater, the Oregon Ducks, that almost overnight the Ducks went from the bottom tier of Pac-10 football to a national power. His financial power gave the Ducks a national brand. No mid-level athletic program in college sports climbed so far so fast as the Ducks.
Now come the Texas Tech Red Raiders, backed by billionaire Cody Campbell, who has helped to make Tech a big player in almost all sports, from softball to football and beyond. Maybe former Arizona football coach Bob Winslow saw it coming. A month before the 1951 football season at the old downtown Pioneer Hotel, Winslow told the UA's sports booster group to keep an eye on the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech University Systems Board of Regents chairman Cody Campbell attends the Big 12 championship football game, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
"I don't know if it's oil money or where it comes from," Winslow told the Star. "But it's used to get players we meet on the playing field. It's getting out of hand and the emphasis on winning is far too great. Texas Tech is furnished with a fund of $400,000 in which to give to a football team."
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Two years later, Texas Tech went 11-1 and had a three-year run of 25-6-2. Winslow and Arizona? He was fired after the ’51 season for going 12-18-1 over three seasons.Â
Now, all these years later, Winslow's words ring true: "it's getting out of hand and the emphasis on winning is far too great."
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