We all have nightmares, some bigger than others.

Last night I was, as many Red Raider fans were, angrier than a kicked hornets nest. I wanted something to ease my pain as a fan of the program. I couldn’t find an easy solution because there was none. The Texas Tech Red Raider Football program has been in a malaise for decades. I know, as I’ve watched every year since I came to Lubbock in 1992.

I hate change, there I said it. I try to go onto the easiest path possible now because I’ve been the one to tread the path least traveled. Though it does make a difference, the scars never go away. I’ve tried to be the voice of keeping Kliff Kingsbury for years and last night I had my breaking point. Why? Because there is no solution that will fix the problem the Red Raiders have. We’ve tried established coaches who have led their previous teams to national titles. That didn’t work. We brought in a renegade that energized the program and elevated it to new heights. Then we let administration figures and people who were being overshadowed fire him. That didn’t work. We’ve now tried bringing an old hero home, trying to reunite a fan base that is as splintered as our country is now.

Facts:

Mike Leach isn’t coming back to Texas Tech ever.
Texas Tech isn’t going to ever pay Mike Leach.

Get those things locked into your mind because those are stone cold absolutes.

Someone called during the Rockin’ Postgame last night saying we shouldn’t feel sorry. Kliff made over $300,000 for coaching the game versus Kansas State in Manhattan. I disagree. We should feel regret and compassion for him.

In the last 3 months of this year, I have felt the following pains:

My best friend, of almost 15 years, diagnosed with stage 3+ Cancer, the same type as John McCain, tries to say good bye to me.
My 19 year old daughter has decided that she doesn’t need me anymore and we are now estranged.
My wife and I almost died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
A friend of mine decided, since I didn’t believe the same political philosophy as her, to end a 30 year friendship.

Those are the low points but I rarely bring them up. You wouldn’t care. You care about me entertaining you and delivering you information you want to know.

Kliff cares about this program more than some of us care about the thing we cherish the most. He gets up when most of us are asleep, works longer than most of us think about and heads home to where he is alone. He does whatever it takes to improve this program while trying to live his life, surviving his own personal nightmares.

He can’t tell us the challenges he faces. He can’t tell us of the nightmares he has. He can’t break down and tell us he’s trying his best because all we care about is wins and losses.

Last night I asked Kirby Hocutt to do the right thing and fire Kliff to free him of the nightmare he lives every day.

As of right now, he has not.

The opinions previous expressed are those of the writer and not those of Alpha Media USA, or its advertisers.

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