Kansas City Chiefs' and former Red Raider quarterback Patrick Mahomes was inducted into Texas Tech University's Ring of Honor this past weekend in recognition of his tremendous career in Lubbock from 2014-16. Texas Tech's Athletic Director, Kirby Hocutt, surprised Mahomes with the news back in August after a Chiefs' preseason game. Two months later, Mahomes is now enshrined amongst the greatest players in school history.
"What an honor to be a part of this great university," Mahomes said. "When I first came here, I never would have imagined being able to be in the Texas Tech Hall of Fame or being inducted into the Ring of Honor."
In Mahomes' three-year career in the scarlet and black, he tallied 11,252 passing yards and 115 total touchdowns in just 32 games. He ended his career with the third-most passing yards, touchdown passes and completions (857) in school history.
It's for all of those accolades and more that Mahomes was honored during halftime of the Red Raiders' matchup with Baylor this past Saturday. The ceremony, which he watched alongside his family on the field, included video tributes by his father, Patrick Mahomes Sr., and Arizona Cardinals' Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was Mahomes' coach at Texas Tech. Mahomes was then handed a medal and a frame signifying his induction into the Ring of Honor before his name and jersey number were unveiled alongside Texas Tech's other greats.
"When you look at the face of the NFL, that is Patrick Mahomes," Hocutt said. "Patrick's accomplishments at Texas Tech are well documented with his success as one of the top quarterbacks in college football history. Patrick is an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion, but, most importantly, he's a Red Raider who remains an avid supporter of our great university."
Mahomes is now one of eight players to receive the honor, joining Zach Thomas, Michael Crabtree and Elmer Tarbox, to name a few.
"It was a cool and very surreal moment," Mahomes said. "It was even better than I thought it would be. Just being on the field and hearing your name and watching that banner drop and seeing your name on the stadium, I mean it's just something you don't imagine when you go into college. To have that moment is something I'll have forever."
