Editor’s Note: The Avalanche-Journal is counting down the best all-time Texas Tech players at each position as the Red Raiders head toward their 1,000th game on Sept. 5 against Sam Houston State.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE —
DAN IRONS
The reason why: He was a cornerstone of one of Texas Tech’s best teams, the 10-2 bunch in 1976. Irons grew from a 6-foot-6, 225-pound second-team all-state tight end at Monterey to a 6-7, 260-pound all-America tackle at Tech while retaining fine agility. He was reputed to be the best tennis player on the Tech team at the time, and some Southwest Conference schools recruited him for basketball.