Who Created The 'Guns Up' Sign? The True Texas Tech Story

Dippel wanted something that set Red Raiders apart from the Longhorns dominating hand-sign culture around Texas at the time. What started as one alumnus making a point in Austin turned into the gesture every Tech fan now throws up at Jones AT&T Stadium and every road game across the country.

The sign carries more than one meaning at this point. It works as a rally cry, a victory signal, and shorthand for anyone who claims Texas Tech as their school. Anyone who has sat in the stands for a home game has seen thousands of hands go up at once, and most probably never thought about where it came from or why.

For people here, the story matters because it ties a piece of everyday Lubbock life, something flashed at bars on 19th Street and tailgates near the stadium, back to one specific person with one specific grudge against Austin. It is not a corporate marketing invention, just one man's response to something he was tired of seeing.

Fifty-five years later, a hand sign born out of spite toward Longhorn fans has become the most recognized symbol of Texas Tech pride.