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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

The Kliff Kingsbury beard tracker: Texas Tech’s facial hair win streak comes to an end

The Red Raiders started winning when their coach started sporting more facial hair, but it lasted just three weeks.

NCAA Football: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
NCAA Football: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury hasn’t always rocked a beard. The 39-year-old is one of the youngest coaches in major college football, and he’s long been one of its most baby-faced. Most images from past years are like this one, showing relatively little facial hair:

Texas Tech v Arizona State
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

In Week 1 of 2018, Kingsbury didn’t have a beard, and Texas Tech got destroyed by Ole Miss.

How he looked that day:

Mississippi v Texas Tech
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

Light scruff. Arguably a beard, I guess, but not really a beard.

The score was 47-27. We were putting up posts in the immediate aftermath with Kingsbury’s buyout information, just in case anyone might be looking for it. Things were bad.

But then Kingsbury started bearding up, and Tech started winning.

TTU wrote in its media game notes for Week 5:

By now, many have likely recognized a new trend involving Kliff Kingsbury, who has been sporting a beard during Texas Tech’s three-game winning streak. Kingsbury reiterated following the Red Raiders’ victory at Oklahoma State that the beard would remain untouched heading into this weekend’s West Virginia game

And indeed, take a look.

His Week 2 beard against Lamar:

NCAA Football: Lamar at Texas Tech
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

His Week 3 beard against Houston:

NCAA Football: Houston at Texas Tech
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

His Week 4 beard against Oklahoma State:

NCAA Football: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Three games. Three beard appearances. Three Red Raider wins.

However, the beard streak ended against West Virginia.

The Red Raiders lost to the Mountaineers 42-34, dropping the beard to a 3-1 record.

A day later:

The end of an era.

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