KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After 22 years of attending Texas Tech basketball and football games together in Lubbock, Tony and Phyllis Hopp finally took the plunge.
Phyllis’ brother had been trying to get her down to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament for years. The Hopps decided this was the year to do it, hopping in the car for the nearly 11-hour drive to see the Red Raiders in action.
Texas Tech fans likely know the Hopps for their fun-loving dances often displayed on the video board inside United Supermarkets Arena. Their grandkids used to attend games with Tony and Phyllis and hide whenever the couple would start grooving to the tunes of the arena’s sound system.
About six or seven years ago, Tony said, he asked Tech director of athletics Kirby Hocutt if they were “embarrassing” Hocutt.
“He goes, absolutely not, Tony. He says, ” Keep dancing,” Tony said. “The students love it and that’s why we still do it.”
Phyllis, 65, grew up in Lubbock attending Texas Tech games, always destined to attend the university after high school. Her attachment to Texas Tech extends generations, she said, with her grandfather having been roommates with former Texas governor Preston Smith.
Tony, meanwhile, got to Lubbock by way of Titusville, Florida, and ran track for a spell at Tech. He soon realized he had to work his way through school and went on to be a mailman for 41 years. Phyllis went on to be a school teacher. The pair is currently enjoying their retirements, allowing themselves the mid-week trip to Missouri.
The couple’s first date was an appropriate one: attending a Texas Tech baseball game. They’ve since become season ticket holders to men’s basketball and football and become local celebrities themselves.
“The funny thing is,” Tony said, “some kids, when they graduate, before they graduate, they all come over to us and get their picture with us.”
“It’s hilarious,” Phyllis chimed in.
Their celebrity status even follows them away from Lubbock. In their first game at T-Mobile Center on Wednesday, the Hopps were featured on the video board, showcasing their moves for Iowa State and Arizona State fans in the crowd for the day’s first contest. They were met with cheers similar to those they hear in Lubbock.
“We were on a cruise down in Mexico and we’re at dinner at the cruise,” Tony said, “and a girl and her dad came up, wanted their picture with us. She goes, ‘You’re the guys at the Tech games.’ … People come up to us all the time and say, ‘You’re the guys from the Tech game.’
The Hopps never sought to be standouts at Tech sporting events. They’re merely enjoying themselves at games. Tony claims his signature dance, featuring plenty of hip gyrations and finger points, came about simply from “old age.”
Throughout her life around Texas Tech, Phyllis has noticed the change in the athletic teams she and her husband support. The rabid fandom has always been present, but now the school is more well-known around the country.
“We’ve always been like fighters. Texas Tech is like fighters,” Phyllis said, “but I’ve just noticed it seems like we’re able to do more now because our quality of players seem to be getting higher and higher.”
Tony, 68, didn’t grow up around the Red Raiders as his wife did, but he’s also come to appreciate the close-knit relationships Tech fans have with one another.
“I will say that I’ve really noticed we’re more of a family than we ever have been,” Tony said. “People recognize Texas Tech now. It’s because our programs are fantastic. We have the best football facility in America. There’s so many nice things at Tech.”
Wherever the Hopps are, whether it’s in Lubbock or Kansas City, they’re sure to be spotted out of their seats, showing off the dance moves Texas Tech fans have come to love.
“We just like to have a good time,” Phyllis said.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: The Hopps bring their Texas Tech basketball dance moves to Big 12 Tournament
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
