Sonny Dykes first met Hal Mumme at Carter High School in Dallas in 1995 when Dykes was an assistant coach at nearby Navarro Junior College. The lack of regulations at the JUCO level afforded Dykes the ability to recruit year around, so he drove an hour northwest up I-45 each morning after teaching a creative writing course to build relationships at known recruiting hotbeds such as Carter, Kimball, and Lincoln.
Dykes was a reluctant entrant into college football. He played baseball at Texas Tech and rebelled against following in his legendary father’s footsteps. His dad, Spike, spent more time with other people’s kids than his own. Such is life as a coach. Dinner wasn’t until 10 p.m. most nights because that’s when Spike returned home from work as Texas Tech’s head coach.