| Spike Dykes | |
| Birth Date: | 14 March 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Horseshoe Bay, Texas, U.S. |
| Player Years1: | 1956–1958 |
| Player Team1: | Stephen F. Austin |
| Player Positions: | Center |
| Coach Years1: | 1959 |
| Coach Team1: | Eastland HS (TX) (assistant) |
| Coach Years2: | 1960–1961 |
| Coach Team2: | Ballinger HS (TX) (assistant) |
| Coach Years3: | 1962–1963 |
| Coach Team3: | SA Central HS (TX) (DC) |
| Coach Years4: | 1964–1965 |
| Coach Team4: | Coahoma HS (TX) |
| Coach Years5: | 1966 |
| Coach Team5: | Belton HS (TX) |
| Coach Years6: | 1967–1969 |
| Coach Team6: | Big Spring HS (TX) |
| Coach Years7: | 1970–1971 |
| Coach Team7: | Alice HS (TX) |
| Coach Years8: | 1972–1976 |
| Coach Team8: | Texas (assistant) |
| Coach Years9: | 1977–1978 |
| Coach Team9: | New Mexico (assistant) |
| Coach Years10: | 1979 |
| Coach Team10: | Mississippi State (assistant) |
| Coach Years11: | 1980–1983 |
| Coach Team11: | Midland Lee HS (TX) |
| Coach Years12: | 1984–1986 |
| Coach Team12: | Texas Tech (DC) |
| Coach Years13: | 1986–1999 |
| Coach Team13: | Texas Tech |
| Overall Record: | 82–67–1 (college) |
| Bowl Record: | 2–5 |
| Championships: | 1 SWC (1994) |
| Awards: | 3× SWC Coach of the Year (1989, 1993, 1994) Big 12 Coach of the Year (1996) |
William Taylor "Spike" Dykes (March 14, 1938 – April 10, 2017) was an American football coach. A high school and college football coach throughout his career, he last served as head coach at Texas Tech University from 1986 to 1999.
Born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in Ballinger, Dykes graduated from Ballinger High School in 1955 and Stephen F. Austin State University in 1959.[1] At Stephen F. Austin, Dykes played center on the Lumberjacks football team. Upon graduation, he served in several high school head and assistant coaching positions, including a stint as defensive coordinator under Emory Bellard at San Angelo Central High School in San Angelo, Texas. In 1972, Dykes became an assistant coach at the University of Texas. He filled assistant roles at two other universities before returning to the high school level to coach at Midland Lee from 1980 to 1983.
Dykes moved to Texas Tech in 1984, serving as defensive coordinator under Jerry Moore and David McWilliams. When McWilliams left for Texas after the 1986 season, Dykes was named his successor. He was the first coach in school history to lead the team to seven straight bowl-eligible seasons and to coach the team in seven bowl games.
Dykes was the school's first coach to defeat the Texas Longhorns in six different seasons. He earned three Southwest Conference and one Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors.[2] His record at Tech stands at 82–67–1. On November 20, 1999, Dykes retired after 13 seasons as head coach.[3] His 82 wins were the most in school history until his successor, Mike Leach, passed him in 2009.
Dykes moved to Horseshoe Bay, Texas after retiring from coaching and also bought a house on Matagorda Bay.[4]
On March 11, 2008, Dykes was inducted in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Dykes died on April 10, 2017, in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, at age 79.[6]
One of Dykes' two sons, Sonny, is also a college football coach, currently the head football coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). The younger Dykes previously served as the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University from 2010 to 2012, the University of California, Berkeley from 2013 to 2016, and Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2017 to 2021. Dykes' other son, Rick, spent many years as an assistant football coach at Texas Tech, including a stint as offensive coordinator. Rick was later a partner of the now disgraced Reagor Dykes Auto Group. Dykes also had a daughter, Bebe.