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The lessons SMU's Sonny Dykes learned from his father, Texas Tech legend Spike

/Courtesy of the Dykes family

Spike Dykes and his son, Sonny, following a Texas Tech win.

In the winter of 1996, Sonny Dykes was struggling to make ends meet. As the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Navarro Junior College, he made $4,000 a year. He was living in a college dorm at age 28, watching his friends settle into their careers with extra money to spend on nights out and vacations.

Dykes mowed lawns around South Dallas during the summers to reconcile the $76.92 he earned per week and his living expenses.