A campus legend holds that the sculpture was originally intended to be positioned with Will Rogers and Soapsuds facing due west , so that it would appear he was riding into the sunset . However , that position would cause Soapsuds 's posterior to face due east , towards downtown Lubbock , potentially insulting the local business community . To address this issue , the sculpture was turned 23 degrees to the east in the late 1960s , supposedly causing Soapsuds 's rear to face in the direction of the Texas A&M University in College Station . The sculpture was found covered in maroon paint , the school color of Texas A&M , after the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 13 – 9 in 1969 . After the act of vandalism , a Texas Tech student organization known as the Saddle Tramps , began the tradition of wrapping the statue in red crepe paper prior to every home football game to protect the sculpture . '' Riding into the Sunset '' has also been covered in black crepe paper to observe national tragedies such as the September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Riding into the Sunset