Jones takes next steps in expansion
DON WILLIAMS l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Look 20 years out and imagine Jones Stadium holding 85,000 people. Hard to picture, I know, but consider that on Oct. 13, 2007, nearly 79,000 people in West Texas attended a college football game. Tech had a big game that day against Texas A&M, Division II West Texas A&M had a regional showdown against Eastern New Mexico, and combined attendance in Lubbock and Canyon came to 78,767.
Now if Buffaloes fans can just be persuaded to change loyalties and drive 100 miles down Interstate 27 …
Point is, there are a lot of college football fans in this region, and Tech officials do have a master plan for an 85,000-seat stadium when the time comes, and an idea of how to get there. As with the university itself, the growth must come a few thousand at a time. Toward that end, Tech is taking the sensible step of increasing capacity to 61,000 by the middle of next season.
Under a plan that regents approved the other day, Tech’s about to add 3,000 seats on the northwest corner of Jones Stadium and 3,000 seats on the northeast corner, in addition to the east-side stadium building whose suites and club seats will have room for another 1,000 or so. From a financial standpoint, Tech athletics needed it.
Say tickets for next year’s Tech-A&M game go for the premium price of $95 a pop and, quite logically, the game sells out. Those 6,000 new seats would be worth $570,000 in added revenue that Saturday alone.
For a full season, Tech athletic director Gerald Myers estimates the new seats could generate $1 million to $1.5 million.
“It means a lot to our budget,” he said. “It could be the difference of us finishing in the red or the black. We’re always pretty close. We’re either $100,000 or $200,000 in the red or $100,000 or $200,000 in the black, or we’re pretty even.”
Since Tech has routinely had crowds of 50,000 since 2003 and ended last season with six straight home sellouts, it’s worth building a few thousand more seats.
Construction’s to start within the next month, so that the 6,000 seats can be available by the Tech-A&M game on Oct. 24.
A few points:
• This expansion phase won’t require the demolition of the building on the north end that holds the Tech ticket office, business office and Lettermen’s Lounge, although plans call for the ticket office and the Red Raider Club to move into the east-side stadium building by 2010 and for the athletic business office to relocate from the north end of the stadium to the south.
What’ll become of the building on the north end here in a year or so?
“There’s a few ideas,” Myers said. “We could convert (it) into suites. We could convert it into other things.”
• For the time being, though, the only structural casualty will be the athletic apparel shop known as the Double T Zone. It’ll be torn down, but rebuilt elsewhere on the stadium grounds.
• The new sections will be aligned with, and the same height as, Section 108, the current end section on the stadium’s northwest corner, and Section 116, the current end section on the northeast corner.
“That’d put us right at 61,000. We feel that’s enough right now,” Myers said. “We think we can fill 60,000 to 61,000 on some of our premier games and maybe more.”
Later in the same conversation, Myers added: “Our next step, I think, would probably be we could add 9,000 more on the north end, eventually. We’d have to tear that (ticket office) building down if we do that, but that’ll be a while. We’ll grow to 61 (thousand) and then see what we need to do.”
All the near-term and intermediate-term expansion is targeted for the east and north sides of the stadium. For those of us who think the double-T scoreboard, a uniquely Tech landmark, needs to stay, it will.
It’s day of reckoning won’t come until Jones Stadium is ready to hold that crowd of 85,000 we discussed earlier.
To comment on this story:
don.williams@lubbockonline.com l 766-8734
jeff.walker@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735
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Careful Tech. If the football team happens to become sub-par again the fans will stop going. That’s the way people in Lubbock are. That’s not a knock on Lubbock residents…it’s just the way it is.
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Having a good stadium goes a long way to bring in better recruits. When I was in college, Jones Stadium looked like a high school stadium and our team sucked. If we can make it a place that would rival A&M, OSU, OU, and Texas, we can stay competitive for a long time.
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Don, what’s the “ball park” price for additional 6,000 seats?
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this is exciting
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The cost of $6 Million could be well worth it over the next few years if Tech can capitalize on signing higher rated prospects and play in a few BCS bowls.
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I think this is great. I wish they could be available for the whole year. I am excited about the potential for Tech football. We need to continue to increase our revenues from football. This will help all sports at Tech. I am 51 and I hope to be able to see 85,000 fans in Jones Stadium.
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I think this could be a good deal, but we better watch out in this economy to not ” over do ” expansions. I’m not sure where the money is coming from either. Is it donor only money or a combination? I’m all for upgrading it if it can be paid for quickly and you can keep a coach who can attract a consistent big crowd. I’m not so sure the coach we have now will have a long time left in Lubbock, but maybe I’m wrong I just think he might jet. There has to be hard feelings even though everyone will say otherwise.
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Getting tickets to the games…. not a problem…..but if you can’t get a flight or even a hotel room…. why bother. Let’s face it…we go out of our way to make the opposing teams, bands, fans, etc. feel very unwelcome so why would they want to come. I would hate to see more empty seats on TV.
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Scoreboard needs updating (facelift) and elevating (bottom is burried in building) at least. Along with speaker improvement. Let’s work on atmosphere at Jones (att/iPhone). Anything on where all these additional fans are suppose to PARK?
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Watchdog, if you’ve seen the plans for the new BA building, it shows citybank stadium gone, with parking spots in it’s place, and that little lot to the west of it more than twice the size. Also, i’ve heard people talking about putting a new parking garage over by the Jones from time to time. I also wish there was more parking over there, which is really needed.
I know that hotel rooms are in great demand in lubock, but McDougal did just build a new (12 story?) hotel right across the street, that will definitely help during the football season. I know it won’t help to house every person going though, but it will help.
I think these 6,000 seats are a great idea. We had an entire season of home sellouts, and an average attendance above capacity. These seats will help to show how many people tech can actually get to go to a game. Heck, maybe for the A&M or OU games, we’ll sellout. I also think i remember Tech saying that they actually raised more than enough money for the west side expansion, so maybe they’re going to use that money to build these seats. These seats probably won’t have a brick facade on them either, so they shouldnt cost as much. I’ll just be interested to see how many people Tech is able to get into these seats now.
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Mr. Gates, what’s CityField? I am not from Lubbock and not a recent graduate…What about public transit? The buses were nice, when they were “underwritten”.
As to cost, I do hope they are bricked. It’s not costing a lot now because of the slowdown in the economy. Normally people would be happy just to have a job, (exception being LEACH). Oh well, maybe he’ll prove me wrong and IS worth all that loot. Happy sailing Coach.
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It’s not just TTU, every college seems to have run off the college atmosphere supplied by the band, cheerleaders and fans. You blare commercial music after every other play, you interrupt halftime and pregame activities for big screen entertainment so loud you cannot hear the fans, band or cheerleaders.
The new seats better be strong enough to hold people standing on them, the parking better be helpful not making spectators walk the entire campus to get to the stadium.
Recruits and current playrs/coaches need to see and hear their college is supporting them, not whether the TV commercials on the big screen support them.
The Goin Band cannot be excited about standing on the field waiting for the big TV screen to tell tehm what to do. Last year the Alumni Band was waiting to come onto the halftime, as the Saddle Tramps were still on the field, when the press box people started before the saddle Tramps were ready to leave the field. The Goin Band has to cut its show down to leave time for the TV announcements/.commercials.
You say you need more revenue to make money, hence the TV sounds dominate. What you better not run off is the true college sounds and emotions of fans, the Band and cheerleaders not the fake TV sounds the threaten to kill the loyalty of coming to a Texas Tech football game. People come for miles around to be there, to experience what is special about Red Raiders. Keep this up and folks would just as soon stay home and watch the game on the dish.
I was in the Goin Band 73-78 and the emotions I felt for that stadium, the fans appreciation, the effort of the players, the the true college sounds. Now its just an expensive ticket. What a waste of traditions.
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This is the TTU Planning and Construction website:
http://www.fpc.ttu.edu/index.cfm?zone=view.projdetails&cat=design&proj=482&plist=456,423,467,424,445,341,417,482,264
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The citybank coliseum is the city’s stadium that is on texas tech property. It used to be the basketball arena and the arena football arena. I think the tech hocked team plays there, or used to play there. But its old, and i’m fairly certain it’s going to be torn down soon. I looked up what it may become again, and i thought it would become more parking, but i think i was wrong, and that they will actually take out more parking, which sucks. Look for yourself:
http://www.sabbatini-loyd.com/TTUL-NCG-Screen.pdf
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The scoreboard is way too loud, let the band play. 61,000 sound about right.
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Since when did the SCOREBOARD talk? ha, ha!
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I agree rather hear the Goin’ Band than the piped in music.
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The Goin’ Band is the best and is part of Texas Tech History as well as Football. Keep it Alive Doris Bradley
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I live on 29th street & Hartford – south of Tech.
I can hear & understand the loud announcer after every play.
& I’m 25 blocks away.
I rather hear the fans actual voices yelling, rather than hyped-up talking heads & rock music (I can turn on TV for that anytime). .
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Now your in trouble, we all know where you live!
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Melvin, as much as you share with us why are you not at the games? I am , and I only live 500 miles away!
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DD, He’s refering to the practices, yeah that’s it. He IS at the games…right?
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hum, 500 miles, now where could that be?
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” JS on May 11th, 2009 6:32 am Getting tickets to the games…. not a problem…..but if you can’t get a flight or even a hotel room…. why bother. Let’s face it…we go out of our way to make the opposing teams, bands, fans, etc. feel very unwelcome so why would they want to come. I would hate to see more empty seats on TV.”
JS has a point. Some of our students are out of control. The loud announcer says that abuse of opposing fans will not be tolerated, but the students abuse our guests with foul language and insults. Stadium officials hear it and do nothing. The students think it is great fun, but as one who travels a lot in TX and OK, I have a lot of people tell me they will not come back to Jones stadium because of the abuse they suffered while here. I think TTU officials may want to make our guest feel more welcome if we hope to fill a 61,000 seat stadium 4 or 5 times each year.
We are quickly gaining the reputation as the worst fans in the Big 12. I know there will be a flurry of comments disagreeing with me, but travel around the area and listen to what people say without telling them you are a Red Raider fan and find out for yourselves.
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Abuse?
Hey, I’m a Tech fan & I’ve been abused by other posters right here lots of times!
You don’t even have to step out your door to get clobbered. Lubbock & Tech are getting dangerous — even for loyal grads & fans. Why go pay $50 to get abused when you can get it for free?
Just look at the posters after me & see what I’m talking about!!
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I usually go to one or two games a year. I would go to more, but I still have two kids in high school and live near San Antonio. I have never witnessed any opposing fans being abused. I always have seats on the west side of the stadium. There are few students in our sections. If there is truly a problem with the students abusing fans from the opposing schools, why don’t they have the opposing fans moved to the west side of the stadium. Keep our students and our fans on the east side. Maybe the new end zone seating will make this possible. I have been to other stadiums and have seen our fans heckled. I am tired of hearing how bad our fans are. Have you ever noticed no one complained of our fans in the old days when we were not winning. I agree opposing fans should be able to come to the games and not be physically abused in any way. I wish they would not be verbally abused either, but if you are wearing the opposing teams shirts or sweaters and you are being loud. You should expect our fans to be loud when we are playing well. I remember two years ago a few Oklahoma State fans were very vocal. After we won the game they were quite, but no one abused them. Lets be loud and proud, but also be good sports. There are jerks in every stadium in the Big 12 and college football in general.
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Not referring to me melvin are you? Can’t be, I am a polite contrarian. I never threaten or abuse anyone, just being a detective in finding your home (away from Tech). Enjoying those Texans? or is it Bronchos?
I agree that fans should expect some sort of friendly heckling on the East side. The greyhairs are more tame. That being said there is something that is being lost the bigger Tech gets and more urban Lubbock gets…
Tech’s character is at stake. Let’s try and live by these words “strive for honor evermore.”
LONG LIVE THE MATADOR
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On the topic of the visting fans being abused. I have seen Tech students tossing POP-Corn at 2 Faggie fans that were trying to sit in the student section. Reallt how stupid can u be to try and sit the student section when ur for another team. I’ve sat in section 121 its on the east side for the last 2 years and i’ve had opposing fans sit close to me and if they are going to be loud and yell crap at me, im not going to just going to sit there and not say anything back. The ones that say TECH fans are bad, ask em what team they were going for, and then ask if they were getting cocky with surounding TECH fans. They should just make it where if ur a vistitor, u have to sit in a surtain section, that should take care of that problem. Last time if when to Austin when we played em, Texas fans aint any better than us.
WRECK EM TECH!!!
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Double T fan I hope your drunk when writing as your post reflects badly on the education at Tech (hate to say that), though probably it’s everywhere in this texting bad spelling/grammar world we live in now.
As to your point, if they bought a student ticket they have to sit there. I sold my ticket to oposing fans when I was a student. If I was doing that, I would not aggravate the home team fams as I wouldn’t want to recieve their reaction (maybe they ain’t to smart if they don’t realize that). Also if you want to get “even” with them, then win on the field or in the classroom. Then we will have the last laugh.
Wreck’em TECH!
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I went this past years OU-TECH game and it was a living hell. One of the reasons being that we (tech fans) didnt sit anywhere close to each other. I was next to the band and cheerleaders but no one else was, whenever we made a good play (the few we had) you couldnt hear a tech soul. So i say forget putting there fans in a section, (since no one else does) split em’ , rip em’ and then WRECK EM’ TECH!!
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The last time I attended a game in Lubbock I was sold tickets in the Tech student section, even though I requested tickets near the Texas band. There was some good natured ribbing carried out by fans from both sides, but this soon subsided after the score got lopsided and most Tech fans left the premises.
I doubt that I will attend anymore games in Lubbock. The $ 95.00 price for a nose bleed seat is ridiculous. We have to drive three hours and walk three miles (if we are lucky), just to get to the stadium. The view is better on TV and I don’t have to worry about some gutless drunk throwing a softdrink on us.
Tech fans, you have a respectable program, good facility, and a darn good coach.
Be responsible and respectful of those around you so that you don’t wreck your reputation.
Longhorn Fam
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M Blackmon…
Have you EVER been to a game as a opposing fan in Austin? Nothing compares to the asses there. Also, $95 for a ticket? This years game in Austin is compareable if not more. Please explain you point?
There is no parking around UT’s stadium and you have to hike miles to get to there. The site lines there are horrible. Texas may have a larger stadium, but Tech’s isn’t nearly as bad as you post.
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Longhorn fan.. You grossly mistated by saying you were sold tickets in the student section.. A. There are no tickets, only ids, and b. You must be a currently enrolled and in good standing student to use an id to get in…
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