The Texas Tech University football team will enjoy a new skyline when they take the field inside Jones AT&T Stadium in the fall.
The new Double T scoreboard has been installed piecemeal over the past few days. The final piece was set Saturday.
Fifteen months ago, the original Double T scoreboard was removed from the south end zone, where it had been in place since 1978, and construction began on the south end zone inside Jones AT&T Stadium.
Thanks to two construction cameras, Texas Tech fans were able to follow the progress of the south end zone and Womble Football Center, which is currently scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2024 season.
The Womble Football Center and South End Zone will be connected by a skybridge.
Fans were able to watch his progress week-by-week during the 2023 season. Shortly after the season ended, construction began on the underground infrastructure for a new visitor's locker room in the northeast corner of the stadium. Also planned is a new video board, three ribbon boards and a sound system in the north end zone before the 2024 season. These amenities are part of his two-year, $242 million Texas Tech football construction and renovation project.
According to Tech Senior Associate Athletic Director Robert Giovanetti, the target completion dates are June 2024 for the south end zone building, August 2024 for the visitor locker room and August 31, 2024 for the Womble Football Center. It is said that it is day.
The Red Raiders' first game of the 2024 season is against Abilene Christian University, scheduled for August 31st.
Below is an overview of some of the previously reported projects. Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
more:Video board construction underway at Texas Tech football's Jones AT&T Stadium
more:What's inside Texas Tech football's new end zone building at Jones AT&T Stadium?
more:How will Texas Tech deal with changes proposed by NCAA President Charlie Baker?
Where will visiting teams stay at Jones AT&T Stadium?
The visiting team's game day operations will be permanently moved to the northeast corner of the stadium. A new visitor locker room and ramp will be built there. Visitor equipment trucks and team buses also go there.
Visiting team in trailers to Jones AT&T Stadium in 2023. The Oregon Ducks provided positive reviews of their temporary locker room.
The new locker room will be located near the Marcia Sharp Freeway and will be 5,200 square feet in size.
The new entrance to the Red Raiders' field will be directly behind the south end goal post starting in 2024.
more:What went into Texas Tech's decision to relocate the visitors' locker room?
more:See the timeline of the Texas Tech football project at Jones AT&T Stadium
What's in the new south end zone building?
It will feature all kinds of features, including field-level clubs, log boxes, a concourse with concessions with views of the field, coaches' offices, luxury suites, and even a party deck.
That includes a new addition to the Texas Tech football team.
For years, the Red Raiders entered the field through a ramp in the southwest corner. They will now enter the south end zone directly behind the goalposts, but to get there they will have to pass through Red Raiders fans at the club at field level.
The coaches will also have new ways to bring in new recruits and welcome former Tech football alumni. Adjacent to the club at field level, plans call for a new recruit lounge for visiting prospects and their families on game days. Once the recruits move to their seats in the stadium's bowl for kickoff, the lounge area will be open to Tech Letter recipients.
What is Wamble Football Center?
Back in October 2021, Texas Tech University, along with Womble and his wife Leesha, announced plans to build the Dustin R. Womble Football Center and made a $20 million donation.
The new facility will replace the Tech Football Training Facility, which was built as the day-to-day headquarters for the Tech football team during the early years of the Mike Leach era.
The Tech football training facility was built in the early days of the Mike Leach era and is nearly 20 years old. It housed coaches' offices, conference rooms, sports medicine and athletic training rooms, equipment rooms, and weight rooms. Technical staff vacated the building on December 2 in preparation to begin the demolition process.
The technical coaches moved to a press-level suite in the west wing of Jones AT&T Stadium. For bowl preparation, winter conditioning and spring practice, Tech players use a temporary locker room trailer in the stadium's east parking lot. Last season, visiting teams used locker room trailers.
Athletic training and sports medicine staff will move to the Sports Performance Center for bowl preparation, winter conditioning and spring football, and equipment staff will be located in Stadium East, separate from those used by visiting teams this season. Move to new trailer on site.
Once completed, the technical coaches will have an office in the building in the south end zone.
What will be the new capacity at Jones AT&T Stadium?
The stadium's capacity for 2024 has not yet been finalized.
Giovanetti said senior associate athletic director Mike Ryan said that number will remain at about 60,000. The current listed capacity is 60,454.
The new south end zone building will have 17 suites, bringing the total number of suites in the stadium to 102.
