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Jones AT&T Stadium

Texas Tech to install new playing surface, LED lights

April 13, 2023 | Football

Texas Tech announced two additional facility investments for Jones AT&T Stadium that will be completed prior to the 2023 season

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech Athletics, in the midst of its largest facility investment in its history, announced Thursday two additional projects for Jones AT&T Stadium that will, in best effort, be completed in time for the 2023 football season.

As part of its continued football renovations, Texas Tech will install a new artificial playing surface to Jones AT&T Stadium beginning this summer as well as a new LED lighting system. Both projects were approved by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents during its scheduled meeting this past February.  

"We're thankful for the support of the Board of Regents as we continue to invest in the future of Jones AT&T Stadium," Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. "The timing of the south end zone and Womble Football Center project made this an ideal opportunity for us to look at all areas of Jones AT&T Stadium to see where other needed improvements could be made. We're excited to partner with both Hellas and Musco on these two important projects."

Texas Tech last upgraded its playing surface with a FieldTurf product that was installed prior to the 2017 season. The two projects are estimated to cost roughly $2.2 million and will be funded through philanthropic gifts to the athletics department.

Texas Tech has already contracted the services of Hellas for its next playing surface, which will be its Matrix Helix® turf, the company's latest technology that has been installed recently at several NFL facilities, namely The Star in Frisco and AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys), SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams), Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders) and the University of Kansas Health System Training Complex of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Our administration fully supports providing the best products to our student-athletes here at Texas Tech, which is greatly appreciated by our entire program," head coach Joey McGuire said. "This new turf from Hellas is widely-used throughout the NFL and college football and will be a great addition to what we are already building at Jones AT&T Stadium. We look forward to debuting this new surface in front of a packed crowd when we host Oregon on Sept. 9."

The new lighting system, meanwhile, will be designed by Musco, using its Total Light Control technology. This will provide Texas Tech the ability to utilize choreographed patterns designed to music during its pregame entertainment, in-between quarters and after touchdowns. The lighting system will greatly enhance the in-game fan experience, especially under the Jones AT&T Stadium lights where the Red Raiders have traditionally boasted one of the nation's top homefield advantages.

Musco's technology also allows athletes to track ball flight better using pinpoint lighting, all while lowering total operating costs. Texas Tech will have the ability to program this lighting system remotely, similar to Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, which received new LED lights using Musco technology prior to this baseball season.

"When you look at all the great things Texas Tech has to offer from a fan perspective, this new LED lighting system only adds to one of the best gameday atmospheres in all of college football," said Robert Giovannetti, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations. "We are already planning for that first home game under the lights and can't encourage our fans enough to purchase their season tickets, be there and support this team for what should be an exciting season under Coach McGuire.

In addition to approving both the LED lighting system and a new playing surface, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents voted to increase the athletics department's budget for the ongoing south end zone and Dustin R. Womble Football Center project to just under $220 million.

The roughly $20 million budget increase was determined after further discussions with the athletics department's design firm, Populous, on the long-term plan for the facility, which included moving the visitor's gameday locker room to the northeast corner of the stadium. Texas Tech continues to fundraise for the project – the largest facility investment in athletics history – with a current goal of more than $100 million, of which more than $90 million is already committed.

For more information on the Womble Football Center project or to contribute, please visit here