Jones AT&T Stadium
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Jones AT&T Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is the home field of the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders have a 306-152-13 (.663) record there.
[edit] History
Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium opened in 1947. The first game was a 14-6 Texas Tech victory over Hardin-Simmons University. The original seating capacity was 27,000. In 1959 the stadium's first expansion raised the seating to 41,500. It was again expanded in 1972. The current capacity is listed as nearly 53,000, but a record attendance of 56,158 occurred on October 28, 2006 during a game against the Texas Longhorns.
The stadium name was changed to Jones SBC Stadium in 2000 due to a naming rights agreement with SBC Communications which funded a large part of the stadium's recent and ongoing expansion. On April 6, 2006, the facility name was officially changed to Jones AT&T Stadium as a result of SBC's merger with AT&T and adoption of AT&T as its new corporate name.
[edit] Renovations and expansions
The largest renovation project to date was the $51.9 million, 175,000 square foot press box that included luxury suites, club seating and decks for television cameras and the press. This added 2,000 seats and was completed during the 2003 season.
In 2006, the stadium was upgraded with a $2-million dollar inner field wall that matches the traditional Texas Tech style brick facade. An inscribing of the Matador Song at the Double T in the north and south endzones was also added. Additionally, the project included a FieldTurf playing field. The university divided the stadium's old AstroTurf into pieces to be sold to the public. The playing field runs in the traditional north-south configuration and sits at an elevation of 3215 feet (980 m) above sea level.
In February 2006, the university announced plans to add $60-million worth of upgrades including additional luxury suites, a 1,000-car parking garage, an upper deck, a facade on the east side of the stadium and more seating. The entire project was set to begin following the 2006 season but was cancelled. In March 2007, an estimated $40 million upgrade was announced instead. It will add immediately 10,000 new seats and a five-story building for club, retail, and suite space. Another 20,000 seats are planned for over the next 20 years.
The Letterman's Lounge Building is located at the north end of the stadium and is used for the meetings of the Letterman's Association. Plaques of the members are located throughout the building as are portraits of all the university's football coaches and All-American players along with murals of past championship teams. The football coaching staff office facility is found on the south side of the stadium.
