Posted on 06/23/2005 5:19:16 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
News of possible Tech-A&M move draws mixed reactions BY GEORGE WATSON AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Like many fans on the South Plains, Texas Tech football games are a family affair for the Garzas
As the popularity of Red Raider football under head coach Mike Leach has grown, David Garza's investment has as well. He's purchased five sets of season tickets each of the past three seasons and bumped that total up by two for the 2005 campaign. And like many, he even arranges his weekend work schedule to attend games with his family.
A Lubbock resident since 1973 and at one time a Tech student, Garza is less than happy with the news that Tech and Texas A&M might move their annual Big 12 Conference football game to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Tech athletic director Gerald Myers told The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Tuesday that he has had informal discussions with A&M athletic director Bill Byrne about moving the game.
"I'm real disappointed that they would think of moving it," Garza said. "We always attended the Texas or Texas A&M game, and when they lowered season ticket prices, we decided to finally buy them because it would be just as cheap as buying the ticket for just that one game. If you take that Texas or Texas A&M game out, even if you do have Oklahoma or Nebraska coming in, to us it's not as important as A&M or Texas."
The financial numbers certainly seem to back that up. According to Marcy Jarrett, executive director of the Lubbock Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tech football games generate anywhere between $5 million and $8 million of an economic impact to Lubbock and the surrounding area. While she didn't have exact figures, Jarrett estimated the money brought into the Hub City during the Texas or Texas A&M weekend is on the higher end of that range.
"We are supporters of Tech, so whatever is good for Tech is good for Lubbock," Jarrett said. "If you just figure one less home game, it has that much less of an impact. Who knows what people will come to town and buy, and the more Tech wins the more they want to buy. There are the big games with UT and A&M that are just bigger impacts. It would be comparable to a convention or other large event."
Myers said discussions about moving the game are in very early stages, and that he himself hasn't made up his mind on what he preferred. The 2005 game between Tech and A&M is scheduled for Nov. 5 at Jones SBC Stadium and would not be moved, Myers said.
In recent years, Tech has played games in other sports in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, particularly in basketball, to help promote the school and attract attendance from its large Metroplex alumni base.
The men's basketball team has played at the American Airlines Center twice in the past two seasons, while the women's team co-hosted with Texas the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Reunion Arena.
Red Raider Club associate executive director Brad Walker said that there are between 25,000 and 40,000 alumni living in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, a number that expands when including current students, parents and others associated with the school.
He said the Texas or A&M weekend is also one of the most well-attended football weekends in Lubbock for alumni as well.
"I think it's fair to say that it's a large draw, and we do have people from all over the state come in for that game," Walker said. "Would they go to Dallas for that game? We don't know. Sometimes these arrangements are good for both schools' fan bases. They can be good for the attention drawn to the universities, and sometimes they're done for recruiting purposes. But we're so early in the discussions on this that there's just a lot yet to be figured out."
Tech has played several neutral-site games during the regular season. Tech beat Houston, 34-0, in 1994 in the Alamodome in San Antonio before 20,286 fans. Two years later, during the inaugural Big 12 season, Tech toppled Oklahoma State 31-3 at Texas Stadium in front of 30,269 in attendance. The Red Raiders also played non-conference games against North Texas in Texas Stadium in 1998 and 2001, but neither game drew more than 21,500.
The game has also proven to be a big homefield advantage for both teams. The Red Raiders have won six straight meetings with the Aggies at Jones SBC Stadium, while A&M has lost just once to Tech at Kyle Field since 1984. In the all-time series between the schools, four games were played in Dallas, with each school winning twice.
Garza said he has family from out of town that travel to Lubbock to attend Tech games. He said it would be too much of a hassle to get everybody coordinated for a trip to Dallas.
"We'd love to seem them play, but it would be just like a bowl game and trying to get us all together for one of those. We just wouldn't be able to. Half of us could probably go, but we'd never be able to go all together to an out of town game."
To comment on this story:
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Guns Up ping.
Most likely the reason is because Texas Tech fans always try to start trouble whenever the Aggies come to town. (Attempting to impale some Aggies with the goal posts immediately comes to mind.) The College Station police also detest when Texas Tech comes to town as there are more arrests for fighting than any other weekend of the year.
college football is great for the home atmospheres it creates.
Being an Ohio State fan, I can attest to that. I have also been to some Michigan and Navy games.
College football is king in Texas (as it is in Ohio). the atmospheres at the home games is something they shouldnt mess with. a money grap such as this wouldn't ruin it, but it would take some of the fun out of it.
a neutral site game like the Texas-Oklahoma masscre eerrr game is differnt as that is held at the state fair. This is just another game, so to speak.
It would be like moving Ohio State Michigan to Paul Brown stadium every year. Except Ohio State Michigan is bigger than Texas Tech - A&M.....
Just my recommendation for peace in the world.
"Actual violence regarding a football game is ridiculous. Good natured taunting is permissible up to the point where it's clear one team will undoubtedly win."
You've obviously never been to a Tech-aTm game.
I'm not clear on what you're suggesting. Violence and bad sportsmanship is acceptable in a fierce rivalry?
I'm definitely agin it. Let the t-sips go play in Dallas. If it ain't Kyle field it ain't Aggie Football!
All of those are lousy numbers for big time college football.
"All of those are lousy numbers for big time college football"
You're right - particularly when both Tech and aTm regularly sell out their home and home games against each other.
I think it's huge mistake for both teams even though I live in Dallas and would certainly attend the game.
Look, you've got to go where the fans are, and where the corporate support is. In the case of the proposed Texas neutral site battle, Lubbock and College Station are rather remote. Yes, they sell the games out, I'm sure, but both schools have big followings in Dallas. Though the students of the two universities might not be too thrilled at the idea, both schools could pad their bank accounts with a game in Dallas: higher ticket prices, luxury box rentals, and probably a more attractive TV package.
Each school wouldn't be giving up a home game every year, but only every other year, in exchange for a higher-profile, more lucrative neutral-field game. Seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me.
Some of the more famous matchups take place at neutral sites, and in fact have achieved something of a mystique: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, and Texas vs. Oklahoma in Dallas, to name two. I hope North Carolina vs. Baja Carolina in Charlotte joins the list; and though I'm ill-equipped to pass judgment on a Texas A&M-Texas Tech battle in Dallas, I would hope it would receive thoughtful consideration.
I think the most loyal A&M AND Tech fans will agree that this is a bad idea. Part of the whole experience is going to the respective campuses themselves. Beware the easy money. Easy come, easy go. Loyal fans who will give up a day of cotton harvesting to go to a TTU/TAMU game ON CAMPUS will stick with you if you stick with them.
PS: Hey, Lum, you want on the Red Raider ping list? It seems to have become neccessary lately given the bonehead decisions the suits on campus have been making.
Personally, I think that the games should be home and home. Auburn and Alabama had the opposite problem. For years they played their games in Birmingham, which was a definite Alabama advantage. Finally, it is home and home which is great. Actually, Alabama has not beaten Auburn on their home field in Tuscaloosa yet. And Alabama beat Auburn at Jordan/Hare once.
I think the home game is really so much better. I love the college town football atmosphere. It loses something at a neutral? field.
Wouldn't the Huntsville TDC be a more appropriate venue?
LOL, I wouldn't exactly consider a goal post tip a sharp end.
aggies vs. the sand aggies. who cares?
Nothing about TT surprises me after they announced taking cotton off their logo.
What's in it for A&M? Kyle Field already is the largest football stadium in Texas. The nominal capacity is about 81,000 and it has had crowds up to 88,000. It has close to 100 sky boxes. The athletic department is considering expanding to 115,000 with even more skyboxes. Moving the game will decrease attendance.
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