PC Sports served as the Construction Manager Agent for this project.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to officially unveil the Sports Performance Center, a new $48 million multi-purpose facility that will impact all 17 intercollegiate sports.
The Sports Performance Center, which was funded entirely through philanthropic gifts to The Campaign for Fearless Champions, is among the first multi-sport venues in the country, providing Texas Tech student-athletes a state-of-the-art facility for daily training and competition.
The facility includes the Petersen Family Indoor Football Practice Facility, an indoor track and field competition complex with seating for 1,500 fans, a strength and conditioning area, the Becky and Kelly Joy Family Sports Medicine Center and the PlainsCapital Bank Nutrition Center.
"This is truly a remarkable facility," Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. "We could have never dreamed to build a facility like this without the vision and generosity of our most loyal donors. The Sports Performance Center will impact each of our student-athletes as it is one of the best training and competition venues in intercollegiate athletics today."
The Sports Performance Center marks the most ambitious project to date of The Campaign for Fearless Champions, which has already funded 22 of 25 facilities projects, surpassed its goal of raising $10 million in student-athlete scholarship endowments and exceeded its goal of securing a $5 million endowment for the J.T. & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy, a first-of-its-kind, leadership and career development program that prepares student-athletes for success after graduation.
"The Sports Performance Center epitomizes the difference that philanthropy can make in higher education," Texas Tech University System Chancellor Robert Duncan said. "Donors at every level shared Kirby Hocutt's vision for a facility that prioritizes student-athlete safety, performance and wellness, and the impact of their gifts will be the foundation for a generation of competition and performance at Texas Tech."
The Texas Tech football program has been utilizing the Petersen Family Indoor Football Practice Facility since the start of preseason practices in August, providing head coach Kliff Kingsbury's team an indoor venue to practice in cases of high temperatures or inclement weather.
Beginning this January, the facility will host the nation's top track and field programs from across the country as Texas Tech will be among the few schools nationally to boast an indoor 200-meter banked track. Wes Kittley's track and field program will be able to host the premier collegiate events in the facility, including the Big 12 Indoor Championships as well as potentially the NCAA Championships.
The remainder of Texas Tech's more than 450 student-athletes will be impacted through other areas of the Sports Performance Center, notably the PlainsCapital Bank Nutrition Center that will be the hub of for the athletic department's investment in nutrition and wellness.
The Sports Performance Center also boasts a new strength and conditioning center that matches the recent upgrades to weight rooms at the Football Training Facility and United Supermarkets Arena. In addition, the Becky and Kelly Joy Family Sports Medicine Center will provide the Texas Tech sports medicine staff with first-class equipment to diagnose injuries as well as a rehab area to assist student-athletes in recovery.
"Texas Tech University has some of the best facilities in the country, which speaks to the quality and integrity of our program as well as the commitment of those who support us," Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said. "Today's grand opening is a national statement of that support and the leadership of Kirby Hocutt and his team."
The Sports Performance Center does not mark the completion of The Campaign for Fearless Champions. In fact, it has inspired an even bolder vision for the future.
"Because of the generosity of our donors, we are thinking broadly about the scope of this campaign," Hocutt said. "Our donors have challenged us to think about the future of our athletics program and how we can continue to educate, serve and grow Fearless Champions. We look forward to sharing more information regarding The Campaign for Fearless Champions."
"The Sports Performance Center is among the top indoor practice facilities in the country. The Petersen Family Indoor Football Facility has already had a tremendous impact on our program this season. Our staff and student-athletes are all thankful to the many donors and contributors who helped make this facility possible." – Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech head football coach
"We are so thankful to the many contributors who helped make this project possible. I know our student-athletes are excited to train and compete in what I describe as the premier indoor track and field facility in the country. We're very fortunate to have the loyal support of so many, and we can't wait to bring some of the top teams and athletes in the country to Lubbock, Texas, in the years to come." – Wes Kittley, Texas Tech track and field head coach