Texas Tech The Big Winner After Lubbock Coliseum Vote
Saturday, the citizens of Lubbock narrowly voted to abandon the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum and return the land to Texas Tech, a decision that will greatly benefit Texas Tech athletics.
The city of Lubbock has voted and Texas Tech is the big winner. Saturday, the community voted to abandon the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum and return the land on which it sits to it original owner, Texas Tech University.
The 8,3444 seat arena opened in 1956 and was the home for Texas Tech basketball from the 1956-57 season until 1999. Along the way, it has also been the home to concerts, rodeos, monster truck events, professional wrestling and even semi-pro ice hockey.
In December of last year, Texas Tech hosted a throwback weekend for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs in the former home of Red Raider hoops. The weekend was a living time capsule as former Red Raider legends returned for the game that featured vintage uniforms, retro music, a court with the old block Double-T, and a no-frills game presentation similar to what fans would have experienced in the glory days of the Coliseum when it was one of the top facilities in the Southwest Conference.
But the facility has quickly become antiquated and is in need of so many renovations that the cost to bring it up to code and modernize it has become prohibitive. The only logical reason for keeping the Coliseum is nostalgia and everyone knows that the good old days don’t pay the bills.
Fortunately, the Coliseum, and more importantly, the land it occupies will soon be returned to Texas Tech which gave the land to the city of Lubbock in the 1950’s. Now, as the university nears its goal of 40,000 students and the college athletics arms race reaches the stratosphere, that land and its potential uses have become invaluable.
Texas Tech has not officially stated its plans for the land but there are some hints that the athletic department will be the primary beneficiary. Of course, extra parking for football games is always needed but Texas Tech has said it plans to do more than just pave the land and sell it as extra tailgating spots for football game-days.
"According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, “Tech officials said before the vote the university will gladly take back the property, will fund the demolition per approval from the Board of Regents, and will seek to use the land for something other than just parking, potentially as a housing facility for student athletes.”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"
There is a need for a new athletic dorm and the land’s proximity to Jones AT&T Stadium, Rip Griffin Park, the John Walker Soccer Complex and the new indoor track and field and football practice facility would make it a logical location. Furthermore, Tim Tadlock and his top-10 baseball program could benefit from a number of additions to Rip Griffin park, namely new offices for the coaching staff and a possible expansion to the seating capacity of the stadium.
Texas Tech will cover the cost of the demolition, estimated at $4 million, and no timetable has been announced (though the university has said it will honor all scheduled events at the venue, meaning the work is unlikely to begin until 2020). The vote means that the city will have to find a new home for events primarily held at the Coliseum, especially rodeo events that have no other alternative venue of this size in the Lubbock area.
But make no mistake, this vote is a huge win for Texas Tech. The citizens of Lubbock have not always been as supporting of Texas Tech’s agenda as university officials would like but on this issue, the community came through for Tech.
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The most lucrative section of the university is the real estate at the northeast corner of campus where the athletic teams annually bring in millions of dollars that greatly benefit the entire university system. As a result of this vote, the school will be able to continue maximizing the revenue it can generate through athletics and that will be a boon for the university and subsequently, the city of Lubbock.