School officials can still ask fans to "Pack the Jones" for Texas Tech football games. They'll just be referring to a specific portion of the stadium.
Texas Tech plans to name the student section "The Jones Student Section at Galaxy Stadium." Tech announced the change on Thursday, Aug. 20, and athletics director
Kirby Hocutt shared the news during the annual Red Raider Club kickoff luncheon at the Memorial Civic Center.The Red Raiders' football venue carried the name of Clifford B. and Audrey Jones from November 1947 until this summer, when Tech announced a 15-year, $75 million naming agreement with Galaxy,
a technology company that specializes in advanced data center infrastructure and digital assets. The previous 20-year naming deal for Jones AT&T Stadium expired in June, and AT&T declined to negotiate for new rights.
With the Jones name coming off the stadium, Tech officials said during July's announcement they planned to continue honoring the stadium's original namesake, which was the third Tech president and his wife. Jones was Tech president from 1939-44. When the stadium was dedicated in November 1947, reports at the time credited Jones with contributing $100,000 toward its estimated $400,000 cost.
Another Jones donation of $75,000 allowed Tech to expand the stadium to 47,000 in 1972. When Jones died that year, athletics director JT King said, "He was a great man for athletics, and I hope Jones Stadium will always be a memorial to both him and his wife."
Tech opens the season with a Sept. 5 home game against Abilene Christian.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Student section of Texas Tech football stadium to keep Jones name
