LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech Athletics announced Wednesday it has received a $5 million gift to The Campaign for Fearless Champions from supporter Mike Wallace of Midland, which will be dedicated to construction of the Dustin R. Womble Football Center and the south end zone to Jones AT&T Stadium.
The gift continues Texas Tech's unprecedented fundraising momentum as the athletics department now has more than $62 million dedicated to either the Womble Football Center or the south end zone to Jones AT&T Stadium since October alone. The two projects are part of the final stages to the successful Campaign for Fearless Champions.
“We can't thank Mike Wallace enough for his generous contribution to the future of our football program,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “Our department continues to be amazed by the passionate support of so many donors with this being the latest example. We are confident this fundraising momentum will provide what will be one of the largest investments in our football program in our history.”
Wallace, a 1986 Texas Tech graduate in petroleum engineering, will be another lead supporter in providing a significant gift to the Womble Football Center after facility-namesake and Board of Regents member Dustin R. Womble kick-started fundraising with a $20 million gift of his own. Wallace currently resides in Midland where he is the owner of several oil and gas businesses. He is a longtime supporter of the Red Raider Club as a football suite holder and men's basketball season ticket holder.
“Our entire football program can't thank Mike Wallace and his family enough for investing in the future of our program,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “I knew before I arrived here at Texas Tech that our fans and supporters loved this university, but I continue to be blown away by how much that has been proven true in the short time Debbie (McGuire) and I have been in Lubbock. Gifts such as this reinforce the investment this university has in the future of our program.”
Texas Tech expects to announce additional plans for both the Womble Football Center and the south end zone to Jones AT&T Stadium later this spring as both projects remain in the design stage. The athletics department has already engaged the services of Populous, a global design firm that was instrumental in the development of the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center.
Between the $48 million Sports Performance Center that opened in 2017 and Texas Tech's current fundraising success, the athletics department has committed more than $110 million to its football facilities in recent years through The Campaign for Fearless Champions. To date, Texas Tech has raised more than $200 million through The Campaign for Fearless Champions to support not only athletic facilities but also scholarship endowments and the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Department of Student-Athlete Development.
For more information regarding The Campaign for Fearless Champions, please visit www.Give2Tech.com/athletics.
