Tech practice fields project taking shape

For the past three months, Kliff Kingsbury's been fascinated to gaze out his office window and watch the work unfolding each day.

In this particular instance, it's not football players the Texas Tech coach is watching but workers going through the steps to resurface the Red Raiders' two practice fields adjacent to the Football Training Facility and the new Sports Performance Center.

"The process is massive," Kingsbury said earlier this month. "It's a massive undertaking, seeing how many people, how many loads of sand, rock. They water the sand. They smooth it out. It's been pretty incredible. It's been seven days a week for I don't know how many weeks they've been out there grinding on it."

Tech started the project in February and estimates the cost at $2.4 million. It's to be funded by donor money from The Campaign for Fearless Champions.

The layout of the two practice fields has been reversed. The new arrangement situates the grass field on the east side of the complex, next to University Avenue, and a FieldTurf surface on the west, next to the Sports Performance Center. That's the opposite of how it's been since the last resurfacing job in 2010.

The project has bloomed visually over the past week with the grass going in and the FieldTurf being put down. And although the grass might appear normal, Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said before the resurfacing started the root system's development will need until late summer for that field to be ready to handle wear and tear of football players.

Tech coaches should have the FieldTurf practice field available when their football camps start June 7, as well as the indoor facility and Jones AT&T Stadium.

The grass field won't be used before the Red Raiders' preseason workouts in August.

"The grass, for the longest time we just tried to make do and tried to cover up the different seedings and things of that nature," Kingsbury said, "and so I think it's really good that we're getting a fresh start, can get the grass the way we want it, can really take care of that grass field so we have that at our disposal.

"And then the brand-new (artificial) turf flows into the indoor. So it will be a really nice setup going into fall camp and will be great for our players and their legs and our practice."