August 28, 2012

Purchase Tickets

Texas Tech Athletics is proud to partner with the Texas High Plains cotton industry for the "Celebrate Cotton" game on Saturday, Sept. 15, when the Red Raiders host the University of New Mexico Lobos at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Gameday festivities will celebrate the cotton industry in West Texas and its deep connections to Texas Tech University. Cotton will be everywhere throughout the game, from displays at Raider Alley and around the stadium to promotions, special graphics and fun cotton facts during the game. Special gameday T-shirts will be distributed (first-come, first-serve!) and cotton bales will line each entrance to the stadium, each with signage talking about what the cotton in that bale can make or how it impacts our economy.

Here in the Cotton Capital of the United States, the connections run deep to Texas Tech University. Cotton is represented in the university seal and is studied intensely in research labs across campus. Researchers at Texas Tech most recently made national news during the Gulf oil spill when a cotton product, known as Fibertect, was touted as tool to aid in the disaster cleanup.

"The cotton industry in West Texas is a world-leading producer and Texas Tech is honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our region on a national stage," Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt remarked. "Cotton and Texas Tech are synonymous and we hope this game will serve as an educational tool for people all across the nation that in West Texas -we clothe America."

Presenting sponsors include Plains Cotton Cooperative Association; United Cotton Growers; FiberMax; Texas Ag Coop Trust; NexGen; AgTexas Farm Credit Services;City Bank; Lubbock Avalanche-Journal; Deltapine; and All-Tex.

Kickoff time has been set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on Fox College Sports. Tickets for the game are available for purchase online at texastech.com or by calling the athletics ticket office at (806) 742-TECH.

COTTON FACTS

One 500lb bale of cotton will make:
215 Pair of Jeans
249 Bed Sheets
409 Men's Sport Shirts
690 Terry Bath Towels
765 Men's Dress Shirts
1,217 Men's T-Shirts
1,256 Pillowcases
2,104 Boxer Shorts
2,419 Men's Briefs
3,085 Diapers
4,321 Mid-Calf Socks
6,436 Women's Knit Briefs
21,960 Women's Handkerchiefs
313,600 $100 Bills (U.S. paper currency is made of 75% cotton and 25% linen)
Stats provided by the National Cotton Council

Other stats:
- Cotton growers on the High Plains produce, on average, 4.25 million bales per year. That's about 2/3 of the Texas cotton crop, 1/3 of the nation's crop, and 4% of the world cotton crop!
- The Texas High Plains is the largest contiguous cotton patch in the world.
- Texas is the No. 1 cotton-producing state in the nation.
- While the fiber from cotton goes into denim, T-shirts, towels, sheets and much more, the seed can be processed to make cottonseed oil, which is used mainly as a salad or cooking oil. Cottonseed meal and hulls are used in the feeding of beef and dairy cattle.
- Most cotton on the High Plains is planted in May and harvested in the fall, mostly in October and November.
- Each dollar generated from a cotton crop turns over an average of three and one-half times in the local economy.