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Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire climbs construction crane at Jones AT&T Stadium

Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire on Monday ascended a construction crane used during an ongoing project at Jones AT&T Stadium, reaching a height of about 220 feet, a Tech athletics spokesman said.

A Tech athletics videographer and three or four individuals from construction companies on the project made the climb with McGuire, said Matt Dowdy, a Tech assistant athletics director for media relations. McGuire was outfitted in a hardhat and a safety vest.

Asked what level of danger existed for McGuire, Dowdy said, "Zero. Every safety precaution there is was utilized. He was also with the experts that go up and down there every day."

Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire, left, stands atop a construction crane at the south end of Jones AT&T Stadium. McGuire, accompanied by workers who make the ascent daily, climbed the crane Monday afternoon, a Tech athletics spokesman said.
Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire, left, stands atop a construction crane at the south end of Jones AT&T Stadium. McGuire, accompanied by workers who make the ascent daily, climbed the crane Monday afternoon, a Tech athletics spokesman said.

As soon as the 2022 regular season ended, Tech began a project at the south end of Jones AT&T Stadium. The project, scheduled to be complete in time for the 2024 season, eventually will feature a four-level building with offices, club seating, suites, loge boxes and locker rooms, among other amenities.

The climb had been in the works for two months. On April 19, McGuire was asked in a private message, "How many retweets for you to climb the crane?"

McGuire replied, "3000 and I am in."

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The Texas Tech football account retweeted the exchange next to a picture of the crane, touching off weeks of discussion. McGuire said publicly he was serious about going through with it at some point after his daughter's wedding in early May.

Tech athletics, not wanting to invite a crowd of onlookers or live streaming, did not publicize McGuire's going up until after the fact on Monday evening. Back on the ground, McGuire tweeted a video of himself, panning upward with the crane in the background.

"Hey, if you're wonderin' ... Yep. I just climbed it," he said. "Let's go. Wreck 'em."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech coach climbs construction crane at Jones AT&T Stadium