Texas Tech Athletics Announces Creation of Founders Society

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech announced Tuesday the creation of the Founders Society, which recognizes individuals and corporations who have made a profound commitment to the advancement of Texas Tech Athletics through significant financial contributions.

The charter members include longtime supporters Dustin R. Womble, Cody C. Campbell, James E. Sowell, Edward E. Whitacre Jr and Gary R. Petersen as well as two corporations in United Supermarkets and AT&T. In honor of their lifetime of contributions, they will be recognized on the Founders Society wall, which will be located at the main entrance to the concourse of the new South End Zone Building to Jones AT&T Stadium.

“The members of the Founders Society are the cornerstone of our success,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “Their generosity not only fuels the growth of our athletic programs but also enriches the lives of our student-athletes. The impact they have on our department is immeasurable, driving excellence both on and off the field.”

Membership in the Founders Society is exclusive to those who have given at the highest levels to Texas Tech and demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to creating lasting, positive change for all student-athletes and the future of its programs. The mission of the Founders Society is to foster a network of visionary leaders united by a common goal in driving transformative impact across Texas Tech Athletics.

“Texas Tech Athletics’ culture of philanthropy is recognized throughout the nation,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director Andrea Tirey. “Philanthropy is the foundation of our continued success. It unites our community, inspires others to give, and ensures that we have the resources to pursue excellence in every area. We are beyond grateful for the charter members and are looking forward to growing the Founders Society in the future.”

Below is a brief synopsis on each of Texas Tech’s charter members to the Founders Society.

Dustin R. Womble

Womble founded Interactive Computer Designs (INCODE) in 1980, his junior year at Texas Tech. In 1998, he merged INCODE with two other software companies, forming the genesis of Tyler Technologies (NYSE:TYL) where he served on the board of directors for nearly two decades. He is currently the lead partner at Masked Rider Capital, the private equity firm he co-founded in 2014. In 2018, he inspired the vision and gave the lead gift to create the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center. Three years later, Womble followed with the then largest single athletics gift to establish the Dustin R. Womble Football Center. Womble was appointed to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents in March 2019. He and his wife, Leisha, have six children.

Cody C. Campbell

Campbell is the co-CEO and co-founder of Double Eagle Energy Holdings, an oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A fourth-generation Red Raider, Campbell was a four-year letterman of Texas Tech football where he played on the offensive line from 2001-04, earning multiple All-Big 12 and Academic All-Big 12 honors. After his college career, he spent two seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. Campbell graduated with honors from Texas Tech University in 2003 with a bachelor’s in finance and economics and then again in 2004 with a master’s in finance. He was appointed to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents in March 2021. He provided the largest single gift in athletics history in 2022 with a $25 million pledge towards the South End Zone and Dustin R. Womble Football Center project. In recognition of that gift, Texas Tech renamed the field at Jones AT&T Stadium in his honor. He and his wife, Tara, have four children.

James. E. Sowell

Sowell is the founder and president of Sowell & Company, a privately held investment company formed in 1972. The company is known for strong, sustained growth because of its expertise, resources and relationships in a wide variety of industries, including private equity, oil and gas and real estate. He has served on the Board of Directors of several New York Stock Exchange companies, including NL Industries, Todd Shipyards and Ketchum Drug Company. Sowell graduated from Texas Tech University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He was appointed to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents from 1995-2001, serving as chairman from 1999-2001. He and his wife, Betsy, have four children.

Edward E. Whitacre Jr

Whitacre was the Chairman and CEO of AT&T from 1990 until retirement in 2007. Whitacre led then-SBC Communications on a disciplined growth strategy and through a series of industry-changing mergers and acquisitions, including the 2005 acquisition of AT&T Corp. He also served as CEO and chairman of General Motors where his diligence, attention to detail, and decisive management style led to a successful overhaul of GM’s management and brands – driving the company’s vision to design, build, and sell the world’s best vehicles. Whitacre was appointed to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents from 1995-99, serving as chairman from 1997-99. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 1964 with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering. He and his wife, Linda, have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Gary R. Petersen

Petersen is the co-founder of EnCap Investments, the leading provider of growth capital to independent energy companies with over $40 billion under management. Prior to the formation of EnCap in 1988, Petersen was Senior Vice President of the Energy Banking Group for Republic Bank Dallas. In addition, Petersen is a minority owner and limited partner of the NFL’s Houston Texans and Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros. Petersen graduated from Texas Tech University with both a bachelor’s and master’s in finance. He was named a distinguished alumnus of Texas Tech in 2011. He has four children and resides in Houston.

United Supermarkets

The relationship between United Supermarkets and Texas Tech dates back nearly 70 years from the West Texas grocery chain’s founding in 1956. Since then, United has provided more than $30 million to Texas Tech Athletics since securing the original naming rights to what’s now United Supermarkets Arena in 1996. United provided Texas Tech with a key $10 million investment that jumpstarted fundraising efforts for the arena, which opened in 1999 as United Spirit Arena. The grocery chain has extended those naming rights twice since then and has become the “official supermarket” of Texas Tech Athletics through a marketing partnership in October 2019. In addition to its support of athletics, United has provided more than $5 million in scholarship endowments to Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, generating about 250 scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students over the last 10-plus years.

AT&T

Texas Tech has reshaped Jones AT&T Stadium since the communications giant first invested in the naming rights in 2000. AT&T, then known as SBC Communications under its chairman Edward E. Whitacre Jr, provided the lead corporate gift of more than $25 million that allowed Texas Tech to construct the West Stadium Building, a $52 million, 175,000 square-foot facility that features 47 private seats, more than 1,000 club seats and one of the largest pressbox areas in college football. Texas Tech originally renamed the facility to Jones SBC Stadium in recognition of the gift. The stadium was renamed again in 2006 to Jones AT&T Stadium after SBC Communications formally changed its name to AT&T.

Release Provided By Matt Dowdy Texas Tech Athletics