{"id":102215,"date":"2025-12-28T03:16:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T03:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/102215\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T03:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T03:16:33","slug":"texas-tech-equipment-trucks-make-1650-mile-journey-to-orange-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/102215\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech equipment trucks make 1,650-mile journey to Orange Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Under the cover of early morning darkness Saturday at the Womble Football Center, trucks loaded with Texas Tech Football and Goin\u2019 Band equipment began their journey to the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n

The convoy is carrying approximately 30,000 pounds of equipment across more than 1,650 miles over two days. One trailer holds about 20,000 pounds of gear, including helmets, shoulder pads and sideline equipment. A second truck carries around 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of practice equipment.<\/p>\n

The Goin\u2019 Band from Raiderland also travels with the team, adding heavy instruments to the transport load.<\/p>\n

Partnership started in 1996<\/p>\n

The equipment transport operation started with a partnership between Texas Tech and Lubbock Truck Sales that began when Tech joined the Big 12 in 1996. The conference move increased traveling distances and created a greater need for equipment transport.<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS STORY: Partnership dates to Big 12 expansion<\/a><\/p>\n

Richard Willis, a former Tech defensive lineman, and his moving company initially provided a trailer. <\/a>Willis teamed up with Lubbock Truck Sales to provide a truck for the operation.<\/p>\n

When Willis could no longer drive in 2019, Michael Durham of White Transportation Services took over driving duties.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re born and raised here, small towns outside of here. It means a lot for us,\u201d Durham said.<\/p>\n

Rusty Durham and John Upshaw also drive for the trips. Upshaw played for Coach Dykes in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to be out here 30 plus years later, you get the same feeling when you go down that ramp. And you see those guys come down. It\u2019s an adrenaline rush. And we\u2019re a big part of delivering that win because we get the equipment there,\u201d Upshaw said.<\/p>\n

Orange Bowl planning began after Big 12 Championship<\/p>\n

Planning for the Miami trip started immediately after the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were telling me in the locker room, if Ohio State wins, we\u2019re going to Cotton Bowl. If they lose, we\u2019re probably going to Orange Bowl. And Ohio State lost. So, here we go,\u201d Durham said.<\/p>\n

The drivers encounter Red Raider fans along the highway route, often getting a Guns Up from passing vehicles.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would be amazed at the people that ride beside you. And you see them stick it out the window. And I lean on the horn for them,\u201d Upshaw said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re going down the highway, I\u2019ve had people come by my truck and slap the trailer as we\u2019re going down the highway. So, sometimes the fans can get a little dangerous,\u201d Rusty added.<\/p>\n

Once the trucks reach Florida, the equipment supports team practice and band rehearsal before the game. The drivers say they get the best seats in the house during the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou actually get to see the team come down, the coaches, and you get to interact with them. And that\u2019s amazing. All the coaches treat you just like you\u2019re a part of the team. The coaches hug you, the players hug you. So, it\u2019s amazing,\u201d Upshaw said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been through peaks and valleys at this school. A lot of peaks, some valleys, and we\u2019re peaking now. And everybody\u2019s on board and we\u2019re ready to roll,\u201d Durham said.<\/p>\n

Join KCBD for RaiderZone coverage live from the Orange Bowl, including the RaiderZone Pre-game Show at 8 a.m. on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 KCBD. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Under the cover of early morning darkness Saturday at the Womble Football Center, trucks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-102215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lubbock","8":"tag-lubbock","9":"tag-lubbock-headlines","10":"tag-lubbock-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}