Hougland retires following 31 years at Texas Tech
January 31, 2025 | General
Texas Tech’s longtime Associate A.D. for sports broadcasting retires after 31 years with the university
LUBBOCK, Texas – In the world of intercollegiate athletics, not many can say they built something from the ground up. David Hougland is one of the rare exceptions.
Hougland, now in his 31st year with Texas Tech Athletics, is responsible for the growth of the department's sports broadcasting unit from its infancy, beginning with the first videoboard at Jones AT&T Stadium and its first regional television broadcasts to more than 100-plus events annually between in-venue productions and nearly every sporting event airing on ESPN+.
Hougland worked his final event as a full-time Texas Tech employee Wednesday as the Red Raiders downed TCU at United Supermarkets Arena. He begins a new journey starting Saturday when he officially retires from his role as Associate Athletics Director for broadcast services, one that won't have him in a director's chair nearly as often but with his three teenage sons and his wife, Michelle.
"There are few employees who have had such a meaningful impact on Texas Tech Athletics for such a period of time such as David Hougland," Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. "While this is a tremendous loss to our department, it is also a time to celebrate David and the lasting impact he made on Texas Tech Athletics. We can't congratulate him enough for his retirement."
For those who have attended a Texas Tech sporting event over the past three decades, they've likely seen Hougland's work in some way. The sports broadcasting department is responsible for the in-venue production of every Texas Tech video board across campus, entertaining fans in what started at only Jones AT&T Stadium, United Supermarkets Arena and Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. Texas Tech has since expanded video board productions at other venues such as Rocky Johnson Field, the John Walker Soccer Complex and the Sports Performance Center in recent years.
Under Hougland's guidance, Texas Tech became the first Big 12 Conference school with the capabilities to run three video boards from one remote location. Hougland designed and oversaw the installation of the fiber optic network throughout campus that allows Texas Tech to operate its videoboards from a state-of-the-art control room located in United Supermarkets Arena.
With those same capabilities, Texas Tech now produces more than 100 events per year for broadcast across ESPN platforms. To help offset rising costs, ESPN can utilize Texas Tech's control room to produce linear broadcasts for men's and women's basketball and baseball games on ESPN2 and ESPNU without sending a production truck. Hougland has served as the on-site contact for FOX and ESPN personnel, a role that has earned Texas Tech praise for its ability to host large-scale broadcasts such as Big Noon Kickoff only this past fall.
"You can't place a value on what David has meant to this athletic department," said Robert Giovannetti, Texas Tech's Senior Associate Athletics Director for external relations. "In his 31 years, he has established a legacy that will live on through every game broadcast and videoboard show. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him over the course of my career and will miss him greatly but at the same time, we are all happy he'll be able to spend more time with his family."
Hougland began his career at Texas Tech Athletics shortly after earning his degree from the university in 1993. He returned to his hometown of Houston briefly following graduation until he was asked by legendary head coach Spike Dykes and assistant coach Rhudy Maskew to coordinate Texas Tech's team video production. As technology developed, that role quickly expanded to overseeing Texas Tech's growing sports broadcasting department.
In addition to his role leading Texas Tech's sports broadcasting unit, Hougland has served as an adjunct instructor for broadcasting in the College of Media and Communication. His students receive real-world experience in the world of sports broadcasting, serving as camera operators and replay technicians, among other duties for many of Texas Tech's events. The sports broadcasting profession is filled with many of Hougland's former students at various institutions nationally, including several now on staff full-time at Texas Tech, as well as major broadcast networks such as ESPN.
Texas Tech has tabbed Justin Nusser as Hougland's replacement. Nusser, who began at Texas Tech in December, returned to his alma mater after previously serving as the Senior Director for media programming and production at the Big 12 Conference since 2017.