Sports Geek - A look into the world of Sports Marketing, Sports Business and Digital Marketing Building Collegiate Sports IT from the Ground Up - J.P. Williams, Texas Tech Athletics
Dec 23, 2025
J.P. Williams, Assistant Athletic Director of IT at Texas Tech who led tech for a $250M facility overhaul. He talks about building a lean, multi-role IT team, preparing for 60,000-fan game days, and integrating seamless Wi‑Fi, cellular and concession tech. He also covers vendor selection, training coaches on new systems, and scaling athlete device and NIL support.
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Career Pivot From Sales To Sports IT
- J.P. Williams moved from medical equipment sales to programming and then to athletics IT after being hired across campus at Texas Tech.
- He learned C# on the job, rose to head of an operations IT team, and later joined athletics to follow his sport management background.
Athletics IT Runs Faster And Broader Than Campus IT
- Athletics IT must move faster and cover a broader remit than campus IT, spanning desktop support, high-performance tech, and game-day venue systems.
- Texas Tech IT supports 15 sports, nine venues, fan Wi-Fi in premium areas, point-of-sale and nearly all venue tech except broadcast.
Hire Personality First And Use Game Day Checklists
- Hire for personality first to ensure staff can handle high-pressure game-day situations and communicate with non-technical stakeholders.
- Prepare with checklists (J.P. uses a Microsoft checklist) so most issues are prevented and staff aren't overwhelmed.