Texas Tech Red Raiders fan with ALS gets VIP experience

Vickers has followed the Red Raiders for decades, the kind of loyalty plenty of longtime Lubbock families understand. This season, his grandson made sure that loyalty paid off, arranging a VIP experience that put him closer to the field than he'd likely ever been.

For a fan who has watched Texas Tech football through five decades of changes, from stadium upgrades to new coaches to entire eras of players, getting that kind of access says something about how the program treats its longtime supporters. It also says something about family. A grandson stepping in to make sure his grandfather could still feel close to the game, even as ALS changes what that grandfather can physically do, is the kind of story that sticks with people longer than a final score.

For Lubbock, it's a reminder that Texas Tech football isn't just about wins and losses. It's about the people who've shown up for half a century, rain or shine, healthy or not.

Johnny Vickers made it back to the sideline, fifty years after his first trip through the gates.