Rice Owls football
Encyclopedia
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University
in NCAA Division I college football
. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium
, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.
Rice Stadium
was built in 1950, and has been the home of Owls football ever since. It hosted the NFL
Super Bowl
on January, 1974. It replaced the old Rice Stadium (now Rice Track/Soccer Stadium
) to increase seating. Total seating capacity
in the current stadium was reduced from 70,000 to 47,000 before the 2006 season. The endzone seating benches were removed and covered with tarps, and all of the wooden bleachers were replaced with new, metal seating benches in 2006, as well.
. The game featured one of the most famous plays in college football history when Rice's Dickey Moegle
(later Maegle) burst free on a sweep play, and on his way down the sideline, was tackled by Tommy Lewis
, who had come off the Alabama sideline without his helmet to tackle Moegle. Referee Cliff Shaw saw Lewis come off the bench and gave the Owls the 95 yard touchdown. Rice would win the game 28-6, with the only Crimson Tide score coming from Lewis. The yardage added to Moegle's 265 yards rushing, a Cotton Bowl Classic record that would stand until Tony Temple
's effort in 2008. This would be the Owls' last bowl win until the 2008 Texas Bowl
, a win which also secured the Owls their first 10-win season since 1949.
on September 12, 1962. In it, he used the Rice football team to challenge America to send a man to the moon.
have been in the same conference with each other since the 1910s and have played each other 88 times as of 2010 with SMU leading the series 47-40-1. The rivalry is due to the fact that Rice and SMU were two of four private schools in the old Southwest Conference (Baylor and TCU were the others). Rice and SMU were the two smallest schools in the conference, were located in the two largest cities of any teams in the conference and have historically been considered the two best private universities in Texas.
with Houston
. UH and Rice play annually for the Bayou Bucket
, a weathered bucket found by former Rice guard Fred Curry at an antique shop. Curry had it designed into a trophy for $310. The two universities are separated by five miles in Houston. The Cougars
lead the series 24-10, with Rice snapping a 3 game losing streak in 2008.
have maintained a one-sided rivalry beginning in the early days of the Southwest Conference. Texas' 28 consecutive victories from 1966–1993 represents the sixth longest single-opponent winning streak
in college football history. In 1994, in a nationally televised ESPN game, Rice scored a major upset win over Texas, but since then Texas has resumed series dominance. Despite the dissolution of the Southwest Conference, Texas and Rice still play on a "near annual" basis. Texas is a public university that enrolls 50,201 total students (5th largest in the US as of 2007) and over 37,000 undergraduates. Rice is a private university and enrolls 3,051 undergraduates.
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in NCAA Division I college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice University football team since its completion in 1950 and hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974....
, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.
Venue
Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice University football team since its completion in 1950 and hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974....
was built in 1950, and has been the home of Owls football ever since. It hosted the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Super Bowl
Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
on January, 1974. It replaced the old Rice Stadium (now Rice Track/Soccer Stadium
Rice Track/Soccer Stadium
Rice Track/Soccer Stadium is a stadium in Houston, Texas. It is primarily used for track and field and soccer for the Rice University Owls. It sits on the location of Rice Field, Rice's old football stadium that was used prior to the opening of Rice Stadium in 1950. The venue held less than 37,000...
) to increase seating. Total seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
in the current stadium was reduced from 70,000 to 47,000 before the 2006 season. The endzone seating benches were removed and covered with tarps, and all of the wooden bleachers were replaced with new, metal seating benches in 2006, as well.
1954 Cotton Bowl Classic
The Owls played in the eighteenth Cotton Bowl Classic against the Crimson Tide of AlabamaAlabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
. The game featured one of the most famous plays in college football history when Rice's Dickey Moegle
Dickey Maegle
Richard Lee "Dickey" Maegle is a former professional American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League for seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys.Maegle played college football at Rice University, where he was an...
(later Maegle) burst free on a sweep play, and on his way down the sideline, was tackled by Tommy Lewis
Tommy Lewis (American football)
Tommy Lewis of Greenville, Alabama played fullback for the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1951, 1952 and 1953 seasons. He wore number 34...
, who had come off the Alabama sideline without his helmet to tackle Moegle. Referee Cliff Shaw saw Lewis come off the bench and gave the Owls the 95 yard touchdown. Rice would win the game 28-6, with the only Crimson Tide score coming from Lewis. The yardage added to Moegle's 265 yards rushing, a Cotton Bowl Classic record that would stand until Tony Temple
Tony Temple
Tony Temple is the former starting running back for the Missouri Tigers football team representing the University of Missouri. Temple played for the Tigers from 2004 to 2007...
's effort in 2008. This would be the Owls' last bowl win until the 2008 Texas Bowl
2008 Texas Bowl
The 2008 Texas Bowl was the third edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game was played at 7:00 PM US CST on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. The game, telecast on NFL Network, featured the hometown Rice Owls against the Western Michigan...
, a win which also secured the Owls their first 10-win season since 1949.
Kennedy Speech
Rice Stadium also hosted a speech by John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
on September 12, 1962. In it, he used the Rice football team to challenge America to send a man to the moon.
- But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
Coaching history
| Name | Seasons | Overall | Overall % | Bowls | Bowls % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bailiff David Bailiff - References :... |
2007-present | 17–30–0 | 36.2% | 1–0 | 100% |
| Todd Graham Todd Graham Todd Graham is the head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the head coach at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-Playing career:... |
2006 | 7–6 | 53.8% | 0–1 | 0.0% |
| Ken Hatfield Ken Hatfield Ken Hatfield is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy , the University of Arkansas , Clemson University , and Rice University , compiling a career college football record of 168–140–4.-Playing... |
1994-2005 | 55–78–1 | 41.0% | -- | -- |
| Fred Goldsmith Fred Goldsmith (coach) Fred Goldsmith is an American college football coach. He is the 18th and current head football coach for Lenoir–Rhyne University, an NCAA division II school in Hickory, North Carolina... |
1989-93 | 23–31–1 | 42.7% | -- | -- |
| Jerry Berndt Jerry Berndt Jerry Berndt was a college football coach at DePauw University, Penn, Rice, and Temple. In two years at DePauw , Berndt guided the Division III Tigers to a 9-9-1 mark, including a 7-2-1 mark in his second season. From 1981 to 1985, he coached at Penn, and compiled a 29-18-2 record... |
1986-88 | 6–27–0 | 18.2% | -- | -- |
| Watson Brown Watson Brown Lester Watson Brown is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Tennessee Technological University, a position he has held since 2007... |
1984-85 | 4–18–0 | 18.2% | -- | -- |
| Ray Alborn Ray Alborn -External links:... |
1978-83 | 13–53–0 | 19.7% | -- | -- |
| Homer Rice Homer Rice Homer Rice was a college athletic director and football coach. From 1967 to 1968, he served as the head football coach at Cincinnati, where he compiled an 8-10-1 record. From 1976 to 1977, he coached at Rice, where he compiled a 4-18 record... |
1976-77 | 4–18–0 | 18.2% | -- | -- |
| Al Conover Al Conover Al Conover is a former American football player and coach. Most notably, he served as head coach at Rice University from 1972 to 1975, compiling a record of 15–27–2 in four seasons before resigning to enter private business.... |
1972-75 | 14–28–2 | 34.1% | -- | -- |
| Bill Peterson Bill Peterson William E. "Bill" Peterson was an American football coach. His career included head coaching stops at Florida State, Rice University and with the Houston Oilers. Considered one of the unique characters in college sports, Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football... |
1971 | 3–7–1 | 31.8% | -- | -- |
| Bo Hagan Bo Hagan Harold Benjamin "Bo" Hagan was an American football player and coach. He served as head football coach at Rice University from 1967 from 1970, compiling a record of 12–27–1... |
1967-70 | 12–27–1 | 31.3% | -- | -- |
| Jess Neely Jess Neely Jess C. Neely was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Southwestern University, now Rhodes College , Clemson University , and Rice University , compiling a career college football record of 207–176–19... |
1940-66 | 144–124–10 | 53.6% | 3–3–0 | 50.0% |
| Jimmy Kitts James Kitts -External links:... |
1934-39 | 33–29–4 | 53.0% | 1–0–0 | 100.0% |
| Jack Meagher Jack Meagher -External links:... |
1929-33 | 26–26–0 | 50.0% | -- | -- |
| Claude Rothgeb Claude Rothgeb -External links:* as College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com... |
1928 | 2–7–0 | 22.2% | -- | -- |
| John Heisman John Heisman John William Heisman was an American player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College , Buchtel College, now known as the University of Akron , Auburn University , Clemson University , Georgia Tech , the... |
1924-27 | 14–18–3 | 44.3% | -- | -- |
| John Anderson | 1918 | 1–5–1 | 21.4% | -- | -- |
| Phillip Arbuckle Phillip Arbuckle -Baseball:-References:... |
1912-17,'19-23 | 51–25–8 | 65.5% | -- | -- |
Rice Bowl Game History
| Bowl Game History | Result |
|---|---|
| 1938 Cotton Bowl Classic | Rice 28 Colorado Colorado Buffaloes The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993... 14 |
| 1947 Orange Bowl | Rice 8 Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association college sports teams at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mike Hamilton is the most recent Men's Athletic Director, but resigned on June 7, 2011, and Joan Cronan is the current Women's... 0 |
| 1950 Cotton Bowl Classic | Rice 27 North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State... 13 |
| 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic | Rice 28 Alabama 6 |
| 1958 Cotton Bowl Classic | Rice 7 Navy Navy Midshipmen The United States Naval Academy sponsors 30 varsity-sports teams and 12 club-sports teams . Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or "Mids"... 20 |
| 1961 Sugar Bowl Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009... |
Rice 6 Ole Miss Ole Miss Rebels University of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school... 14 |
| 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was... |
Rice 7 Kansas Kansas Jayhawks The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference... 33 |
| 2006 New Orleans Bowl New Orleans Bowl The New Orleans Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana since 2001. The game was sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New... |
Rice 17 Troy Troy Trojans The Troy Trojans were a Major League Baseball team in the National League for four seasons from 1879 to 1882. Their home games were played at Putnam Grounds , Haymakers' Grounds , and Troy Ball Clubs Grounds , all in the upstate New York city of Troy. Overall, the franchise won 131 games and lost... 41 |
| 2008 Texas Bowl Texas Bowl The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, formerly known as the Texas Bowl, is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that was held for the first time in 2006 in Houston, Texas. The bowl replaced the now-defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005... |
Rice 38 Western Michigan Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a NCAA Division I FBS team representing Western Michigan University. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball, football, soccer and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field,... 14 |
SMU
Rice and SMUSMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
have been in the same conference with each other since the 1910s and have played each other 88 times as of 2010 with SMU leading the series 47-40-1. The rivalry is due to the fact that Rice and SMU were two of four private schools in the old Southwest Conference (Baylor and TCU were the others). Rice and SMU were the two smallest schools in the conference, were located in the two largest cities of any teams in the conference and have historically been considered the two best private universities in Texas.
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | RICE win | RICE loss | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | November 17, 1916 (Won 146–3) | October 2, 2010 (Lost 42–31) http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/rice-m-footbl-sched.html | 40 | 47 | 1 | 45.5% |
Houston
Rice participates in a crosstown rivalryCrosstown rivalry
In sports, a crosstown rivalry is a rivalry between two teams in the same metropolitan area. It is a term primarily used in the United States and Canada. They are called "crosstown rivalries" because in most cases, they are held in large cities or metropolitan areas where each team represents a...
with Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
. UH and Rice play annually for the Bayou Bucket
Bayou Bucket
The Bayou Bucket Classic is an annual college football game between Conference USA rivals the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls as a part of the Houston–Rice rivalry. The name of the game is a reference to one of Houston's popular nicknames as the Bayou City...
, a weathered bucket found by former Rice guard Fred Curry at an antique shop. Curry had it designed into a trophy for $310. The two universities are separated by five miles in Houston. The Cougars
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
lead the series 24-10, with Rice snapping a 3 game losing streak in 2008.
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | RICE win | RICE loss | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | September 11, 1971 (lost 21–23) | October 26, 2011 (lost 34–73) http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/rice-m-footbl-sched.html | 10 | 26 | 0 | 29.4% |
Texas
Rice and TexasUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
have maintained a one-sided rivalry beginning in the early days of the Southwest Conference. Texas' 28 consecutive victories from 1966–1993 represents the sixth longest single-opponent winning streak
Most consecutive wins over one opponent (NCAA football)
The following is a list of the all-time leading NCAA Division I FBS college football single-opponent winning streaks. Teams are ranked by the number of consecutive wins they've posted against a specific opponent. All streaks of at least 20 games are in the list.† Active Streak...
in college football history. In 1994, in a nationally televised ESPN game, Rice scored a major upset win over Texas, but since then Texas has resumed series dominance. Despite the dissolution of the Southwest Conference, Texas and Rice still play on a "near annual" basis. Texas is a public university that enrolls 50,201 total students (5th largest in the US as of 2007) and over 37,000 undergraduates. Rice is a private university and enrolls 3,051 undergraduates.
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | Rice win | Rice loss | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | October 17, 1914 (lost 0–41) | September 3, 2011 (lost 34–9) | 21 | 71 | 1 | 18.8% |
Rice All-Americans
| Name | Position | All-America College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This... |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Wallace | B | 1934 |
| H.J. Nichols | G | 1944 |
| Weldon Humble | G | 1946 |
| Froggy Williams | E | 1949 |
| Joe Watson | C | 1949 |
| Bill Howto | E | 1951 |
| John Hudson John Hudson John Hudson may refer to:* John Hudson , older brother of actor William Hudson* John Hudson , former NFL player* John Hudson , former American basketball player... |
T | 1953 |
| Kosse Johnson | B | 1953 |
| Dicky Maegle | HB | 1954 |
| King Hill | QB | 1957 |
| Buddy Dial | E | 1958 |
| Malcom Walker | C | 1964 |
| Tommy Kramer | QB | 1976 |
| Steve Kidd | P | 1985 |
| Trevor Cobb | HB | 1991;1992 |
| Charles Torello | OG | 1997 |
| Jarett Dillard | WR | 2006;2008 |
| Kyle Martens | P | 2010 |