University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting to Know Our Opponents -- Rice
8/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The countdown is on as your Golden Eagles prepare for the 2015 Football season! The Golden Eagles and Owls take the field at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Getting to know... Rice
General Information:
Location: Houston Texas
Founded: 1912
Enrollment: 3,888
Nickname: Owls
President: David W. Leebron
Athletics Director: Joe Karlgaard
Colors: Blue and Gray
Athletics Website: www.riceowls.com
Institution Website: www.rice.edu
Twitter (Athletics): @RiceOwlsdotcom
Twitter (Football): @RiceFootball1
Football Information:
Primary Offense: Spread
Primary Defense: 4-2-5
Letterwinners Returning / Lost: 44 / 21
Offense: 21 / 7
Defense: 19 / 12
Specialist: 1 / 2
Starters Returning / Lost: 11 / 13
Offense: 6 / 5
Defense: 4 / 7
Specialist: 1 / 1
Head Coach:
In leading Rice to its first Conference USA title as well as a second consecutive bowl game, David Bailiff continues to deliver on his pledge to build a program at Rice that makes its mark on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Entering his eighth year on South Main, Bailiff has twice led the Owls to 10 wins, matching Jess Neely's 1949 squad for the most in school history and their 41-24 victory over Marshall gave Rice its first outright conference championship since 1957. He has twice led the Owls to bowl wins (2008 Texas Bowl; 2012 Armed Forces Bowl) and with one more Bowl win, he would tie Neely for the most in school history.
Football Stadium:
One of America's great stadiums and the largest on-campus facility in Conference-USA, Rice Stadium will celebrated its 62nd season and Rice's 100th overall season of football in 2011. Historically significant stadium, upgraded to Astroturf 3D60H Synthetic Turf in 2014, current north end zone renovation and addition. The new field also sports updated logos and the Rice "R" at midfield. Fans can take in all these improvements while sitting on new aluminum bleachers which have seating for 47,000 fans. The end zone seating was removed and the area covered with blue tarps, but the capability remains to expand the seating to its original 70,000 configuration.
About Houston:
The most populous city in Texas, Houston is the seat of Harris County. The city was founded in 1836 on land near the banks of the Buffalo Bayou, and it was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas. Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community. Houston has the largest and longest running annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is held over 20 days from early to late March. The city was nicknamed the "Space City" in 1967 because of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Other nicknames include Bayou City, Clutch City, Magnolia City, New Houston and H-Town.
Notable Alumni:
Daniel Albright, 1967, Harvard University English professor
Larry McMurtry, 1960, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter for Brokeback Mountain
William Broyles, Jr., 1966, Founder of Texas Monthly, former editor in chief at Newsweek and screenwriter of Apollo 13, Cast Away, Unfaithful, Flags of Our Fathers
Candace Bushnell (attended), author of Sex and the City
Charles Duncan, 1947, former president, Coca-Cola; former Secretary of Energy under Jimmy Carter (1979--81)
David Aardsma, 2003, MLB pitcher, 22nd overall pick of the San Francisco Giants
Morris Almond, 2007, NBA guard, 25th overall pick of the Utah Jazz
Luke Willson, 2013, National Football League tight end
