Quote:Rice University will begin construction soon on a new $2 million grandstand, enclosed press box and team facilities for soccer and men's and women's track and field and cross country.

The new grandstand, which will accommodate 1,500 people with a mixture of chairback and bleacher seating, and press box are planned to be completed in time for the soccer season. The team facilities will be completed by this fall.

The renovation is being fully funded by the university.

The teams' building will include meeting rooms, a weight room and space for visiting teams, in addition to restrooms for fans.

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/w-soccer/...15aaa.html

The renovation is being fully funded by the university.

Wow, that's the most surprising part of the press release.

Great news but haven't we heard rumors about moving the facility to the west side of the football stadium instead? I wonder why the change of heart?

Great to hear that the University continues its recent increased support of athletics!

This is just outstanding. I hope that it will spur donations to the university (essentially replacing the university funds) and/or augmentations to the University support of these specific sports (as in the big 3).

(06-04-2015 11:29 AM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

Quote:Rice University will begin construction soon on a new $2 million grandstand, enclosed press box and team facilities for soccer and men's and women's track and field and cross country.

The new grandstand, which will accommodate 1,500 people with a mixture of chairback and bleacher seating, and press box are planned to be completed in time for the soccer season. The team facilities will be completed by this fall.

The renovation is being fully funded by the university.

The teams' building will include meeting rooms, a weight room and space for visiting teams, in addition to restrooms for fans.

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/w-soccer/...15aaa.html

Wasn't the current grandstand condemned ?

More great news! Well deserved for a great group of student athletes!

(06-04-2015 01:04 PM)Mecklund Wrote:  More great news! Well deserved for a great group of student athletes!

Hear, hear!

The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

I first heard about the new stands when I talked to the soccer coach after the Houston coach's tour.
I did mention that it had been hard to see the whole field last season from the stand placed on the track last season.

I was surprised that it is being built at the old location instead of building it at a new location.

The stands are what is left over of old Rice Stadium. I have a giant photo of it and counted rows. Sad in some ways, but OMG, was there a more uncomfortable seating than I have every experienced. It was a dump in 1970 and same in 2015.

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

(06-05-2015 10:10 AM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

Good morning, Owls. David Ruth here in Rice News and Media Relations. According to the 1966 Football Media Guide, the stands we replaced that summer. Here is a link to that page of the 1966 Media Guide. I hope this clears up any confusion.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/rice...Stands.pdf

I think the last surviving part of the original stadium was the brick perimeter wall that was blown down in the windstorm in the late 1990s or early 2000s.

(06-05-2015 10:40 AM)Pearlander Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 10:10 AM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

Good morning, Owls. David Ruth here in Rice News and Media Relations. According to the 1966 Football Media Guide, the stands we replaced that summer. Here is a link to that page of the 1966 Media Guide. I hope this clears up any confusion.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/rice...Stands.pdf

Thank you!

The old blue chair backs were curtesy of old Cameron Field.

(06-05-2015 10:40 AM)Pearlander Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 10:10 AM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

Good morning, Owls. David Ruth here in Rice News and Media Relations. According to the 1966 Football Media Guide, the stands we replaced that summer. Here is a link to that page of the 1966 Media Guide. I hope this clears up any confusion.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/rice...Stands.pdf

Thanks for the link!

1966 Football Schedule:
LSU, Tenn, UCLA, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, Arkansas, A&M, TCU, Baylor

2015 Football Schedule:
Depressing.....

(06-05-2015 12:38 PM)WIowl Wrote:  1966 Football Schedule:
LSU, Tenn, UCLA, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, Arkansas, A&M, TCU, Baylor

Sigh, 1966 - my freshmen year. If I recall correctly (a chancy proposition these days) there were 65,000 people in the stands for the LSU game. Rice scored late to take a 16-15 lead and then kicked the extra point to go up 17-15 (the eventual final score). There was speculation in the papers afterward that the reason Rice didn’t go for two points to get a three-point lead was that coach Neely was uncomfortable with the “new-fangled” two-point conversion.

(06-05-2015 10:40 AM)Pearlander Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 10:10 AM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

... According to the 1966 Football Media Guide, the stands we(re) replaced that summer. Here is a link to that page of the 1966 Media Guide. I hope this clears up any confusion. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/rice...Stands.pdf

The "last summer" replacement of the track stadium's seating mentioned in the 1966 Media Guide probably refers to 1965.

The October 14, 1965, Thresher (p. 7) has this article:

Quote:New, Safer Seats In Track Stadium

The wooden rises in the old Rice stadium have been replaced by new concrete seats.

According to Dr. James R. Sims, the Campus Business Manager, the replacement was necessary for safety purposes. Sims said that the old seats, installed twenty-five years ago, were too dangerous for further use.

The concrete seats are complete, except for railings now being installed. They are both safer and cheaper to maintain.

(06-05-2015 10:40 AM)Pearlander Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 10:10 AM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 02:54 PM)75src Wrote:  The part I question is the statement that the current facility did not use any of the old football stadium. I think the stand is the same north stand I sat at in 1964 at a 3 college (Rice, A&M and Texas) track meet. My father remembers it from 1945 when his high school team went to a Rice game. You can still see the bolt holes from where the original seats were in the stands. The track was changed from cinder to a modern surface in 1980 when Rice track was moved to Kinkaid to make the change.

IIRC Karlgaard was talking about how the bleachers were part of the old (pre HRS) Rice stadium at the coaches caravan.

Good morning, Owls. David Ruth here in Rice News and Media Relations. According to the 1966 Football Media Guide, the stands we replaced that summer. Here is a link to that page of the 1966 Media Guide. I hope this clears up any confusion.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/rice...Stands.pdf

Thanks for the link!

Some random observations:
1. Six home games in a ten game schedule. That's big time.
2. Four cheerleaders.
3. The band had 100 members. Wow.
4. Helmets had stripes and the 'death from above' war owl...pretty cool.
5. I know that it is a black and white copy, but the helmets are a noticeably darker shade blue than the home uniforms. Also, pants have the thin stripe and the jerseys have shoulder numbers.
6. So weird and at the same time cool to see large crowds in the background. I love the action shot of number 14 catching the ball against what looks to be a defender (#28) of Ole Miss. Rice has a legacy. It would be awesome to see HRS with that kind of atmosphere again.

"The Owls have averaged about 280,000 fans per six-game season in their campus stadium since 1950."

So, for 16 seasons (1950-65), Rice averaged about 46,667 per home game.

(06-06-2015 01:20 PM)Pan95 Wrote:  3. The band had 100 members. Wow.

I remember the band being announced as "The Largest Per-capita Band in the Southwest".

\We had about 1700 students at the time.