A view of Rice's new PAID FOR $31.5 Million 60,000 sq ft. Phase I Stadium Improvement (End-Zone Facility) paid for by a Major donation from....a former Rice football player. How about that for your College Degree!
from the press release: "Donors have pledged
all of the funding (no student fees needed to be raised), which will allow construction on the stadium's new End-Zone Facility to begin in early 2015."
"Patterson joined the Rice football program from Fort Worth Paschal High School in 1980 and graduated in 1984. A three-year letterman, he twice led the Owls in interceptions, and his nine career interceptions are tied for seventh best in school history. In 1983 he was named to the Academic All-America Division I football team by the College Sports Information Directors of America."
"When asked what motivated him to make the gift, Patterson recalled his experience at Rice. "In 1980, Carlos Maynard, a Rice football coach, asked me to walk on and promised a full scholarship if I played well," Patterson said. "Two weeks into three-a-days, head coach Ray Alborn pulled me into his office and told me that they would not only give me a full scholarship, but they would also return my tuition for the first semester, which I had spent nearly my last nickel paying. I could hardly believe it. That kind of integrity permeates everything in and around Rice University. This new all-sports facility was an opportunity to repay a huge debt of gratitude to this great university."
"When (Rice Athletics Director Joe) Karlgaard presented his new vision for Rice Athletics earlier this year, he noted that the football program is filled with opportunities. "This capital project moves us significantly forward in a number of key areas," he said.
He said the new facility will help with the recruitment of exceptional student-athletes as Rice strives for conference championships and top-25 rankings. "We can show our prospects modern training facilities and locker rooms alongside our outstanding classrooms, laboratories and residential colleges," Karlgaard said. "Our facilities, faculty and student body combine to create an unmatched experience here at Rice."
Student-athlete development building planned for Rice Stadium
http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-footbl/...14aab.html