Owletters
Write/contribute/suggest/complain/rant
to  editor@ricefootball.net

December

Commitment needed

I appreciate and understand where you're coming from about not being disappointed about this year's football season -- but aren't we at the point now where it's reasonable to expect more? In fact I'll go a bit further in stating that we're at a crucial crossroads with our athletics program and in order for us to develop greater local fan interest and respect from the media and other schools, we've GOT to turn up the intensity a couple of notches in order to avoid regressing.  I don't know, I wish the athletic department people were a little more aggressive in communicating to Owl fans just how important our support, and our attendance, and our dollars are going to be over the next two or three years if we mean to retain a legimate NCAA Division One presence.  I wish they'd promote every single home game like it's for the conference championship -- they're actually for more than that, they're for survival.  You know, I wish the AD and sports promotion and the coaches would work a little more closely and try to be on the same page, and avoid situations like in October when the coaching staff brought in two dozen recruits to watch us play San Jose State in a virtually empty  stadium.   Couldn't they have made the San Jose game Scout Day or something, just to get people in the stands even though we knew we'd have a meager crowd playing at 11 a.m., on a TV game, with a so-what opponent? Or maybe the coaching staff could've been tipped off to bring in those recruits against say, TCU, when we knew we'd have a decent crowd?  And while we're at it,  can't the athletic department pay more  attention to the little things that add up to say a lot about the quality of the program?  I have work collegues from TCU who are still giving me a hard time about our rinky-dinky, SNAFU-ridden scoreboard -- and the long lines at the concession stands during the Rice-TCU game.   I'd think just one part-time computer-science grad student could keep the darn scoreboard running just fine.  I don't mean to sound like a whiner but I firmly believe that, at this stage of the game, just punching the time clock won't get the job done.  We need commitment.  From as many people as possible. Our kids, on the field, are just so close to being there.

West U. Owl

Positives, Negatives

Robert Sheppard
Class of 1988

Proud

Many thanks to you and those who have spelled you on this Webletter. I have been reading it faithfully for a couple of years now and it has kept me well-informed, entertained, and interested. It sure beats waiting for the Fort Worth Startlegram to run out of BCS, Big 12, Dallas Cowboys, and TCU news to maybe get a little bit of a hint of what's happening at the old school. The Owls have, over the years, been pretty good at inviting their fans to build unrealistic expectations, only to dash them in the end. Still, their is ample reason for hope and pride in our football Owls. They have managed to put together the best four years record-wise since I was in elementary school, and they have done it for the most part in a manner that makes us alum's proud of them. I do still reminisce of the bygone games with 'A&M, 'Tech, and the rest of the old SWC schools. But times change, and I am beginning to think that Rice really hasn't belonged in their league since the late sixties anyway. Although I have personally met, worked with, and am impressed with some guys in the engineering field who played for a couple of the big state schools, it seems clear to me now that on the whole those schools are not committed to providing their athletes with a well-rounded and challenging academic experience. I am proud of Rice and Coach Hatfield for their insistence on ensuring a quality, well-rounded, principled education for their student-athletes. As a fan and alum, I am looking forward to next year, whatever it may bring.

November

Hula Bowl

Hi Paul,

Later, Charlie Richardson

Better fate

Exiting Rice Stadium Saturday with the fragments of my stomped upon heart weighting heavily in my mind, I was trying to sort out where the UTEP game should be ranked on my list of sorrow. Certainly nothing will ever challenge the '55 Aggie game, but this one is surely in parity with the '91 Iowa State debacle.

Bill Mathias
Class of 1958

October

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

Mike & Elizabeth Hughes

Mad at MOB

I would appreciate you forwarding this email the MOB director and members: I want to comment on your incredible lack of compassion and outright bad timing and judgment in performing the 'bomb squad" skit at the Texas game.

Marsha Cloud

September

Bill McClanahan

I uncovered your terrific site while researching the noted cartoonist Bill McClanahan. Once I came in the back door of the web, so to speak, I poked around your website for a while and I think it is probably the best fan site I've seen! What I like about the site is the lack of braggadocio and trash talk commonly associated with many of the sports forums on the web. I guess that is a testimony to the education received by the typical Rice graduate.

Although I'm an SMU alum (don't hold that against me!) I hold your team in high regard for its ability to stay competitive in today's environment. I'm glad to see that there is still a large number of Owl faithful pulling for their team, we underdogs need all the help we can get!

Bill Block

Honesty

No. 65's No. 1 fan

This week 

The Rice Webletter is a wonderful site. Last week on "talk radio" discussing the subject upcoming game, it was concluded that regardless of the outcome of the competition on the field of the expanded, renovated Daryl Royal Stadium, the Texas players would all be working for the Rice players one day, so who really cared. Another kudo to Rice for its outstanding academic reputation.

 MOB style 

Radio

I would like to purchase any Rice Owl radio broadcast from prior 1970.  I sure miss the radio broadcasts from that era. My favorite team is the 1949 owls.. If anyone knows how I might obtain an ole broadcast, please let me know. The tape would be strickly for my pleasure.  Thanks.

Post-season

Also see Counterpoint:   Demise of SWC cited as biggest single obstacle to increased Rice attendance

Looking

I am looking for Kenneth Lane for my father, Manuel F. Davis. They were stationed in Germany in the late 1950's and became very good friends. Mr. Lane played QB for Rice University until being drafted into service. We do not know if he returned to Rice after they got out of the Army, but he believes he did return to the Houston area. His address at that time was 10616 Seven Mile Lane, Houston, TX. He would be in his early 60's by now. If you have or know of anyone who might have info as to his current residence I would appreciate the information.

G. A. Davis

Just wanted

I just wanted to say thank you for your support in our athletic program. I speak for all of us in saying that we really appreciate all of your efforts. People like you make being an Owl a memorable experience!

Chad Richardson

By that, Chad, we take it you mean to include our contributors and letter-writers, too.  On behalf of all of us...don't mention it.

Voices

In your story about attendance, mention of the '58 Owls really tugged at some memory strings for me. I, too, attended that '58 Rice-A&M game, which, as I recall, we lost 28-21. I remember that was the day my buddy found a pair of binoculars in the stands, and, afterwards, we'd though we'd invented ourselves a new game in flipping around those stadium cushions to each other, like non-returning boomerangs, from one end of grandstand to the other. Who knows, maybe we little Owlies invented the frisbee that day! (They still rent out those same, old brown cushions on game days--and little kids still flip them around after the games!)

Of course, once back in the car after the game, we would always eagerly turn on KTRH to hear Morris Frank give out the other SWC scores and comment on the Owls' game. (Now that was a voice from childhood--I've always missed Morris; he was a loyal Owl but never a homer. Of course he loved the "Ag-yihs" and "Lawng-hawns" too.

Hearing Morris' voice evoked a Pavlovian appetite response--we knew it was time for a post-game treat. Favorite destination was the then-new Howard Johnson's on Bellaire (it was in the building where Moeller's Bakery now stands). There we could chow down on both burgers and 28 flavors. I seem to recall a waitress who was German or Scandinavian, probably a down-on-her-luck ex-war-bride, whom we always wanted to wait on us, so we could hear her repeat our order...."Thwee D widdah fwench fwy..." Another voice from childhood.

HoJo was our favorite, but on other game days, there were other possibilities: Prince's Drive Inn, at Main and OST; Bill Williams' or Youngblood's on South Main, for "fried chicken Savage Style"; or Valian's, a little farther out South Main (though we thought pizza was mostly for girls); or maybe Felixes' or Lee's Den. Yum!  (We didn't go to the College Inn, though. It was a place for our parents to go--served "setups.")

Tell ya, though they are retreating farther and farther into memory, I can still stay for sure that it never got any better, before or since,  than on those clear, cool fall afternoons at Rice Stadium.

Listen, my kids will think I'm losing my marbles if they know I wrote this, so just sign me

Owl Conover

Heisman

Could you answer this one for me please: Which players (and years) played in Rice Stadium during his Heisman Trophy winning season? I think I saw Testaverde and Ware during my years as a student (?) Campbell also I'd guess, but what about the earlier years?

Donny Wilkins

In Rice Stadium??? Well, there wasJohn David Crow, for A&M; he played in Rice Stadium in '55, '56 and '57. Won the '57 Heisman. Beyond that, we need to check the media guide to see which nonconference games Rice played at home in the '50s and '60s. Anyone else?   Help us out,  out there.

Class class

As we looked through the listing of new Rice football recruits, we couldn't help but get a little emotional. The details of their accomplishments before entering Rice reminded us of all the reasons Elizabeth and I were so pleased when Andrew chose Rice over Harvard and several other schools. These seem to be the kind of young men any parent would be proud to have his son associated with. They also appear to have the athletic ability to win football games. Coach Hatfield and his staff have every reason to be proud of bringing these young men to Rice. This looks like a really strong recruiting class - with class!

Elizabeth & Mike Hughes

The greatest

Christopher H. Hahn (WRC '90)
Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P.

Recruiting updates

Don't take too much stock in how the papers rank recruits...ie Top 100, etc. If you go back and look at the Top-whatever lists over the past five years, many of the can't-miss names will not be in the lineup.  Many news papers have part-time writers doing recruiting updates or have a few people to talk to a few people and get a few names. Rice does not "promote" their sports programs through the media...just because players are not on numerous lists (that were created by looking at other people's lists) does not mean that they are not excellent players.

We think Ken has done an excellent job finding players that fit his system, and RICE WILL continue to win, especially with the redshirt program. Programs, especially football, with continuity in the coaching staff and administration, WIN.

K.  B.

Inspiring

I'm a tad embarrassed to be a Rice football fan, but for personal  reasons only. I never went to Rice. In fact I went to Texas, but only  because I lived in Austin.. But, I grew up near Rice, and my  grandparents took me to the games in the Jess Neely era, so I came to  love Rice football. I travel from Austin to Houston every home game,  and bring my grandkids and try to sit next to the band, if we can get away with it. We always bring a Mexican blanket to avoid the splinters,  though somehow there is a place in my heart for those splinters.  Explain that.

But my 7 year old granddaughter likes watching the cheerleaders, and, ok,   I don't mind glancing that way a time or two myself. But, this Hatfield period has been terrific. May it continue. I have the greatest respect for him above any other living coach. He's smart,  yet down to earth. And the players have given their hearts to the games,  playing a sort of pure, penalty-free football, where they rely on   desire, hard work, intelligence, and leadership to do so well. It's  like a man who uses his brains and hard work to accomplish a fine task,  versus a man who tries to be successful with 'get rich quick' schemes. Well, I am only writing to express my gratitude for being able to watch  this years never-say-die group of players, coaches, and supporting cast  members. It has positively been inspiring to observe.

Lloyd Stewart

Thank goodness

I'm a 1982 Rice grad and four year football letterman (captain 1981 season), and thank goodness a Rice friend turned me on to this great webpage. I'm computer literate and use it extensively in my law practice, but I don't surf the net often.  Wow! What a layout. Super graphics - intelligently written and displayed. Kudos to everyone involved. Keep up the good work - I've put it on my webpage favorites list

Bryan Hill 

TCU

While I am happy for TCU and the new WAC 8, I feel for our two 7-4 teams  the last two years. I have kept up with the TCU scenario all last week and they really put the heat on the Sun Bowl Committee. I feel we have  a great shot at the WAC title next year and feel we need to do our share  of PR for ourselves and the WAC. Is there a way to negoiate with the Sun  Bowl for a guaranteed slot next year? This would mean alot to  recruiting for us and credibility for the WAC. Any answers or  predictions? Also how are we doing in recruiting? Thanks for all you  do.

Scott Moss

For a quick link to recent stories on the WAC bowl picture, click here.  During the off-season, we'll be following closely the WAC's efforts to tie in to a bowl game and television contract for '99 and thereafter.  Also, there'll be plenty of reports on recruiting, especially after the first of the year.

Disappointments

While I agree that the game Saturday hurt, it was such a long shot going into the game that I never had the chance to really believe that the Owls were in. Compare that to the 1994 Baylor game where all Josh LaRocca had to do was hold onto the football and the Owls were in the Cotton Bowl, not the silly WAC championship game, but the ultimate goal of Rice football fans for better than 30 years.

Stephen Woods

Great take, Stephen.  Now if you'll excuse me I think I'm going   to go throw up.

More disappointments

Let me add some other 90's Rice athletic disappointments to the list:

Basketball, Rice vs Texas 1993 SWC Tournament. #2 seed Rice loses to #7   seed Texas. BJ Tyler declared ineligible after game, too late to help  Owls. A win in that game would have helped NCAA bid chances.  Late-season loss at lowly Fordham hurt too, in addition to the  earlier-mentioned Aggie loss.

Football, Rice vs Iowa State 1991. 2-0 Rice had a 10 point lead, a  first down at the Cylcone 20, and only a few minutes on the clock. A  fumble, 80 yd drive, ISU TD, 2pt conversion, onside kick, and ISU FG  later it was a stunning Rice loss.

Football, Rice vs Texas A&M 1995. Rice loses by only 7 on national TV   in final SWC meeting against the Aggies.

Football, Rice vs UH 1995. Rice misses chance to win the last SWC game   ever as a last second FG misses.

Football, Rice vs Texas 1997. Late fumble and roughing the punter are  keys to Rice blowing huge opportunity to get another win against the  Longhorns.

Bill Henze '90

Air Force Week

'84

Congratulations on the Webletter. You've done a tremendous job not only in setting it up, but also in all the work it takes to maintain such a complex Web site. Well done....I guess you'll be reading this when you get back from Colorado Springs. I went there with a group from the Thresher, yearbook, and KTRU back in '84 or something. We drove up in a van (I remember stopping in Amarillo, where it was like 10 degrees and snowing) and had dinner with a Rice alumnus. The game itself was pretty awful, like 59-17....However, we returned the favor next year at Rice Stadium with a late-game fourth-down stop by Danny Burgess and Joel Heikkinen, who had left the game earlier with an injury. 'Nuff reminiscing - that's what happens when you get old like me :-) Anyway, good luck at AFA, and keep up the good work.

Arthur Rabeau, '86
Boulder, Colorado

Stand...cheer...

I am a 1997 graduate (Brown), and I covered the Owl footballers for the   Thresher from 1994-1996. I'm writing to send my thanks for creating such an   invaluable resource for all of us Owl fans out here. It's always a pleasure  to find someone else who shares my sick love of the generally unappreciated   charms of Rice athletics -- keep up the good work.

By the way,  I trust that you'll point out that the victory over UNLoVed assures  us of no worse than a .500 mark against those yokel schools who consider   themselves too good to be in a conference with us. With this accomplishment,   I suppose we're an exception to the general trend, however; Sports Illustrated   had something a week ago about how the defecting eight were 18-8 this season   in head-to-head battle against the "old maid" schools (the term "old maid"  being my own allusion to a line in the song "Surrender" by Cheap Trick: "Now I  had heard the WACs recruited old maids for the war").

John Stephen Fredlund
Vanderbilt University School of Law

Hinterlands

Thanks for bringing Owl Football to life for fans like me who are camped out in the hinterlands.

Bert Pluymen

UNLV Week

People like Andrew

From the moment I read about Andrew Hughes coming to Rice via Choate School in Conneticut, I have paid particularly close attention (via Internet) to him because we seem to have so much in common. Like Andrew, I am also a graduate of Choate School ( on 11/14/98 I will be officially inducted into Choate's Athletic Hall of Fame), I am also an Engineering graduate of Rice , and I am also a Rice Varsity letterman  After Rice, I went to Stanford (MBA 1973), ), started my own company in my homeland (Pueto Rico, USA) and, best of all, have three sons including a junior at Rice. I am a Rice fanatic in the most extreme sense. Why? Rice is people like Andrew. 

Alberto "Tico" Carrero
San Juan, P.R.

Tico needs no introduction to Owl fans of less-than--recent vintage.   He was one of Sammy Giammalva's great, world-class tennis players of  the late 60s/early 70s.  Tico was captain of Rice's 1970 NCAA runnerup tennis team and later played in three US Opens at  Forest Hills.  He now operates a successful engineering company in San Juan.

Speaking of Andrew...

...It was  interesting that the infamous "chop block" which took TCU out of field goal range occured when Andrew (Hughes) stunted to his right and had a clear shot at the quarterback. All the TCU line could do to stop him was to chop block him. I was looking directly at him when it happened. He was clearly blocked from the side below the knees and the block knocked his feet out from under him. I'm just glad he didn't get hurt. I can't believe the TCU coach can say he is even madder after seeing the offense on video. The reason he isn't filing an official protest is that he knows he is wrong - the offense occured and the ref called it right. Franchione's statement that "the refs have been told not to decide the game in the last few minutes" doesn't give them license to do things which can seriously injure an opposing player like a chop block or a flagrant facemask.

Elizabeth Hughes

Captured

I wanted to commend you on the excellent work done on the webpage. You have truly captured the unique spirit of Rice Football. On behalf of all the guys that have upheld the integrity of the program, thanks for helping keep the tradition alive.

Aaron R. Stanley
Rice Football letterman (1993-1996)

Baseball

My compliments on your outstanding website. You have certainly raised the bar for those of us who maintain Rice Owl websites in other sports, and I enjoyed seeing you get some well-deserved acknowledgement from Neal Farmer. ...

Stephen Woods
Editor,  Rice Baseball 1998 (soon to be 1999)

TCU Week

Great win

Great win this weekend for the Owls. All the players and coaches deserve great credit for their effort this week. Thanks for keeping this site up to date. All of those in our family visit it daily. Go Owls!

Charlie Richardson  (Chad's dad)

Charlie,  that boy of yours last Saturday had just about the finest day of anybody who's ever put on a Rice uniform.

Colorado State Week

Why...?

I hope you've got an Answer Man on staff, because I've got some questions:

1.    Why are the Rice football and basketball radio broadcasts carried on a station so weak you can't even pick it up in Rice Stadium?  This has been going on for several years.

2.    Why isn't there a Ken Hatfield show on local TV this year?   Must be the first time since the mid-50s that there hasn't been a Rice coaches' show on local television.

3.    Why did they steam-clean only the bottom half of the stadium?  Looks like we didn't pay the contractor!

4.     Why don't we schedule more games with the military academies, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt?  We play Texas and I think Michigan on the road next year.

5.    Why have we always seemed to have so much trouble with special teams, kicking and punting in recent years?  When I was at Rice, that was the only thing in football that we were able to do well!

Athenaeus

As to question 1, your prayers are answered.  See Owl football, basketball moving to KPRC/KSEV.  The answer to question 4 is I think self-evident:   show me the  money!  As to the rest...sorry, our Answer Man has a limit of two questions per customer.

You dislike...

I want to congratulate you on a fine website for the Rice Owls. It serves Rice and the WAC well. ...I  was very happy when the WAC expanded to include Rice, SMU, and TCU. I was tired of seeing CSU, Utah and BYU - mostly because the rivalries are SO intense. I wanted to see new teams. But now I see clearly that Wyoming cannot survive playing new teams. ...Wyoming usually fields a good team and occassionaly an excellent team, but you'd never know it by our attendance figures. Wyoming is NOT like Rice. I'm sure its no exaggeration to say that Rice could field a good team even with zero attendance - simply because of the endowments received by your institution. Wyoming cannot do that. ... In short, Wyoming NEEDS to go back to playing CSU, Utah, BYU, Air Force and New Mexico and a regular basis or we will go down the toilet. By the same token, I would personally be pleased if Rice could go to the Mountain West Conference. After all, Rice has the main credential - you dislike CSU as much as everyone else!

Frank Limon
University of Wyoming

Wyoming Week

Are you...?

Are you going to continue the website on some level for basketball and baseball? Obviously the URL seems to indicate that it is a *football* site.

Bill Henze

Bill, if  I do, call up Bucky Allshouse and tell him to get the divorce papers ready.   My wife, Kim, says it's bad enough to be a Football Widow; but now she has to be a Football Web-Page Widow, too! (Fortunately, she's a good sport--though not a football fan!)

On a more somber note

Earlier this year, I forwarded a request for platelet donors to assist George L. Alexander, Jr. who was being treated for leukemia. With deep regret, I pass on the following announcement from his family regarding a scholarship established in his name.

It's "Indians"

Re: Your "Bad Day at Black Rock for smart guys" article--You're certainly entitled to your opinion if you want to swim against the PCstream. However, Stanford's former nickname is "Indians", not "Redskins". 

Go Owls.

Michael D. Fabiano

Knew that.  Used it in the same paragraph.

Respect

I am sympathetic to your wish not to cave in to political correctness.  I once had a theater usher tell me that the concession stand was not being "personed". However, I must part ways with you on the issue of Indian sports mascots. This is not a matter of political correctness; it is instead a matter of respecting the feelings of a rather large group of Americans. The fact is, many, and perhaps most, Indians are offended by the use of Indian images as sports mascots. I don't blame them. Had America lost World War II would we now feel honored if the Stuttgart "Amis" squared off against the Berlin "Yanks" in a soccer match? Would our society tolerate the Washington Jews, the New York Negros, or the Detroit Yellowskins? Of course not.  Please rethink your position. If you don't believe me read The Indian Times or native writers like Ward Churchill and Vine Deloria.

Rhonda Fedor

Tulsa Week

Excellent...

Kirwin Drouet
Wiess '71

Hey, Kirwin, finally a letter from a Quarterback Clubber! I think you may the only (other) guy who goes to the meetings who's young enough to have an internet connection!  BTW, there wasn't an "e" on "Old College Inn"--good trivia.

Ever think about...?

It's true, we did have an ongoing thing about the "Magnolia Conference" back in the late 60s/early 70s.  I say, with the power of the Machine, why not just go ahead and set one up?  Have a Virtual Magnolia Conference. Begin by giving a conference roundup, each week, on the games of each of our virtual conference affiliates-- sort of what you did on the "Bad Day at Black Rock" story.  Eventually,  play a full conference schedule of virtual games:  even have a battle of the bands!  Can you imagine the MOB vs. the Cardinal Band in Virtual Reality???

Institute Man

Franky, no, it's unimaginable.

San Jose State Week(s)

Stop on by...

You've written and edited better stuff than we found in the (SF) Chronicle....Nice job, but that's what we Californians expect of Rice graduates....If you're coming out, stop by our RAT LINE "early sixties" tailgate site (at the north end of Spartan Stadium) for a brew.

Pat O'Daniels

Our bunch did go out to San Jose for the game, and found you SJSU alums to be as cordial a group of people as we'd ever met, in all our years of attending Rice road games.

Except the final score...

Thank you for attending the game in San Jose. I am glad you and the other Rice alumni enjoyed yourselves (except the final score).  That was a nice comment you left on our message board. I hope to make the game next year at Rice. Maybe next time in SJ a lot more of your local 1,200 alumni will attend based on the fun time you had. They are invited to any SJS game at anytime if they like up close college football. Spread the word on your website, which by the way is great! ... Good luck the rest of the year and again thanks for coming to San Jose.

Rick Browne
SJSU Quarterback Club
Past President (1989-1990)

Thanks

Aside from the results of the last two games, I am enjoying the Rice Football Webletter very much. Thanks for your efforts!

Arthur Rogers

Stupid comment of yours...

You wrote: "Again, Rice is being taken more seriously than it would be, were Texas sailing on, undefeated against A&M-quality nonconference competition." Excuse me, but have you bothered to do any research? When A&M played FSU, they were ranked #4 in the nation. When A&M played La Tech, they had the #2 rated offense in the nation. A&M also played a pretty descent So Miss team on their own turf. My prediction? All three of these opponents will end the season ranked higher in the polls than Rice.

Greg Smith

True.  A&M does have a history, year in and year out, of playing a veritable  Murderer's Row of juggernaut non-conference opponents. Thank god we get to play Michigan next year in Ann Arbor while you guys have to go against North Texas.

Re Webletter feature, Latest Rice, UH attendance shows college football's still got a long way to go in the city of Houston....

Interesting subject. My opinion is Houston has terrible college fans and good pro fans. The two receive the same ho-hum treatment from Houston fans: the difference is that the colleges deserve our allegiance, pros do not. I have heard the argument for years that the fans in places like Philadelphia and New York are "great" fans because they turn out win or lose. I believe this is ignorant behavior. Pro sports is only an entertainment business, with the emphasis on business. The players and owners are not loyal to the fans. The only vote the fans have is the decision to buy a ticket. Bad, losing pro teams do not deserve our devotion. If they lose the stadiums should be empty. Do you owe it to Stephen Spielberg to see one of his movies even if it stinks? No way. No loyalty. The colleges, on the other hand, make money. However, it goes to a good cause. And no matter how cynical you are about college sports, "most" student athletes are there for tuition, room, board, and books. As a fan, I can identify with that.

D Reynolds

What has Rice ever done to cooperate with UH athletics?  Rice blackballed our entry into the SWC for years and years until DKR twisted their arm. They refused to schedule football or basketball games with us for the longest (until it became beneficial for them because it would be considered a big win. ) They did everything they could to wreck our sellout campaign against Cal last year. They told UH officials they would set up another date for their sellout. UH officials find out this is not the case when Rice has a news conference announcing that their selout game is the same day as UH's. THEN, they assure UH offcials that they will promote their sellout game together with UH's game. In UH's news conference that kicked off the sellout effort UH encourage Houstonians to attend both games, UH vs. Cal, Rice vs. AF. Rice never once mentioned the UH game in their news releases, news conferences, etc. You have to realize that a lot of folks at UH are still steamed about this to this day.  Rice is warming up to UH now because they don't have a conference to play in. Isn't it nice how the situation has changed?

Industrial Cougar

I firmly believe that Rice and UH will have to work together - not against one another - if we are to keep this city from going completely to the Aggies and Longhorns. I look forward to the resumption of the Bayou Bucket next season.

Cacheflow1

That game to end the SWC in '95 sure felt to me like we were in it together. Didn't we (Rice and UH) intentionally change the time of kick-off just to start after ut/a&m to say we played the last game? That was a great time...

J Coog

What I didn't like about the article is that "UH can recruit anyone with an SAT above a pulse" (untrue but at least our team's avg. SAT isn't 400 below the rest of the student body -- same at Duke -- and that's 85 players!!) and that RU can keep playing due to its large endowment. RU has had more discussions about dropping to a lower division in football than we have, despite their large endowment. Alumni still don't like football to be a huge drain on resources that could go to academics. I do like the relative objectivity and the "we're in it together" spirit. Go OWLS!!!

Anon.

Rice drew 16,000 for a Big 10 school in Rice Stadium after back to back 7-4 seasons, the best Rice has seen in 35 years. UH drew 13,000 for 0-3 Memphis during its worse slump since it bagan football. There is a reason why UH is not drawing well. There is no reason why Rice should not draw well. By the way, with luxury boxes, Robertson capacity is listed at 20,500 -- we lost the top 7 rows in the middle of the field. And as for your comment about Rice not being able to take the same players UH does based on academics, you wouldn't be talking if you knew the facts. Like Chad Nelson's SAT. Rice can take anyone UH takes, and would do so in a heartbeat if they thought the kid would help them win.

Cougar Red.

Thanks.  We'll pass that message along to Coach Hatfield--tell him to get on the stick and pick up some of those Cougar dropouts.

Texas Week

You people...

You people really don't take Rice football that seriously, do you???

David J. Clem

Have we?

You have to go back to the 1950s to find Rice-Texas games where BOTH sides actually believed Rice could win.  I guess we've come full cycle.

The Beaver

Every Longhorn

Hey,

Bryce Powell
Federal Sales
Dell Computer Corporation

"Notoriously fickle..."

Good luck, boys. One thing Mack III does well is to get the team ready to play with some enthusiasm and hustle and excitement. When the team plays with that type of emotion, it carries into the crowd of "notoriously fickle UT fans". Witness the second half of the UCLA game. During the previous coaching regime, both the team and the fans would have folded at or before halftime. However, the guys played hard, and our small section of fans made a great deal of noise in the Rose Bowl that afternoon despite trailing by 20+ points. In the past, that never would have happened, but this coach has preached the fans back into the stands, and we will be loud and rowdy, and behind our team the entire game.

If Rice can control the time of possession and win the turnover battle, they will have a chance to win this football game, because the Longhorns have a LONG ways to travel to get back to the elite level of college football. I simply do not think the chances of the Owls pulling off the upset are as good as you make them out to be. Good luck the rest of the year in the WAC, but I think you are looking at 1-3.

Regards,
Bill Grimm

Good call.

Children...

Whoever gets this ... I'm a Longhorn fan, and I noticed some assumptions that were made in this
article that just weren't true ... mostly in the introductory paragraphs.  First of all, you are correct that we were excited about Mack Brown coming to coach at Texas, and look for ward to success in our near future. However, nobody I knew thought we were going to have a 1 or 2 loss season. We saw games at UCLA, at Kansas State, and at Nebraska. Furthermore, intense rivalries with Oklahoma and A&M always make predicting wins a bold move. So, we never 'penciled in' a Big 12 Championship or a 1 loss season.   Second of all, the Rice game is not considered a 'no-sweat win'. Texas fans know that we have severe problems stopping the run right now, and are apprehensive about playing Rice this year, as we were last year.  You're right about Ricky Williams, though. He is the best player in College Football, and had great outings in 2 of his last 3 games. Last week was understandable against an incredibly talented Kansas State defense, but Ricky still got his 160 yards against UCLA ... a team that held him to much less last year.

I'm getting tired of people saying that UT fans have this "Blind Arrogance" when it comes to predicting our team's season. EVERY UT fan I've spoken to was very apprehensive about the upcoming REBUILDING YEAR!! Coach Brown simply has not had enough time to get the kind of players he needs for his system.

I like Rice. I made sure that I was on the field for last year's game down here in Houston. I have gone to several games down here to support what I feel is an exemplary school. I was disgusted, though, to see children running around with "Tuck Fexas" on their shirts...

B. Leipzig

Query whether MOB members qualify as "children."

Northwestern Week

Campus kudos

As a freshman Computer Science/Spanish major at Rice and a huge football fan, I must say your site succeeds where all others fail.  Most of the already tired, generic pages offered by big names like USA Today, ESPN, and the Sporting News are superficially deficient of any and all character, devoid of all that makes collegiate athletics such a joy to experience first-hand and that sets apart amateur sports from the avid commercialism of the professional ranks.   Your site... has an identity, an identity unique to Rice and a personality possible only of a life-long Owl, not an administrative outsider who gets paid by the hour.  It shows, through words and structure, what makes this university and its athletic program special...  I have read everything I could get my hands on about Rice history, yet most of what I found at your site was news to me; it wastes little time on the prologue but offers an absorbing core.  It will be my primary source and likely my sole source for Owl Football news for the next four years and beyond.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you.  You have created a pearl in a sea of empty oysters.           

Marsh Wong
Wiess '02

Marsh, many thanks--but, can  you cast any light on the relative Web inactivity,  relating to the topic of Rice football,  by on-campus student cyberOwls?  It's a mystery.  You'd think Rice students, of all, would be active users of this medium.

Where do you get your facts?

In your article on the Rice-Northwestern game you said said Rice lost the game to a team of inferior talent.  I think you're very wrong.  Where do you get your facts?  They're very young, yes. But Gary Barnett has brought in some of the finest athletes in the country to the NU program the past two years and they are just beginning to play.  Many, many high-school All-Americans and All-Everythings. ...I submit, man-for-man, NU has superior talent than Rice.  It's just not developed and experienced enough to show it -- yet.

Scott Miner

There's no program in college football that we Owls respect more than Northwestern.  Same goes for Gary Barnett.  But the fact remains--it took a season's-full of trick plays for NU to edge the Owls.  "Finest athletes in the country"?    Take it from a 30-years-plus college football fan:   the coachspeak "we're young" is the oldest excuse in the books.

It's great

It's great.  I hope it lasts forever.  TFW!

Stephen W. Lorimer

Purdue Week

Looking forward

Thanks for your reference to Purdue as being an "A&M with class."   We think that's an apt comparison.  Of course we're familiar with Rice's academic reputation and we're looking forward to  playing you.  Hope Rice fans who make the trip enjoy their visit.

Boiler Fan

Check-point for player parents

Just wanted you to know that we enjoy the information in the newsletter. Our son, Andrew Hughes (number 97) plays noseguard for Rice and we attend every game. Your newsletter is the first thing we check when we get home. Thanks for doing it.

Elizabeth and Mike Hughes

You bet.  Regarding our "publication deadlines"--depends on whether its a home or road game.   For a home, afternoon game, we should have something posted by dinnertime Saturday, with game photos up by late Sunday afternoon.   For a road game, however, it may be as late as Monday morning before the game story goes up.  (It's just a hobby!)

SMU Week

When?  How?

The only time Rice is loaded is after semester exams are over.

SMU has and will face teams a LOT more talented and physical than Rice. ...Remember last year's score?  What has changed since then to make anyone at SMU nervous?....We're SMU!  We went 6-5 last year and could have doen a lot better.   Other than Bordano, who did we lose off last year's lteam that would really be a difference-maker? Loaded and confident?  SMU thoroughly dominated Rice last eyar.   And they can't stand it.  They think the reason they lost was because they had an off week before playing SMU.  The vast majority of teams play BETTER after an off week!  Excuses, excuses.

Horseman

Die-hard

Great, great site!.  I love the Ye Olde College Inn section best.   Though I'm a die-hard Texas Longhorn, because I live in Houston I see about four Owl games a season.  All Rice fans should check this site out.  Congratulations!

Brock90

We think we have a great college football atmosphere at Rice Stadium.   Glad you like to come out for the games.  We appreciate your business; thanks for the support. 

Once an Aggie.....

Yeah, you people have really great traditions.  Like your magnificent band.   We have more people in our Fightin' Texas Aggie Band than you people have going to games.  Or who'll visit your web site.  What a waste of time!

Ag93