It is obvious with all the money of the Rice Alumni that they collectively have no pride in their Athletics. Rice Stadium is a dump! They still have what are probably the original seat backs from the 50s. The bathrooms have not been updated since was built. I’m not saying they have to have a palace but it not that costly to update seats and bathrooms at the least. They spent all that money on the end zone facility yet it like putting lipstick on a pig. This place makes old Robertson Stadium look like the Taj Mahal. Have some pride Rice!
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What’s strange is that they have the money to do something about it and they just upgraded their basketball facilities. Not sure why they don’t do something about Rice Stadium.
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They have money because they spend it wisely. You have a 70k stadium and average 15k ticket sales at best. Do you really spend over $100 million to demolish the stadium and replace it with a high school stadium to hope you sell 5k more tickets a game?
Meanwhile we spend over $100 million and will have trouble selling it out when a P5 coached by an ex-UH coach arrives because it’s not the right time of the right day. But that’s OK because we are only $18 million over budget every year and it can be offset by spreading that out over 35k students’ tuitions and advertising write offs.
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I guess, but it costs $63K annually to go to Rice and they aren’t exactly raking in revenue for athletics even though they are spending at a D1 level. We don’t know because they are private, but they probably have a deficit near ours. Their endowment is over $1B and they can easily afford it.
I mean, they can keep going with what they have, or they can build a stadium similar to ours, and hopefully reinvigorate some of their fanbase.
Rice is doing just fine. They are world renowned and are consistently ranked as one of the best schools in the nation. They are a feather in Houston’s hat.
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If they still have wooden bleacher seats then, yes, those are original. Otherwise you’re assumption that they are original is wrong and they have spent money fixing up the stadium since it was built.
I think the existing stadium should be updated. No need to demolish Houston stadium and start over. There are good bones and good memories there. My Grandfather engineered the concrete used in the construction. Still standing strong. Way to go grand dad!
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Maybe there is that remote chance they may drop football one day and so they don’t want to “invest”
too much in the stadium.
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They have had a football program for over 100 years. I think there is a better chance they drop some other sports and join the FCS than drop football. Yes i realize you said “remote chance.”
It hasnt held 70k since 2006
Then those wooden chair backs in the top rows of the lower bowl must have been the original seats. Honestly I’d be afraid to sit in them. They looked really bad. Rice even still has the original big trough urinals in the bathrooms.
TDECU is nice. Rice stadium is 70 or so years old. Sight lines are great. Area around the stadium is really nice.
The stadium serves Rice’s needs. Some high schools should follow their lead and fund student programs and not build gigantic stadiums while you’re stuffing 35 kids into a cramped classroom.
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I haven’t been tonrice stadium in years. Since before they started the update when they hired some coach who took them to a bowl game. I sat in the wooden benches and got splinters. There were a few metal bench seats being installed but not in time to save my butt.
I was at a music festival this past May with portaurinals. Staring across at some guy doing his business while I did mine reminded me of rice stadiums urinals.
It’s a 70k stadium with tarps on the end zone seats. They didn’t demolish the end zones.
Next time we play here im not getting seats in the first 2 rows. you cant sit jack squad behind the team. LOL
Obviously you were not at the game, because one end zone is grass with a ramp. You’ve been caught again!
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Never said i was at the game. Sorry I was wrong about the one end zone. sheesh As far as being there before. I think Diehard’s statement shows I have since I warned him about the sightline.
"Rice University’s new $31.5 million Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center will knock out the stadium’s entire northern end zone — including more than 11,000 seats. "
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I haven’t been to Rice Stadium since before the renovations. This is the only info i had. rice stadium google maps - Search
They should tarp the upper decks for all of their conference games.
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