Rice Stadium Renovations

Rice Stadium underwent a dramatic upgrade in 2006 as part of a renewed effort to build support and bring fans back to Rice football.

Included in that effort was the formation of a new fund-raising group called the Extra Point Club, summer school programs for athletes, state-of-the-art technology throughout the football offices, football facility renovations, and sweeping improvements at historic Rice Stadium.

Among the upgrades in the Stadium was a new Field Turf playing surface and a Daktronics scoreboard/video display which towers over the north end of the field. The program has entered into an agreement with Adidas for new equipment and uniforms.

The new scoreboard rises more than 60 feet above the north concourse and the finished product will complement the distinctive brickwork around the Stadium and across the Rice campus. The video screen measures 20-feet high by 35-feet wide, and a four-color message-board component is 6-feet by 35-feet.

The Field Turf playing surface replaced the Stadium's nine-year old AstroTurf field. The field's 18-inch crown was eliminated by raising the sidelines to create a flat playing surface.

In Rice's football offices, new technology was installed to make the Owls' program one of the most advanced in the nation. The Owls use a new digital video system, which is displayed on plasma screens in all teaching areas.

New power racks and speed development equipment were added to the John L. Cox Center, and new field equipment included numerous on-field teaching aids.

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Overhead View	Endzone View