Rice's McGuffie is ready to run again
9/1/10 - By Kevin Robbins, Austin American Statesman

Rendon taking it slow with injury
8/26/10 - By Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

Whitehead can't avoid pressure at the U.S. Amateur
8/23/10 - By Todd Hveem, Houston Chronicle

Owls' stocked backfield creates new challenge
8/21/10 - By Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

McGuffie center of attention at Rice media day
8/7/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Texans jack-of-all-trades Casey growing more confident
8/7/10 - By Jordan Goodwin, Houston Chronicle

Andy Erickson Impresses in THSCA All Star Game
7/20/10 - By Rick Cantu, Austin American Statesman

Anthnony Rendon, 2010 Player of the Year
7/16/10 - By Aaron Fitt, Basaeball America

Tara Watts shone on and off the court at academic powerhouse Rice
6/14/10 - By Howard Tsumura, The Province

Rice, UH committed to C-USA
6/12/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Rice's Rendon can mash with the best of 'em
6/4/10 - By Kirk Bohls, Austin American Statesman

Ojala's return gives Rice a lift
6/4/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Rice Blog: What's in a name?
6/3/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Guerry in college tennis Hall of Fame
5/27/10 - By John Frierson, Chatanooga Times Free Press

Comerota's time at Rice big success
5/15/10 - By Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle

Ten shots with Rice basketball coach Ben Braun
5/13/10 - By Matt Samuels, Jewish Herald-Voice

Owls' Rendon one of a kind
5/5/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Owls' Rosa looks to end career with a bang
5/5/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Rice's Rosa has moment to savor
4/29/10 - By Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle

New AD Greenspan ready for opportunity
4/14/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie happy to be back home at Rice
3/29/10 - By Andy Staples, SportsIllustrated.com

Former Owl Standout Guerry Elected to Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame
2/25/10 - By B.B. Branton, The Chattanoogan

Rice a chip off the old block
2/20/10 - By Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle

Rice starting to gain momentum
2/18/10 - By Eric Soderstrom, GolfWeek

Rice golf team living up to goals, ruling the city
2/17/10 - By Todd Hveen for the Houston Chronicle

Casey puts his mind to it, finds success
2/17/10 - By Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle

Wayne Graham Is Living Out His Dream
2/2/10 - By Michael Murphy, Baseball America

New class of Texas sports heroes
2/8/10 - By John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald

Numbers tell Lance Berkman's success story
2/8/10 - By Brice Cherry , Waco Tribune-Herald

'Two Minute Tommy' had NFL future in his crosshairs
2/6/10 - By Jason Ortts, Waco Tribune

Schwarze Goes from Bench to Starting Lineup for Rice
1/21/10 - By Terry Jacoby, Chelsea Standard

Top 10 Stories from the Fall Season
1/4/10 - By Lance Ringler & Sean Martin, GolfWeek

Arsalan Kazemi breaks through, from Iran to Division I
11/27/09 - By Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated.com

Mid-Season Awards: Top Freshmen
11/24/09 - By GolfWorld

Rice Academic Seal and Logo
The academic seal of Rice University was designed in 1912 by Mr. Pierre de Chaignon la Rose of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who combined the main elements of the arms of sixteen prominent families bearing the names "Rice" or "Houston." Owls of Athena--symbolic of wisdom--were chosen for the charges. The Athenian owls on the Rice seal were patterned after a design found on a small, silver tetradrachmenon coin dating from the middle of the fifth century B.C. And because Rice University was dedicated by its founder to the advancement of "letters, science, and art," these words also were incorporated into the seal.

Rice Colors: Blue and Gray
In 1912, Rice's first president, Edgar Odell Lovett, chose as the school colors "a blue still deeper than the Oxford blue" and "the Confederate gray, enlivened by a tinge of lavender." It has been suggested that blue and gray were chosen in recognition of the fact that Rice's founder amassed much of the fortune that formed the initial endowment of the Rice Institute by trading with both the North and the South during the Civil War.

Residential Colleges

At most universities, the word "college" refers to the entire institution, to the undergraduate program, or to a particular academic division. At Rice, "college" is a way of life. All new students are assigned to one of nine social and residential units, or colleges: Baker, Brown, Hanszen, Jones, Lovett, Martel, Richardson, Wiess, or Will Rice. Each college houses approximately 220 men and women; another hundred or so members of each college live off campus. Approximately 80 percent of all undergraduates live on campus.

Each college functions as a selfsupporting unit, boasting its own government, budget, courses, sports teams, and dining facility, or commons. Colleges also house private dining rooms for special events, and facilities such as TV and recreational lounges, libraries, computer labs, laundry rooms, sand volleyball courts, barbecue pits, and courtyards.

The colleges reflect the academic, geographic, and cultural diversity of the entire student body. Assignments to colleges are random, though special requests are possible. As a result, they are very diverse and egalitarian institutions, each with its own traditions and college pride.

To an impressive extent, the colleges are self-governing. Students manage sizable budgets, operate judicial systems, assign rooms, and coordinate a wide range of activities and events that include intramural sports, speaker and film series, plays, service projects, and giant schoolwide parties.

Rice Mascot: Owl
When athletic activities began at the Rice Institute in 1912, the teams adopted as their mascot the owl from the Rice seal. Over the years, Rice's various mascots have included students dressed in owl costumes, live Great Horned Owls, and large owl statues of fiberglass and of canvas, the latter being particularly famous in Rice lore (see below).

Mascot Name: "Sammy"
An early symbol of Rice's athletic teams was large canvas owl, a tempting target for the Institute's rivals. In 1917, when students from Southwest Conference football rival Texas A&M kidnapped the owl, Rice students pooled their resources and hired a private detective to go to College Station to find the missing mascot. When the detective, having recovered the owl, sent a coded telegram to Houston that read "Sammy is fairly well and would like to see his parents at eleven o'clock," the Rice mascot had a name.

Alma Mater: Rice's Honor
Listen Here (MP3) audio file courtesy The MOB
All for Rice's Honor, we will fight on.
We will be fighting when this day is done.
And when the dawn comes breaking,
We'll be fighting on, Rice, for the Gray and Blue.
We will be loyal, to Rice be true.

(To the tune of "Our Director March," written by Ben H. Mitchell '24 in 1922)

Rice Fight Song
Listen Here (MP3) audio file courtesy The MOB
Fight for Rice, Rice fight on, loyal sons arise.
The Blue and Gray for Rice today, comes breaking through skies.
Fight, fight, fight!
Stand and cheer, Vict'ry's near, Sammy leads the way.
Onward go! to crush the foe, we'll fight for Blue and Gray.
(Words and music by Louis Gerard '40)

The Old Gray Bonnet
Listen Here (MP3) audio file courtesy The MOB
Put on your old gray bonnet
with the blue ribbon on it
And we'll take old Sammy to the fray
And we'll rock, rock, rock'em
And we'll sock, sock, sock'em
To the end of Judgment Day.

The media files contained on this site are for personal listening use only and may not be redistributed or sold. Recordings are the property of Rice University and protected under Copyright law, all rights reserved.

The MOB
The Marching Owl Band (The MOB) differs from traditional marching bands. The concept of the MOB's halftime shows during football season has been to integrate field action and formations with a script to present an entertaining and often thought-provoking experience. Current events, social change, and general fantasies provide the basis for show ideas. The MOB's director combines special musical arrangements with unusual concepts in performance to produce unique halftime entertainment.

Membership in the MOB is open to all students, whether they are musically gifted or not. Those who do not play an instrument help in the production of halftime shows as MOB Show Assistants. Benefits of being in the MOB include tickets to road games, attendance scholarships, and travel.

The MOB Official web site

Cheerleaders
The Rice Cheerleading Squad is a small coed team that cheers at all football games, men's and women's home basketball games, and women's home volleyball games. They also promote campus-wide school spirit and game attendance throughout the year as well as participate in several community service activities.

Rice Cheerleading web page

There are two tryouts for the squad: one in the spring for returning students, and another in the fall for freshmen. Both men and women are welcome to tryout. Tryouts typically consist of performing a cheer, a short sideline dance, jumps, tumbling, and stunting.

Questions? E-mail darquero@rice.edu or nina.xue@rice.edu

Dance Team

The Rice Owls Dance team is a small group of dancers who perform at home football and basketball games. Team members choreograph and perform a variety of jazz and hip-hop dances throughout the year. Members also participate in a variety of social and community service activities, culminating in a charity benefit concert at the end of the year.

Rice Dance Team web page

For more information, contact tanthony@rice.edu or jennie.wilburn@rice.edu