Rice Owls
Athletics teams of Rice University / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rice Owls are the sports teams representing Rice University in college sports. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest. Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics. A member of the American Athletic Conference, Rice sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA-sanctioned sports. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA, until joining the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023.[2][3] The women's swimming team moved to The American in 2022 after CUSA dropped women's swimming & diving.[4] Rice is the fifth-smallest school competing in NCAA Division I FBS football measured by undergraduate enrollment, just above the University of Tulsa's 2,756 and the three FBS United States service academies's approximate 4,500. Rice's rivals include the cross-town Houston Cougars.
Rice Owls | |
---|---|
University | Rice University |
Conference | The American |
NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
Athletic director | Tommy McClelland |
Location | Houston, Texas |
Varsity teams | 16 (17 in 2026) |
Football stadium | Rice Stadium |
Basketball arena | Tudor Fieldhouse |
Baseball stadium | Reckling Park |
Mascot | Sammy the Owl |
Nickname | Owls |
Fight song | Rice Fight |
Colors | Blue and gray[1] |
Website | riceowls |