Expect to see a lot of burnt orange in Houston when Rice hosts Texas in 2010.
The game has been moved from Rice Stadium (capacity: 47,000) to cavernous Reliant Stadium. In a fairly candid story on the Rice football website, athletic director Chris Del Conte acknowledged that he had to take advantage of an enticing offer (reportedly over $1 million) from SMG-Reliant Park officials this summer.
"Every single institution around the country has been put in situations where finances are first and foremost," Del Conte said. "The economic health and viability of the Rice athletic department -- every day that's what I worry about. We've had some really good last couple of years, we're doing a better job [of balancing the budget], and everything is going in the right direction. But at the same time you've always got to worry about the financial health of your athletic department."
Hey FYI, there is a D1 university right up the road in Denton. It is called the University of North Texas. Baylor, A&M, UT, Tech, and OU are not located in the DFW Metroplex. Over 90 thousand UNT alumni in the Metroplex. You might want to cover them once in a while. How about covering the new stadium design?
Posted by: BenW | August 21, 2009 at 12:24 AM