Getting to Know Conference USA

The Rice Owls had great success in the nine years spent competing in the Western Athletic Conference, including winning the 2003 NCAA baseball national championship. In fact, Owl teams have experienced success wherever they’ve competed and now hope to replicate that in Conference USA, which Rice joins starting with the 2005–06 season.

One immediate advantage to competing in C-USA will be decreased travel time, reducing the amount of missed classes for student-athletes as well as travel expenses. Rice also will have a shot at five football bowl games and more television opportunities for all sports. C-USA football and both men’s and women’s basketball games can be seen on ESPN/ESPN2, and College Sports Television Networks, Inc., also will carry football, basketball, and other C-USA sports.

One of the most exciting aspects of the move is the chance to play in-town rival University of Houston in meaningful conference games. Rice sports fans will have the opportunity to attend those events, but games between Rice and its other new rivals also are more within reach, as the schools are closer geographically than most of the WAC competition. C-USA is a two-division conference, with Rice and Houston in the West division along with SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP. The remaining teams are in the East.

In all, Rice athletic teams won 15 conference titles since joining the WAC. In 2000, Rice won an unprecedented six WAC titles, including in women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross-country, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and baseball. In the WAC and the Southwest Conference, of which Rice was a member for 82 years, the Owls have won 61 conference titles, including the SWC football co-championship in 1946, when the team went on to win the Orange Bowl.

East
	East Carolina University Location: Greenville, North Carolina Founded: 1907 • Enrollment: 21,797 Nickname: Pirates • Colors: Purple and Gold President: Steve Ballard Athletics Director: Terry Holland
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Football Stadium: Dowdy-Ficklen (43,000) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (8,000) Baseball: Clark-LeClair Stadium Athletic Point of Pride: Over the past 12 seasons, the East Carolina football program has participated in six bowl games and finished with a Top 25 national ranking twice. Notable Alumnus: NFL quarterback Jeff Blake Athletics Website: http://ecupirates.com
	University of Southern Mississippi Location: Hattiesburg, Mississippi Founded: 1910 • Enrollment: 15,259 Nickname: Golden Eagles • Colors: Black and Gold President: Shelby F. Thames Athletics Director: Richard Giannini
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: M.M. Roberts Stadium (33,000) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) Baseball: Pete Taylor Park Athletic Point of Pride: Southern Miss is the only school in Conference USA to win championships in football, men’s basketball, baseball, and softball. Notable Alumnus: NFL quarterback Brett Favre Athletics Website: http://southernmiss.com
	University of Alabama at Birmingham Location: Birmingham, Alabama Founded: 1969 • Enrollment: 16,693 Nickname: Blazers • Colors: Forest Green and Old Gold President: Carol Garrison Athletics Director: Watson Brown
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Legion Field (72,000) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Barlow Arena (8,500) Baseball: Young Memorial Field Athletic Point of Pride: UAB upset Virginia, propelling the Blazers to the Elite Eight of the 1982 NCAA Tournament in just the program’s fourth year of existence. Notable Alumna: Vonetta Flowers, the first African American to win a gold medal in a winter Olympics (bobsled) Athletics Website: http://uabsports.com
	Marshall University Location: Huntington, West Virginia Founded: 1837 • Enrollment: 16,551 Nickname: Thundering Herd • Colors: Green and White President: Michael J. Farrell Athletics Director: Bob Marcum
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Marshall University Stadium (38,016) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Henderson Center (9,043) Baseball: University Heights Baseball Field Athletic Point of Pride: Marshall’s football team has played in seven bowl games since moving to Division I-A in 1997 and has posted wins in five of those appearances. Notable Alumnus: NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich Athletics Website: http://herdzone.com
	University of Memphis Location: Memphis, Tennessee Founded: 1912 • Enrollment: 20,332 Nickname: Tigers • Colors: Blue and Gray President: Shirley Raines Athletics Director: R. C. Johnson
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380) Basketball Arena: FedEx Forum (18,400) Baseball: Nat Buring Stadium Athletic Point of Pride: Since 1987, Memphis has posted an 89 percent graduation rate for student-athletes. Notable Alumnus: Former NBA star Anfernee Hardaway Athletics Website: http://gotigersgo.com
	University of Central Florida Location: Orlando, Florida Founded: 1963 • Enrollment: 44,000 Nickname: Golden Knights • Colors: Black and Gold President: John C. Hitt Athletics Director: Steve Orsini
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, tennis Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Florida Citrus Bowl (65,438) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: UCF Arena (5,100) Baseball: Jay Bergman Field Athletic Point of Pride: A total of 28 players have been drafted or signed to free-agent contracts in the NFL in the past six years, including nine players from the 2002 roster. Notable Alumni: NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper, women’s soccer star Michelle Akers Athletics Website: http://ucfathletics.com
West
	Rice University Location: Houston, Texas Founded: 1912 • Enrollment: 4,785 Nickname: Owls • Colors: Blue and Gray President: David W. Leebron Athletics Director: Bobby May
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: Basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Rice Stadium (70,000) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Autry Court (5,000) Baseball: Reckling Park Athletic Point of Pride: Rice won the 2003 NCAA baseball national championship. Notable Alumnus: Houston Astro Lance Berkman Athletics Website: http://riceowls.com
	Southern Methodist University Location: Dallas, Texas Founded: 1911 • Enrollment: 10,038 Nickname: Mustangs • Colors: Red and Blue President: R. Gerald Turner Athletics Director: Jim Copeland
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Moody Coliseum (8,998) Athletic Point of Pride: SMU has ranked among the top 10 athletic programs in private institutions nationally in seven of the past eight years. Notable Alumnus: Championship PGA golfer Payne Stewart Athletics Website: http://smumustangs.com
	University of Tulsa Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Founded: 1894 • Enrollment: 4,100 Nickname: Golden Hurricane • Colors: Old Gold, Royal Blue, Crimson President: Steadman Upham Athletics Director: Judy MacLeod
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Skelly Stadium (40,385) Basketball/Volleyball Arena: Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) Athletic Point of Pride: Tulsa has won six national championships—four in women’s golf (1982 and 1988 NCAA and 1980 and 1982 AIAW titles) and two in men’s basketball (1981 and 2001 NIT). Notable Alumni: former NFL wide receiver and former U.S. Congressman Steve Largent, professional golfer Nancy Lopez Athletics Website: http://tulsahurricane.com
	University of Houston Location: Houston, Texas Founded: 1927 • Enrollment: 30,757 Nickname: Cougars • Colors: Scarlet and White with Navy trim President: G. Jay Gogue Athletics Director: Dave Maggard
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football/Soccer Stadium: Robertson Stadium (32,000) Basketball Arena: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) Baseball: Cougar Field Athletic Point of Pride: In its athletic history, Houston has produced 648 All-Americans. The Cougars also have compiled 17 NCAA team championships and 55 NCAA individual champions. Notable Alumni: Former NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon, Olympian Carl Lewis Athletics Website: http://uhcougars.com
	Tulane University Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Founded: 1834 • Enrollment: 12,676 Nickname: Green Wave • Colors: Olive Green and Sky Blue President: Scott Cowen Athletic Director: Rick Dickson
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, tennis, outdoor track and field Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball Football Stadium: Louisiana Superdome (64,900) Basketball/Volleyball Arenas: Fogelman Arena (3,600), New Orleans Arena (17,832) Baseball: Turchin Stadium Athletic Point of Pride: 79 percent of Tulane’s student-athletes graduated in the latest NCAA graduation rate report, placing Tulane 14th among Division I-A universities. Notable Alumnus: Former Yankee slugger and president of the American League Bobby Brown Athletics Website: http://tulanegreenwave.com
	University of Texas at El Paso Location: El Paso, Texas Founded: 1914 • Enrollment: 18,542 Nickname: Miners • Colors: Dark Blue, Orange, and Silver accent President: Diana Natalicio Athletics Director: Bob Stull
Conference-Sponsored Sports: Men: basketball, cross-country, football, golf, indoor track, outdoor track Women: basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track, outdoor track, volleyball Football Stadium: Sun Bowl (51,500) Basketball Arena: Don Haskins Center (12,500) Athletic Point of Pride: Former UTEP basketball coach Don Haskins broke color barriers by starting five black players in a championship game. The Miners defeated top-ranked Kentucky to capture the NCAA title in 1966. UTEP is the only school in the state of Texas to win a national crown in men’s basketball. Notable Alumni: NBA hall-of-famer Nate Archibald, NFL defensive star Seth Joyner Athletics Website: http://utepathletics.com