Owls take to historic Beale Street for parade, pep rally and party

On the eve of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Owls fans descended on one of America’s most historic streets to get primed for Tuesday’s game.

Beale Street, the “Home to the Blues,” was full of Rice University and Mississippi State fans taking in the sights and sounds of Memphis’ Liberty Bowl parade.

While a few snow flurries fell, parade watchers got to see floats and musical performances by bands, including the Marching Owl Band (MOB). The cheer team, dance squad and Sammy the Owl were all on-hand.

“I brought my whole family from Colorado,” said Matt Biggio ’89, from Ft. Collins, Colo. “And my parents came from McKinney, Texas.”

The MOB enjoyed the venue so much that they decided performing the parade route once wasn’t good enough for them.

“This is one of the great settings (Beale Street),” said Chuck Throckmorton, director of the MOB. “We were at the front of the parade, and the band decided to do it again! So we did a conga line to end it (the parade) up.”

Beale Street starts out at the Mississippi River on the east side of downtown and runs 1.8 miles. Within that stretch, fans also had the opportunity to take in upwards of 40 bars, restaurants and shops.

After the parade and nearby at Handy Park, fans from both teams came together for the “Bash on Beale” pep rally. The rally, which is sponsored by the merchants along the popular street, was an event for both teams. At the rally, a few players from both schools spoke. The Rice cheer squad danced, and the MOB and Mississippi State bands played music to energize fans.

“This is incredible,” said Rice cheerleader Jesse Drummond. “This is the second year in a row that we’ve gotten to do this, and it’s so much fun.”

“It’s great to support the guys, because they’ve worked hard all season, and it’s great to see it paying off,” said Rice cheerleader Hayley Peoples.

After the Bash on Beale, 450 Owls headed to the official Rice Liberty Bowl Kickoff Party for alumni, fans and friends at the Hard Rock Café. The event, which sold out last week, was hosted by the Owl Club and the Association of Rice Alumni.

“The night before the bowl, we always try to do an event,” said Rick Mello, Rice senior executive athletics director. “What we thought was important in Memphis was that we did it as close to the rally (location) as we could.”

“The atmosphere with all these Owls is just tremendous,” said Rice President David Leebron. “The great thing about the bowl games we’ve been to is that we’ve got a great group of people coming together who have traveled across the country or across the state.”

Rice trustee and alumnus Jeffery Rose ’77 summed up what a lot of people have been saying during bowl week: “It’s a great time to be a Rice Owl,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Look out Mississippi State, because here we come!”