Rice Athletics officially joined the American Athletic Conference July 1 after participating in Conference USA since 2005.
Rice is one of six institutions leaving the C-USA for The American. The others are the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Florida Atlantic University, the University of North Texas, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The AAC will become a 14-team league as these six schools join East Carolina University (ECU), the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Temple University, Tulane University, the University of Tulsa, the University of South Florida (USF) and Wichita State University (the U.S. Naval Academy participates as a football-only member, while Wichita State participates as a full member aside from football).
In the AAC, Rice will be matched with Association of American Universities members in Tulane and USF, as well as an old Southwest Conference rival in SMU.
“Being part of the AAC will build on our strengths and enable us to take the next steps in achieving our high aspirations for Rice Athletics, a cornerstone of the student and alumni experiences at Rice,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said.
With aspirations to ascend to new heights in a new conference, Rice Athletics is kicking off the “Ascend Together” campaign.
David Pillen, associate athletic director of external relations guided the campaign's visual creation and framework, which includes a refreshed brand video for the Rice Owls. The video script was written by Kiese Laymon, the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English in Rice’s School of Humanities.
"It is an exciting time for Rice Athletics, and we invite you to be a part of this journey,” Pillen said. “Together, we can accomplish extraordinary things. Your support will not only help us forge a path to immediate competitiveness in the AAC, but also equip and empower our student-athletes to excel academically and make a positive impact in our community."
Here are some ways to support the Owls:
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Buy season tickets at RiceOwls.com/Tickets
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Donate to the Owl Club at RiceOwls.com/Give
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Support our corporate partners at RiceOwls.com/Learfield
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Gear up with Rice Owls merchandise at ShopRiceOwls.com
To learn more and get involved, visit RiceOwls.com/AscendTogether.