Rice Owls
| Rice Owls | |
|---|---|
| University | Rice University |
| Conference | 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 |
| Website | riceowls |
The Rice Owls are the sports teams representing Houston's 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 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 then-American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023. The women's swimming team moved to the American in 2022 after CUSA dropped women's swimming & diving. 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 crosstown Houston Cougars.