PR Club to Honor Spence, Stadel, and 1995 championship team

The PR Club will host its annual gala calendar event on Friday, Nov. 1 honoring two of the Owls greatest track and field athletes, along with a championship squad that surprised everyone, including their head coach.

Dr. Dale Spence
The first honoree, Dr. Dale Spence, was a two-time Southwest Conference champion in the 880-yard run before serving in the Marine Corps and leading a very distinguished life in the fields of academics and research. Spence, who won the 1952 Texas state title in the 880 while competing for Beaumont High School, ran for the Owls from 1952-56 under Coach Emmett Brunson. He finished fifth at the 1954 SWC meet and then followed that up with back-to-back titles in 1955 and 1956. Truly one of the best middle-distance runners in the SWC during that era, his top collegiate time – from over half a century ago – still slots him in the top 40 on the all-time Owls list.

Following his graduation from Rice, Spence joined the Marine Corps, serving 35 years in the Marines and the reserves, before retiring as a colonel. While in the Marines, Spence also continued his studies, earning a masters degree from the University of North Texas and a doctorate from LSU. He followed that up with a post-doctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and joined the Rice faculty in 1963, lecturing there until his retirement in 2003. During this same time, he also served as an adjunct professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the Anatomy, Physiology and Medicine departments. While at Baylor, he also received summer fellowships in Aeronautics and Space Research, both during and following the Apollo 11 space mission.

Ken Stadel
Any discussion of the top throwers in Rice history begins with Ken Stadel. A four-time conference champion from 1971-1974 in the discus who also finished second at the NCAA meet twice, Stadel's school record heave of 209-2 still stands (and would have won the 2019 NCAA championship by four feet) and his post-collegiate best of 227-3 ranks as the 12th-best throw in U.S. history and 40th all-time in the world. But he was more than just a platter spinner, as he scored at the outdoor conference meet in the shot put four times in addition to a third place finish at the inaugural SWC indoor champs. Like the discus, his collegiate shot put PR (60-11) has been unmatched in Rice history.

Upon graduation from Rice, however, his athletic career was just beginning. In addition to his top throw, he went on to earn a top-five world ranking in three consecutive years (1977-1979) and a domestic top-10 ranking for more than a decade.

Stadel and his wife, Jean, launched a very successful business back in his home state of Kansas, which they operate to this day. They have two children, Luke and Anna, who both were accomplished athletes in their own rights. Luke was a nine-time scorer and two-time conference champion for the Owls in the throws while Anna was an Academic All-Big 12 volleyball performer.

1995 SWC Conference Champions
It's likely that former Houston Chronicle sportswriter Jerry Wizig summed up the 1995 Southwest Conference indoor track and field championship meet best, when he wrote, "The unlikeliest ending in meet history came from one of the most unlikely of sources to hand Rice its first team championship in the 22-year history of the Southwest Conference indoor track and field meet." That unlikely ending included the Owls claiming the conference title when a young athlete unexpectedly won the shot put on the final throw of the competition, giving Rice a single point margin over runner-up Baylor. Not only was that the Owls first track and field conference title since 1971, it was also the school's only team title in any men's sport during that timeframe.

"I literally cannot believe it," a stunned Rice Head Coach Steve Straub told Wizig. "I mean that. I never thought we could win it. To put a young sophomore like that in that position and to see him come through like that is beyond belief."

While Kodili Odimgbe's "shot heard 'round the conference" provided the winning margin for the victorious Owls, the 1995 championship team made every point count – literally.

Point scorers for that conference championship squad included:
First Place
Kodili Odimgbe (Shot Put)
Kareem Streete-Thompson (Long Jump)
Ivory Angello (Triple Jump)
Andrew Burrow (600)
Bryan Bronson (200)
Second Place
Bryan Bronson (55)
Cliff Alexander (600)
Jeff Pope (High Jump)
Chris Jones (400)
4x400 Relay
Distance Medley Relay
Third Place
Jeff Lewis (Mile)
Fifth Place
Derras Wilmington (Long Jump)
Chad Kopp (High Jump)

The Owls went on to finish seventh at the NCAA indoor championships that same season.

Tickets and Reservations
The event will be held in the R Room at Rice Stadium on November 1. Tickets are available for $65, however seating is limited. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served beginning at 6:00 p.m., with the program to follow at 7:00. Secure your seats by contacting Trevor Cobb at trevor@rice.edu or (713) 348-6969.

Those who wish to support the PR Club, which helps allow the coaching staff to build a championship program, may make donations at https://riceconnect.rice.edu/mtf.

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