Largest Class Since 1973 to Enter Rice Athletics Hall of Fame
6/17/2021 4:51:00 PM | Baseball, Football, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Men's Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball, R Association
11 standouts to join their peers
HOUSTON – The Rice Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome its largest class of inductees since 1973 when 11 legendary performers officially are inducted on Friday, October 1 at The Westin Houston Medical Center.
The class is comprised of 10 athletes (Ivory Angello, Steve Campbell, Chase Clement, Larry Izzo, Jessica Kuster, Tracey Lam, Brad Lardon, Mario Ramos, Krystal Robinson and Cory Teague) in addition to former women's tennis coach Paul Blankenship. The "R" Association will also honor former student-athletes John Coles and Elle Lewis-Anderson with the Distinguished "R" Award while Roger Tower, a tireless supporter of the Owls, will be presented the Honorary "R "Award.
Induction activities will continue the following afternoon with a pregame tailgate prior the Rice-Southern Miss football game and the class will be honored on the field during the game.
For additional information regarding the 2021 Rice Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, please contact the Owl Club, 713-348-8425 or by email, riceowlclub@rice.edu.
Elle Anderson (Distinguished R)
Elle Anderson has proven to be the model for all Rice letter winners to emulate. On the tennis court, she was ranked three times in the top 50 in the nation. She was a three-time, All-WAC and All-WAC Academic selection and qualified for the ITA regional four times. Twice in her career, she helped lead the Owls to the NCAA tournament and her 87 wins ranked fifth on the Rice career singles list when she finished her career.
An O-Week Coordinator while at Rice, Anderson has remained involved with campus activities since graduation. She has chaired her class's 10th, 15th, and 20th reunions, served on the Rice Engineering Advisory Board, and was recently appointed to a term on the Rice Board of Trustees. She also founded her own engineering firm which was named one of the Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Businesses for four consecutive years. In addition to the work on campus, she is highly involved in the Houston community through volunteering efforts at her children's school, the community, and with Tropical Storm Allison recovery efforts.
Ivory Angello '96 (Hall of Fame)
Angello was one of the best jumpers in program history as evidenced by his five conference titles and three All-American performances. After winning the Southwest Conference indoor triple jump title in 1993, Angello swept both the indoor and outdoor triple jump competitions in 1994 and 1995.
Angello placed second at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1994 and was fifth in 1995. He would later add All-American honors for the first time in his outdoor career in the spring of '95 with a fourth place result at nationals.
Angello still holds the school records in the triple jump both indoors (16.67m/54-8.25) and outdoors (17.10m/56-1.25) which were both established in 1995, and was given the Emmett Brunson Award his senior year. He also qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trails.
Paul Blankenship (Hall of Fame)
Paul Blankenship's impact on Rice Women's Tennis was immediate and legendary. He came to Rice in the fall of 1981 to take over the fledgling program and over 20 seasons compiled the most dual victories for any tennis coach (men's or women's) in school history, concluding with a 279-169 record. In his initial season, he immediately vaulted Rice into the national conversation, leading the Owls to a school-record 25 wins and guiding Tracie Blumentritt and Susan Rudd to the AIAW national doubles title.
In 1983, the Owls were 20-3, setting a school record for winning percentage (.869) and rising to as high as 19th in the national poll.
He led the Owls to the NCAA championship in four consecutive seasons (1996-1999) and saw the Owls host the NCAA Southwest Regional at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium in 1997. Blumentritt and Rudd were joined by Wendy Wood in 1985 & 86 as All-Americans under Blankenship. In addition, he produced three SWC doubles champions and two SWC singles champs and was the SWC Coach of the Year in 1994 after the Owls finished second in the conference. His record of sustained excellence was not limited to the courts. Over his career, he saw 92% of his players complete their four-year careers on South Main with a 100% graduation rate.
Steve Campbell '92 (Hall of Fame)
Steve Campbell came to Rice as a high school All-America and left Rice as the 15th Owl to earn All-American status at the collegiate level. He compiled a 110-38 record in singles over four seasons, led the Owls to a top 25 national ranking each year and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference selection. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, winning the SWC #4 singles title by winning six of seven matches. As a senior, he rose to as high as #4 in the national singles rankings before ending the year ranked 18th which allowed him to become the Owls first All-America in singles in more than two decades. After completing his collegiate career, he played for 10 years on the ATP Tour, reaching a high of #78 in the rankings.
Chase Clement '08 (Hall of Fame)
While Chase Clement came to Rice as a lightly recruited quarterback prospect out of San Antonio to play in Ken Hatfield's triple option offense, he would end his career as one of the most productive passing quarterbacks in college football history. Clement smashed 21 school, six conference and two NCAA records while twice leading the Owls to a pair bowl games and the second 10-win season in school history. Clement amassed 11,526 yards of total offense and produced 125 touchdowns, throwing for 9,785 yards and 99 touchdowns, rushing for 1,741 yards and 25 touchdowns and catching a pair of passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.
As a senior, he became the first Owl since Trevor Cobb to be named conference MVP after throwing for 4,119 yards and 44 touchdowns, rushing for 693 yards and 12 scores as the Owls finished second in the western division with a win over Houston in the Bayou Bucket to close the regular season. He capped his career by earning MVP honors in the Texas Bowl, throwing for 307 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 72 yards and a score and catching his first career TD pass, a 13-yard toss from Jarett Dillard. He combined with Dillard on 51 of his NCAA record 60 career touchdown receptions, allowing the duo to set an NCAA mark for most career touchdowns by the same passing duo. He was the first player in NCAA history to post consecutive games in which he rushed for at least 100 yards and throw for at least 300.
John Coles (Distinguished R)
A driving force behind the Rice Hall of Fame dinners for many years, John Coles will find himself as an honoree in 2021. A basketball letterman who later served as a student assistant coach under Don Knodel during the Owls historic run to the Southwest Conference title, Coles helped reshape the format of the dinner in 2009, producing keepsake videos for each inductee, and has produced over 50 for the past six ceremonies. He became a Director of the "R" Association in 2007 and served as president in 2010.
His involvement with video began after graduation when he opened Champions Village Cinema in the mid 70's. He served as Vice President and Director for the National Association of Independent Theater Owners, before moving to a career in banking, first with Citizens National Bank in Bellaire and spending the last 13 years at Hancock Whitney Bank.
His love for basketball never waned and as a member of the "Ball Hawgs" has been a member of four national senior championship teams as well as three others who reached the championship game. The team was inducted into the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame in 2020.
Larry Izzo '96 (Hall of Fame)
Larry Izzo's passion for the game of football made him a standout both at Rice and later over 14 seasons in the NFL where he became one of top special teams players in league history. A two-time, All-SWC selection at linebacker, Izzo remains Rice's career leader with 46 career tackles for loss and he ranks fourth in school history with 301 tackles. As a senior captain, he had 121 tackles as the Owls earned a share of their final SWC title and defeated Texas on a memorable Sunday night at Rice Stadium.
Originally selected for induction into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, Izzo delayed his induction while continuing his NFL career. An undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 1996, he made such an impact during training camp that head coach Jimmy Johnson said only two players were guaranteed to make the team – future Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino and Izzo. He never played on a team with a losing record and his teams participated in the playoffs nine times, reaching five AFC Championship Games and four Super Bowls. His teammates selected him as a special teams captain nine times, including eight with the Patriots and he was named to the Patriots All-Decade team for the 2000's. He concluded his career with 275 special teams tackles in 200 regular season games and 23 more in 21 postseason games.
His 200 career games in the NFL are the most for any Rice player as are his four Super Bowls. He won three Super Bowl rings as a player for the Patriots and added a fourth as a coach with the New York Giants. He is one of 22 people in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as both a player and coach.
Jessica Kuster '14 (Hall of Fame)
The all-time leading scorer (2,081 points) in Rice basketball history (women's or men's), Kuster will go down as one of the most talented players in school history. At the time of graduation, she was one of just 145 players in D-I history to eclipse 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Kuster set both a Rice and Conference USA career records in double-doubles (67) and rebounds (1,376) and was the only player in league history to be named first team All C-USA and C-USA All-Defensive Team in four consecutive seasons.
Kuster also holds the Rice career records in field goals (745) and free throws 550). She ranks third in career blocks (201) and is 10th in steals (167). An Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention her senior year, she was the first player in program history to earn the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2013) honors. In her first season at Rice, Kuster garnered C-USA Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman Team, and All-Defensive Team honors.
Kuster is the only four-time recipient of the Hackerman Award (Team MVP) in Rice history
Tracy Lam '11 (Hall of Fame)
Lam established herself as one of the most dominant defensive players in program history and still holds the Rice record for most career digs (2,399) and digs per set (5.24). The former walk-on played a key role in helping the Owls earn an NCAA at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and was an integral part of the 2009 team that won the C-USA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA's for a second straight year.
The 2010 Joyce Pounds Hardy Award recipient, Lam was a two-time AVCA All-American honorable mention honoree and twice earned a spot on the AVCA All-Region Team. She was named the C-USA Libero of the Year from 2008-10 and was a two-time All C-USA first team selection. She led the Owls in digs in each of her four seasons and set the single-season school record of 698 in 2009. Lam also still holds the single-match school record with 39 digs.
In addition to her on-court accolades, Lam was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District awardee as well as a three-time C-USA All-Academic Team selection.
Brad Lardon '88 (Hall of Fame)
After graduating from Rice in 1988, Brad Lardon became the first and only Rice golfer to earn his PGA Tour card, participating on the PGA Tour for six years. Additionally, he was a member of the Ben Hogan/Korn Ferry Tour for six years. Lardon has qualified for 14 Major championships in his career, most recently at last year's Senior PGA Championship.
Lardon is one of just four golfers in Texas history to win the Texas State Open in consecutive years, joining the likes of Lee Trevino and Ben Crenshaw. For over 15 years, he has served as a PGA Tour Professional, the last five as the Director of Golf at the Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, N.M. In the 2011 PGA Cup, Lardon secured the winning point for the United States against Great Britain and Ireland.
Lardon has served as a Board Member for the Southern Texas and Sun Country PGA and is currently on the PGA of America National Tournament Committee. Lardon was named the Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year multiple times and won the Sun Country Senior Player of the Year award four consecutive years. In 2016, he was honored as the PGA National Senior Player of the Year.
Mario Ramos '00 (Hall of Fame)
Where college baseball hitters of the late 1990s enjoyed blasting compacted baseballs with lively aluminum bats to light up scoreboards with record home runs and sky-high batting averages, the same players suddenly had a different tune when facing Rice All-American and national pitcher of the year Mario Ramos. The Owl left-hander posted three consecutive record-setting seasons on the mound from 1997-1999, arguably the best three-year stretch the Rice baseball program had enjoyed to that time.
Ramos completed his most successful season on the mound in 1999 with a superb 13-2 record and 2.47 ERA. He went 6-0 in conference games with a microscopic 1.99 ERA – all during the most prolific hitting era of college baseball. The Pflugerville, Texas, native set Rice single-season records of 153.1 innings and 146 strikeouts. For his career he posted a 34-7 record while pitching the most innings in Rice history (376.0). In 1999 Ramos was the heart and soul of the Owls' pitching staff that sparked the team to an eye-opening 59 wins and return to the College World Series. He was selected in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft and won a game in the majors while pitching for the Texas Rangers.
Krystal Robinson '06 (Hall of Fame)
Robinson established herself as one of Rice all-time greats in the discus, twice earning All-American honors. Robinson placed fourth in the discus at the NCAA Championships in 2005 and backed that up with a third place podium performance in 2006.
Robinson also won the WAC discus conference championships in both 2005 and 2006 and in her senior season established a school record in the event with a mark of 55.94m (183-6.00) that still holds today. In addition to the discus, Robinson ranks eighth all-time in the hammer throw (48.80m/160-
1.00).
Robinson was awarded the Eva Jean Lee Award, given to the most outstanding women's track & field athlete) in both 2005 and 2006.
Cory Teague '98 (Hall of Fame)
Two-time All-American Cory Teague scored for the Rice swim team at both the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Championships. She set a school record in the 100-butterfly (54.30) to finish seventh overall at the 1997 NCAAs in Indianapolis, and set the Rice record in the 50-freestyle (22.91) competing in the national prelims that same year.
Originally from Foster City, Calif., Teague became the first Rice woman to win an individual conference championship, registering first place finishes in both the 50-free and 100-fly at the 1997 Western Athletic Conference Championships. The versatile star also set school records in the 100-free (50.89) and 100-backstroke (55.95) at the WAC meet, and each of her four individual Rice records remained in the ledgers as some of the program's best marks for more than a decade. The two-time Catherine Hannah Award recipient as the Rice Swimmer of the Year (1997-1998) joined her Owl teammates as a record holder on all five relays. In her impressive collegiate career, Teague represented Rice in no less than nine NCAA events.
Roger Tower (Honorary R)
Born in Denver, Colorado to a military father, Roger Tower lived all over the country and world before settling down in Houston in the 1970s where he worked in environmental compliance in the Texas Gulf coast area for over 25 years prior to his retirement in 2000. Not long after coming to Houston, he became an ardent supporter of Rice Athletics.
Since his retirement, he has attended almost every Rice Athletics event and holds season tickets for nearly every sport possible. For years, Tower has been recapping baseball preseason scrimmages, printing stat sheets to give to fans as well as posting the lineups on the lineup board at Reckling Park prior to first pitch. He was presented the R Association's Spirit Award at the 2009-2010 Night of the Owl event.
The class is comprised of 10 athletes (Ivory Angello, Steve Campbell, Chase Clement, Larry Izzo, Jessica Kuster, Tracey Lam, Brad Lardon, Mario Ramos, Krystal Robinson and Cory Teague) in addition to former women's tennis coach Paul Blankenship. The "R" Association will also honor former student-athletes John Coles and Elle Lewis-Anderson with the Distinguished "R" Award while Roger Tower, a tireless supporter of the Owls, will be presented the Honorary "R "Award.
Induction activities will continue the following afternoon with a pregame tailgate prior the Rice-Southern Miss football game and the class will be honored on the field during the game.
For additional information regarding the 2021 Rice Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, please contact the Owl Club, 713-348-8425 or by email, riceowlclub@rice.edu.
Elle Anderson (Distinguished R)
Elle Anderson has proven to be the model for all Rice letter winners to emulate. On the tennis court, she was ranked three times in the top 50 in the nation. She was a three-time, All-WAC and All-WAC Academic selection and qualified for the ITA regional four times. Twice in her career, she helped lead the Owls to the NCAA tournament and her 87 wins ranked fifth on the Rice career singles list when she finished her career.
An O-Week Coordinator while at Rice, Anderson has remained involved with campus activities since graduation. She has chaired her class's 10th, 15th, and 20th reunions, served on the Rice Engineering Advisory Board, and was recently appointed to a term on the Rice Board of Trustees. She also founded her own engineering firm which was named one of the Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Businesses for four consecutive years. In addition to the work on campus, she is highly involved in the Houston community through volunteering efforts at her children's school, the community, and with Tropical Storm Allison recovery efforts.
Ivory Angello '96 (Hall of Fame)
Angello was one of the best jumpers in program history as evidenced by his five conference titles and three All-American performances. After winning the Southwest Conference indoor triple jump title in 1993, Angello swept both the indoor and outdoor triple jump competitions in 1994 and 1995.
Angello placed second at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1994 and was fifth in 1995. He would later add All-American honors for the first time in his outdoor career in the spring of '95 with a fourth place result at nationals.
Angello still holds the school records in the triple jump both indoors (16.67m/54-8.25) and outdoors (17.10m/56-1.25) which were both established in 1995, and was given the Emmett Brunson Award his senior year. He also qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trails.
Paul Blankenship (Hall of Fame)
Paul Blankenship's impact on Rice Women's Tennis was immediate and legendary. He came to Rice in the fall of 1981 to take over the fledgling program and over 20 seasons compiled the most dual victories for any tennis coach (men's or women's) in school history, concluding with a 279-169 record. In his initial season, he immediately vaulted Rice into the national conversation, leading the Owls to a school-record 25 wins and guiding Tracie Blumentritt and Susan Rudd to the AIAW national doubles title.
In 1983, the Owls were 20-3, setting a school record for winning percentage (.869) and rising to as high as 19th in the national poll.
He led the Owls to the NCAA championship in four consecutive seasons (1996-1999) and saw the Owls host the NCAA Southwest Regional at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium in 1997. Blumentritt and Rudd were joined by Wendy Wood in 1985 & 86 as All-Americans under Blankenship. In addition, he produced three SWC doubles champions and two SWC singles champs and was the SWC Coach of the Year in 1994 after the Owls finished second in the conference. His record of sustained excellence was not limited to the courts. Over his career, he saw 92% of his players complete their four-year careers on South Main with a 100% graduation rate.
Steve Campbell '92 (Hall of Fame)
Steve Campbell came to Rice as a high school All-America and left Rice as the 15th Owl to earn All-American status at the collegiate level. He compiled a 110-38 record in singles over four seasons, led the Owls to a top 25 national ranking each year and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference selection. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, winning the SWC #4 singles title by winning six of seven matches. As a senior, he rose to as high as #4 in the national singles rankings before ending the year ranked 18th which allowed him to become the Owls first All-America in singles in more than two decades. After completing his collegiate career, he played for 10 years on the ATP Tour, reaching a high of #78 in the rankings.
Chase Clement '08 (Hall of Fame)
While Chase Clement came to Rice as a lightly recruited quarterback prospect out of San Antonio to play in Ken Hatfield's triple option offense, he would end his career as one of the most productive passing quarterbacks in college football history. Clement smashed 21 school, six conference and two NCAA records while twice leading the Owls to a pair bowl games and the second 10-win season in school history. Clement amassed 11,526 yards of total offense and produced 125 touchdowns, throwing for 9,785 yards and 99 touchdowns, rushing for 1,741 yards and 25 touchdowns and catching a pair of passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.
As a senior, he became the first Owl since Trevor Cobb to be named conference MVP after throwing for 4,119 yards and 44 touchdowns, rushing for 693 yards and 12 scores as the Owls finished second in the western division with a win over Houston in the Bayou Bucket to close the regular season. He capped his career by earning MVP honors in the Texas Bowl, throwing for 307 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 72 yards and a score and catching his first career TD pass, a 13-yard toss from Jarett Dillard. He combined with Dillard on 51 of his NCAA record 60 career touchdown receptions, allowing the duo to set an NCAA mark for most career touchdowns by the same passing duo. He was the first player in NCAA history to post consecutive games in which he rushed for at least 100 yards and throw for at least 300.
John Coles (Distinguished R)
A driving force behind the Rice Hall of Fame dinners for many years, John Coles will find himself as an honoree in 2021. A basketball letterman who later served as a student assistant coach under Don Knodel during the Owls historic run to the Southwest Conference title, Coles helped reshape the format of the dinner in 2009, producing keepsake videos for each inductee, and has produced over 50 for the past six ceremonies. He became a Director of the "R" Association in 2007 and served as president in 2010.
His involvement with video began after graduation when he opened Champions Village Cinema in the mid 70's. He served as Vice President and Director for the National Association of Independent Theater Owners, before moving to a career in banking, first with Citizens National Bank in Bellaire and spending the last 13 years at Hancock Whitney Bank.
His love for basketball never waned and as a member of the "Ball Hawgs" has been a member of four national senior championship teams as well as three others who reached the championship game. The team was inducted into the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame in 2020.
Larry Izzo '96 (Hall of Fame)
Larry Izzo's passion for the game of football made him a standout both at Rice and later over 14 seasons in the NFL where he became one of top special teams players in league history. A two-time, All-SWC selection at linebacker, Izzo remains Rice's career leader with 46 career tackles for loss and he ranks fourth in school history with 301 tackles. As a senior captain, he had 121 tackles as the Owls earned a share of their final SWC title and defeated Texas on a memorable Sunday night at Rice Stadium.
Originally selected for induction into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, Izzo delayed his induction while continuing his NFL career. An undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 1996, he made such an impact during training camp that head coach Jimmy Johnson said only two players were guaranteed to make the team – future Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino and Izzo. He never played on a team with a losing record and his teams participated in the playoffs nine times, reaching five AFC Championship Games and four Super Bowls. His teammates selected him as a special teams captain nine times, including eight with the Patriots and he was named to the Patriots All-Decade team for the 2000's. He concluded his career with 275 special teams tackles in 200 regular season games and 23 more in 21 postseason games.
His 200 career games in the NFL are the most for any Rice player as are his four Super Bowls. He won three Super Bowl rings as a player for the Patriots and added a fourth as a coach with the New York Giants. He is one of 22 people in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as both a player and coach.
Jessica Kuster '14 (Hall of Fame)
The all-time leading scorer (2,081 points) in Rice basketball history (women's or men's), Kuster will go down as one of the most talented players in school history. At the time of graduation, she was one of just 145 players in D-I history to eclipse 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Kuster set both a Rice and Conference USA career records in double-doubles (67) and rebounds (1,376) and was the only player in league history to be named first team All C-USA and C-USA All-Defensive Team in four consecutive seasons.
Kuster also holds the Rice career records in field goals (745) and free throws 550). She ranks third in career blocks (201) and is 10th in steals (167). An Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention her senior year, she was the first player in program history to earn the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2013) honors. In her first season at Rice, Kuster garnered C-USA Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman Team, and All-Defensive Team honors.
Kuster is the only four-time recipient of the Hackerman Award (Team MVP) in Rice history
Tracy Lam '11 (Hall of Fame)
Lam established herself as one of the most dominant defensive players in program history and still holds the Rice record for most career digs (2,399) and digs per set (5.24). The former walk-on played a key role in helping the Owls earn an NCAA at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and was an integral part of the 2009 team that won the C-USA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA's for a second straight year.
The 2010 Joyce Pounds Hardy Award recipient, Lam was a two-time AVCA All-American honorable mention honoree and twice earned a spot on the AVCA All-Region Team. She was named the C-USA Libero of the Year from 2008-10 and was a two-time All C-USA first team selection. She led the Owls in digs in each of her four seasons and set the single-season school record of 698 in 2009. Lam also still holds the single-match school record with 39 digs.
In addition to her on-court accolades, Lam was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District awardee as well as a three-time C-USA All-Academic Team selection.
Brad Lardon '88 (Hall of Fame)
After graduating from Rice in 1988, Brad Lardon became the first and only Rice golfer to earn his PGA Tour card, participating on the PGA Tour for six years. Additionally, he was a member of the Ben Hogan/Korn Ferry Tour for six years. Lardon has qualified for 14 Major championships in his career, most recently at last year's Senior PGA Championship.
Lardon is one of just four golfers in Texas history to win the Texas State Open in consecutive years, joining the likes of Lee Trevino and Ben Crenshaw. For over 15 years, he has served as a PGA Tour Professional, the last five as the Director of Golf at the Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, N.M. In the 2011 PGA Cup, Lardon secured the winning point for the United States against Great Britain and Ireland.
Lardon has served as a Board Member for the Southern Texas and Sun Country PGA and is currently on the PGA of America National Tournament Committee. Lardon was named the Southern Texas PGA Player of the Year multiple times and won the Sun Country Senior Player of the Year award four consecutive years. In 2016, he was honored as the PGA National Senior Player of the Year.
Mario Ramos '00 (Hall of Fame)
Where college baseball hitters of the late 1990s enjoyed blasting compacted baseballs with lively aluminum bats to light up scoreboards with record home runs and sky-high batting averages, the same players suddenly had a different tune when facing Rice All-American and national pitcher of the year Mario Ramos. The Owl left-hander posted three consecutive record-setting seasons on the mound from 1997-1999, arguably the best three-year stretch the Rice baseball program had enjoyed to that time.
Ramos completed his most successful season on the mound in 1999 with a superb 13-2 record and 2.47 ERA. He went 6-0 in conference games with a microscopic 1.99 ERA – all during the most prolific hitting era of college baseball. The Pflugerville, Texas, native set Rice single-season records of 153.1 innings and 146 strikeouts. For his career he posted a 34-7 record while pitching the most innings in Rice history (376.0). In 1999 Ramos was the heart and soul of the Owls' pitching staff that sparked the team to an eye-opening 59 wins and return to the College World Series. He was selected in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft and won a game in the majors while pitching for the Texas Rangers.
Krystal Robinson '06 (Hall of Fame)
Robinson established herself as one of Rice all-time greats in the discus, twice earning All-American honors. Robinson placed fourth in the discus at the NCAA Championships in 2005 and backed that up with a third place podium performance in 2006.
Robinson also won the WAC discus conference championships in both 2005 and 2006 and in her senior season established a school record in the event with a mark of 55.94m (183-6.00) that still holds today. In addition to the discus, Robinson ranks eighth all-time in the hammer throw (48.80m/160-
1.00).
Robinson was awarded the Eva Jean Lee Award, given to the most outstanding women's track & field athlete) in both 2005 and 2006.
Cory Teague '98 (Hall of Fame)
Two-time All-American Cory Teague scored for the Rice swim team at both the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Championships. She set a school record in the 100-butterfly (54.30) to finish seventh overall at the 1997 NCAAs in Indianapolis, and set the Rice record in the 50-freestyle (22.91) competing in the national prelims that same year.
Originally from Foster City, Calif., Teague became the first Rice woman to win an individual conference championship, registering first place finishes in both the 50-free and 100-fly at the 1997 Western Athletic Conference Championships. The versatile star also set school records in the 100-free (50.89) and 100-backstroke (55.95) at the WAC meet, and each of her four individual Rice records remained in the ledgers as some of the program's best marks for more than a decade. The two-time Catherine Hannah Award recipient as the Rice Swimmer of the Year (1997-1998) joined her Owl teammates as a record holder on all five relays. In her impressive collegiate career, Teague represented Rice in no less than nine NCAA events.
Roger Tower (Honorary R)
Born in Denver, Colorado to a military father, Roger Tower lived all over the country and world before settling down in Houston in the 1970s where he worked in environmental compliance in the Texas Gulf coast area for over 25 years prior to his retirement in 2000. Not long after coming to Houston, he became an ardent supporter of Rice Athletics.
Since his retirement, he has attended almost every Rice Athletics event and holds season tickets for nearly every sport possible. For years, Tower has been recapping baseball preseason scrimmages, printing stat sheets to give to fans as well as posting the lineups on the lineup board at Reckling Park prior to first pitch. He was presented the R Association's Spirit Award at the 2009-2010 Night of the Owl event.
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