Rice to partner with ISE on naming rights for Rice Stadium
5/28/2025 10:55:00 AM | Football, General
HOUSTON- Rice Athletics announced today that it will partner with Independent Sports and Entertainment to identify a potential naming rights partner for Rice Stadium, the iconic home of Rice Football and countless other major sporting and entertainment events over the past eight decades.
"We are excited to work with ISE as we seek a naming rights partner for Rice Stadium," said Rice Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland, "it is more important than ever that we continue to be creative and open-minded as we explore new ways to invest in our student-athletes and ensure that we are providing them with a best-in-class experience."
ISE is a sports marketing agency that specializes in venue naming rights revenue generation opportunities in the college athletics space. ISE is the leader in college venue naming rights, having successfully run eight searches in the past two years, totaling more than $180 million to university partners on campuses across the country.
"We're excited to work with Tommy McClelland and the Rice University team to find the right naming rights and campus partner. Rice's academic reputation, athletic tradition, market, leadership, and strong alumni base create a great opportunity for a brand to partner at this level," Owen Shull, Executive Vice President/Head of Properties for ISE, stated.
Rice Stadium opened in September 1950, less than nine months after the project was announced after Rice's victory over North Carolina in the Cotton Bowl. It was the largest on-campus venue in the Southwest Conference at that time.
In addition to hosting Rice home games, it has served at various occasions as the home field for the Houston Oilers, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University, as well as the Bluebonnet Bowl. In 1974, it became one of only four on-campus facilities to host the Super Bowl when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings.
It has also hosted several major concert tours over the years and was the site of President John F. Kennedy's historic speech outlining America's goal of landing on the moon. Since 2021, it has served as the site for Rice's spring commencement.
"We are excited to work with ISE as we seek a naming rights partner for Rice Stadium," said Rice Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland, "it is more important than ever that we continue to be creative and open-minded as we explore new ways to invest in our student-athletes and ensure that we are providing them with a best-in-class experience."
ISE is a sports marketing agency that specializes in venue naming rights revenue generation opportunities in the college athletics space. ISE is the leader in college venue naming rights, having successfully run eight searches in the past two years, totaling more than $180 million to university partners on campuses across the country.
"We're excited to work with Tommy McClelland and the Rice University team to find the right naming rights and campus partner. Rice's academic reputation, athletic tradition, market, leadership, and strong alumni base create a great opportunity for a brand to partner at this level," Owen Shull, Executive Vice President/Head of Properties for ISE, stated.
Rice Stadium opened in September 1950, less than nine months after the project was announced after Rice's victory over North Carolina in the Cotton Bowl. It was the largest on-campus venue in the Southwest Conference at that time.
In addition to hosting Rice home games, it has served at various occasions as the home field for the Houston Oilers, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University, as well as the Bluebonnet Bowl. In 1974, it became one of only four on-campus facilities to host the Super Bowl when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings.
It has also hosted several major concert tours over the years and was the site of President John F. Kennedy's historic speech outlining America's goal of landing on the moon. Since 2021, it has served as the site for Rice's spring commencement.
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