Houston's historic Rice Stadium gets a new name after 76 years
· Yahoo Sports
After 76 years, one of Houston's historic sports venues, one that hosted a Super Bowl, will officially go by a new name.
Rice University interim athletic director Eric George announced Thursday that the school has signed a 20-year agreement with First Community Credit Union for stadium naming rights and campus collaboration. The deal's financial value has not been disclosed.
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Gone is the name Rice Stadium, to now be replaced by First Community Stadium, which will be recognized officially with the Rice Owls football team's Saturday home game against the UTSA Roadrunners to kick off American Conference play.
"I am excited about this groundbreaking partnership between Rice and First Community Credit Union," George said on Thursday. "First Community's commitment to serving the Houston community perfectly aligns with Rice Athletics' goal of further enhancing our connection with the community through the Gateway Project."
Why First Community Credit Union partnered with Rice
George also noted that First Community Credit Union, a full-service financial institution with 17 physical branches in the Greater Houston area, will provide financial services, educational programs and career development opportunities for Rice's campus going forward.
A general aerial view of Rice Stadium on the Rice University campus. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)Rice's iconic football stadium opened in 1950 and is best known for hosting President John F. Kennedy's famous "We choose to go to the Moon" speech in 1962, as well as Super Bowl VIII in 1974, in which the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7.
The Gateway Project, a $120 million development designed to connect the western edge of the campus directly to Rice Village while completely modernizing the football stadium, is scheduled to continue until at least 2028. Rice will drop the stadium's capacity from 47,000 to just over 30,000, right-sizing it to improve the atmosphere and make it adaptable for non-football events.
Rice partnered with Elevate, a global sports and entertainment agency, to conduct a national search for a stadium naming rights partner and campus partner. Elevate recently secured naming rights deals with the NFL's Washington Commanders and Northwest Federal Credit Union for Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., as well as with Everton FC and Hill Dickinson for Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
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This article originally published at Houston's historic Rice Stadium gets a new name after 76 years.