1.
Rice Stadium (University of Utah)
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Robert Rice Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, located on the campus of the University of Utah. Originally opened in 1927 as Ute Stadium, it was the home of the Utah Utes football team. Renamed for Robert L. Rice in 1972, it was almost completely demolished after the 1997 season to make way for the Utes current home, Rice–Eccles Stadium, which occupies the same physical footprint. After a record crowd came to the Utes previous home, Cummings Field, to see Utah play Utah State on Thanksgiving Day 1926, a drive began for a larger and more modern stadium. While the state house unanimously approved a loan from the state in order to build a new stadium, to get around the problem, the U of U formed a stadium trust that issued tax-free bonds for the new stadium. The stadium was funded in part by selling tickets to two home games for the next 10 years. The stadium, originally named Ute Stadium, opened in 1927 with a capacity of 20,000. The first college game was a 40–6 Ute victory over Colorado Mines on October 1. It was dedicated three weeks later on October 22 with a 20–13 victory over Colorado, on hand was Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Originally, the stadium was built of timber and concrete, with earth-fill, for 20 years, a giant pile of dirt stood in the north end zone. In 1947,10,000 seats were added in the north end, the old grass surface was also replaced with AstroTurf. The dressing rooms were remodeled, and the running track was removed. The renovated stadium was dedicated in Rices honor with the start of the 1972 season, in 1982, the field was lowered 9.5 feet, and new seats were built along the sidelines and on the south end. After the 1994 season, the turf was replaced with SportGrass, for many years, the stadium also doubled as an amphitheater during the summer. Although it was noted as one of the more intimate venues in college football, very few Division I-A stadiums remained by then that used timber as a major part of its construction. Several pro football games were played at Ute Stadium. August 23,1947 Brooklyn Dodgers 20-17 Chicago Rockets September 8,1951 Chicago Cardinals 36-21 Los Angeles Rams September 19,1959 New York Giants 17-13 San Francisco 49ers August 16,1963 St. With this in mind, the department decided to completely overhaul the facility to bring it up to modern standards
2.
Rice Track/Soccer Stadium
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Rice Track/Soccer Stadium is a stadium in Houston, Texas. It is primarily used for track and field and soccer for the Rice University Owls and it sits on the location of Rice Field, Rices old football stadium that was used prior to the opening of Rice Stadium in 1950. The venue held less than 37,000 people for football, today, it holds approximately 5,000 people. Part of the grandstand from the side of the old football stadium is used as the current grandstand. Today, there are about 100 permanent seats on the stone terracing, the soccer field was installed in 2000-2001 after Rice added womens soccer as a varsity sport. In October 2002, the stadium hosted a WUSA exhibition match between the Washington Freedom and the Atlanta Beat, the event set the current stadium record with more than 5,000 tickets sold. The stadium hosted another WUSA exhibition in 2003 and has hosted two conference tournaments, the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in 2002 and the Conference USA Tournament in 2005. The WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships were held there in 2002, following Rices move to Conference USA in 2005, the C-USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships were hosted at the facility in 2007
3.
Rice Stadium (Rice University)
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Rice Stadium is an American football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice Owls football team since its completion in 1950, architecturally, Rice Stadium is an example of modern architecture, with simple lines and an unadorned, functional design. The lower seating bowl is located below the ground level. Built solely for football, the stadium has excellent sightlines from almost every seat, to achieve this, the running track was eliminated so that spectators were closer to the action and each side of the upper decks was brought in at a concave angle to provide better sightlines. It is still recognized in many circles as the best stadium in Texas for watching a football game, entrances and aisles were strategically placed so that the entire stadium could be emptied of spectators in nine minutes. In 2006, Rice University upgraded the facility by switching from AstroTurf to FieldTurf, seating in the upper deck is in poor condition, which led the university to move home games for which large crowds were expected to nearby NRG Stadium. High school football games, especially neutral-site playoff games, are played at Rice Stadium. It can also be used as a concert venue, Rice Stadium replaced Rice Field, which had a total capacity of less than 37,000, in 1950. The new stadium was subsidized by the City of Houston, and it was designed by Hermon Lloyd & W. B. Morgan and Milton McGinty and built by Brown and Root. In addition to Rice, the University of Houston football team played at Rice Stadium from 1951 to 1965, the Houston Oilers also played in the stadium from 1965 to 1967. In 1974, Rice Stadium hosted Super Bowl VIII, in which the Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings 24–7. It was the first Super Bowl played in Houston, and it would be 30 years later that the Super Bowl would return to Houston, on July 2,1988, Rice Stadium hosted a stop on the Monsters of Rock tour. The tour was headlined by Van Halen and also featured Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and this was also the Texas World Music Festival. In the speech, he used a reference to Rice University football to help frame his rhetoric, But why, some say, why choose this as our goal. And they may ask, why climb the highest mountain. Why,35 years ago, fly the Atlantic and we choose to go to the moon. Kennedys comments implied Rice had a history of losing to Texas, however, as originally built, Rice Stadium seated 70,000, the second-largest stadium in the Southwest Conference. Rice Stadium was built before professional football came to Houston, and 70,000 fans might be expected to attend a football game there
4.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
5.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
6.
Rice University
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William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a 295-acre campus in Houston, Texas, United States. The university is situated near the Houston Museum District and is adjacent to the Texas Medical Center, Rice is generally considered the top university and the most selective institute of higher education in the state of Texas. Opened in 1912 after the murder of its namesake William Marsh Rice, Rice is now a university with an undergraduate focus. Its emphasis on education is demonstrated by a student body and 6,1 student-faculty ratio. The university has a high level of research activity for its size. Rice is noted for its science programs in the fields of artificial heart research, structural chemical analysis, signal processing, space science. It was ranked first in the world in materials science research by the Times Higher Education in 2010, Rice is a member of the Association of American Universities. Graduate programs are offered through the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, School of Architecture, Shepherd School of Music, Rice students are bound by the strict Honor Code, which is enforced by a student-run Honor Council. Rice competes in 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports and is a part of Conference USA, intramural and club sports are offered in a wide variety of activities such as jiu jitsu, water polo, and crew. In 1891, Rice decided to charter a free-tuition educational institute in Houston, bearing his name, to be created upon his death, Rices will specified the institution was to be a competitive institution of the highest grade and that only white students would be permitted to attend. On the morning of September 23,1900, Rice, age 84, was dead by his valet. Shortly thereafter, a large check made out to Rices New York City lawyer. The lawyer, Albert T. Patrick, then announced that Rice had changed his will to leave the bulk of his fortune to Patrick, rather than to the creation of Rices educational institute. Rices friend and personal lawyer in Houston, James A. Baker, Jones was not prosecuted since he cooperated with the district attorney, and testified against Patrick. Patrick was found guilty of conspiring to steal Rices fortune and convicted of murder in 1901, Baker helped Rices estate direct the fortune, worth $4.6 million in 1904, towards the founding of what was to be called the Rice Institute. The board took control of the assets on April 29 of that year and he came recommended by Princetons president, Woodrow Wilson. In 1908, Lovett accepted the challenge, and was inaugurated as the Institutes first president on October 12,1912. Lovett undertook extensive research before formalizing plans for the new Institute, Lovett called for the establishment of a university of the highest grade, an institution of liberal and technical learning devoted quite as much to investigation as to instruction
7.
Seating capacity
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Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats hundreds of thousands of people. The International Fire Code, portions of which have adopted by many jurisdictions, is directed more towards the use of a facility than the construction. It specifies, For areas having fixed seating without dividing arms and it also requires that every public venue submit a detailed site plan to the local fire code official, including details of the means of egress, seating capacity, arrangement of the seating. Once safety considerations have been satisfied, determinations of seating capacity turn on the size of the venue. For sports venues, the decision on maximum seating capacity is determined by several factors, chief among these are the primary sports program and the size of the market area. Seating capacity of venues also plays a role in what media they are able to provide, in contracting to permit performers to use a theatre or other performing space, the seating capacity of the performance facility must be disclosed. Seating capacity may influence the kind of contract to be used, the seating capacity must also be disclosed to the copyright owner in seeking a license for the copyrighted work to be performed in that venue. Venues that may be leased for private functions such as ballrooms and auditoriums generally advertise their seating capacity, seating capacity is also an important consideration in the construction and use of sports venues such as stadiums and arenas. The seating capacity for restaurants is reported as covers, a restaurant that can seat 99 is said to have 99 covers, seating capacity differs from total capacity, which describes the total number of people who can fit in a venue or in a vehicle either sitting or standing. Use of the term public capacity indicates that a venue is allowed to more people than it can actually seat. Again, the total number of people can refer to either the physical space available or limitations set by law
8.
AstroTurf
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AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. The original AstroTurf product was a synthetic turf. The prime reason to incorporate AstroTurf on game fields was to avoid the cost of laying natural turf, the name AstroTurf has evolved into a generic trademark and is sometimes used to refer to all brands of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf brand product was co-invented in 1965 by Donald L. Elbert, James M. Faria and it was patented in 1965 and originally sold under the name ChemGrass. It was re-branded as AstroTurf by an employee named John A. Wortmann after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome stadium in 1966. Early iterations of the short pile turf swept the major stadia, concerns over directionality and traction led Monsantos R&D department to implement a texturized nylon system. By imparting a crimped texture to the nylon after it was extruded, in 1987, Monsanto consolidated its AstroTurf management, marketing, and technical activities in Dalton, Georgia, as AstroTurf Industries, Inc. In 1988, Balsam AG purchased all the stock of AstroTurf Industries. In 1994, Southwest Recreational Industries, Inc. acquired the AstroTurf brand, in 1996, SRI was acquired by American Sports Products Group Inc. While AstroTurf was the leader throughout the late 20th century. FieldTurf, AstroTurfs chief competitor in the early 2000s and today and this third generation turf, as it became known, changed the landscape of the marketplace. Although SRI successfully marketed AstroPlay, a third generation turf product, increased competition, despite their legal victory, increased competition took its toll. Out of the proceedings, Textile Management Associates, Inc. of Dalton, Georgia, acquired the AstroTurf brand. TMA began marketing the AstroTurf brand under the company AstroTurf, LLC, in 2006, General Sports Venue became TMAs marketing partner for the AstroTurf brand for the American market. AstroTurf, LLC handled the marketing of AstroTurf in the rest of the world, in 2009, TMA acquired GSV in order to enter the marketplace as a direct seller. AstroTurf, LLC focused its efforts on research and development, which has promoted rapid growth, AstroTurf introduced new product features and installation methods, including AstroFlect and field prefabrication. AstroTurf also introduced a product called RootZone consisting of crimped fibers designed to encapsulate infill and this product has been adopted by many professional organizations and colleges in the United States. In 2016, SportGroup Holding announced that it would purchase AstroTurf,1964 The Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, installs ChemGrass
9.
FieldTurf
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FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett Inc. headquartered in Calhoun, Georgia, in the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass. The new system quickly began taking market share from AstroTurf, and is now the leader in the industry, the surface is composed of monofilament polyethylene blend fibers tufted into a polypropylene backing. The infill is composed of a layer of silica sand, a middle layer which is a mixture of sand and cryogenic rubber. The fibers are meant to replicate blades of grass, while the acts as a cushion. This cushion is intended to improve safety when compared to earlier artificial surfaces and allows players to plant, each square foot of turf contains approximately 3 kg of sand and 1.5 kg of cryogenic rubber. FieldTurf does not use shock absorbency pads below its infill, the backing of the turf is a combination of woven and non-woven polypropylene. These materials are permeable and allow water to drain through the backing itself, jean Prévost bought the patent of the FieldTurf product in 1988 and originally named his Montreal-based company SynTenni Co. a name which would eventually be dropped in favor of FieldTurf Inc. In 1995, John Gilman, a former Canadian Football League player and coach, in 1997, FieldTurf made its first major installation for a professional team, at the training facility for the English Premierships Middlesbrough F. C. As of 2012, FieldTurf has installed over 7000 athletic fields, in 2005, French flooring manufacturer and minority shareholder Tarkett increased its share in FieldTurf, which led to the integration of the two companies. FieldTurf is now a part of the Tarkett Sports division, part of the holding company Tarkett SA, the FieldTurf head corporate office is located in Calhoun, Georgia. In May 2010, FieldTurf acquired EasyTurf of San Diego, California, by late 2016, press reports were describing the companys product as defective. A number of agencies in New Jersey had joined together to file a lawsuit against the firm. The suits allege that the DuraSpine product it sold was inferior, internal company documents showed the company knew its sales claims were false. There is evidence showing higher player injury on artificial turf, in a study performed by the National Football League Injury and Safety Panel, published in the October 2012 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, Elliott B. Hershman et al. reviewed injury data from NFL games played between 2000 and 2009. the injury rate of knee sprains as a whole was 22% higher on FieldTurf than on natural grass. While MCL sprains did not occur at a significantly higher than on grass. There are conflicting studies of the safety of FieldTurf, a five-year study funded by FieldTurf and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that injury rates for high school sports were similar on natural grass and synthetic turf
10.
KBR (company)
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KBR, Inc. is an American engineering, procurement, and construction company, formerly a subsidiary of Halliburton. The company also has offices in Arlington, Virginia, Birmingham, Alabama. KBR and its predecessors have received contracts with the U. S. military including during World War II, the Vietnam War. The companys corporate offices are in the KBR Tower in Downtown Houston, in 1901 Morris Woodruff Kellogg founded The M. W. Kellogg Company in New York City. The company was incorporated in 1905 and its headquarters was moved to Jersey City, Kellogg was announced the number one construction company for years 1993 to 1995. This is mainly due to their work in the Dulles Greenway, Kellogg set up one of the first petroleum laboratories in the country in 1926 to commercialize and then license the technology. This led to Kellogg building some 130 units in the United States, in the 1930s and 1940s, Kellogg worked with leading refiners on various technologies. For the war effort, these led to the construction of six hydroreformer units, twenty fluid catalytic cracking units. Even bigger than the work was K-25, the gaseous diffusion plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This period also included the development of the Benedict–Webb–Rubin equation of state which has become an industry mainstay. In 1970, Kellogg moved from New York City to Houston, Texas, the 1970s saw Kellogg become the first American contractor to receive contracts from the Peoples Republic of China. The 1980s saw continuation of global activity in LNG and ethylene with millisecond furnaces starting up in the United States, ten years later, Halliburton acquired Dresser, and combined Kellogg with Brown & Root to create a new, larger subsidiary — Kellogg Brown & Root. Brown & Root was founded in Texas in 1919 by Herman Brown and Daniel Root, Root soon died and Herman Browns younger brother, George R. Brown, joined the company in 1922. The company began its operations by building roads in Texas, one of its first large-scale projects, according to the book Cadillac Desert, was building a dam on the Texas Colorado River near Austin during the Depression years. For assistance in federal payments, the company turned to the local Congressman, after other very profitable construction projects for the federal government, Brown & Root gave massive sums of cash for Johnsons first run for the U. S. Senate in 1941. During World War II, Brown & Root built the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, in 1947 Brown & Root built one of the worlds first offshore oil platforms. According to Tracy Kidders book Mountains Beyond Mountains, Brown & Root was a contractor in the Péligre Dam project, the project was designed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and financed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Following the death of Herman Brown, Halliburton Energy Services acquired Brown & Root in December 1962, at the height of the anti-war movement of the 1960s, Brown & Root was derided as Burn & Loot by protesters
11.
Rice Owls football
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The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USAs Western Division since 2005, Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls home football games. Rice Stadium was built in 1950, and has been the home of Owls football ever since and it hosted the NFL Super Bowl on January 1974. It replaced the old Rice Field to increase seating, total seating capacity in the current stadium was reduced from 70,000 to 47,000 before the 2006 season. The endzone seating benches were removed and covered with tarps, and all of the bleachers were replaced with new, metal seating benches in 2006. The stadium is currently undergoing further renovations. The Owls played in the eighteenth Cotton Bowl Classic against the Crimson Tide of Alabama, referee Cliff Shaw saw Lewis come off the bench and gave the Owls the 95 yard touchdown. Rice would win the game 28-6, with the only Crimson Tide score coming from Lewis, the yardage added to Moegles 265 yards rushing, a Cotton Bowl Classic record that would stand until Tony Temples effort in 2008. This would be the Owls last bowl win until the 2008 Texas Bowl, Rice Stadium also hosted a speech by John F. Kennedy on September 12,1962. In it, he used the Rice football team to challenge America to send a man to the moon, but why, some say, the moon. Why choose this as our goal, and they may well ask why climb the highest mountain. Why,35 years ago, fly the Atlantic and we choose to go to the moon. The rivalry is because Rice and SMU were two of four schools in the old Southwest Conference. Rice participates in a rivalry with Houston. UH and Rice play annually for the Bayou Bucket, a weathered bucket found by former Rice guard Fred Curry at an antique shop, Curry had it designed into a trophy for $310. The two universities are separated by five miles in Houston, the Cougars lead the series 29-11. The Cougars 2013 move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference has jeopardized the status of the series though, it is scheduled to resume in 2017. Rice and Texas have maintained a largely one-sided rivalry beginning in the days of the Southwest Conference. Texas 28 consecutive victories from 1966–1993 represents the sixth longest single-opponent winning streak in football history
12.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit association which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations, and individuals. It also organizes the programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2014, the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue. 80 to 90% of this revenue was due to the Division I Mens Basketball Tournament and this revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States. In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships, generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently, the term Division I-AAA was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, in 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision. Inter-collegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard University, as other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted. Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, the IAAUS was officially established on March 31,1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. For several years, the NCAA was a group and rules-making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, a series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. The Sanity Code – adopted to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid – failed to curb abuses, postseason football games were multiplying with little control, and member schools were increasingly concerned about how the new medium of television would affect football attendance. The complexity of problems and the growth in membership and championships demonstrated the need for full-time professional leadership. Walter Byers, previously an executive assistant, was named executive director in 1951. Byers wasted no time placing his stamp on the Association, as college athletics grew, the scope of the nations athletics programs diverged, forcing the NCAA to create a structure that recognized varying levels of emphasis. In 1973, the Associations membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions – I, II, and III, five years later in 1978, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA in football. Until the 1980s, the association did not offer womens athletics, instead, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, with nearly 1000 member schools, governed womens collegiate sports in the United States
13.
Houston Cougars football
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The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is referred to as Houston or UH. The UH football program is a member of the American Athletic Conference West Division, over the history of the program, the Cougars have won eleven conference championships and have had several players elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, including a Heisman Trophy winner. In 1941, Johnny Goyen, then editor for The Cougar. The next year, the two called a student body meeting to organize another petition and this petitions purpose was to challenge Rice Institute to a football game. The Rice Owls were a program, having played since 1919 as a member of the Southwest Conference. In August 1945, the University of Houston announced that the school would field a team for the first time. In September 1946, the became a reality after Harry Fouke, UHs first athletic director, hired successful high school coach Jewell Wallace. One hundred thirty students showed up, only ten of whom had played college football before. Prior to joining the Cougars, Wallace served as coach for San Angelo High School. During the spring training for the first team, Goyen and Valentis petition was finally answered, the meeting was to be at Rice. When the team arrived at the field in their practice uniforms, officials were there, and the stadium was full of spectators. The game ended with Rice demolishing the Houston Cougars, the game had an attendance of 11,000. It wouldnt be until 1971 that the Cougars and Owls competed again, although Charlie Manichia, the Cougars starting quarterback, scored the first touchdown of the game, the team lost to SLI 13–7. The next game, the Cougars played against West Texas State Teachers College, the Cougars finished up their first season with a 4–6–0 record. Wallace continued as coach for the Cougars until the end of the 1947 season. Clyde Lee, a University of Tulsa assistant coach, became Houstons second head coach in February 1948, to replace the remainder of Wallaces team that didnt return, Lee turned to junior colleges for the majority of his recruiting. At this time, the University of Houston, along with Texas Tech University, attempted to join the established Southwest Conference, in response, several universities from the Lone Star Conference formed the Gulf Coast Conference
14.
Bluebonnet Bowl
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The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game and it was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was played in the Astrodome from 1968 through 1984, when held in the Astrodome, it was called the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The proceeds from the games were distributed to various Harris County charitable organizations. The game was discontinued following the 1987 season due to ticket sales. The Bluebonnet Bowl generally featured a team from Texas against an opponent,19 out of the 29 games involved a team from Texas. From 1980 to 1987, with the exception of 1981, a team from the Southwest Conference played against an at-large opponent, the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. Bowl games returned to Houston in 2000 with the Houston Bowl, and then the Texas Bowl since 2006
15.
History of the Houston Oilers
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The professional American football team now known as the Tennessee Titans previously played in Houston, Texas, from 1960 to 1996. This article chronicles the history during their time as the Houston Oilers during that period. The Oilers began play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League. The team won two AFL championships before joining the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in the late 1960s, the Oilers competed in the East Division of the AFL before the merger, after which they joined the newly formed AFC Central. The Oilers throughout their existence were owned by Bud Adams and played their games at the Astrodome for the majority of their time in Houston. The Oilers were the first champions of the American Football League, winning the 1960 and 1961 contests, from 1978 to 1980, the Oilers, led by Bum Phillips and in the midst of the Luv Ya Blue campaign, appeared in the 1978 and 1979 AFC Championship Games. For the rest of the Oilers time in Houston, however, they were generally in the division of the league. The Oilers main colors were Columbia blue and white, with scarlet trim, Oilers jerseys were always Columbia blue for home and white for away. The Oilers played the 1997 season in Memphis before moving to Nashville in 1998, the NFL would return to Houston in 2002 with a new franchise, the Houston Texans. The Houston Oilers began in 1960 as a member of the American Football League. They were owned by Bud Adams, a Houston oilman, who had several previous unsuccessful bids for an NFL expansion team in Houston. The Oilers appeared in the first three AFL championships and they scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed LSUs Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as quarterback George Blanda, flanker Charlie Hennigan, running back Charlie Tolar, after winning the first-ever AFL championship over the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960, they repeated over the same team in 1961. They lost to the Dallas Texans in the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game, in 1962, the Oilers were the first AFL team to sign an active NFL player away from the other league, when wide receiver Willard Dewveall left the Bears to join the champion Oilers. Dewveall that year caught the longest pass reception for a touchdown in professional American football history,99 yd, from Jacky Lee, previously, the Oilers had played at Jeppesen Stadium at the University of Houston from 1960 to 1964, and Rice Universitys stadium from 1965 to 1967. Adams had intended the play at Rice from the first. After the Astrodome opened for business, Adams attempted to move there, the 1969 season, the last as an AFL team, saw Houston begin 3–1, but tumble afterwards. They qualified for the playoffs, but were defeated by the Raiders 56–7, the years immediately after the AFL-NFL Merger were not as kind to the Oilers, who sank to the bottom of the AFC Central division
16.
American Football League
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The American Football League was a major professional American football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when it merged with the National Football League. The upstart AFL operated in competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. The AFL was created by a number of owners who had been refused NFL expansion franchises or had shares of NFL franchises. The league first gained attention by signing 75% of the NFLs first-round draft choices in 1960, the transformation of the struggling Titans into the New York Jets under new ownership further solidified the leagues reputation among the major media. As fierce competition made player salaries skyrocket in both leagues, especially after a series of raids, the agreed to a merger in 1966. Among the conditions were a common draft and a game played between the two league champions, which would eventually become known as the Super Bowl. The AFL and NFL operated as separate leagues until 1970, with regular season. During this time the AFL added the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, in 1970, the AFL was absorbed into the NFL, and the ten AFL franchises along with the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers became the American Football Conference. During the 1950s, the National Football League had grown to rival Major League Baseball as one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States. One franchise that did not share in this success of the league was the Chicago Cardinals, owned by the Bidwill family. The Bidwills hoped to relocate their franchise, preferably to St. Louis, needing cash, the Bidwills began entertaining offers from would-be investors, and one of the men who approached the Bidwills was Lamar Hunt, son and heir of millionaire oilman H. L. Hunt. Hunt offered to buy the Cardinals and move them to Dallas, while Hunt negotiated with the Bidwills, similar offers were made by Bud Adams, Bob Howsam, and Max Winter. When Hunt, Adams, and Howsam were unable to secure a controlling interest in the Cardinals, they approached NFL commissioner Bert Bell, Bell, wary of expanding the 12-team league and risking its newfound success, rejected the offer. On his return flight to Dallas, Hunt conceived the idea of a new league. He contacted Adams, Howsam, and Winter to gauge their interest in starting a new league, hunts first meeting with Adams was held in March 1959. Hunt, who felt a regional rivalry would be critical for the success of the new league, convinced Adams to join, Hunt next secured an agreement from Howsam to bring a team to Denver. After Winter and Boyer agreed to start a team in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Hunt then approached Willard Rhodes, who hoped to bring pro football to Seattle. With no place for his team to play, Rhodes effort came to nothing, Hunt also sought franchises in Los Angeles, Buffalo and New York City
17.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
18.
Stadium
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Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event at the ancient Greek Olympic festival was the race that comprised one length of the stade at Olympia, where the word stadium originated. In modern times, a stadium is officially a stadium when at least 50% of the capacity is an actual building. If the majority of the capacity is formed by grasshills, the venue is not officially considered a stadium. Most of the stadiums with a capacity of at least 10,000 are used for football, or soccer. A large amount of sports venues are also used for concerts. Stadium is the Latin form of the Greek word stadion, a measure of length equalling the length of 600 human feet, as feet are of variable length the exact length of a stadion depends on the exact length adopted for 1 foot at a given place and time. Although in modern terms 1 stadion =600 ft, in a historical context it may actually signify a length up to 15% larger or smaller. The equivalent Roman measure, the stadium, had a similar length — about 185 m -, the English use of stadium comes from the tiered infrastructure surrounding a Roman track of such length. Most dictionaries provide for both stadiums and stadia as valid English plurals, although etymological purists sometimes apply stadia only to measures of length in excess of 1 stadium. The oldest known stadium is the one in Olympia, in the western Peloponnese, Greece, initially the Games consisted of a single event, a sprint along the length of the stadium. The stadion, a measure of length, may be related to the Stadium, Greek and Roman stadiums have been found in numerous ancient cities, perhaps the most famous being the Stadium of Domitian, in Rome. The excavated and refurbished ancient Panathenaic stadium hosted a version of the Olympic Games in 1870,1875,1896 and 1906. The excavation and refurbishment of the stadium was part of the legacy of the Greek national benefactor Evangelos Zappas, the first stadiums to be built in the modern era were basic facilities, designed for the single purpose of fitting as many spectators in as possible. One such early stadium was the Lansdowne Road Stadium, the brainchild of Henry Dunlop, banned from locating sporting events at Trinity College, Dunlop built the stadium in 1872. Some 300 cartloads of soil from a trench beneath the railway were used to raise the ground, other early stadiums from this period in the UK include the Stamford Bridge stadium and Anfield stadium. In the U. S. However, many of these caught fire. All of the 19th-century wooden parks were replaced, some only a few years. Goodison Park was the first purpose-built football stadium in the world, walton-based building firm Kelly brothers were instructed to erect two uncovered stands that could each accommodate 4,000 spectators
19.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
20.
Super Bowl
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The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The game is the culmination to a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Normally, Roman numerals are used to each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15,1967, the single exception to this rule is Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7,2016, following the 2015 regular season. The next game, Super Bowl LII, scheduled for February 4,2018, the game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two champion teams would play in the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a conference, currently, the National Football Conference leads the league with 26 wins to 25 wins for the American Football Conference. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles, with six, the New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances, with nine. The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some as an unofficial American national holiday, is called Super Bowl Sunday and it is the second-largest day for U. S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year, in 2015, Super Bowl XLIX became the most-watched American television program in history with an average audience of 114. The NFL restricts the use of its Super Bowl trademark, it is called the Big Game or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcasts commercials has become a significant aspect of the event, for four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached an agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two agreed to meet in a world championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected. A bowl game is a college football game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Games popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami, New Orleans, and El Paso, Texas in 1935, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term bowl for any major American football game was well established
21.
Super Bowl VIII
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The game was played on January 13,1974 at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. This was the first time the Super Bowl site was not that of an NFL franchise and this was also the first Super Bowl not to be held in either the Los Angeles, Miami or New Orleans areas. It was also the last Super Bowl, and penultimate game overall to feature goal posts at the front of the end zone and this was the Dolphins third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. They posted a 12–2 record during the season, then defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. Super Bowl VIII was largely dominated by the Dolphins, who scored 24 unanswered points during the first three quarters, including two touchdowns on their first two drives. The Dolphins Larry Csonka became the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP, the NFL awarded Super Bowl VIII to Houston on March 21,1972 at the owners meetings held in Honolulu. Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0 perfect season of 1972, many sports writers, the Dolphins winning streak ended in Week 2 with a 12–7 loss to the Raiders in Berkeley, California. Just like the two seasons, Miamis offense relied primarily on its rushing attack. Fullback Larry Csonka recorded his third consecutive 1, 000-rushing-yard season, while running back Mercury Morris rushed for 954 yards, running back Jim Kiick was also a key contributor, rushing for 257 yards and catching 27 passes for 208 yards. He became the first quarterback to start three Super Bowls and is joined by Jim Kelly as the only quarterbacks to start at least three consecutive Super Bowls, wide receiver Paul Warfield remained the main deep threat on the team, catching 29 passes for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns. The offensive line was strong, once led by center Jim Langer. Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Langer, Nick Buoniconti and Little would all eventually be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Miamis No Name Defense continued to dominate their opponents. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti recovered three fumbles and returned one for a touchdown, safety Dick Anderson led the team with eight interceptions, which he returned for 163 yards and two touchdowns. And safety Jake Scott, the previous seasons Super Bowl MVP, had four interceptions and 71 return yards, matheson could either rush the passer or drop back into coverage. The Vikings also finished the season with a 12–2 record. The Vikings other loss was a 27-0 shutout in Week 12 to the eventual AFC Central Division Champion Cincinnati Bengals, minnesotas offense was led by 13-year veteran quarterback Fran Tarkenton. During the regular season, Tarkenton completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,113 yards,15 touchdowns and he also rushed for 202 yards and another touchdown. The teams primary deep threat was Pro Bowl wide receiver John Gilliam, who caught 42 passes for 907 yards, an average of 21.6 yards per catch, and scored eight touchdowns
22.
Modern architecture
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Modern architecture or modernist architecture is a term applied to a group of styles of architecture which emerged in the first half of the 20th century and became dominant after World War II. The revolution in materials came first, with the use of cast iron, plate glass, the cast plate glass process was invented in 1848, allowing the manufacture of very large windows. The Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton at the Great Exhibition of 1851 was an example of iron and plate glass construction, followed in 1864 by the first glass. These developments together led to the first steel-framed skyscraper, the ten-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago, the iron frame construction of the Eiffel Tower, then the tallest structure in the world, captured the imagination of millions of visitors to the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition. French industrialist François Coignet was the first to use iron-reinforced concrete, in 1853 Coignet built the first iron reinforced concrete structure, a four story house in the suburbs of Paris. Another important technology for the new architecture was electric light, which reduced the inherent danger of fires caused by gas in the 19th century. This break with the past was particularly urged by the architectural theorist, for each function its material, for each material its form and its ornament. This book influenced a generation of architects, including Louis Sullivan, Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, at the end of the 19th century, a few architects began to challenge the traditional Beaux Arts and Neoclassical styles that dominated architecture in Europe and the United States. The Glasgow School of Art 1896-99) designed by Charles Rennie MacIntosh, had a facade dominated by large bays of windows. The Art Nouveau style was launched in the 1890s by Victor Horta in Belgium and Hector Guimard in France, it introduced new styles of decoration, based on vegetal and floral forms. In 1903-1904 in Paris Auguste Perret and Henri Sauvage began to use reinforced concrete, previously used for industrial structures. Between 1910 and 1913, Auguste Perret built the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, because of the concrete construction, no columns blocked the spectators view of the stage. Otto Wagner, in Vienna, was another pioneer of the new style, in his book Moderne Arkchtekture he had called for a more rationalist style of architecture, based on modern life. Wagner declared his intention to express the function of the building in its exterior, the reinforced concrete exterior was covered with plaques of marble attached with bolts of polished aluminum. The interior was purely functional and spare, an open space of steel, glass. The Viennese architect Adolf Loos also began removing any ornament from his buildings and his Steiner House, in Vienna, was an example of what he called rationalist architecture, it had a simple stucco rectangual facade with square windows and no ornament. The fame of the new movement, which known as the Vienna Secession spread beyond Austria. Josef Hoffmann, a student of Wagner, constructed a landmark of early modernist architecture and this residence, built of brick covered with Norwegian marble, was composed of geometric blocks, wings and a tower
23.
NRG Stadium
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NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, United States. NRG Stadium has a capacity of 71,795, a total area of 1,900,000 square feet with a 97,000 sq ft playing surface. The stadium served as the host facility for Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1,2004, Super Bowl LI on February 5,2017, NRG Stadium is part of a collection of venues, which are collectively called NRG Park. The entire complex is named for NRG Energy under a 32-year, the stadium was constructed at the cost of $352 million. NRG Stadium is the first facility in the NFL to have a retractable roof, in February 2017, NRG Stadium hosted Super Bowl LI. It also hosted all 10 of the University Interscholastic Leagues Texas high school championship games at the conclusion of the 2015 season. The Houston NFL Holdings group came to Populous to begin the design for the first-ever NFL retractable roof football stadium in 1997. The intention was to create a stadium to replace the Astrodome that would operate like an open-air facility but have the intimacy. With the design for football and the square footage requirements of the rodeo, groundbreaking for the stadium was on March 9,2000 and the building was officially topped off in October 2001. The stadium opened on August 24,2002, with a game between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans which the Dolphins won 24–3. The stadium hosted its first regular season NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans on September 8,2002, construction was completed in 30 months. The first rodeo was held in the stadium in February 2003, during a Texans preseason game on August 30,2012, against the Minnesota Vikings, an intoxicated fan fell to his death from an escalator. On March 19,2014, the stadium was renamed NRG Stadium, after NRG Energy, during the 2015 season, a permanent artificial surface was installed at NRG Stadium. The Texans had used a natural surface since the stadium opened, in recent years, the stadium installed artificial turf to be used during high school and college games while keeping the grass for Texans games. After the Texans home opener, complaints about the field conditions led to the installation of the artificial surface for Texans games. The surface brand is UBU Speed, which is part of Act Global, on the night of September 12–13,2008 the stadium sustained damage from Hurricane Ike forcing the Houston Texans home opener scheduled for September 14 to be postponed. Part of the roof cladding came off, and there was wind and that game was rescheduled to week 8, which was to have been the bye week for both the Texans and Bengals. The Bengals bye week was moved from October 26 to November 9, the stadium reopened on October 5,2008 when the Texans hosted the Indianapolis Colts and hosted three additional home games in October
24.
University of Houston
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The University of Houston is a state research university and the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, UH is the third-largest university in Texas with nearly 43,000 students and its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of Houston–University Park from 1983 to 1991. The Carnegie Foundation classifies UH as a doctoral degree-granting institution with highest research activity, the U. S. News & World Report ranks the university No.194 in its National University Rankings, and No.103 among top public universities. The university offers more than 280 degree programs through its 14 academic colleges on campus—including programs leading to degrees in architecture, law, optometry. The institution conducts $150 million annually in research, and operates more than 40 research centers, interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity, space commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence. Awarding more than 9,000 degrees annually, UHs alumni base exceeds 260,000, the economic impact of the university contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while generating about 24,000 jobs. The University of Houston hosts a variety of performances, concerts, lectures. It has more than 400 student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports teams, annual UH events and traditions include The Cats Back, Homecoming, and Frontier Fiesta. The universitys varsity teams, known as the Houston Cougars, are members of the American Athletic Conference. The football team regularly makes bowl game appearances, and the basketball team has made 19 appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament—including five Final Four appearances. The mens golf team has won 16 national championships—the most in NCAA history, the University of Houston began as Houston Junior College. On March 7,1927, trustees of the Houston Independent School District Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that authorized the founding and operating of a junior college, the junior college was operated and administered by HISD. Originally HJC was located in San Jacinto High School and offered night courses. Its first session began March 7,1927, with an enrollment of 232 students and 12 faculty and this session was primarily held to educate the future teachers of the junior college, freshmen were not permitted to enroll. A more accurate date for the opening of HJC is September 19,1927. The first president of HJC was Edison Ellsworth Oberholtzer, who was the dominant force in establishing the junior college, the junior college became eligible to become a university in October 1933 when Governor of Texas, Miriam A. Ferguson, signed House Bill 194 into law. On April 30,1934, HISDs Board of Education adopted a resolution to make the school a four-year institution, UHs first session as a four-year institution began June 4,1934, at San Jacinto High School with an enrollment of 682. In 1934, the first campus of the University of Houston was established at the Second Baptist Church at Milam, the next fall, the campus was moved to the South Main Baptist Church on Main Street—between Richmond Avenue and Eagle Street—where it stayed for the next five years
25.
Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons are the oldest NFL franchises in the Deep South, however, of the four AFC East teams, they are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League. The Dolphins team was founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas and they began play in the AFL in 1966. For the first few years the Dolphins full-time training camp and practice facilities were at Saint Andrews School, in 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula. Under Shula, the Dolphins posted losing records in two of his 26 seasons as the head coach. During the period spanning 1983 to the end of 1999, quarterback Dan Marino became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Marino led the Dolphins to five division titles,10 playoff appearances, and Super Bowl XIX before retiring following the 1999 season. During the summer of 1966, the Dolphins training camp was in St. Pete Beach with practices in August at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. The Dolphins had a combined 15–39–2 record in their first four seasons under head coach George Wilson, before Don Shula was hired as head coach. Shula was a Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFLs New York Jets and finishing 8–5–1 the following season. Interestingly, Shula got his first NFL coaching job from then-Detroit Head Coach George Wilson, when Shula replaced Wilson at Miami the Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in their hiring of Shula, costing the Dolphins their first round draft pick in 1971. Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didnt have any magic formulas, Shulas early training camps with the Dolphins, with four workouts a day, would soon be the stuff of sweltering, painful legend. But Shulas hard work paid dividends, as Miami improved to a 10–4 record and their first-ever playoff appearance. The Dolphins were successful in the early 1970s, becoming the first team to advance to the AFC Championship for three consecutive seasons and they captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese, running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield. The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history, in Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24–3
26.
Minnesota Vikings
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The Minnesota Vikings are an American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as a team in 1960. The team competes in the National Football Conference North division, before that, the Vikings were in the NFC Central, the team has played in four Super Bowl games, but lost each one. The team plays its games at U. S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis, professional football in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area began with the Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets, an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s and 1930s. However, a new team in the area did not surface again until August 1959. Skoglund, and Max Winter were awarded a franchise in the new American Football League. Ole Haugsrud was added to the NFL team ownership because, in the 1920s, when he sold his Duluth Eskimos team back to the league, the agreement allowed him 10 percent of any future Minnesota team. Coincidentally or not, the teams from Ole Haugsruds high school, Central High School in Superior, Wisconsin, were called the Vikings. From the teams first season in 1961 to 1981, the team called Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington home, the Vikings conducted summer training camp at Bemidji State University from 1961 to 1965. In 1966, the moved to their current training camp at Minnesota State University in Mankato. The Vikings played their games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis from 1982 to 2013. The Vikings played their last game at the Metrodome on December 29,2013, since the teams first season in 1961, the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL. As of 2014, they have won at least three games in every season except in 1962, and are one of only six NFL teams to win at least 15 games in a regular season. The Vikings have won one NFL Championship, in 1969, before the merger with the American Football League. Since the league merger in 1970, they have qualified for the playoffs 26 times, the team has played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI, though failing to win any of them. In addition, they have lost in their last five NFC Championship Game appearances since 1978, the team currently has 13 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27,1960
27.
Van Halen
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Jan Van Halen, born Jan van Halen, was a Dutch musician and the patriarch of the Van Halen family. He was the father of Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen, Van Halen was born on January 18,1920, to Jannetje Berg and Hermanus van Halen, a butcher in Amsterdam. He had already made a career in music when in 1939, at the age of 19 and he joined the Royal Dutch Air Force and played marches for the troops until the country was occupied in 1940, forcing him to play propaganda music for the Third Reich. After the war ended in 1945, Van Halen emigrated to the Dutch East Indies, where he pursued his career and met his future wife. They married on August 11,1950 in Jakarta, Alex was born two months later in Amsterdam. The Van Halen family moved to Nijmegen, where Eddie was born in January 1955, in 1960, Jan played his biggest gig with the Ton Wijkamp Quintet, playing the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival. However, after hearing stories from her side of the family and they left in February 1962 by boat and moved across the continent by train to Pasadena, California. To complete their transition, they Americanized their surname from van Halen to Van Halen, in May 1986, Jan suffered a heart attack. He died due to the effects of alcoholism on December 9,1986 and his sons dedicated their 1988 album OU812 to their father, quoting This ones for you, pa. On August 4,2005, his wife Eugenia Van Halen passed away at the age of 89
28.
Metallica
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Metallica is an American heavy metal band based in San Rafael, California. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper, Metallicas current line-up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band, the bands fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding big four bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band expanded its musical direction and achieved commercial success with its eponymous fifth album Metallica. The album was also their first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, in 2000, Metallica joined with other artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the bands copyright-protected material without consent from the band. A settlement was reached and Napster became a pay-to-use service, the band returned to its original musical style with the release of Death Magnetic, and in 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica has released ten albums, four live albums, five extended plays,26 music videos. The band has won eight Grammy Awards and six of its albums have debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The bands eponymous 1991 album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 110 million records worldwide. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, in 2012, Metallica formed the independent record label Blackened Recordings and took full ownership of its albums and videos. The band is currently promoting Hardwired. to Self-Destruct, which was released on November 18,2016, guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the upcoming compilation album Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar, the band was officially formed in October 1981, five months after Ulrich and Hetfield first met. Ulrich talked to his friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine, Quintana had proposed the names MetalMania and Metallica. A second advertisement was placed in The Recycler for a position as lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine answered, Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song Hit the Lights for the Metal Massacre I compilation, Hetfield played bass on the song and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Metal Massacre I was released on June 14,1982, early pressings listed the band incorrectly as Mettallica, the bands first taste of live success came early, they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band Saxon at one gig of their 1982 US tour. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, an inspired by Quintanas early business cards in early 1982
29.
Scorpions (band)
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Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the bands inception, its style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from 1978–92 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included singer Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Matthias Jabs, Francis Buchholz, and Herman Rarebell. The bands only constant member has been Schenker, although Meine has been the singer for all of the bands studio albums. During the mid-1970s, with guitarist Uli Jon Roth part of the line-up and their best-selling album Crazy World includes the song Wind of Change, a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is one of the singles in the world with over fourteen million copies sold. Scorpions have sold over 100 million records in total and they have released 18 studio albums,27 compilation albums and 74 singles. Six of their singles have reached number one on the charts in different countries and their albums, singles, compilations and video releases have reached 200 times gold, platinum and multi-platinum status in different countries. Rolling Stone Magazine described the Scorpions as the heroes of heavy metal, the band was ranked number 46 on VH1s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, with Rock You Like a Hurricane at number 18 on VH1s list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. Still Loving You ranked 22nd place among the greatest ballads, Scorpions have received prestigious awards such as three World Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Rock wall, and a presence in the permanent exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015 the group celebrated its 50th anniversary, Rudolf Schenker, the bands rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself handled the vocals, things began to come together in 1970 when Schenkers younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972 the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass, during the Lonesome Crow tour, Scorpions opened for upcoming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, guitarist Michael Schenker accepted an offer of lead guitar for UFO, Uli Roth, a friend of Michaels, was then introduced to the band and he helped them to finish off the tour. The departure of Michael Schenker led to the breakup of the band. In 1973, Uli Roth, who had helped Scorpions complete the Lonesome Crow tour, was offered the role as lead guitarist, Rudolf Schenker eventually decided that he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last Scorpions lineup. He attended some of Dawn Roads rehearsals and ultimately decided to join the band, Uli Roth and Buchholz persuaded Rudolf Schenker to invite Klaus Meine to join on vocals, which he soon did. In 1974, the new line-up of Scorpions released Fly to the Rainbow, the album proved to be more successful than Lonesome Crow and songs such as Speedys Coming and the title track established the bands sound
30.
Dokken
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Dokken are an American metal band formed in 1979. They split up in 1989 and reformed four years later and they had three charting singles and have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Beast from the East was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1989, after several personnel changes on guitar, Dokkens attorney Jon Levin stepped in to fill the role in 2004. In 2001, Barry Sparks replaced Pilson on bass, in 2009, Sean McNabb replaced him, and was then replaced by Chris McCarvill in 2015. Don Dokkens first band formed in 1976, named Airborn and he played shows at clubs in the Los Angeles area, including the Starwood on Sunset Strip. Airborn included Bobby Blotzer on drums and Juan Croucier on bass, Don Dokken was unable to keep the Airborn name because another band named Airborn had already acquired a record deal. Bringing in Greg Pecka on drums and Steven R, the 79 touring line-up quickly fell apart with Leon taking over Randy Rhoads spot in Quiet Riot and Holland joining Dante Fox, later known as Great White. A Michael Wagener-produced Hamburg recording of the 79 line-up surfaced in 1989 under the title Back in the Streets, Dokken toured Germany again in 1980, this time with Croucier back on bass. After recording demos with Wagener and with the help of Accepts manager, Gaby Hauke, Dokken did eventually perform backing vocals on the album. Back in the United States, Dokken were now managed by Cliff Bernstein who got the band signed to Elektra Records for a release of Breaking The Chains. While the band was popular in Europe during this time they had not yet made commercial progress in the United States. Juan Croucier left Dokken in 1983 just prior to the release of the Breaking the Chains video to join Ratt and he was replaced by Jeff Pilson, who joined in time to film the video. The album Tooth and Nail was released on September 13,1984, the album contained several hit songs including Just Got Lucky, Alone Again, and Into the Fire, and sold over one million copies in the US alone, peaking at No. 49, while selling another estimated one million copies worldwide, on November 9,1985, the bands third album Under Lock and Key was released. It also sold one million copies with the singles In My Dreams, The Hunter. During this time in the 1980s, Dokken opened for bands as Judas Priest, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Dio and Kiss. In 1986, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, a documentary about concert goers before a Dokken and Judas Priest concert, was filmed and released. Following a successful tour with Scorpions, Dokken returned to the studio in December 1986 to record Dream Warriors, the track brought the band to the attention of many UK hard rock fans
31.
We choose to go to the Moon
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It was one of Kennedys earlier speeches meant to persuade the American people to support the national effort to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth. The perception deepened when in April 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space before the U. S. could launch its first Project Mercury astronaut. ”Kennedys goal gave direction and this required the expansion of NASAs Space Task Group into a Manned Spacecraft Center. Houston, Texas was chosen as the site, and the Humble Oil and Refining Company donated the land in 1961, Kennedy took advantage of the 1962 construction of the facility to deliver a speech on the nations space effort. On September 12,1962, President Kennedy delivered his speech before a crowd of 35,000 people in the Rice football stadium, for space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. There is no strife, no prejudice, no conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all and its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say, the Moon, why choose this as our goal. And they may ask, why climb the highest mountain. Why,35 years ago, fly the Atlantic and we choose to go to the Moon. This allowed Kennedy to reference back to his speech, when he declared to the world “Together let us explore the stars, ” enabling his metaphor to come full circle. ”With this extended metaphor of massive proportions, Kennedy seeks to imbue a sense of urgency. He recognized the growth of technology, and played on that to show that within the short time of nine years the stars would be ready for exploration. Rather than claim it as essential, he focused on the such a endeavor can provide – focusing the energy of the nation –. Let the people be driven to great deeds not by threats to their safety, as Kennedy told Congress earlier, “whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share. He began by talking about Space as the new frontier for all of mankind and he then condensed human history to show that within a very short period of time space travel will be possible, informing the audience that their dream is achievable. This constant use of first-person plural connects the listeners, and makes them aware that they, douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University, wrote in looking back on the speech on its 50th anniversary that, Kennedys oration was front-page news around the country. Pundits saw it as another Ted Sorenson-penned speech drenched in terrestrial aspiration, but for all of its soaring rhetoric, the Rice address was grounded in pragmatism. Kennedy made the case to taxpayers that NASA needed a $5.4 billion budget, Kennedy also did a tremendous job of connecting the moonshot to Houston in ways that thrilled locals. We meet at a noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a state noted for strength
32.
John F. Kennedy
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Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party, and his New Frontier domestic program was largely enacted as a memorial to him after his death. Kennedy also established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, Kennedys time in office was marked by high tensions with Communist states. He increased the number of American military advisers in South Vietnam by a factor of 18 over President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in Cuba, a failed attempt was made at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro in April 1961. He subsequently rejected plans by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to orchestrate false-flag attacks on American soil in order to gain approval for a war against Cuba. After military service in the United States Naval Reserve in World War II and he was elected subsequently to the U. S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 until 1960. Kennedy defeated Vice President, and Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon in the 1960 U. S, at age 43, he became the youngest elected president and the second-youngest president. Kennedy was also the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president, to date, Kennedy has been the only Roman Catholic president and the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22,1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested that afternoon and determined to have fired the shots that hit the President from a sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald two days later in a jail corridor, then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded Kennedy after he died in the hospital. The FBI and the Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin, the majority of Americans alive at the time of the assassination, and continuing through 2013, believed that there was a conspiracy and that Oswald was not the only shooter. Since the 1960s, information concerning Kennedys private life has come to light, including his health problems, Kennedy continues to rank highly in historians polls of U. S. presidents and with the general public. His average approval rating of 70% is the highest of any president in Gallups history of systematically measuring job approval and his grandfathers P. J. Kennedy and Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald were both Massachusetts politicians. All four of his grandparents were the children of Irish immigrants, Kennedy had an elder brother, Joseph Jr. and seven younger siblings, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted. Kennedy lived in Brookline for ten years and attended the Edward Devotion School, the Noble and Greenough Lower School, and the Dexter School through 4th grade. In 1927, the Kennedy family moved to a stately twenty-room, Georgian-style mansion at 5040 Independence Avenue in the Hudson Hill neighborhood of Riverdale, Bronx and he attended the lower campus of Riverdale Country School, a private school for boys, from 5th to 7th grade. Two years later, the moved to 294 Pondfield Road in the New York City suburb of Bronxville, New York. The Kennedy family spent summers at their home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in September 1930, Kennedy—then 13 years old—attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. In late April 1931, he required an appendectomy, after which he withdrew from Canterbury, in September 1931, Kennedy attended Choate, a boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, for 9th through 12th grade
33.
Apollo 11
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Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two humans on the Moon. Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin, both American, landed the lunar module Eagle on July 20,1969, at 20,18 UTC. Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21 at 02,56,15 UTC and they spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Michael Collins piloted the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moons surface, Armstrong and Aldrin spent just under a day on the lunar surface before rendezvousing with Columbia in lunar orbit. Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, and was the fifth manned mission of NASAs Apollo program. After being sent toward the Moon by the Saturn Vs upper stage, Armstrong and Aldrin then moved into the lunar module Eagle and landed in the Sea of Tranquility. They stayed a total of about 21.5 hours on the lunar surface, the astronauts used Eagles upper stage to lift off from the lunar surface and rejoin Collins in the command module. They jettisoned Eagle before they performed the maneuvers that blasted them out of orbit on a trajectory back to Earth. They returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience, Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Apollo 11 was the second all-veteran multi-person crew in human spaceflight history, a previous solo veteran flight had been made on Soyuz 1 in 1967 by Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. Collins was originally slated to be the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 8 but was removed when he required surgery on his back and was replaced by Jim Lovell, his backup for that flight. In early 1969, Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective August 1969, charlie Duke, Capsule Communicator Ronald Evans Owen K. Garriott Don L. Low to suggest the Apollo 11 crew be less flippant in naming their craft. During early mission planning, the names Snowcone and Haystack were used and put in the news release, the Command Module was named Columbia after the Columbiad, the giant cannon shell spacecraft fired by a giant cannon in Jules Vernes 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon. The Lunar Module was named Eagle for the bird of the United States, the bald eagle. The Apollo 11 mission insignia was designed by Collins, who wanted a symbol for peaceful lunar landing by the United States and he chose an eagle as the symbol, put an olive branch in its beak, and drew a lunar background with the Earth in the distance. NASA officials said the talons of the eagle looked too warlike and after some discussion, All colors are natural, with blue and gold borders around the patch. When the Eisenhower dollar coin was released in 1971, the design provided the eagle for its reverse side. The design was used for the smaller Susan B
34.
Southwest Conference
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The Southwest Conference was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at times the conference included schools from Oklahoma. After a long period of stability, Arkansas left in 1991 to join the Southeastern Conference, by March 1,1914 a number of schools had responded favorably to the idea. The first organizational meeting of the conference was set to be held on April 30,1914, the date was changed because representatives from every school could not make it then. It was ultimately held on May 5 and 7,1914 at the Oriental Hotel in Dallas, Texas and it was chaired by L. Theo Bellmont. Originally, Bellmont wanted Louisiana State University and the University of Mississippi to join the conference as well, the Southwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference became an official body on December 8,1914, at a formal meeting at the Rice Hotel in Houston. Rice University left the conference in 1916, only to re-join in 1918, phillips University was a conference member for one year. Oklahoma left in 1919 to join the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, however, the series between Texas and Oklahoma would continue as a non-conference matchup in the annual Red River Rivalry game held in Dallas. From 1925 until 1991, the University of Arkansas would be the only member not located within the state of Texas. By 1925, the name was shortened to simply Southwest Conference. After its organizational years, the conference settled into regularly scheduled meetings among its members, the SWC would be guided by seven commissioners, the first of whom, P. W. St. Clair, was appointed in 1938. In 1940, the conference took control of the then five-year-old Cotton Bowl Classic, Texas Technological College joined the SWC in 1958, followed by the University of Houston for the 1976 season. The conference celebrated its glory years in the 1960s, dominated by two teams, Texas and Arkansas. Texas won the 1963 National Championship, and Arkansas won a National Championship in 1964 in the Football Writers Association of America, in 1969, Texas won another National Championship by beating #2-ranked Arkansas 15-14 in the regular seasons final game. The 1969 Arkansas-Texas game in Fayetteville, Arkansas, attended by President Richard Nixon, is counted among the greatest college football games ever played. Texas also won the 1970 United Press International National Championship, which until 1974 was awarded prior to the bowl games, opponents usually were the runners-up from the Big 8 Conference or the Southeastern Conference, although independents Penn State and Notre Dame were also often featured. From the 1940s onward, the Cotton Bowl Classic was counted among the four bowl games. However, in the 1990s, the game declined in importance, in 1977, Notre Dame became the last team to win a national championship in the Cotton Bowl Classic by beating Texas in the January 1978 game
35.
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
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Cotton Bowl Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, Texas, south central United States, opening in 1930 at the site of the State Fair of Texas. Concerts or other events using a stage allow the field to be used for additional spectators. The Cotton Bowl was the home of the annual college football post-season bowl game known as the Cotton Bowl Classic. Starting on New Years Day 1937, it hosted the first 63 editions of the game, through January 2009, the game was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington in January 2010. The stadium has been home to football teams over the years, including, SMU Mustangs, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Texans, Dallas Texans, and soccer teams, the Dallas Tornado. It was also one of the nine venues used for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and it became known as The House That Doak Built, due to the immense crowds that SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. In their seventh season, the Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship at the Cotton Bowl on January 1,1967. The college bowl game that year included SMU and was played the day before, New Years Eve, the two games were filled to the 75,504 capacity, but both local teams came up short. Artificial turf was installed in 1970 and removed in 1993 in preparation for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the elevation of the playing field is approximately 450 feet above sea level. Construction began on Fair Park Stadium in 1930 in Fair Park, completed that year, the first game in the stadium was between Dallas-area high schools in October 1930. Built for a cost of US$328,000, the stadium held 45,507 spectators, in 1936, the name officially changed to the Cotton Bowl. In 1948, the stadium was decked on the west side, the east side was decked the following year, increasing capacity to 75,504. These decks were added to respond to the demand for fans to watch SMU halfback Doak Walker, the superstructure was also built at this time, creating the distinctive facade for the stadium. In 1968, chair-backs were installed, reducing capacity to 72,032, in 1970, the Cotton Bowl installed an AstroTurf surface, which remained until 1993. In 1950, as a way to break the Texas League record for attendance, Richard Burnett got permission to play in the Cotton Bowl. In order to draw a big crowd, he wanted a lineup of stars to don Dallas Eagles uniforms. Most of the stars were cool to the idea, except for then-current Dallas Eagles manager Charlie Grimm. When the legendary Ty Cobb agreed to come to Dallas, the others followed his lead, preceding the game was a parade through downtown Dallas
36.
Astrodome
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The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply The Astrodome, is the worlds first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. Construction on the began in 1962, and it officially opened in 1965. Additionally, the Astrodome was the venue of the Houston Livestock Show. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World, while originally utilizing a natural grass playing surface, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to feature artificial turf, which became known as AstroTurf. In another technological first, the Astrodome featured the Astrolite, which was the first animated scoreboard, the Astrodome received considerable renovations in 1988 that significantly expanded seating, and altered many original features. By the 1990s, the Astrodome was becoming obsolete, unable to secure a new stadium, Oilers owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee after the 1996 season, where they eventually became the Tennessee Titans. Although it no longer had any primary tenants, the venue regularly hosted events during the 2000s, the Astrodome was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008 and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse. In 2014 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 2017, the Texas Historical Commission designated the Astrodome a State Antiquities Landmark. Major League Baseball expanded to Houston in 1960 when the National League agreed to add two teams, the Houston Colt. 45s were to begin play in 1962, along with their expansion brethren New York Mets. Roy Hofheinz, a mayor of Houston, and his group were granted the franchise after they promised to build a covered stadium. It was thought a covered stadium was a must for a league team to be viable in Houston due to the areas subtropical climate. Game-time temperatures are usually above 97 °F in July and August, with high humidity, Hofheinz abandoned his interest in the worlds first air-conditioned shopping mall, The Galleria, and set his sights on bringing major league baseball to Houston. The Astrodome was designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W. B, morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson. Structural engineering and structural design was performed by Walter P Moore Engineers and it was constructed by H. A. Lott, Inc. for Harris County, Texas. It stands 18 stories tall, covering 9.5 acres, the dome is 710 feet in diameter and the ceiling is 208 feet above the playing surface, which itself sits 25 feet below street level. The scoreboard, eventually known as the Astrolite, was designed by Fair Play Scoreboards of Des Moines, having designed the scoreboard for Dodger Stadium several years prior, team owner Roy Hofheinz was not impressed with the initial proposal for a much more generic type of scoreboard. Project designer Jack Foster teamed up with a creative professional based in Kansas City to create the first animated scoreboard and its reported cost was $2.1 million. The Dome was completed in November 1964, six ahead of schedule
37.
Robertson Stadium
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John OQuinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It was the home of the Houston Cougars football and womens soccer teams, the stadium was the first home for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer from 2006 to 2011, as well as the first home of the American Football Leagues Houston Oilers from 1960 to 1964. On January 1,1961, it hosted the American Football League Championship Game, the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers to become the leagues first champions. It was also the site for pro footballs first ever game on December 23,1962. The Oilers lost to the Dallas Texans in that years AFL title game and this was the only overtime game in the 10-year history of the AFL. The stadiums record attendance in its configuration was set at 32,413. In June 2010, the University of Houston announced its intention to raze Robertson Stadium, the stadium was closed and demolished upon the conclusion of the Houston Cougars 2012 football season. The replacement venue is TDECU Stadium, Houston Independent School District had purchased West End Park from the Houston Buffaloes when they moved into Buffalo Stadium in 1928. The ballpark, which was used for football and other athletic events, had originally been constructed in 1904. It was because of this that a larger, modern venue began being planned by school board officials, prior to the construction of Robertson Stadium, the University of Houston campus had been built nearby in 1939. In March 1940 the HISD, who were in control of the university at the time, another 7 acres was acquired soon thereafter to bring the original site total to 59.7939 acres. The area of land is now bound by Holman Street, Wheeler Street, Scott Street, the stadium was then constructed as a joint project between HISD and the Works Progress Administration by the Fretz Construction Company. Named the Public School Stadium, it was completed in 1942, Public School Fieldhouse, a multi-purpose indoor arena which was constructed simultaneously, stood alongside. The stadiums first game was held before a crowd of 14,500 on September 18,1942, HISD football games continued to be played at the stadium when the Houston Cougars football team played their inaugural game in front of a crowd of 11,000 with Southwestern Louisiana. The University of Houston continued to host home games there from 1946 to 1950 before moving to Houston Stadium in 1951. Prior to the 1957 football season, HISD changed policy at the stadium to disallow any teams with black students to play there despite this being previously allowed without issue. In 1958, the district renamed the stadium Jeppesen Stadium for school board member Holger Jeppesen. In 1960, the Houston Oilers began play as a member of the American Football League
38.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
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The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is an American sports stadium located in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The stadium serves as the home to the University of Southern California Trojans football team, the facility has a permanent seating capacity of 93,607 for USC football games, making it the largest football stadium in the Pac-12 Conference. For Rams games, capacity is at 80,000, giving it the fourth-largest capacity in the NFL, the stadium is located in Exposition Park and across the street from USC. From 1959 to 2016, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was located adjacent to the Coliseum, the Coliseum is the first stadium to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, in 1932 and 1984 and has been proposed to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The stadium was the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1961 and was the host venue for games 3,4. It was the site of the First AFL-NFL World Championship Game, later called Super Bowl I, additionally, it has served as a home field for a number of other teams, including the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL, and UCLA Bruins football. It was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 27,1984, under the lease the University has day-to-day management and operation responsibility for both the Coliseum and Sports Arena. The 98-year lease took effect on July 29,2013, and was signed by the parties on September 5,2013. The Coliseum is now primarily the home of the USC Trojans football team, Most of USCs regular home games, especially the alternating games with rivals UCLA and Notre Dame, attract a capacity crowd. The current official capacity of the Coliseum is 93,607, USCs women lacrosse and soccer teams use the Coliseum for selected games, usually involving major opponents and televised games. USC also rents the Coliseum to various events, including soccer games, musical concerts. The Olympic Cauldron was built for the stadiums two Olympic Games and it is still lit during the fourth quarter of USC football games, and other special occasions. It was lit to honor the fallen Israeli Athletes from the 1972 Munich Olympics Games and it was also lit for several days following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. The torch was lit for over a following the September 11 attacks in 2001. In 2004, the cauldron was lit non-stop for seven days in tribute to president Ronald Reagan and it was lit again in April 2005 following the death of Pope John Paul II, who had celebrated Mass at the Coliseum during his visit to Los Angeles in 1987. At the Los Angeles Dodgers 50th anniversary game on March 29,2008, charity ceremony, while Neil Diamonds Heartlight was played and the majority of the attendees turned on their complimentary souvenir keychain flashlights. It was lit for the duration of Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles from July 25,2015 to August 2,2015, the cauldron was most recently lit for the returning Los Angeles Rams first home game on September 18,2016 against the Seattle Seahawks. The Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to L. A. veterans of World War I, the official ground breaking ceremony took place on December 21,1921 with work being completed in just over 16 months, on May 1,1923
39.
Tulane Stadium
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Tulane Stadium was an outdoor football stadium located in New Orleans, that stood from 1926 to 1980. Officially known as the Third Tulane Stadium, it replaced the Second Tulane Stadium where the Telephone Exchange Building is now located, the stadium hosted three of the first nine Super Bowls in 1970,1972, and 1975. The stadium was opened in 1926 with a capacity of roughly 35,000 on the sidelines of the field. Tulane Stadium was built on Tulane Universitys campus, since the institution of the annual Sugar Bowl game, Tulane Stadium itself was often informally referred to as the Sugar Bowl. It was also billed as The Queen of Southern Stadiums and it was in a portion of Tulane Universitys main campus in Uptown New Orleans fronting Willow Street, with parking stretching to Claiborne Avenue. The original 1926 structure was mostly of brick and concrete, the first Sugar Bowl game was played at the stadium on January 1,1935, matching host Tulane against the Temple Owls from Philadelphia. The term Sugar Bowl had been coined by Fred Digby, sports editor of the New Orleans Item, the stadium was eventually expanded to seat up to 80,985 fans. In its final configuration, the stadium included four concrete and steel sections, with a steel upper deck wrapping around the sides. The press box was located on the side of the field. It was the last installment of the LSU-Tulane rivalry played on the Tulane campus, almost exactly one year later, Tulane Stadium hosted its final Green Wave game, a 26–10 loss to Ole Miss on a miserably cold afternoon on November 30,1974. Tulane would not play another game until Yulman Stadium opened in 2014. One month after the Ole Miss–Tulane game, Nebraska won the college game in the stadium. In addition to hosting Tulane University football games and the Sugar Bowl, the Saints won their last game in the stadium, 14-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals on December 8,1974. Tulane Stadium was the site of three early Super Bowls, IV, VI, and IX, Super Bowl IX was the final professional league game ever played at the stadium. The stadium hosted the two coldest outdoor Super Bowls, Super Bowl VI on January 16,1972, at 39° F, Super Bowl IX was supposed to be played in the Superdome, but it wasnt finished yet. Aside from the bowls, the most memorable moment at the stadium might have been the Saints victory over the Detroit Lions on November 8,1970. In the NFL prior to the 1974 season, the posts were on the goal line instead of the end line. With seconds remaining, the Saints attempted a kick with the holder spotting at the Saints own 37-yard line
40.
West End Park (Houston)
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West End Park was a baseball park in Houston from 1905 to the 1940s. It was the primary ballpark for the city when it was constructed, instead, West End Park was located in the freedmens town area of the Fourth Ward, with its entrance at Andrews and Heiner Streets. It was bounded by Andrews Street, Heiner Street, and Howe streets, today, the Interstate 45 Pierce Elevated passes over the area where the ballpark was, from Andrews Street to the Bagby Street exit. Construction of a new ballpark in Houston became necessary after the redevelopment of Herald Park into a residential neighborhood during the 1904 season, on January 9,1905, the Houston Buffaloes organization was given authorization by the Houston City Council for construction to begin on West End Park. During construction, a sandy soil was used for the field, by March 15, the ball parks construction was nearly completed only lacking paint on the grandstand and field preparation. West End Park opened on April 1,1905 as a park with an exhibition game between Houston and the Baton Rouge Cajuns of the Cotton States League. The suggested name chosen would allow its submitter to receive a ticket to the new park. Ultimately, John T. Schulte of 1018 LaBranch Street was chosen as the winner through a committee vote on April 16,1905. Other names considered included San Jacinto Park, Dick Dowling Park, San Felipe Park, Washington Park, other materials used for renovations, such as fences and more bleachers were purchased from nearby Marmion Park. On December 5,1911, the grandstand of West End Park was destroyed by a fire, the losses were estimated to exceed $5,000. The grandstand roof was blown off several years later when a storm hit Houston on November 25,1915. On January 5,1927, Sam Breadon, then owner of the team, on January 18, it was announced that the location had been purchased in the East End. Houstons new ballpark, Buffalo Stadium was then constructed for the 1928 season, on August 1,1928, the Houston Board of Education officially purchased the park from the Houston Baseball Association for $100,000 for use as school athletic fields. The park continued under the name and continued to be used for secondary school, amateur and collegiate athletics. With football being the event for Houston public schools, West End Park was eventually replaced when Public School Stadium opened in 1942. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, most of the occupied by the ballpark was used for various purposes when Heiner Street was extended. The Sells Floto Circus used the West End Park grounds for their show when they came to Houston in September 1907, West End Park was often used as a site for American football games. In 1908, the ballpark was the host of what was dubbed the state championship in school football with a game between Houston High School and San Antonio High School
41.
Bayou Bucket Classic
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The Bayou Bucket Classic is an annual college football game between rivals, the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls, as a part of the Houston–Rice rivalry. The name of the game is a reference to one of Houstons popular nicknames as the Bayou City, although a series between the two teams has existed since 1971, an award for the winner of each meeting was not official until 1974. The series signifies a college and crosstown rivalry, from 1999 to 2001 Southwestern Bell was the title sponsor for the series, and it was branded as the Southwestern Bell Bayou Bucket Classic. From 2002 to 2005, Houston-based Administaff sponsored the series, during the 1996 to 1998 football seasons, the series was on hiatus while the teams realigned themselves with other conferences after the demise of the Southwest Conference. The game for the Bayou Bucket in 1995 was the game in the history of Southwest Conference football. The next year, the two called a student body meeting to organize another petition and this petitions purpose was to challenge Rice Institute to a football game. The Rice Owls were a program, having played since 1919 as a member of the Southwest Conference. During the spring training for the first team, Goyen and Valentis petition was finally answered, the meeting was to be at Rice. When the team arrived at the field in their practice uniforms, officials were there, and the stadium was full of spectators. The game ended with Rice demolishing the Houston Cougars, the game had an attendance of 11,000. It wouldnt be until 1971 that the Cougars and Owls competed again, in the Summer of 1953, Hugh Roy Cullen met with George R. Brown, to sign a new contract for Houston to use Rice Stadium. When asked if there was a discussion about the two universities possibly competing against each other in football, Brown said, Not since 1950, Cullen said, They seem to think it would create too much of a rivalry. Our boys out at UH are working boys and they dont have time to fight. Houston was accepted into the Southwest Conference for the 1971 season, the first conference game for the team was an away game against the Owls. The game marked not only the first official game played between the teams, but the beginning of a tradition between the schools. In 1974, the tradition was further solidified by the naming of the series as the Bayou Bucket Classic. The 1995 meeting of the teams was the last football game of the Southwest Conference before it was disbanded, although on hiatus after the demise of the SWC, the rivalry was renewed in 1999. In 2005, the rivalry gained back significance after the Owls joined Conference USA in which Houston was a charter member, the game was announced to be played at Houstons Reliant Stadium for the 2012 and 2013 seasons
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Rice Owls football statistical leaders
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Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Owls represent Rice University in the NCAAs Conference USA, although Rice began competing in intercollegiate football in 1912, the schools official record book considers the modern era to have begun in 1951. Records from before this year are incomplete and inconsistent. These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons, Since 1951, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11, the NCAA didnt allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972, allowing players to have four-year careers. Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002, the Owls have played in 5 bowl games since this decision, allowing players to accumulate additional statistics in the extra game. All of Rices top 10 seasons by offensive yards and scoring have come since the 2001 season and these lists are updated through the end of the 2016 season. Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics and it does not include receiving or returns
