Rice Downsizing Football Stadium

Ask any American footballer and they would much rather play in front of a full stadium than an empty one; even if it means getting rid of seats to do it. Rice Stadium was built in 1950 with a capacity of 70,000 but now accommodates about 47,000 fans because the end zone seating is covered in tarps for Rice football games. The Houston Business Journal reports that the school is undertaking a significant project to reduce the capacity of the stadium even further.

Stadiums of competitors such as Southern Methodist University, Tulane University and the University of Tulsa — which have capacities of between 30,000 and 32,000 — are examples of what Rice Stadium’s capacity may look like after such a renovation. Rice Stadium underwent $5 million in renovations last offseason, as well, which included adding more comfortable seating, a new scoreboard, upgraded lighting and premium loge boxes. Shrinking the stadium will cost much more. The school is waiting to see if pricing comes down before committing to the project.