Rice Stadium’s attendance woes have reached a point where desperation has set in. The numbers tell a grim story of decline at one of college football’s most historically significant venues. The Owls drew just 22,671 fans against UAB, 20,197 against Memphis, 21,122 against UConn, and 22,999 against Florida Atlantic. These figures barely crack the halfway mark of the stadium’s 47,000 capacity. So when Rice announced its promotion for Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. matchup against No. 22 North Texas, it caught everyone’s attention.

Students who are 21 and above will drink free with a valid ID, no questions asked, no limits specified. It’s a Hail Mary play from a program desperately trying to fill seats for what could be its most important game of the season for a chance at bowl eligibility.​

Rice is home to around 8,800 students. And for them, the free beer promotion is an all-in effort to energize a student body that has largely shied away from the football culture. “To me, it’s depressing in a way, because it’s like a fallen empire,” said Sebastian Rodriguez, a Martel College freshman. His words captured the melancholy that hangs over Rice Stadium on Saturdays.​

The decline from glory days to near-emptiness has been gradual but devastating for a program with such a storied past. When Rice Stadium opened in 1950, it seated 70,000 fans. It was the second-largest facility in the Southwest Conference, behind only the Cotton Bowl. 

The Houston Chronicle celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2000 by calling it “the grand dame of Texas stadiums” and “still the best place in the state to watch a football game.” But as Rice declined on the field from the 1960s onward, filling the stadium became increasingly difficult, with even crowds of 30,000 looking swallowed up in the cavernous space. 

Stadium capacity was eventually reduced to 47,000 after end zone seats were removed, but the emptiness remains unavoidable. “The crowd wasn’t really there,” said freshman edge rusher Dereyon Jenkins, describing the atmosphere this season. “It was kind of like low energy. Not a lot of people.”

Chuck Pool, assistant athletic director of athletics communications, attributes part of the decline to increased competition from other stadiums. Venues like the Daikin Park, NRG Stadium, and others have sprung up across Houston since Rice Stadium’s heyday.​ Yet even in its diminished state, Rice Stadium’s history carries weight for the players who suit up there every Saturday. 

“Knowing that my school has hosted such big events like that, especially a place that we play, a place that I call home. It just makes me feel honored to be able to play here,” Jenkins said. Rodriguez was less sentimental, calling Rice football “outdated” and “more of a historical thing at this point.” He sees this as the majority sentiment among Rice’s student body. ​

Saturday’s game against North Texas will be a test of whether free drinks can temporarily resurrect the atmosphere that once made Rice Stadium legendary. At 5-5, the Owls need just one more win to reach the postseason. And beating a ranked 9-1 Mean Green team playing for College Football Playoff positioning would qualify as the program’s signature victory in years. 

Whether the promotion succeeds in packing the stands or creates a liability nightmare remains to be seen. But it’s undeniable that Rice is willing to try anything to recapture even a fraction of the magic that once filled every seat. The free beer flows at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU, and for one night at least, Rice Stadium might actually feel alive again.​

A $120 million answer to empty seats

The free beer promotions might be a short-term fix. But Rice is betting $120 million on a long-term solution to its attendance nightmare. Two weeks ago, the university unveiled the Gateway Project. It is a comprehensive renovation of Rice Stadium that acknowledges what everyone already knows: A 47,000-seat venue is far too big for a program that struggles to draw half that number. 

The capacity will be downsized to just around 30,000 seats by the time construction wraps up in 2028. The renovation will transform the 75-year-old venue into what Rice is calling a “stadium in a park.” The west side will be completely demolished and rebuilt as a three-level structure. It will feature a premium club for 600-1,000 guests, 14 private suites, and upgraded media facilities.

Two-thirds of the upper deck will also be removed from the East Side to create a more intimate gameday atmosphere. The goal is to make a place where 25,000 fans actually look like a decent crowd instead of a depressing sea of vacant benches. The project also includes new restrooms, upgraded concessions, and a new practice pavilion to replace the inflatable bubble currently sitting in the west parking lot.