Rice Stadium is one of three university stadia to have hosted a Super Bowl.

On January 13, 1974, the Miami Dolphinsdefeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 inSuperBowl VIII at Rice Stadium.  A crowd of71,882 saw Miami continue its domination ofthe NFL against a Minnesota team that offeredlittle serious competition.  Viking Coach BudGrant, obviously not very happy over theanticipated mismatch, had groused aboutinadequate training facilities (at Del MarStadium, not at Rice) and had a word or two to say about the dressing rooms at Rice. Otherwise, there was hardly a negative wordabout Rice Stadium, as a venue, and the factthat Houston has not again been selected as a Super Bowl city was reflective more on hotel andtraining facilities than on the stadium.  Phyllis George and crew held forth in the recentlyconstructed R-Room facility at the south end zone, where a panoramic view of Phyllis, with the stadium and field unfolding behind her, was afforded to television viewers. (BTW, the other college stadia, extant, to have hosted a Super Bowl are Stanford Stadium and Sun Devil Stadium (Arizona State).   The old Sugar Bowl, on the Tulane campus, once hosted one, also, but it's long gone.)

Oscar Mayer Super Bowl VIII recap

NFL.com Super Bowl VIII flashback

Sportsline Super Bowl VIII

Rice Stadium as it looks today (upon the completion of '06 stadium improvements)      More '06 stadium pix....

Rice Stadium under construction in 1950,
viewed from West to East. Old Rice Field is shown in the upper right-hand corner.

Foley Brothers department store throws out the welcome mat for Santa Clara, Rice's firstopponent in the new  stadium, September, 1950.

It's a packed house in the 50s.  Rice officials managed to park close to 15,000 cars in the open space surrounding
the stadium.

(B&W photos courtesy Glen Krajca-Radcliffe)