1963 Rice Owls football team

American college football season

1963 Rice Owls football

Conference| Southwest Conference
Record| 6–4 (4–3 SWC)
Head coach|

* Jess Neely (24th season)

Home stadium| Rice Stadium

Seasons

← 1962

1964 →

1963 Southwest Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
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Team | W |   | L |   | T |  |  | W |   | L |   | T
No. 1 Texas $  | 7  | – | 0  | – | 0 |  |  | 11  | – | 0  | – | 0
Baylor | 6  | – | 1  | – | 0 |  |  | 8  | – | 3  | – | 0
Rice | 4  | – | 3  | – | 0 |  |  | 6  | – | 4  | – | 0
Arkansas | 3  | – | 4  | – | 0 |  |  | 5  | – | 5  | – | 0
TCU | 2  | – | 4  | – | 1 |  |  | 4  | – | 5  | – | 1
Texas Tech | 2  | – | 5  | – | 0 |  |  | 5  | – | 5  | – | 0
SMU | 2  | – | 5  | – | 0 |  |  | 4  | – | 7  | – | 0
Texas A&M | 1  | – | 5  | – | 1 |  |  | 2  | – | 7  | – | 1

* $ – Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1963 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In its 24th season under head coach Jess Neely, the team compiled a 6–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 145 to 114.[1] The team played its home games at Rice Stadium in Houston.

The team's statistical leaders included Walter McReynolds with 728 passing yards, Paul Piper with 475 rushing yards, and John Sylvester with 251 receiving yards.[2] Two Rice players were selected by the Associated Press (AP) and/or United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1963 All-Southwest Conference football team: center Malcolm Walker (AP-1, UPI-1); and guard Johnny Nichols (AP-1).

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|

September 28| LSU*|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| W 21–12| 64,000| [3]
October 5| at Penn State*|

* Beaver Stadium
* University Park, PA

| L 7–28| 38,200| [4]
October 12| Stanford*|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| W 23–13| 30,000| [5]
October 19| SMU|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX (rivalry)

| W 13–7| 52,000| [6]
October 26| at No. 1 Texas|

* Memorial Stadium
* Austin, TX (rivalry)

| L 6–10| 64,130| [7]
November 2| at Texas Tech|

* Jones Stadium
* Lubbock, TX

| W 17–3| 36,500| [8]
November 9| Arkansas|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| W 7–0| 41,000| [9]
November 16| Texas A&M|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| L 6–13| 46,000| [10]
November 30| Baylor|

* Rice Stadium
* Houston, TX

| L 12–21| 40,000| [11]
December 7| at TCU|

* Amon G. Carter Stadium
* Fort Worth, TX

| W 33–7| 13,000| [12]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1963 Rice Owls Schedule and Results". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
2. ^ "1963 Rice Owls Statistics". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
3. ^ "Rice passing attack sinks L.S.U." The Courier-Journal. September 29, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Penn State gridders trounce Rice by 28-7". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. October 6, 1963. p. 57.
5. ^ "Rice trips Tribe, 23–13". The Fresno Bee. October 13, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Rice squeaks past Mustangs". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 20, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Longhorns withstand Rice passes". The Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. October 27, 1963. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Owls swoop past Red Raiders, 17–3". Del Rio News Herald. November 3, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Rice blanks Arkansas, 7–0, for third loop victory". The Abilene Reporter-News. November 10, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Aggies put Owls to sleep, 13–6". Wichita Falls Times. November 17, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Bears rip Rice, accept bowl bid". The Shreveport Times. December 1, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Rice's Owls flog Frogs 33 to 7". Muskogee Daily Phoenix. December 8, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "1963–64 NCAA Statistics (Rice)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 23, 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Rice Owls football

Venues|

* West End Park (1912, 1914–1915)
* Rice Field (1913–1949)
* Rice Stadium (1950–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Houston
* SMU
* Texas

Culture & lore|

* Sammy the Owl
* "Rice Fight"
* Marching Owl Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
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* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number