Six trailblazing Owls honored at the First Black Student-Athletes Celebration

To mark the 50th anniversary of a pair of momentous occasions in Rice history, six trailblazing Owls were honored at the First Black Student-Athletes Celebration Sept. 16 at the Ion.

The event recognized four members of Rice’s matriculating Class of 1972 — football players Rodrigo Barnes '73, Mike Tyler '72 and Stahlé Vincent '72 and basketball player LeRoy Marion '72, who were the first Black men to play for the Owls — as well as volleyball and basketball player Denise Bostick '80 and track and field athlete Leila Freeman '79, the first Black women to perform for Rice following the implementation of Title IX in 1972.

The six student athletes were also recognized the next day during the Rice football game, which featured the current Owls wearing helmets paying tribute to the 1971 team.

Click here to read more about the honorees and their experiences and impact at Rice.

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