By Ben Everett | Sports Writer
As Hurricane Harvey causes record flooding in the Houston area, Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades has offered the university’s help in assisting Houston-area schools.
The Rice football team, coming off a 62-7 loss to No. 14 Stanford on Saturday in Sydney, flew to Los Angeles on Monday morning and relocated to Fort Worth to stay on TCU’s campus.
Rice head coach David Bailiff said a few universities across the state reached out to him in support of the team.
“I want to thank the staffs at TCU, SMU, Baylor and UTEP who all reached out to offer whatever help we needed,” Bailiff told ESPN. “There is a strong brotherhood in the coaching world, and it is never more evident than at times like these. While we would love to be coming home today, our first responsibility is the safety of these players.”
According to Dallas Morning News, SMU head football coach Chad Morris and Rhoades both contacted Bailiff and his team on Saturday night following the game.
“Chad Morris has reached out to us,” Bailiff told Fox 26. “So has Mack Rhoades at Baylor. If they can help in any capacity, I think it’s wonderful. I got the text messages last night from them. Two guys I respect a lot in the business.”
Rhoades, in a statement obtained by the Lariat, is offering help to any Houston-area university that needs it.
“We have offered our assistance for universities in Houston and along the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Rhoades said. “If we can be a resource in any way for those programs as they deal with the flooding, we would be honored to do so. Our prayers are with those affected by the storm, along with the first responders and civilians who are selflessly working to assist those in need.”
The Rice volleyball team, which spent the weekend in the Dallas area to take on SMU and TCU, is staying on the Baylor campus, per a tweet by Rice Volleyball.
Baylor president Linda Livingstone’s daughter, Shelby Livingstone, is an outside hitter on the Owls volleyball team.
Baylor also announced on Thursday night that it will host a football matchup between Sam Houston State and Richmond at 6 p.m. Friday at McLane Stadium.
“We are honored Sam Houston State and Richmond will play in McLane Stadium,” Rhoades said in a press release. “This is a small gesture to hopefully provide some relief in an incredibly difficult time, and to assist two of the nation’s premier FCS programs. We will do everything possible to provide the student-athletes, coaches and their fans a first-class experience.”
Baylor is also offering free admission to the game, which was originally scheduled for Aug. 27. The game was moved as a result of Huntsville being flooded.
Other athletic events, such as six Houston Astros games and a college football matchup between LSU and BYU that was scheduled for Saturday in Houston, have been relocated elsewhere because of the storm.
According to the National Weather Service, torrential rainfall is expected for the next several days.
