While I was looking for that football program with Huey Long on the cover I came across this unlabeled, undated image of what must have been an athletics award ceremony, sometime in the mid-70s by the look of those outfits:
The young man with the shotgun must have won the George Martin Award for the most valuable player on the football team. Until his death in 1962 George Martin, the owner of Ye Old College Inn and a fervent supporter of Rice athletics, chose the winner himself. After that it was done by a vote of the team members, making it a high honor indeed. I don’t know who he is, but I bet some of you do.
Also, the scariest thing in this picture isn’t the gun. Check out the shoes on the fellow at the far left.
Bonus: For your enjoyment, I now present the meat aging room at Ye Old College Inn.
That guy on the left needs to change his belt to be Full Cleveland.
Ray Alborn on the right.
Augie in the middle?
Definitely Augie in the middle.
Wow. That photo is a veritable dictionary of questionable fashion choices. Wild. To be fair, you could probably post a similar photo of the early ’80s that would be similarly prep-a-licious.
Great place. We had our wedding reception there in 1966….
For quit a few years, Martin gave a shotgun was given to Rice football’s MVP. (It’s mentioned in several news articles, including those in 1953 (David “Kosse” Johnson) and 1966 (Chuck Latourette).)
Augie was Athletic Director from 1978-85; Alborn was the Owls’ head football coach from 1978-83. Here are the George Martin Award winners from Ray’s teams:
1978 David Houser (WR)
1979 Earl Cooper (RB)
1980 Robert Williamson (LB)
1981 Michael Calhoun (QB)
1982 Melvin Robinson (WR)
1983 Phillip Money (QB)
Zooming in, it looks like the trophy held by the woman in the front row might say on its top line: “Beth Poindexter Award”, which was first awarded in 1978 to the Owls’ most outstanding volleyball player.
Poindexter Award winners from 1978-83 were:
1978 Mary Hunter
1979 Kris Annexstad
1979 Patti Sharp
1980 Karen Pollock
1981 Caryn Perkins
1982 Meg Sullivan
1983 Alecia Abraham
To me, the blurry writing of what I presume is the awardee on the second line of the trophy looks more like “Mary Hunter” than the other possibilities. So while I don’t know any of the Rice players in this photo, I’d guess that it’s from the 1978 Fall Sports awards event.
For quite a few …
The guy on the right, in the white shoes, looks like Randy Hertel to me — I believe he was the quarterback of the football team? And, if the girl did win the Poindexter Award, I can tell you she is not Kris Annexstad. As for the guy with the shotgun — kind of looks like David Houser to me — football team.
Sorry — Randy Hertel is on the left….
It’s David Houser with the shotgun and Randy Hertel is the “sharp-dressed man” on the left. Michael Downs is in the back row. I was there as the Sports Information Director and I probably have a copy of the program since I would have produced it. I’ll look for it.
Looks like the cast from Saturday Night Fever
That’s Mary Hunter who won the Hallie Poindexter award in 1978 for volleyball MVP. The guy between Houser and Hertel is Allen Ramirez, the great pitcher,who later played MLB.
The man on the far right looks like Bobby May to me
I recognize two people in this photo. Chris Mullen third from the right first row with blond hair holding a small award. he graduated with me In May 1978 so this awards ceremony was no later than May 1978. To his right of him the woman is Debbie Turner also 1978 graduate. I believe she did win the award for best volleyball player.
I read in this Thresher article, which includes her photo (Sept. 21, 1978, page 11: https://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/67254/thr19780921.pdf?sequence=1), that Debbie Turner won the Joyce Pounds Hardy Award in Spring 1978 (and also in her sophomore year). That then must be the award she is holding in the photo above.
I just googled it and Chris Mullen was awarded the Bob Quin Award in 1978 which is given to the university’s most outstanding all-around senior male athlete. It is given in memory of Bob Quin, a well-respected Rice student-athlete who passed away during an Atlantic crossing in 1930. Chris was on the tennis team.
The Bob Quinn Award profile of Chris Mullen (http://quinmcwhirter.com/quinmarti/homepage/1978ChrisMullen.html) contains a cropped photo — showing both him and Turner — that’s very similar to the one above. It was said to have been taken at the All Sports Banquet.
Thanks for the clarification, Clark. Thought I’d add a few more tidbits for those interested in a little more Rice history.
The official Rice site, http://www.riceowls.com/ot/bob-quin-award.html, confirms I was the fifth of seven tennis players to win the Bob Quin award. A memorial site was prepared by Quin McWhirter where you can find links with research he collected on each award winner up to the present day. Since the official site doesn’t maintain the link, I’ll leave it to you data miners to find it.
If you click on Quin’s 1978 link, you will see a picture near the bottom of Debbie Turner and me that was cropped from the Saturday Night Fever cast shot. Now that the latter has reemerged, I will share it with my sons. The youngest one is exactly the age I was in that photo and will be graduating this May from Princeton. He’s on the varsity swim team and will no doubt get a kick out of seeing such high fashion at Rice a dozen years before he was born.
Funny how this thread all started over the original post of a photo of Rice Owl athletes all dressed up – and one holding a shotgun no less! And, now we really know who was wearing that cool suit and shoes on the front row left.
Thanks! And welcome to my world!
I also believe the lone lady is Debbie Turner – a very talented athlete and veterinarian. Great photo, Melinda – thanks for posting!!
Here’s the ones I know:
First row: Randy Hertel, Bob Loper, Allen Ramirez, Joey Bevill, David Houser, John Joyce, Augie Erfurth, Earl Cooper (future 49er), and Ray Alborn on the far right.
Back row: Doug Cunningham (future Viking), Mike Downs (future Cowboy), ?, Robert Williamson, ?, Don Parrish, Miller from basketball.
Everyone saw the guy in the white suit, platform shoes and quiana shirt. But what about the man second from the right in the front row. Plaid jacket with a spotted tie? (BTW, Saturday Night Fever was released in 1977).
Oh, I saw him for sure.
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Back row, first on the right: Alan Reynolds (basketball)