Liberty Bowl Players’ and Coaches’ Dinner held at Memphis Hilton

On Sunday evening, the Rice Owls and Mississippi State Bulldogs met one last time together as a full group before Tuesday’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl at the Players’and Coaches’ Dinner. The banquet, which was hosted by the Liberty Bowl, took place at the Memphis Hilton, Rice’s team hotel.

At the dinner, Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton welcomed the two teams to the city, and officials from both schools spoke, including Rice University President David Leebron, athletics director Joe Karlgaard and head football coach David Bailiff. Leebron gave high praise to the football program’s strong history, reminding the audience that while the university celebrated its centennial last year, the football program also fielded a team out of the 50 men in Rice’s first class. Leebron also congratulated Bailiff for the team’s recent 100 percent graduation rate.

Also at the event, Tanner Leland received the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Scholar Athlete Award.

View a video and photographs from the event below.