Bobby Rice, Alabama Director of Athletic Facilities, To Retire
3/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
By Scott Latta
UA Media Relations
TUSCALOOSA - Bobby Rice, who served as Director of Athletic Facilities in the University of Alabama athletic department for 16 years after serving the university as Director of Construction, has retired.
Rice became Director of Athletic Facilities in 1990. His duties included overseeing the maintenance, planning and construction for all UA athletic department facilities.
"Bobby's love for the university was manifested in facilities that were constructed and maintained by him," said Alabama Senior Associate Athletic Director, Finus Gaston. "He was involved before coming to the athletic department with building what is now the practice facility and was involved in every expansion in athletic facilities since he's been on campus."
Prior to joining the Alabama athletic department, Rice spent 16 years on the university staff as a civil engineer. He graduated from Alabama in 1958 with a bachelor's of science degree in civil engineering and served in the engineering corps of the United States Army for three years following his graduation. He later spent time working for the State of Alabama Highway Department as an engineering consultant.
Since 1974, Rice has worked as an engineer for the university and was responsible for two expansions of Bryant-Denny Stadium: the 1988 construction which included the expansion of the west upper deck, and the 1998 expansion which completed the east upper deck. He was also responsible for construction on Sewell-Thomas Stadium and also helped put together the university's master plan for facilities, which has recently been completed.
"He was invaluable to me during my period of time with all the construction we had going," said former Alabama Athletic Director Hootie Ingram. "We were in the stages of planning the final stage of [Bryant-Denny] Stadium and we had many, many projects going like the extension of Coleman Coliseum and he was very knowledgeable on all the rules and regulations state-wise.
"He was very knowledgeable of all the talent around the state with architects, and we'd interview architects and people of that nature and he was just on top of it all the way," Ingram said.
Alabama's most recent expansion to Bryant-Denny Stadium, which included the completion of the north end zone and plaza, was spearheaded by Thad Turnipseed, who will serve as Alabama's new Director of Athletic Facilities.
Turnipseed had previously served as Director of Athletic Capital Projects.
"He was good to work with," Turnipseed said. "He had knowledge no one else had and was very helpful in construction. It wouldn't have gone nearly as smooth without his knowledge of the existing buildings, and he was a good man that will be missed by all the university."
As buildings that were built under Rice and Turnipseed were remodeled or completed, the man who spearheaded the job would become director of facilities over the building. While Turnipseed oversaw the completion of many recently remodeled buildings (including the 2006 expansion of the north end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium), Rice oversaw many aspects of building management in his years at Alabama that many facilities directors no longer do.
"He traveled with us a little in football and before things got so specialized he was in charge of fields and all athletic facilities and did a wonderful job with it," said Alabama Associate Athletic Director for Events, Larry White.
Working closely with Rice for a number of years, Turnipseed said, has smoothed his transition into his new position at Alabama, with the former UA football player saying he learned many of the job's nuances from Rice.
"You always learn different things every day," Turnipseed said. "Technology changes and [Rice] got me up to speed on what was here and what we had. I came from the private sector, and he taught me about the university culture and how to adapt and the processes of working for a public institution."
Rice's work ethic in the 32 years he worked at the University of Alabama, friends say, was matched only by his dedication to his family and friends. Rice and his late wife, Carolyn, have two grown children, Caroline and the late Robert Rice, and one grandchild.
"He was a very dedicated person that loved the work and the university, and he didn't know what office hours were," Ingram said. "He worked around the clock and was just a good personal friend too."
