ROCHESTER, Mich. — Paul Rice has been named to the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor class of 2022. Rice has served as head coach for the men's and women's cross country teams for 22 seasons. He has coached men's and women's track and field since the program's inception in 2006. Rice also ran cross country at Oakland from 1990-93. 

Rice has guided the Golden Grizzlies to new heights at the helm of Oakland cross country, leading the program to eight conference titles. The success has resulted in Rice collecting conference coach of the year honors on nine occasions. In 2015, the Golden Grizzlies became the fourth program in Horizon League history to have both the men's and women's teams win the conference title in the same season. 

An Oakland individual has claimed the top spot at the conference championships 26 times under Rice. In 2019, Maggie Schneider became the first student-athlete in Horizon League history to win three consecutive titles.

Rice has led the Golden Grizzlies to two conference championships and several runner-up finishes in track and field. The winter of 2016 saw the women's track & field team win their first-ever league title as they upset defending champion Youngstown State at the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships. After the meet, Rice was named Horizon League Women's Indoor Track Coach of the Year. In 2018, Rice helped the men's track team to the program's first Horizon League Outdoor Championship. 

As a student-athlete at OU, Rice was a three-year captain, earning All-GLIAC honors in 1991 and 1992 and all-region recognition from 1991-93.

This year's induction ceremony will be held at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac on February 12, 2022. There will be a cocktail hour at 6:00 p.m. followed by a strolling reception and award ceremony at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased for $75.00 per person: Includes 1 ticket to ceremony and 1 ticket to the game. Click here to register.

What does being inducted to the Hall of Honor mean to you?
Being inducted is an amazing honor. My time as an athlete at Oakland was some of the most memorable years of my life. I had amazing teammates and coaches, and it is an honor to join three of my former teammates already in the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor.

What is your favorite Oakland University memory?
My favorite memory is from 1992 when Oakland hosted the GLIAC Cross Country Championships. Two other teammates and I finished top-seven, with all three of us achieving All-GLIAC honors (top-7 honored). Our team finished runner-up, which was the highest finish ever for Oakland in the GLIAC XC Championships. Achieving this feat on our home course in front of our home fans was amazing. We also finished runner-up in 1993.

What did you do after your Oakland experience (career, professionally, etc.)?
After wrapping up my running career at Oakland, I immediately stepped into a full-time management role at the Meadow Brook Health Enhancement Institute on campus. I started as a volunteer assistant coach for the Oakland XC team in the fall of 1996 and then took over as the head coach in Jan 1998. That ultimately led me to my current role.