Owltimate Fan

For the past four football seasons, there’s been one constant in Rice Stadium: Hong Lin Tsai.

Photo of Hong Lin Tsai holding Rice flag in during a football game
Hong Lin Tsai at Rice Stadium waving blue flag, a reliable sight in the student section. Photo by Jeff Fitlow

By Andrew Bell

Over the last four years, few sights have been as reliable at Rice Stadium as a waving blue flag, a cheering voice and an unmistakable burst of school spirit in the student section. Behind that energy is Hong Lin Tsai, a Brown College senior whose enthusiasm for Rice football has become as much a part of game day as the MOB’s music and the sound of “Rice Fight Never Dies.”

“Showing up and supporting our athletes no matter what — that’s the mindset I’ve developed,” Tsai said. “For me, it’s about being there for the student-athletes, bridging the gap on bringing students to the games and redefining what it means to be a fan.”

Originally from Olive Branch, Mississippi, Tsai arrived at Rice in 2022 and quickly made an impact across campus life. A political science and social policy analysis major with a minor in environmental studies, he has worn many hats — cartoonist for The Rice Thresher, internal vice president for the Rice Rally Club, Brown College ambassador, athletics intern and podcast host for the Doerr Institute for New Leaders.

“It’s my goal to rally up the students and get them going,” he said. “That’s why I’ve always been coming over to the football games and helping out in some sort of capacity.”

Tsai’s passion for Rice football began early in his first semester, thanks to a bit of O-Week inspiration.

“I was introduced to Rice football by my O-Week dad, Andrew Linhart,” he recalled. “Back then I wasn’t really too big into football, but he helped me appreciate what we have here and take advantage of it.”

Since then, Tsai has become a fixture in the stands, waving his rally flag, carrying a handmade Sammy the Owl plushie and even bringing a symbolic “nest” to represent the student section.

That loyalty paid off in a special way at this fall’s homecoming game when Eric George, assistant vice president and deputy athletic director, surprised Tsai and a fellow student with an unexpected postgame invitation.

“Hong Lin is the ultimate fan,” George said. “Every week, he shows up early, is decked out in Rice gear and waves his Rice flag no matter how the game goes. His die-hard passion has caught the attention of our players, coaches and staff, and we had to do something to recognize him.”

George said he and his staff had plans to invite Tsai back to the locker room celebration in a game earlier this season against the University of Connecticut, which ended up being an overtime thriller of a victory. In the midst of the chaos of that game, he forgot to get Tsai. But when it became apparent the Owls were going to defeat the University of Alabama at Birmingham — by a score of 24-17 — last Saturday, he made sure they didn’t forget again.

 

 

“He was so excited when we asked him to come into the locker room to celebrate with the team, and the team was equally as excited when they saw him bust in waving his Rice flag,” George said. “It was an incredible moment and a great illustration of the importance of the relationship between our student-athletes and student body.”

“Eric just came up to us after the game and said, ‘Follow me,’” Tsai said. “Next thing we know, we’re in the locker room with the team. It was on my senior bucket list to go inside a team’s locker room, so I’m really glad I got to check that off. It was a lot of fun talking with the boys and hyping them up. They even tried to carry me, and they might have dropped me, but it’s fine!”

Moments like that capture what Rice athletics means to Tsai: connection, community and pride that lasts long after the final whistle.

“It’s kind of like a family to me,” he said. “I know some of the players from class — seeing them play makes me want to support them even more. It can be frustrating when the team doesn’t win, but at the end of the day you’re still having a good time. For those three hours, you’re in that moment.”

As graduation approaches, Tsai said his Rice pride will follow him wherever he goes.

“Even after I graduate, I’m still committed to being in Houston as much as possible,” he said. “I’ll definitely be coming to more Rice games in the future.”

 

From the Winter 2026 issue of Rice Magazine