There will be at least one very famous father in the stands at Rice Stadium this coming season.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Luke Armstrong (pictured, being held up by his father) has committed to play his college football at Rice as a preferred walk-on. The offensive lineman is the son of Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion who had those titles stripped because of the infamous doping scandal.
As the Houston Chronicle noted, Armstrong was 5-9 and weighed 165 pounds during his racing prime; Armstrong’s son is 6-3, 250 pounds. The American-Statesman wrote that "[t]he elder Armstrong’s football career didn’t extend much beyond a Pop Warner league in Garland, Texas.”
The younger Armstrong, who had verbally committed to the Owls earlier this month, played his high school football at Westlake High School in Travis County, Texas. He was an all-district guard for a Chaparrals squad that made it to the state semifinals this past season.
Congratulations to Luke Armstrong as he will continue his academic & football career at @RiceUniversity for @RiceFootball #GoOwls #GoChaps 🏈 pic.twitter.com/1PUVhJMU20
— WestlakeNation (@Westlake_Nation) April 12, 2018
Woot woot! Hey @riceuniversity, here comes your next student/athlete @luke_armstrong65 ! So incredibly proud of my son and the young man he’s become. He’s a great friend, teammate, and brother to his 4 siblings. I canNOT wait for the next chapter. Love you Luke!! #riceowls #ricefootball
A post shared by Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) on