Houston Cougars football
Encyclopedia
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston
. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" (spoken as "U of H"). The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA
intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by Kevin Sumlin
. The team played its first season in 1946, and currently plays its home games on-campus at Robertson Stadium
in Houston. Throughout the Cougars' history, the team has won 10 conference championships and has several players as members of the College Football Hall of Fame
, including a Heisman Trophy
winner.
, and Jack Valenti
, president of the sophomore class, began a petition for an official intercollegiate football team at the university. The next year, the two called a student body meeting to organize another petition. This petition's purpose was to challenge Rice Institute
(later known as Rice University) to a football game. The Rice Owls
were an established program, having played since 1919 as a member of the Southwest Conference.
In August 1945, the University of Houston announced that the school would field a football team for the first time. Following the announcement, the Lone Star Conference
, spearheaded by Theron J. Fouts
of North Texas
and Puny Wilson
of Sam Houston State
, extended an invitation for Houston to join on October 25, 1945.
In September 1946, the team became a reality after Harry Fouke
, UH's first athletic director hired successful high school coach Jewell Wallace
, and tryouts were held. 130 students showed up, only ten of which had actually played college football before. Many of the married students lived on-campus at a makeshift village for World War II
veterans, while some others lived in the university's recreation center in bunks for naval recruits training at UH during the war. Prior to joining the Cougars, Wallace served as head coach for San Angelo High School
.
During the spring training for the first team, Goyen and Valenti's petition was finally answered, as Coach Wallace arranged a small practice game between Rice and Houston. The meeting was to be at Rice. When the team arrived at the field in their practice uniforms, they realized that the game was much more serious. Officials were there, and the stadium was full of spectators. The game ended with Rice demolishing the Houston Cougars. The game had an attendance of 11,000. It wouldn't be until 1971 that the Cougars and Owls competed again.
Playing in Houston Public School Stadium
as a part of the Lone Star Conference
on September 21, 1946, the Cougars played their first official game against Southwestern Louisiana Institute
(later known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) using the Split-T
offensive strategy. Although Charlie Manichia, the Cougars' starting quarterback scored the first touchdown of the game (and in Cougar history), the team lost to SLI 13-7.
The next game, the Cougars played against West Texas State Teachers College
(later known as West Texas A&M University), and won their first game 14-12. The Cougars finished up their first season with a 4-6-0 record. Wallace continued as head coach for the Cougars until the end of the 1947 season, when Clyde Lee
took over.
, a University of Tulsa
assistant coach, became Houston's second head coach in February 1948. To replace the remainder of Wallace's team that didn't return, Lee turned to junior colleges for the majority of his recruiting. At this time, the University of Houston, along with Texas Tech University
, attempted to join the established Southwest Conference, but were rejected. In response, several universities from the Lone Star Conference
formed the Gulf Coast Conference
. This marked the Cougars' first time playing as an NCAA University division team (later known as simply Division I), and the first time Houston offered athletics scholarships. Also during this time, Lee setup formal housing facilities for students. The 1949 season was prefaced with an act of vandalism from Houston fans on the campus of The College of William & Mary. William & Mary
was the opening game of the season between both schools.
In 1951, the Cougars began playing in the Missouri Valley Conference
, moved into Houston Stadium
, and made it to their first bowl game. The 1952 season
, proved to be a breakout one for the Cougars, and the team claimed the conference title. In addition to being ranked #19 in the nation by UPI
(the first time the Cougars were nationally ranked), 1952 also marked the first meetings between UH and Texas A&M University
, University of Arkansas
, and Ole Miss. J.D. Kimmel, a former player for the Army Cadets
, became Houston's first All-American
when the Associated Press
chose him for the 1952 team. The year after, UH met with the University of Texas at Austin
for the first time in football. Such events proved that the team was growing quickly. However, in 1954, Lee retired from coaching after a 37-32-2 overall record. Lee was credited with having transitioned the Cougars from a small-time team to a legitimate collegiate force in football.
, a successful head coach from Kansas State University
, signed a contract with the Cougars and was appointed as Houston's head coach on January 19, 1955. The Cougars' 1955 opening game against the University of Montana marked a 54-12 victory, the first opening victory since 1948. It was during this season that UH attempted to gain a membership to the Southeastern Conference
(SEC). Ole Miss, UH's sponsor to the conference had played the Cougars in their ninth game of the season, and although the Cougars lost, Ole Miss felt the team was worthwhile. The SEC decided to wait a year to determine whether UH would be a member of the conference.
The 1956 season was thus an important one for the team. The Cougars won the Missouri Valley Conference title for the second time, and tied with the Southwest Conference's nationally ranked Texas A&M Aggies during their meeting. However, UH lost to both SEC scheduled teams during the season. Both Southwest Conference and Southeastern Conference bids by the Cougars were once again rejected. During the next season, Meek left UH for Southern Methodist University
.
.jpg)
Hal Lahar
was announced as Houston's next head coach on January 18, 1957. Lahar, came from Colgate University
, where he had served as head coach for five seasons. In college, Lahar had played for the Oklahoma Sooners
, where he was a part of the school's first bowl team. Under Lahar, during the 1958 season, the Cougars became a nationally recognized offensive leader, as the team scored a combined 117 points in their first three games. Lahar's offensive strategy was best characterized as Split-T
.
After winning the Missouri Valley Conference titles again in 1957 and 1959, Lahar left UH in 1961, and headed back to Colgate University.
, the Cougars compiled a record of 160-108-8. His 160 victories rank 51st on the NCAA all time list, and make him the winningest coach in Cougar history. He used the Veer
offense in 1964 which quickly helped lead the Cougars to national prominence. Yeoman's Cougars finished the season ranked in the Top 10 four times and 10 times in the Top 20.
In 1964, Yeoman broke the color barrier for major Texas football programs when the University of Houston signed San Antonio’s Warren McVea
to a scholarship. On September 11, 1965 the Cougars played their first nationally televised game on NBC
against Tulsa
.
For three straight years Houston led the nation in total offense, averaging 437 yards a game in 1966, 427 in 1967, and 562 in 1968. The 1968 total was an NCAA record at the time. Houston also led the nation in scoring, 42.5 points a game that year.
He guided the Cougars to four Southwest Conference Championships – 1976, 1978, 1979 & 1984 - and a 6-4-1 record in bowl games including Cotton Bowl Classic victories over the Maryland Terrapins
in 1977 and the Nebraska Cornhuskers
in 1980. In 1976, Houston’s first year as a member of the SWC, Yeoman was named Texas Coach of the Year and runner-up for National Coach of the Year. Yeoman was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 2001 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He coached 46 All-Americans and 69 NFL players. In 1978, the NCAA subdivided the Division I into Division I-A and Division I-AA with Houston being a part of the former (now known as Division I FBS).
However, his career was not without controversy. In 1986, allegations surfaced regarding illegal recruiting inducements and extra benefits for his players. Due in part to these revelations, Yeoman was forced to retire at the end of the 1986 season after a 1-10 campaign.
Yeoman is the longest-serving coach in Cougar history, having been with the team from 1962 to 1986. After retiring as head coach, Yeoman remained with the Cougars as a fundraiser, a position he still holds today.
to be the program’s sixth head coach. Pardee was a former NFL All-Pro
linebacker
who had previously held head coaching positions with the Chicago Bears
, Washington Redskins
and the USFL's Houston Gamblers
. Pardee brought with him the Run & Shoot offense and a young offensive coordinator named John Jenkins
. The Run & Shoot offense was a strongly pass-oriented system that called for throwing the ball on most downs and in almost any situation. The Cougars would become one of the top offensive teams in the country during the Run & Shoot years.
In 1987, Pardee's first season, the team struggled in adjusting to the new system but scored a 60-40 home upset of the Texas Longhorns on the way to a 4-6-1 finish. The 1988 season saw great improvement in all aspects of team play with the Cougars posting a 9-3 mark, ultimately finishing 2nd in the Southwest Conference standings. The team played in the Aloha Bowl
but fell 24-22 to Washington State. The Cougars' offense was led by quarterback Andre Ware
, who had been originally recruited to UH by Bill Yeoman
as a Veer-option quarterback. UH finished the 1988 regular season at #18 in the AP Poll.
In 1988, the NCAA announced that it would levy sanctions against the Houston football program for numerous major rules violations during the Yeoman era. The university was charged with around 250 violations, and carried some of the most charges for a program at the time. The program was placed on probation for five years, banned from playing in bowl games for two years, and barred from appearing on television for the entire 1989 season. However, the most damaging penalty in the long run was being limited to 15 scholarships for the 1989 season. The NCAA said that the penalties would have been even harsher (including being limited to 20 scholarships for 1990 and 50 paid recruiting visits for 1989) had Yeoman still been coach. The lack of television exposure in 1989 was a setback but ultimately did not dampen the accolades UH would garner in a record-setting season.
The 1989 season was one of the most memorable in UH football history. Andre Ware continued his dramatic development as a passer and posted unprecedented passing statistics en route to winning the 1989 Heisman Trophy
. Ware passed for 4,299 yards and threw 44 touchdown passes on the season. He posted one of his finest performances with 475 yards passing in the Cougars' 47-9 rout of archrival Texas
in the Astrodome. The Cougars set many offensive records during the season. The Cougars finished the 1989 season at 9-2 and 2nd in the Southwest Conference but could not go to a bowl game. UH finished the season ranked #14 in the AP poll.
After the 1989 season, Pardee was hired as the head coach of the Houston Oilers and Jenkins was named his successor. The Pardee era at UH had been the most successful period in Cougar football since the late 1970s. The program enjoyed consistent success on the field, and helped to usher in the explosion of passing offense in college football. The Cougars’ prolific offense and Andre Ware’s Heisman Trophy raised the program to a level of national recognition that it had perhaps never enjoyed before. Pardee was later considered as a returning head coach for the Cougars after Art Briles
left the program, but was eventually passed up for Kevin Sumlin
. Pardee has not coached since 1995.
Led by new quarterback David Klingler
, the Cougars' offense put up even more eye-popping numbers in the 1990 season than they had a year before. Klingler set a record by throwing 11 touchdown passes in a single game during an 84-21 rout of Eastern Washington University
at the Astrodome. In a final-game victory over Arizona State University
in the Coca-Cola Classic
played in the Tokyo Dome
in Tokyo
, Japan
, the two teams combined for 107 points and over 1,000 yards passing.
The Cougars achieved a high ranking of #3 in the AP poll but fell out of national championship contention following a late-season loss to the #14 Texas Longhorns
. The Cougars finished the 1990 season with a 10-1 record and a #10 national ranking, again good for only 2nd in the conference standings. Klingler finished 3rd in Heisman balloting behind BYU's Ty Detmer
and Notre Dame's Raghib Ismail
. The program was serving its final season of probation and was again ineligible to play in a bowl game.
Despite returning David Klingler and many of their best players, the 1991 season saw a significant downturn from the Cougars’ previous four-year arc of improvement. The season began in rousing fashion with a 73-3 home rout of Louisiana Tech
, but the second game marked what would in hindsight be the end of an era. In a nationally televised game that had been billed as an intersectional meeting of powers, the Cougars were routed handily by the Miami Hurricanes
at the Orange Bowl. The Cougars lost the game 40-10, and with it, a great deal of the mystique of their offense. Opposing defenses began to defend the Run & Shoot more effectively, following in Miami’s pattern of frequent blitzes. Although the Cougars defeated Texas
for the fourth time in five years, they finished the 1991 season 7th in conference with a 4-7 record. After the season, David Klingler
was selected #6 overall in the 1992 NFL draft, while defensive end Glenn Cadrez
picked #154 overall by the New York Jets
. Although Klingler would be out of the league after six years and 33 games, Cadrez played 11 seasons mainly for the Denver Broncos
, which included winning appearances in both Super Bowl XXXII
and Super Bowl XXXIII
(the latter of which he started in). Cadrez is currently married to actress and former Playboy
Playmate of the Year, Brande Roderick
. The 1991 season marked the start of what would be a decade-long fall from the successes of the late ‘80s. From 1991 to 2004, the Cougars would have only two winning seasons.
The 1992 season saw the program continue its slide as the limited complement of scholarships for the 1989 season began to have their full effect. New quarterback Jimmy Klingler posted impressive performances against inferior competition, but the Cougars struggled against the better teams on the schedule. Jenkins increasingly came under fire for his teams’ poor defensive performance and his propensity to “run up the score” in an unsportsmanlike manner against weaker opponents. The '92 season ended with the Cougars finishing 4-7 yet again.
The controversial Jenkins resigned under pressure on April 17, 1993 after a group of departing players including Trey Hooper, Tim Woods, Geoff Tait, Christopher Tuffin and star receiver Tracy Good reached out to legendary sports columnist Dick Schaap
who arranged for an investigative team from ESPN
to look into long rumored NCAA violations allegedly being committed by their former head coach (the story went on to win ESPN
a 1993 Sports Emmy). Jenkins finished his tenure with an 18-15 overall record. In the chaos surrounding the sudden resignation of Jenkins, Houston athletic director Bill Carr
hired Los Angeles Raiders
offensive line coach Kim Helton
to become the 8th head coach in the history of the program.
Despite returning all 11 starters on offense for the 1993 season, Helton discarded the high-powered Run & Shoot offense in favor of a more traditional run-based attack. The personnel already in the program had not been recruited to excel in such a system. Additionally, the team was still reeling from the loss of scholarships in the 1988 probation report; the Cougars would not have a full complement of scholarships until 1994. The team struggled mightily under the weight of the offensive sea change and the scholarship limits. In Helton’s first three seasons (1993–95), the Cougars limped to a combined 4-28 record for a winning percentage of just .125.
Helton eschewed the program’s long-time reliance on local talent and instead began heavily recruiting junior college players from Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. By doing so, Helton effectively severed the program’s ties to the local high schools that had long been the lifeblood of UH football. Many local high school coaches claimed that they never saw Helton during his seven-year tenure as head coach.
In 1994 the Big 8 Conference and four schools from the Southwest Conference announced that they would dissolve their respective conference affiliations and merge to form what would become the Big 12 Conference
. Houston, along with TCU
, SMU
, and Rice
, would not be invited to join the new conference After over 80 years of SWC play including 21 successful years of UH membership, the SWC ceased to exist at the end of the 1995 season.
UH joined the newly formed Conference USA
for the 1996 season. In the inaugural season of C-USA play, led by future NFL running back Antowain Smith
and quarterback Chuck Clements, the Cougars went 7-5--their first winning season in six years. They also went 4-1 in conference play to win a share the inaugural C-USA title, their first conference title of any sort in 13 years. UH won that season’s pivotal game against Southern Miss
56-49 in overtime. As part of a new trend, the game was played at on-campus Robertson Stadium
rather than at their long-time home, the Astrodome. The Cougars also played in their first bowl game since 1988, losing to #21 Syracuse 30-17 in the Liberty Bowl
.
UH regressed to consecutive 3-8 records in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. In 1999, the Cougars went 7-4, scoring an impressive late-season win at LSU
. Four-year starter Ketric Sanford
broke many Houston rushing records, but a 3-3 record in C-USA kept the Cougars out of a bowl. Despite the winning season, Helton was dismissed as head coach after the season. In his seven years at UH, Helton had compiled a 24-53 overall record.
The decade of the 1990s had not been a good one for UH football. Since the almost magical 10-1 season of 1990 in which they held a #3 ranking into November, the Cougars had since failed to crack the AP Top 25 and had gone to only one bowl game. The team’s poor on-field performance had not been kind to fan interest. Attendance had slipped slowly downward throughout the decade, and the team often played in front of home crowds of less than 20,000 fans. The program also lacked stability in the athletic department after several changes at athletic director. Clearly, significant change was needed for the program to break out of its cycle of apathy. In a move to alleviate the financial burden of paying rent to the Astrodome’s operators, Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk began a drive to renovate Robertson Stadium to modern standards and move all home football games back to campus for the first time since the 1940s. This idea became a reality in the 1998 season, and significant renovations to the 60 year-old stadium were completed the following year.
Also in 1999, the Houston–Rice rivalry was renewed after a three year hiatus when the Southwest Conference disbanded. The Cougars defeated the Owls in that season's Bayou Bucket
.
Hoping to inject vitality into the program on the field, UH hired the successful 37 year-old head coach of Wyoming
, Dana Dimel
, to take over the program in late 1999.
, Dana Dimel
was selected as the 9th headman of the Houston Cougars after a successful stint as the head coach at Wyoming. Dimel took over the program with fan support at an all-time low. The program's relationship and standing with local high school coaches was also at a nadir as a result of Helton's often dismissive attitude toward local programs. As part of Dimel's rebuilding program, he vowed to bring back the aggressive passing attack that the Cougars had featured during the successful Pardee/Jenkins years.
In the 2000 season, the Cougars opened with a 3-4 stretch before faltering late in the season to finish 3-8. During the off-season, Dimel brought in one of the program's best-rated recruiting classes in decades, and he began reestablishing positive relationships with local high school programs.
Despite the positive attention surrounding Dimel's first recruiting class, the 2001 season was the worst to date in the history of Cougar football. The Cougars went 0-11 on the season, the first winless campaign in the history of the program. Despite the poor season, Dimel again brought in the top-rated recruiting class in Conference USA
. The class featured a number of players who would form the nucleus of future winning teams, players such as Jackie Battle
, Willie Gaston
, Will Gulley and Roshawn Pope.
The Cougars fared better in the 2002 season, but new athletic director Dave Maggard
made it clear that he expected significant progress in the program's performance on the field. Late in the year, with the Cougars holding a 4-7 record, AD Maggard informed Dimel that he would not be asked to return as head coach for the 2003 season. The final game of the 2002 season was a rousing 27-10 upset win over Louisville
that spoiled the Cardinals'
chances of winning the conference title, but UH finished with a 5-7 record which was good for only 8th best in Conference USA.
began the search for a new head coach who would stay and build the program over the long term. To this end, Maggard began searching for coaches with close ties to UH and Texas football in general. The candidate who jumped to the fore was Art Briles
, a former Cougar player under Bill Yeoman and assistant at Texas Tech
. Briles had earned a reputation as a top-flight offensive coach while the head coach at Stephenville High School
of Stephenville, Texas
, where he led the team to multiple state titles running his unique version of the spread offense. Briles became the 10th head coach in Cougar football history, and the first former UH player to hold the position.
Briles inherited a program that had lost its way on the field but was stocked with young talent from Dimel’s exceptional recruiting classes. The Cougars had only won eight games in Dimel’s three-year tenure, but things were about to change. In his first season, Briles led the Cougars to a 7–5 record and their first bowl appearance since the 1996 season. The Cougars lost the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl to the Hawaii Warriors
54-48 in triple overtime on Christmas Day, 2003.
After a successful inaugural season under Briles, the Cougars fell back to 3–8 in 2004. Briles guided the Cougars to a 6–6 season in 2005 and an appearance in the Fort Worth Bowl. The Cougars’ hopes for a winning season were ended in a 42-13 bowl-game rout at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks
.
The 2006 season was the most successful for UH in over 15 years. Led by senior quarterback Kevin Kolb
, the Cougars romped to a 9–3 regular season record and a spot in the Conference USA Championship game against Southern Miss
. The Cougars hosted the nationally televised game at Robertson Stadium and won 34-20 to claim the school’s second C-USA
Championship and 10th conference title overall. The Cougars finished the season with a loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks
in the Liberty Bowl
that gave them a final won-loss record of 10-4.
In 2007, the Cougars went 8-4 and finished second in the Conference USA West Division to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane
. In late November the Cougars accepted an invitation to the Texas Bowl
. Two days later, Art Briles interviewed for the vacant Baylor Bears
head coaching position and was hired the next day. Despite criticism from many Houston fans, Briles promptly left Houston for Waco and did not return to coach the Cougars for their bowl game in December. Cornerbacks coach Chris Thurmond
was named interim coach for the bowl game which the Cougars lost to TCU
, 20-13.
Despite the rancor surrounding the departure of Art Briles, his coaching tenure had been the most successful at UH since Jack Pardee departed for the NFL almost 20 years before. Briles had recruited well and coached his teams to on-field success, compiling a 34-28 record in his five seasons. More importantly, Briles had helped to return the program to respectability, most notably with the 2006 C-USA Championship. Briles’s close ties with Texas high school coaches helped him to strengthen the program’s ties to its primary talent base, and several of his players had been prominent selections in the NFL draft. Fan interest increased in the Briles era, and talk began of expanding Robertson Stadium beyond its current capacity. It is not too much to say that Art Briles brought the program to heights it had not seen since the 1980s.
On December 14, 2007, Kevin Sumlin
, a co-offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners
was named as the Houston Cougars' 11th head football coach. Sumlin became the first African-American head coach in Cougar history, and the eighth in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. In his final year
with the Sooners, his offense
was one of the best in the country, averaging 44 points per game. Sumlin's first game made history at UH, as it drew the second-largest crowd ever as a home opener at Robertson Stadium. Topping Bill Meek's record, he scored the most points in Cougar history for a coaching debut. That season, the Cougars defeated two ranked teams, including one on the road. They also ended their twenty-eight year bowl game losing streak, as they won the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl
. On September 12, 2009, the Sumlin-led Cougars defeated #5 ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater to win its first victory over a top 10 opponent in 21 years, and first victory over a top 5 opponent in 25 years. After defeating then #5 Oklahoma State, the Cougars were ranked (#21 on the AP Top 25) for the first time since September 17, 1991. The following game, in front of a sold-out crowd at Robertson Stadium, Houston would pull out yet another huge win, this time on Texas Tech 29-28 in the final minute. The Cougars continued to be nationally ranked throughout the majority of the season. Sumlin has led the cougars to a national ranking at some point during the season for three consecutive years since 2009.
for their first few seasons through 1948. The university then decided to leave for the Gulf Coast Conference
. From 1951 to 1959 Houston played in the Missouri Valley Conference
. In 1956, when the NCAA split into divisions, the team began playing as a part of the University Division (later known as Division I). From 1960-1976 the Houston Cougars as a major independent, achieving 6 straight final Top 25 finishes (8 total while independent) and 5 bowl appearances. In 1976, the Cougars began to play in its first athletic conference since 1959 when it joined the now defunct Southwest Conference. After the breakup of the SWC in 1995, Houston became a charter member of then newly formed Conference USA
, where it currently plays.
In October 2011, Houston was extended an invitation to join the Big East Conference
in all sports. This invitation was significant because the Big East is an Automatic Qualifying conference in football, meaning that the conference champion automatically is invited to play in a lucrative BCS Bowl. The invitation was motivated by the departure of Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference
and part of an effort to shore up its strength in Football by the Big East. The Board of Regents of the University of Houston voted to authorize Houston President Renu Khator to take whatever action she deemed beneficial regarding conference realignment. As of November 2011, Dr. Khator had not made a decision regarding the Big East invite.
Prior to their 2008 Armed Forces Bowl
win against Air Force
, the Cougars had not won a bowl game since the 1980 Garden State Bowl
. This puts the Cougars in second place, behind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
, for the all-time longest bowl game losing streak.
and Coaches' Poll fifteen times in the program's history. The team's highest ranking was during the 1976 season, where the Cougars were ranked fourth. Note: The AP Poll began in 1936, and the Coaches' Poll began in 1950. Before 1990, only the top 20 teams were ranked in the AP Poll.
winners
Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award
Sammy Baugh Trophy
Lombardi Award
From the program's inception, until the end of the 1950 season, the Cougars played their home games in the Houston Public School Stadium, which would eventually be renamed to Robertson Stadium
in 1980. However, with the exception of occasional single games in the 1995 and 1996 seasons, the Cougars did not return to the stadium until the 1998 season following renovations. This remains their home stadium today. Along with the Cougars, the stadium is home to Houston's Major League Soccer
team, the Houston Dynamo
.
, a stadium subsidized by the city of Houston opened. Until 1964, the Cougars played their home games in Houston Stadium along with Rice University
. During this time, President John F. Kennedy
gave his famous address regarding the nation's space effort at the stadium. It is now simply known as Rice Stadium, and is only home to the Rice Owls.
also changed its location to the stadium, and the Cougars regularly began to participate in the bowl. After the 1997 season, following renovations, the Cougars moved back into Robertson Stadium. The Astrodome remains the team's longest serving home stadium.
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" (spoken as "U of H"). The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by Kevin Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin
-External links:*...
. The team played its first season in 1946, and currently plays its home games on-campus at Robertson Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
in Houston. Throughout the Cougars' history, the team has won 10 conference championships and has several players as members of the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, including a Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner.
Wallace era
In 1941, Johnny Goyen, then sports editor for The CougarThe Daily Cougar
The Daily Cougar is a daily newspaper run entirely by students at the University of Houston.In publication since April 6, 1928, The Daily Cougar was originally named The Cougar...
, and Jack Valenti
Jack Valenti
Jack Joseph Valenti was a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. During his 38-year tenure in the MPAA, he created the MPAA film rating system, and he was generally regarded as one of the most influential pro-copyright lobbyists in the world...
, president of the sophomore class, began a petition for an official intercollegiate football team at the university. The next year, the two called a student body meeting to organize another petition. This petition's purpose was to challenge Rice Institute
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
(later known as Rice University) to a football game. The Rice Owls
Rice Owls
The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
were an established program, having played since 1919 as a member of the Southwest Conference.
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
, spearheaded by Theron J. Fouts
Theron J. Fouts
-External links:...
of North Texas
North Texas Mean Green
North Texas Mean Green is the team name used for both men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas....
and Puny Wilson
Puny Wilson
T. F. "Puny" Wilson was a well-known American football player and coach. He was an All American running back at Texas A&M University in the early 1920s under coach Dana X. Bible. Wilson graduated from Texas A&M in 1924 and was later inducted into school's hall of fame.In 1938, Wilson became head...
of Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State Bearkats
The Bearkats represent Sam Houston State University in intercollegiate athletics.Sam Houston State's colors are orange and white and their mascot is the Bearkats. Sam Houston State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Southland Conference. SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F...
, extended an invitation for Houston to join on October 25, 1945.
In September 1946, the team became a reality after Harry Fouke
Harry Fouke
Harry Haydon Fouke was the first athletic director at the University of Houston, and served in the position from 1945-1979. Fouke attended Main Avenue High School, and graduated from Rice University in 1934, where he played varsity football...
, UH's first athletic director hired successful high school coach Jewell Wallace
Jewell Wallace
William Jewell Wallace was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston in its first two football seasons, 1946 and 1947, guiding the Cougars to a 7–14 record. Wallace was a 1934 graduate of Texas Christian...
, and tryouts were held. 130 students showed up, only ten of which had actually played college football before. Many of the married students lived on-campus at a makeshift village for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans, while some others lived in the university's recreation center in bunks for naval recruits training at UH during the war. Prior to joining the Cougars, Wallace served as head coach for San Angelo High School
Central High School (San Angelo, Texas)
Central High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in San Angelo, Texas. It is part of the San Angelo Independent School District. The school serves grades 10-12 while a freshman campus serves grade 9. Its mascot is the Bobcat...
.
During the spring training for the first team, Goyen and Valenti's petition was finally answered, as Coach Wallace arranged a small practice game between Rice and Houston. The meeting was to be at Rice. When the team arrived at the field in their practice uniforms, they realized that the game was much more serious. Officials were there, and the stadium was full of spectators. The game ended with Rice demolishing the Houston Cougars. The game had an attendance of 11,000. It wouldn't be until 1971 that the Cougars and Owls competed again.
Playing in Houston Public School Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
as a part of the Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
on September 21, 1946, the Cougars played their first official game against Southwestern Louisiana Institute
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(later known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) using the Split-T
Split-T
The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 50s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the Tigers to win all but their season-opening match...
offensive strategy. Although Charlie Manichia, the Cougars' starting quarterback scored the first touchdown of the game (and in Cougar history), the team lost to SLI 13-7.
The next game, the Cougars played against West Texas State Teachers College
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
(later known as West Texas A&M University), and won their first game 14-12. The Cougars finished up their first season with a 4-6-0 record. Wallace continued as head coach for the Cougars until the end of the 1947 season, when Clyde Lee
Clyde Lee (American football)
Clyde Lee was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1948 to 1954, guiding the Cougars to a 37–32–2 record. Lee played his college career at Centenary College from 1930 to 1932 under Homer Norton...
took over.
Lee era
Clyde LeeClyde Lee (American football)
Clyde Lee was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1948 to 1954, guiding the Cougars to a 37–32–2 record. Lee played his college career at Centenary College from 1930 to 1932 under Homer Norton...
, a University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
assistant coach, became Houston's second head coach in February 1948. To replace the remainder of Wallace's team that didn't return, Lee turned to junior colleges for the majority of his recruiting. At this time, the University of Houston, along with Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
, attempted to join the established Southwest Conference, but were rejected. In response, several universities from the Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
formed the Gulf Coast Conference
Gulf Coast Conference
The Gulf Coast Conference was a short-lived NCAA college athletic conference in the U.S. State of Texas from 1949 until 1957. The charter members of the conference were University of Houston, Midwestern University , North Texas State University , and Trinity University...
. This marked the Cougars' first time playing as an NCAA University division team (later known as simply Division I), and the first time Houston offered athletics scholarships. Also during this time, Lee setup formal housing facilities for students. The 1949 season was prefaced with an act of vandalism from Houston fans on the campus of The College of William & Mary. William & Mary
William & Mary Tribe football
The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2010, Jimmye Laycock is in his 31st...
was the opening game of the season between both schools.
In 1951, the Cougars began playing in the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
, moved into Houston Stadium
Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice University football team since its completion in 1950 and hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974....
, and made it to their first bowl game. The 1952 season
1952 Houston Cougars football team
The 1952 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1952 college football season as a member of the NCAA. It was the 7th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by fifth-year head coach Clyde Lee...
, proved to be a breakout one for the Cougars, and the team claimed the conference title. In addition to being ranked #19 in the nation by UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(the first time the Cougars were nationally ranked), 1952 also marked the first meetings between UH and Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, and Ole Miss. J.D. Kimmel, a former player for the Army Cadets
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
, became Houston's first All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
when the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
chose him for the 1952 team. The year after, UH met with the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
for the first time in football. Such events proved that the team was growing quickly. However, in 1954, Lee retired from coaching after a 37-32-2 overall record. Lee was credited with having transitioned the Cougars from a small-time team to a legitimate collegiate force in football.
Meek era
After a 45-day search for a head coach replacement, Bill MeekBill Meek
William M. Meek was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University , the University of Houston , Southern Methodist University , and the University of Utah , compiling a career college football record of 78–88–7.-Early life:Meek was born in...
, a successful head coach from Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, signed a contract with the Cougars and was appointed as Houston's head coach on January 19, 1955. The Cougars' 1955 opening game against the University of Montana marked a 54-12 victory, the first opening victory since 1948. It was during this season that UH attempted to gain a membership to the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC). Ole Miss, UH's sponsor to the conference had played the Cougars in their ninth game of the season, and although the Cougars lost, Ole Miss felt the team was worthwhile. The SEC decided to wait a year to determine whether UH would be a member of the conference.
The 1956 season was thus an important one for the team. The Cougars won the Missouri Valley Conference title for the second time, and tied with the Southwest Conference's nationally ranked Texas A&M Aggies during their meeting. However, UH lost to both SEC scheduled teams during the season. Both Southwest Conference and Southeastern Conference bids by the Cougars were once again rejected. During the next season, Meek left UH for Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
.
Lahar era
Hal Lahar
-External links:...
was announced as Houston's next head coach on January 18, 1957. Lahar, came from Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, where he had served as head coach for five seasons. In college, Lahar had played for the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, where he was a part of the school's first bowl team. Under Lahar, during the 1958 season, the Cougars became a nationally recognized offensive leader, as the team scored a combined 117 points in their first three games. Lahar's offensive strategy was best characterized as Split-T
Split-T
The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 50s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the Tigers to win all but their season-opening match...
.
After winning the Missouri Valley Conference titles again in 1957 and 1959, Lahar left UH in 1961, and headed back to Colgate University.
Yeoman era
Under Hall of Fame coach Bill YeomanBill Yeoman
Bill Yeoman is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Starting in 1962, he was the University of Houston's head coach, holding the position through 1986. In his tenure, he became the winningest coach in school history, with an overall record of 160–108–8...
, the Cougars compiled a record of 160-108-8. His 160 victories rank 51st on the NCAA all time list, and make him the winningest coach in Cougar history. He used the Veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...
offense in 1964 which quickly helped lead the Cougars to national prominence. Yeoman's Cougars finished the season ranked in the Top 10 four times and 10 times in the Top 20.
In 1964, Yeoman broke the color barrier for major Texas football programs when the University of Houston signed San Antonio’s Warren McVea
Warren McVea
Warren McVea was a football player who made civil rights history by becoming the first African-American to play the sport for the University of Houston....
to a scholarship. On September 11, 1965 the Cougars played their first nationally televised game on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
against Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
.
For three straight years Houston led the nation in total offense, averaging 437 yards a game in 1966, 427 in 1967, and 562 in 1968. The 1968 total was an NCAA record at the time. Houston also led the nation in scoring, 42.5 points a game that year.
He guided the Cougars to four Southwest Conference Championships – 1976, 1978, 1979 & 1984 - and a 6-4-1 record in bowl games including Cotton Bowl Classic victories over the Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1977 and the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
in 1980. In 1976, Houston’s first year as a member of the SWC, Yeoman was named Texas Coach of the Year and runner-up for National Coach of the Year. Yeoman was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 2001 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He coached 46 All-Americans and 69 NFL players. In 1978, the NCAA subdivided the Division I into Division I-A and Division I-AA with Houston being a part of the former (now known as Division I FBS).
However, his career was not without controversy. In 1986, allegations surfaced regarding illegal recruiting inducements and extra benefits for his players. Due in part to these revelations, Yeoman was forced to retire at the end of the 1986 season after a 1-10 campaign.
Yeoman is the longest-serving coach in Cougar history, having been with the team from 1962 to 1986. After retiring as head coach, Yeoman remained with the Cougars as a fundraiser, a position he still holds today.
Innovation and NCAA probation - The Pardee era
Following Yeoman's retirement, Houston hired Jack PardeeJack Pardee
-NFL:-External links:...
to be the program’s sixth head coach. Pardee was a former NFL All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who had previously held head coaching positions with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and the USFL's Houston Gamblers
Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
. Pardee brought with him the Run & Shoot offense and a young offensive coordinator named John Jenkins
John Jenkins
John Jenkins may refer to:*John Jenkins , Maine state senator, mayor and candidate for Governor of Maine*John Jenkins , English composer*John Jenkins , colonial governor of North Carolina...
. The Run & Shoot offense was a strongly pass-oriented system that called for throwing the ball on most downs and in almost any situation. The Cougars would become one of the top offensive teams in the country during the Run & Shoot years.
In 1987, Pardee's first season, the team struggled in adjusting to the new system but scored a 60-40 home upset of the Texas Longhorns on the way to a 4-6-1 finish. The 1988 season saw great improvement in all aspects of team play with the Cougars posting a 9-3 mark, ultimately finishing 2nd in the Southwest Conference standings. The team played in the Aloha Bowl
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its...
but fell 24-22 to Washington State. The Cougars' offense was led by quarterback Andre Ware
Andre Ware
Andre Ware is a sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston, becoming the first African-American quarterback to win the award. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was the first round selection ...
, who had been originally recruited to UH by Bill Yeoman
Bill Yeoman
Bill Yeoman is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Starting in 1962, he was the University of Houston's head coach, holding the position through 1986. In his tenure, he became the winningest coach in school history, with an overall record of 160–108–8...
as a Veer-option quarterback. UH finished the 1988 regular season at #18 in the AP Poll.
In 1988, the NCAA announced that it would levy sanctions against the Houston football program for numerous major rules violations during the Yeoman era. The university was charged with around 250 violations, and carried some of the most charges for a program at the time. The program was placed on probation for five years, banned from playing in bowl games for two years, and barred from appearing on television for the entire 1989 season. However, the most damaging penalty in the long run was being limited to 15 scholarships for the 1989 season. The NCAA said that the penalties would have been even harsher (including being limited to 20 scholarships for 1990 and 50 paid recruiting visits for 1989) had Yeoman still been coach. The lack of television exposure in 1989 was a setback but ultimately did not dampen the accolades UH would garner in a record-setting season.
The 1989 season was one of the most memorable in UH football history. Andre Ware continued his dramatic development as a passer and posted unprecedented passing statistics en route to winning the 1989 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
. Ware passed for 4,299 yards and threw 44 touchdown passes on the season. He posted one of his finest performances with 475 yards passing in the Cougars' 47-9 rout of archrival Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
in the Astrodome. The Cougars set many offensive records during the season. The Cougars finished the 1989 season at 9-2 and 2nd in the Southwest Conference but could not go to a bowl game. UH finished the season ranked #14 in the AP poll.
After the 1989 season, Pardee was hired as the head coach of the Houston Oilers and Jenkins was named his successor. The Pardee era at UH had been the most successful period in Cougar football since the late 1970s. The program enjoyed consistent success on the field, and helped to usher in the explosion of passing offense in college football. The Cougars’ prolific offense and Andre Ware’s Heisman Trophy raised the program to a level of national recognition that it had perhaps never enjoyed before. Pardee was later considered as a returning head coach for the Cougars after Art Briles
Art Briles
Arthur Ray Briles is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Baylor University, a position he has held since the 2008 season. From 2002 to 2007, Briles was the head coach at the University of Houston.-Playing career:A native of Rule, Texas, Briles...
left the program, but was eventually passed up for Kevin Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin
-External links:*...
. Pardee has not coached since 1995.
Jenkins era
Jenkins ascended to the helm at UH with a reputation as a brash, innovative young coach, considered by many the brains behind the high-powered Run & Shoot offense. Jenkins' offensive system reached its pinnacle in the 1990 season.Led by new quarterback David Klingler
David Klingler
David Ryan Klingler , is a former American football player. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals after a record setting quarterback career at the University of Houston...
, the Cougars' offense put up even more eye-popping numbers in the 1990 season than they had a year before. Klingler set a record by throwing 11 touchdown passes in a single game during an 84-21 rout of Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral...
at the Astrodome. In a final-game victory over Arizona State University
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
in the Coca-Cola Classic
Coca-Cola Classic (college football)
The Coca-Cola Classic was a NCAA college football game played using regular season scheduled games played in Tokyo, Japan. It was sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and named for the beverage Coca-Cola Classic manufactured by the company. The series was played from 1986 to 1993...
played in the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the two teams combined for 107 points and over 1,000 yards passing.
The Cougars achieved a high ranking of #3 in the AP poll but fell out of national championship contention following a late-season loss to the #14 Texas Longhorns
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
. The Cougars finished the 1990 season with a 10-1 record and a #10 national ranking, again good for only 2nd in the conference standings. Klingler finished 3rd in Heisman balloting behind BYU's Ty Detmer
Ty Detmer
Ty Hubert Detmer is a former National Football League and NCAA quarterback. He starred at Brigham Young University, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990...
and Notre Dame's Raghib Ismail
Raghib Ismail
Raghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...
. The program was serving its final season of probation and was again ineligible to play in a bowl game.
Despite returning David Klingler and many of their best players, the 1991 season saw a significant downturn from the Cougars’ previous four-year arc of improvement. The season began in rousing fashion with a 73-3 home rout of Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football program represents Louisiana Tech University in Western Athletic Conference. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Since the Bulldogs first season in 1901, Louisiana Tech has compiled an all-time record of 554 wins, 422...
, but the second game marked what would in hindsight be the end of an era. In a nationally televised game that had been billed as an intersectional meeting of powers, the Cougars were routed handily by the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
at the Orange Bowl. The Cougars lost the game 40-10, and with it, a great deal of the mystique of their offense. Opposing defenses began to defend the Run & Shoot more effectively, following in Miami’s pattern of frequent blitzes. Although the Cougars defeated Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
for the fourth time in five years, they finished the 1991 season 7th in conference with a 4-7 record. After the season, David Klingler
David Klingler
David Ryan Klingler , is a former American football player. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals after a record setting quarterback career at the University of Houston...
was selected #6 overall in the 1992 NFL draft, while defensive end Glenn Cadrez
Glenn Cadrez
Glenn E. Cadrez is a former American football linebacker who played 11 seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Denver Broncos. He played for the Broncos from 1995 to 2000 and was a starter in Super Bowl XXXIII and also played in Super Bowl XXXII. He was the #154 pick in the 1992...
picked #154 overall by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Although Klingler would be out of the league after six years and 33 games, Cadrez played 11 seasons mainly for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which included winning appearances in both Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
and Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...
(the latter of which he started in). Cadrez is currently married to actress and former Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate of the Year, Brande Roderick
Brande Roderick
Brande Nicole Roderick is an American model and actress known for her appearances in Baywatch and Playboy.-Personal life:...
. The 1991 season marked the start of what would be a decade-long fall from the successes of the late ‘80s. From 1991 to 2004, the Cougars would have only two winning seasons.
The 1992 season saw the program continue its slide as the limited complement of scholarships for the 1989 season began to have their full effect. New quarterback Jimmy Klingler posted impressive performances against inferior competition, but the Cougars struggled against the better teams on the schedule. Jenkins increasingly came under fire for his teams’ poor defensive performance and his propensity to “run up the score” in an unsportsmanlike manner against weaker opponents. The '92 season ended with the Cougars finishing 4-7 yet again.
The controversial Jenkins resigned under pressure on April 17, 1993 after a group of departing players including Trey Hooper, Tim Woods, Geoff Tait, Christopher Tuffin and star receiver Tracy Good reached out to legendary sports columnist Dick Schaap
Dick Schaap
Richard Jay Schaap was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and author.-Early life and education:...
who arranged for an investigative team from ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
to look into long rumored NCAA violations allegedly being committed by their former head coach (the story went on to win ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
a 1993 Sports Emmy). Jenkins finished his tenure with an 18-15 overall record. In the chaos surrounding the sudden resignation of Jenkins, Houston athletic director Bill Carr
William C. Carr
William Curtis "Bill" Carr, III is an American college sports consultant. Carr is a former college football player, and previously served as the athletic director at the University of Florida and the University of Houston.- Early life :...
hired Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
offensive line coach Kim Helton
Kim Helton
Charles Kimberlin "Kim" Helton is an American college and professional football coach. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama at Birmingham football program. Helton was formerly the head football coach of the University of Houston from 1993 to 1999.-...
to become the 8th head coach in the history of the program.
Dissolution, disappointment, renovation - The Helton era
After the controversy and NCAA sanctions of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the UH athletics administration was determined to remake the football program into one founded on sound discipline and transparency. The tough-talking, no-nonsense Helton seemed to fit this need perfectly. Helton was nearly the diametric opposite of the brash, innovative John Jenkins. Where Jenkins believed in the primacy of passing offense above all else, Helton preached a hard-nosed brand of football centered on fundamentals that was a throwback to the 1970s.Despite returning all 11 starters on offense for the 1993 season, Helton discarded the high-powered Run & Shoot offense in favor of a more traditional run-based attack. The personnel already in the program had not been recruited to excel in such a system. Additionally, the team was still reeling from the loss of scholarships in the 1988 probation report; the Cougars would not have a full complement of scholarships until 1994. The team struggled mightily under the weight of the offensive sea change and the scholarship limits. In Helton’s first three seasons (1993–95), the Cougars limped to a combined 4-28 record for a winning percentage of just .125.
Helton eschewed the program’s long-time reliance on local talent and instead began heavily recruiting junior college players from Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. By doing so, Helton effectively severed the program’s ties to the local high schools that had long been the lifeblood of UH football. Many local high school coaches claimed that they never saw Helton during his seven-year tenure as head coach.
In 1994 the Big 8 Conference and four schools from the Southwest Conference announced that they would dissolve their respective conference affiliations and merge to form what would become the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. Houston, along with TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
, SMU
SMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
, and Rice
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
, would not be invited to join the new conference After over 80 years of SWC play including 21 successful years of UH membership, the SWC ceased to exist at the end of the 1995 season.
UH joined the newly formed Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
for the 1996 season. In the inaugural season of C-USA play, led by future NFL running back Antowain Smith
Antowain Smith
Antowain Drurell Smith is a former American Football running back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England Patriots. At 6'2", , Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles...
and quarterback Chuck Clements, the Cougars went 7-5--their first winning season in six years. They also went 4-1 in conference play to win a share the inaugural C-USA title, their first conference title of any sort in 13 years. UH won that season’s pivotal game against Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
56-49 in overtime. As part of a new trend, the game was played at on-campus Robertson Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
rather than at their long-time home, the Astrodome. The Cougars also played in their first bowl game since 1988, losing to #21 Syracuse 30-17 in the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
.
UH regressed to consecutive 3-8 records in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. In 1999, the Cougars went 7-4, scoring an impressive late-season win at LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
. Four-year starter Ketric Sanford
Ketric Sanford
Ketric Sanford is an American football running back.A native of Corsicana, Texas, Sanford prepped at Corsicana High School under coach Tom Wilson from 1993 to 1995. Sanford carried the ball 1,058 times and as of 2011, fourth all-time in Texas high school football behind , Robert Strait and Billy...
broke many Houston rushing records, but a 3-3 record in C-USA kept the Cougars out of a bowl. Despite the winning season, Helton was dismissed as head coach after the season. In his seven years at UH, Helton had compiled a 24-53 overall record.
The decade of the 1990s had not been a good one for UH football. Since the almost magical 10-1 season of 1990 in which they held a #3 ranking into November, the Cougars had since failed to crack the AP Top 25 and had gone to only one bowl game. The team’s poor on-field performance had not been kind to fan interest. Attendance had slipped slowly downward throughout the decade, and the team often played in front of home crowds of less than 20,000 fans. The program also lacked stability in the athletic department after several changes at athletic director. Clearly, significant change was needed for the program to break out of its cycle of apathy. In a move to alleviate the financial burden of paying rent to the Astrodome’s operators, Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk began a drive to renovate Robertson Stadium to modern standards and move all home football games back to campus for the first time since the 1940s. This idea became a reality in the 1998 season, and significant renovations to the 60 year-old stadium were completed the following year.
Also in 1999, the Houston–Rice rivalry was renewed after a three year hiatus when the Southwest Conference disbanded. The Cougars defeated the Owls in that season's Bayou Bucket
Bayou Bucket
The Bayou Bucket Classic is an annual college football game between Conference USA rivals the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls as a part of the Houston–Rice rivalry. The name of the game is a reference to one of Houston's popular nicknames as the Bayou City...
.
Hoping to inject vitality into the program on the field, UH hired the successful 37 year-old head coach of Wyoming
Wyoming Cowboys football
The Wyoming Cowboys are a college football team that represents the University of Wyoming. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I. The team has won 15 conference titles...
, Dana Dimel
Dana Dimel
-External links:* *...
, to take over the program in late 1999.
A new beginning - The Dimel era
After coaching at Kansas State as an assistant under the legendary Bill SnyderBill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
, Dana Dimel
Dana Dimel
-External links:* *...
was selected as the 9th headman of the Houston Cougars after a successful stint as the head coach at Wyoming. Dimel took over the program with fan support at an all-time low. The program's relationship and standing with local high school coaches was also at a nadir as a result of Helton's often dismissive attitude toward local programs. As part of Dimel's rebuilding program, he vowed to bring back the aggressive passing attack that the Cougars had featured during the successful Pardee/Jenkins years.
In the 2000 season, the Cougars opened with a 3-4 stretch before faltering late in the season to finish 3-8. During the off-season, Dimel brought in one of the program's best-rated recruiting classes in decades, and he began reestablishing positive relationships with local high school programs.
Despite the positive attention surrounding Dimel's first recruiting class, the 2001 season was the worst to date in the history of Cougar football. The Cougars went 0-11 on the season, the first winless campaign in the history of the program. Despite the poor season, Dimel again brought in the top-rated recruiting class in Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
. The class featured a number of players who would form the nucleus of future winning teams, players such as Jackie Battle
Jackie Battle
Jackie Battle is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2007...
, Willie Gaston
Willie Gaston
Willie Lee Gaston is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Houston....
, Will Gulley and Roshawn Pope.
The Cougars fared better in the 2002 season, but new athletic director Dave Maggard
Dave Maggard
Dave Maggard is an American former Olympian and university athletic director.Maggard, who grew up in San Francisco and Turlock California, graduated from University of California-Berkeley. He is a former member of the U.S...
made it clear that he expected significant progress in the program's performance on the field. Late in the year, with the Cougars holding a 4-7 record, AD Maggard informed Dimel that he would not be asked to return as head coach for the 2003 season. The final game of the 2002 season was a rousing 27-10 upset win over Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
that spoiled the Cardinals'
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship...
chances of winning the conference title, but UH finished with a 5-7 record which was good for only 8th best in Conference USA.
Return to prosperity - The Briles era
Seeking a sense of stability in the coaching staff, Athletic Director Dave MaggardDave Maggard
Dave Maggard is an American former Olympian and university athletic director.Maggard, who grew up in San Francisco and Turlock California, graduated from University of California-Berkeley. He is a former member of the U.S...
began the search for a new head coach who would stay and build the program over the long term. To this end, Maggard began searching for coaches with close ties to UH and Texas football in general. The candidate who jumped to the fore was Art Briles
Art Briles
Arthur Ray Briles is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Baylor University, a position he has held since the 2008 season. From 2002 to 2007, Briles was the head coach at the University of Houston.-Playing career:A native of Rule, Texas, Briles...
, a former Cougar player under Bill Yeoman and assistant at Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
. Briles had earned a reputation as a top-flight offensive coach while the head coach at Stephenville High School
Stephenville High School
-Athletics:SHS has been one of the most successful football programs in the state of Texas in recent years. Though it did not make the playoffs from 1952 to 1989, the arrival of Art Briles finally turned the program around. Briles got the Yellow Jackets to the playoffs from 1989 until his departure...
of Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville is among several communities that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the...
, where he led the team to multiple state titles running his unique version of the spread offense. Briles became the 10th head coach in Cougar football history, and the first former UH player to hold the position.
Briles inherited a program that had lost its way on the field but was stocked with young talent from Dimel’s exceptional recruiting classes. The Cougars had only won eight games in Dimel’s three-year tenure, but things were about to change. In his first season, Briles led the Cougars to a 7–5 record and their first bowl appearance since the 1996 season. The Cougars lost the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl to the Hawaii Warriors
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
54-48 in triple overtime on Christmas Day, 2003.
After a successful inaugural season under Briles, the Cougars fell back to 3–8 in 2004. Briles guided the Cougars to a 6–6 season in 2005 and an appearance in the Fort Worth Bowl. The Cougars’ hopes for a winning season were ended in a 42-13 bowl-game rout at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
.
The 2006 season was the most successful for UH in over 15 years. Led by senior quarterback Kevin Kolb
Kevin Kolb
Kevin Benjamin Kolb is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston....
, the Cougars romped to a 9–3 regular season record and a spot in the Conference USA Championship game against Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
. The Cougars hosted the nationally televised game at Robertson Stadium and won 34-20 to claim the school’s second C-USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
Championship and 10th conference title overall. The Cougars finished the season with a loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
in the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
that gave them a final won-loss record of 10-4.
In 2007, the Cougars went 8-4 and finished second in the Conference USA West Division to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
. In late November the Cougars accepted an invitation to the Texas Bowl
Texas Bowl
The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, formerly known as the Texas Bowl, is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that was held for the first time in 2006 in Houston, Texas. The bowl replaced the now-defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005...
. Two days later, Art Briles interviewed for the vacant Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
head coaching position and was hired the next day. Despite criticism from many Houston fans, Briles promptly left Houston for Waco and did not return to coach the Cougars for their bowl game in December. Cornerbacks coach Chris Thurmond
Chris Thurmond
Chris Thurmond is an American football cornerbacks coach for the Kentucky Wildcats and was the interim head coach for the University of Houston Cougars. Thurmond led the Cougars in the 2007 Texas Bowl after Art Briles left before the game to become head coach of the Baylor Bears football team...
was named interim coach for the bowl game which the Cougars lost to TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
, 20-13.
Despite the rancor surrounding the departure of Art Briles, his coaching tenure had been the most successful at UH since Jack Pardee departed for the NFL almost 20 years before. Briles had recruited well and coached his teams to on-field success, compiling a 34-28 record in his five seasons. More importantly, Briles had helped to return the program to respectability, most notably with the 2006 C-USA Championship. Briles’s close ties with Texas high school coaches helped him to strengthen the program’s ties to its primary talent base, and several of his players had been prominent selections in the NFL draft. Fan interest increased in the Briles era, and talk began of expanding Robertson Stadium beyond its current capacity. It is not too much to say that Art Briles brought the program to heights it had not seen since the 1980s.
A New Opportunity - The Kevin Sumlin era
Kevin Sumlin
-External links:*...
, a co-offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
was named as the Houston Cougars' 11th head football coach. Sumlin became the first African-American head coach in Cougar history, and the eighth in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. In his final year
2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2007-2008, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship for the fifth time in eight years. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops...
with the Sooners, his offense
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
was one of the best in the country, averaging 44 points per game. Sumlin's first game made history at UH, as it drew the second-largest crowd ever as a home opener at Robertson Stadium. Topping Bill Meek's record, he scored the most points in Cougar history for a coaching debut. That season, the Cougars defeated two ranked teams, including one on the road. They also ended their twenty-eight year bowl game losing streak, as they won the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl
2008 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was the sixth edition of the annual post-season college football bowl game, and featured the Houston Cougars against the Air Force Falcons on December 31, 2008 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and...
. On September 12, 2009, the Sumlin-led Cougars defeated #5 ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater to win its first victory over a top 10 opponent in 21 years, and first victory over a top 5 opponent in 25 years. After defeating then #5 Oklahoma State, the Cougars were ranked (#21 on the AP Top 25) for the first time since September 17, 1991. The following game, in front of a sold-out crowd at Robertson Stadium, Houston would pull out yet another huge win, this time on Texas Tech 29-28 in the final minute. The Cougars continued to be nationally ranked throughout the majority of the season. Sumlin has led the cougars to a national ranking at some point during the season for three consecutive years since 2009.
Conference affiliations
The Houston Cougars' football program started the same year as its basketball program in 1946. The Cougars played in the Lone Star ConferenceLone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
for their first few seasons through 1948. The university then decided to leave for the Gulf Coast Conference
Gulf Coast Conference
The Gulf Coast Conference was a short-lived NCAA college athletic conference in the U.S. State of Texas from 1949 until 1957. The charter members of the conference were University of Houston, Midwestern University , North Texas State University , and Trinity University...
. From 1951 to 1959 Houston played in the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
. In 1956, when the NCAA split into divisions, the team began playing as a part of the University Division (later known as Division I). From 1960-1976 the Houston Cougars as a major independent, achieving 6 straight final Top 25 finishes (8 total while independent) and 5 bowl appearances. In 1976, the Cougars began to play in its first athletic conference since 1959 when it joined the now defunct Southwest Conference. After the breakup of the SWC in 1995, Houston became a charter member of then newly formed Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, where it currently plays.
In October 2011, Houston was extended an invitation to join the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
in all sports. This invitation was significant because the Big East is an Automatic Qualifying conference in football, meaning that the conference champion automatically is invited to play in a lucrative BCS Bowl. The invitation was motivated by the departure of Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
and part of an effort to shore up its strength in Football by the Big East. The Board of Regents of the University of Houston voted to authorize Houston President Renu Khator to take whatever action she deemed beneficial regarding conference realignment. As of November 2011, Dr. Khator had not made a decision regarding the Big East invite.
Bowl history
2008 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was the sixth edition of the annual post-season college football bowl game, and featured the Houston Cougars against the Air Force Falcons on December 31, 2008 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and...
win against Air Force
Air Force Falcons football
The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:...
, the Cougars had not won a bowl game since the 1980 Garden State Bowl
1980 Garden State Bowl
The 1980 Garden State Bowl, part of the 1980 bowl game season, took place on December 14, 1980, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The competing teams were the , which competed as a football independent, and the , representing the Southwest Conference . Houston dominated both sides...
. This puts the Cougars in second place, behind the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, for the all-time longest bowl game losing streak.
Top 25 poll rankings
The Houston Cougars have finished in the AP PollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and Coaches' Poll fifteen times in the program's history. The team's highest ranking was during the 1976 season, where the Cougars were ranked fourth. Note: The AP Poll began in 1936, and the Coaches' Poll began in 1950. Before 1990, only the top 20 teams were ranked in the AP Poll.
Conference championships
The Cougars have won ten conference championships in their history, half of which were outright championships. From 1960 to 1975, the Cougars were not eligible for a conference championship as they were not affiliated with any conference.Individual awards
National award winners
Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners
- Andre WareAndre WareAndre Ware is a sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston, becoming the first African-American quarterback to win the award. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was the first round selection ...
, 1989
Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
- Andre Ware, 1989
Sammy Baugh Trophy
Sammy Baugh Trophy
The Sammy Baugh Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top college passer. The award is named in honor of former Texas Christian University and Washington Redskins quarterback "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh. The trophy has been given out by the Touchdown Club of Columbus since 1959...
- David KlinglerDavid KlinglerDavid Ryan Klingler , is a former American football player. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals after a record setting quarterback career at the University of Houston...
, 1990 - Case KeenumCase KeenumCasey Austin "Case" Keenum is a redshirt senior quarterback for the Houston Cougars football team. Keenum has already set several school records at the University of Houston and has positioned himself to become the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards in 2011...
, 2009 - Case KeenumCase KeenumCasey Austin "Case" Keenum is a redshirt senior quarterback for the Houston Cougars football team. Keenum has already set several school records at the University of Houston and has positioned himself to become the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards in 2011...
, 2011
Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
- Wilson WhitleyWilson WhitleyWilson Whitley was a consensus All-American defensive tackle at the University of Houston from 1972-1976 under defensive coordinator Don Todd. He led the Cougars to the Southwest Conference championship in football during Houston's first season as a conference member and was won the 1976 Lombardi...
, 1976
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Jack PardeeJack Pardee-NFL:-External links:...
, Coach, 1986 - Andre WareAndre WareAndre Ware is a sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston, becoming the first African-American quarterback to win the award. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was the first round selection ...
, Quarterback, 2004 - Wilson WhitleyWilson WhitleyWilson Whitley was a consensus All-American defensive tackle at the University of Houston from 1972-1976 under defensive coordinator Don Todd. He led the Cougars to the Southwest Conference championship in football during Houston's first season as a conference member and was won the 1976 Lombardi...
, Defensive Tackle, 2007 - Bill YeomanBill YeomanBill Yeoman is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Starting in 1962, he was the University of Houston's head coach, holding the position through 1986. In his tenure, he became the winningest coach in school history, with an overall record of 160–108–8...
, Coach, 2001
Head coaches
- Jewell WallaceJewell WallaceWilliam Jewell Wallace was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston in its first two football seasons, 1946 and 1947, guiding the Cougars to a 7–14 record. Wallace was a 1934 graduate of Texas Christian...
, 7-14-0 (1946–47) - Clyde LeeClyde Lee (American football)Clyde Lee was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1948 to 1954, guiding the Cougars to a 37–32–2 record. Lee played his college career at Centenary College from 1930 to 1932 under Homer Norton...
, 37-32-2 (1948–54) - Bill MeekBill MeekWilliam M. Meek was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University , the University of Houston , Southern Methodist University , and the University of Utah , compiling a career college football record of 78–88–7.-Early life:Meek was born in...
, 13-6-1 (1955–56) - Harold Lahar, 24-23-2 (1957–61)
- Bill YeomanBill YeomanBill Yeoman is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Starting in 1962, he was the University of Houston's head coach, holding the position through 1986. In his tenure, he became the winningest coach in school history, with an overall record of 160–108–8...
, 160-108-8 (1962–86) - Jack PardeeJack Pardee-NFL:-External links:...
, 22-11-1 (1987–89) - John JenkinsJohn Jenkins (football coach)-External links:*...
, 18-15-0 (1990–92) - Kim HeltonKim HeltonCharles Kimberlin "Kim" Helton is an American college and professional football coach. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama at Birmingham football program. Helton was formerly the head football coach of the University of Houston from 1993 to 1999.-...
, 24-53-1 (1993–99) - Dana DimelDana Dimel-External links:* *...
, 8-26-0 (2000–02) - Art BrilesArt BrilesArthur Ray Briles is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Baylor University, a position he has held since the 2008 season. From 2002 to 2007, Briles was the head coach at the University of Houston.-Playing career:A native of Rule, Texas, Briles...
, 34-28-0 (2003–07) - Kevin SumlinKevin Sumlin-External links:*...
, 35-16-0 (2008–Present)
Future non-conference opponents
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| vs. UCLA UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
vs. Louisiana Tech | vs. Louisiana Tech | at Louisiana Tech |
| at North Texas North Texas Mean Green football The North Texas Mean Green football team represents the University of North Texas in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-FBS college football and competes as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green have attained several conference championships, including four... |
at UCLA | at UTSA UTSA Roadrunners football UTSA Roadrunners Football is an American football program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio. The team is coached by former Miami Hurricanes head coach, Larry Coker. UTSA began practicing in August 2010, and began competing as an NCAA Division I FCS independent on September... |
vs. UTSA |
| at Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football program represents Louisiana Tech University in Western Athletic Conference. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Since the Bulldogs first season in 1901, Louisiana Tech has compiled an all-time record of 554 wins, 422... |
vs. BYU | at BYU | |
| vs. Georgia State Georgia State Panthers football The Georgia State Panthers football team represents Georgia State University in the NCAA Division I FCS, competing as an independent, but slated to join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in 2012. Georgia State plays its home games at the Georgia Dome, which is located off-campus in... |
Current staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Kevin Sumlin Kevin Sumlin -External links:*... |
Head Coach |
| Jason Phillips Jason Phillips (wide receiver) Jason Phillips is the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Houston Cougars football team, which represents the University of Houston. He is also a former professional American football player who played as wide receiver for five seasons for the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons.... |
Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach |
| Brian Stewart | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach |
| Tony Levine | Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach |
| Clarence McKinney | Recruiting Coordinator/Running Backs Coach |
| Kliff Kingsbury Kliff Kingsbury Klifford "Kliff" Kingsbury is an American Football Coach, serving as the current co-offensive coordinator for the University of Houston Cougar football team. Prior to his current role, Kingsbury was a Quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in a... |
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Jamie Bryant | Linebackers Coach |
| B.J. Anderson | Offensive Line Coach |
| Zac Spavital | Cornerbacks Coach |
| Carlton Hall | Defensive Line Coach |
Robertson Stadium
From the program's inception, until the end of the 1950 season, the Cougars played their home games in the Houston Public School Stadium, which would eventually be renamed to Robertson Stadium
Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
in 1980. However, with the exception of occasional single games in the 1995 and 1996 seasons, the Cougars did not return to the stadium until the 1998 season following renovations. This remains their home stadium today. Along with the Cougars, the stadium is home to Houston's Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
team, the Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club, based in Houston, Texas, that plays in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2005 as Houston 1836, the team name was renamed to Houston Dynamo following protests from Hispanic...
.
Houston Stadium
In 1951, Houston StadiumRice Stadium
Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice University football team since its completion in 1950 and hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974....
, a stadium subsidized by the city of Houston opened. Until 1964, the Cougars played their home games in Houston Stadium along with Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. During this time, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
gave his famous address regarding the nation's space effort at the stadium. It is now simply known as Rice Stadium, and is only home to the Rice Owls.
Astrodome
In 1965, the Astrodome was officially opened, and the Cougars moved in the same year. In 1968, the Bluebonnet BowlBluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
also changed its location to the stadium, and the Cougars regularly began to participate in the bowl. After the 1997 season, following renovations, the Cougars moved back into Robertson Stadium. The Astrodome remains the team's longest serving home stadium.