The Houston Cougars football program is the NCAA Division I FBS football team representing the University of Houston. The team is usually referred to as " Houston " or " UH " (pronounced as "U of H"). UH's soccer program is a member of the American Athletic Conference West Division. Since the 2014 season, Cougars have played their home games on campus at the TDECU Stadium, built on sites previously occupied by Robertson Stadium, where they played home games from 1941 to 1950 and from 1997 to 2012. During program history, Cougars has won eleven conference championships and has had several players selected for the College Football Hall of Fame, including Heisman Cup winners.
Video Houston Cougars football
Histori
Era Wallace
In 1941, Johnny Goyen, then sports editor for The Cougar, and Jack Valenti, the second-year president, started a petition for an official inter-university football team at the university. The following year, the two called up a student organization meeting to arrange another petition. The purpose of this petition is to challenge the Rice Institute (later known as Rice University) to a football match. The Rice Owls is an established program, has been playing since 1919 as a member of the Southwest Conference.
In August 1945, the University of Houston announced that the school would become a football team for the first time. After the announcement, the Lone Star Conference, spearheaded by Theron J. Fouts of North Texas and Puny Wilson of Sam Houston State, extended his invitation to Houston to join on 25 October 1945.
In September 1946, the team came true after Harry Fouke, UH's first athletic director, hired a successful high school coach, Jewell Wallace, and a trial run. One hundred and thirty students showed up, only ten of them actually played college football before. Many married students live on campus in an emergency village for World War II veterans, while some live in university recreation centers in bed for training naval recruitment at UH during the war. Prior to joining Cougars, Wallace served as head coach for San Angelo High School.
During spring training for the first team, Goyen and Valenti's petitions were finally answered, when Coach Wallace set up a small training game between Rice and Houston. The meeting was held at Rice. When the teams arrive on the field in their practice uniforms, they realize that the game is much more serious. Officials are there, and the stadium is full of spectators. The match ends with Rice destroying the Houston Cougars. The game has an attendance of 11,000. It was not until 1971 that Cougars and Owls competed again.
Playing at the Houston Public School Stadium as part of the Lone Star Conference on September 21, 1946, Cougars played their first official game against the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (later known as the University of Louisiana in Lafayette) using the Split-T offensive strategy. Although Charlie Manichia, Cougars' early quarterback, scored the first goal of the game (and in Cougar's history), the team lost to SLI 13-7.
The next game, Cougars played against West Texas State Teachers College (later known as West Texas A & M University), and won their first game 14-12. Cougars ended their first season with a 4-6-0 record. Wallace continued as head coach for Cougars until the end of the 1947 season, when Clyde Lee took over.
Lee Era
Clyde Lee, a Tulsa University assistant coach, became Houston's second head coach in February 1948. To replace the rest of Wallace's non-returning team, Lee turned to junior college for most of his recruitment. At this time, the University of Houston, along with Texas Tech University, seeks to join the established Southwest Conference, but is rejected. In response, several universities from the Lone Star Conference formed the Gulf Coast Conference. This marked the first time Cougars had played the NCAA University division team (later known as Division I), and for the first time Houston offered an athletic scholarship. Also during this time, Lee prepares a formal housing facility for students. The 1949 season began with a vandalism act from a Houston fan on the campus of The College of William & amp; Mary. William & amp; Mary is the opening game of the season between the two schools.
In 1951, Cougars began playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, moving to Houston Stadium, and managed to reach their first bowl match. The 1952 season proved to be an escape for Cougars, and the team claimed the conference title. In addition to ranking No. 19 in this country by UPI (the first time Cougars was ranked nationally), 1952 also marked the first meeting between UH and Texas A & amp; M University, University of Arkansas, and Ole Miss. JD Kimmel, a former player for the Army Cadet, became the first All-American in Houston when the Associated Press selected him for the 1952 team. A year later, UH met with the University of Texas at Austin for the first time in football. Such events prove that the team is growing rapidly. However, in 1954, Lee retired from training after an overall record of 37-32-2. Lee is credited for having turned the Cougars from a small team into a legitimate college army in football.
Gentle era
After 45 days of searching for a replacement head coach, Bill Meek, a successful head coach from Kansas State University, signed a contract with Cougars and was appointed head coach of Houston on January 19, 1955. The opening game of Cougars' 1955 against the University of Montana marked a 54-12 victory, the first opening since 1948. During this season, UH attempted to gain membership at the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Ole Miss, UH's sponsor to the conference, has played Cougars in their ninth game of the season, and even though Cougar lost, Ole Miss feels the team is valuable. The SEC decides to wait a year to determine whether UH will be a member of the conference.
The 1956 season was so important for the team. The Cougars won the Missouri Valley Conference title a second time, and are tied to the Texas A & amp; M Aggies at the Southwest Regional Conference during their meetings. However, UH lost both SEC scheduled teams during the season. The Conference Conference and the Southeastern Conference by Cougars were once again denied. During the following season, Meek left UH for Southern Methodist University.
Lahar era
Hal Lahar was announced as the next head coach of Houston on January 18, 1957. Lahar is from Colgate University, where he has served as a head coach for five seasons. At college, Lahar has played for Oklahoma Sooners, where he became part of the school's first bowl team. Under Lahar, during the 1958 season, Cougars became a nationally recognized offensive leader, as the team scored 117 points in their first three games. The Lahar offensive strategy is best characterized as Split-T.
After winning the Missouri Valley Conference title again in 1957 and 1959, Lahar left UH in 1961 and returned to Colgate University.
Era Bill Yeoman
Under the Hall of Fame coach, Bill Yeoman, the Cougars collected 160-108-8 records. His 160 wins are ranked 51st on the NCAA list all the time and make him the most winning coach in Cougar history. He used Veer's offense in 1964, a breach he had pioneered, and quickly helped lead the Cougars to prominence at the national level. Cougars Yeoman finished this season in the top five rankings twice, four times in the Top 10, and ten times in the Top 20. Yeoman is considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time and led Houston to 25-year success as head coach.
In 1964, Yeoman broke the color barrier for Texas's premier soccer program when the University of Houston signed San Antonio, Warren McVea, for a scholarship. On September 11, 1965, Cougars played their first national television game on NBC against Tulsa.
For three consecutive years Houston led the country in total offense, averaging 437 yards of play in 1966, 427 in 1967, and 562 in 1968. Total 1968 was the NCAA record at the time. Houston also led the nation in scoring with 42.5 points per game that year, including 100-6 crackling from Tulsa that set some notes for UH: the biggest points differential in victory (94), most scoring points (100), and became the last team in Division I to date to score 100 points in one game and last in any NCAA division until Rockford College scored 105 in 2003.
He guided Cougars to four Southwest Conference Centers - 1976, 1978, 1979, and 1984 - and a 6-4-1 record in bowl games including the Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Maryland Terrapins in 1977 and Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1980. In 1976 , Houston's first year as a SWC member, Yeoman is 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. She trained 46 All-American players and 69 NFLs. In 1978, the NCAA divided Division I into Division I-A and Division I-AA with Houston being part of the former (now known as Division I FBS).
However, his career was not without controversy. In 1986, there were allegations about illegal recruitment and additional benefits for the players. Because part of this revelation, Yeoman was forced to retire at the end of the 1986 season after the 1-10 campaign.
Yeoman is the longest coach in the history of Cougar, who has been with the team from 1962 to 1986. After retiring as head coach, Yeoman remains with Cougars as a fundraiser, a position he still holds today.
Jack Pardee Era
After Yeoman's retirement, Houston hired Jack Pardee to become the sixth head coach of the program. Pardee is a former NFL All-Pro linebacker who previously held the head coach position with Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins and USFL Houston Gamblers. Pardee brings along Run & amp; Shoot violation and coordinator of a young attack named John Jenkins. The Run & amp; Shooting offense is a very bait-oriented system called to throw the ball down and in almost any situation. Cougars will be one of the top offensive teams in the country during Run & amp; Shoot the year.
In 1987, Pardee's first season, the team struggled in adjusting to the new system but scored a 60-40 annoyance from Texas Longhorns en route to a 4-6-1 finish. The 1988 season saw a huge improvement in all aspects of team play with Cougars posting the 9-3 mark, eventually finishing 2nd in the Southwest Region standings. The team plays at the Aloha Bowl but falls 24-22 to Washington State. The Cougars offense was led by quarterback Andre Ware, who was originally recruited into UH by Bill Yeoman as a quarterback Veer-option. UH completed the regular season of 1988 at No. 18 in the AP Poll.
In 1988, the NCAA announced that they would impose sanctions on Houston's football program for many major rule violations during the Yeoman era. The university was charged with about 250 offenses and judged some of the most severe punishments for a program at the time. The program was placed on a five-year trial period, banned from playing in a bowl game for two years, and started live television during the 1989 season. However, the most damaging penalty in the long run was a reduction of up to 15 scholarships for the 1989 season. Draconian as this punishment , The NCAA said that they will become harder (including limited to 20 scholarships for 1990 and 50 paid recruitment visits for 1989) owning Yeoman who is still a coach. The lack of television exposure in 1989 was a setback but in the end did not dampen the awards UH would muster in record seasons.
The 1989 season was one of the most impressive in the history of UH football. Andre Ware continued his dramatic development as a passer and posted an unprecedented graduation stats on his way to win the Heisman Cup in 1989. Ware graduated for 4,299 yards and threw 44 goals in this season. He posted one of his best shows with 475 yards passing in the Cougars' 47 -9 Texas defeat at Astrodome. Cougars set many offensive records during the season. The Cougars completed the 1989 season on 9-2 and 2 at the Southwest Conference but could not go into bowl games. UH finishes this season with No rating. 14 in the AP poll.
After the 1989 season, Pardee was hired as head coach of Houston Oilers and Jenkins named his successor. The Pardee Era at UH has been the most successful period in Cougar football since the late 1970s. The program enjoys consistent success in the field, and helps usher in an explosion of neglect in college football. The productive violations of Cougars and Andre Ware's Heisman Trophy elevate the program to a level of national recognition that may have never been enjoyed before. Pardee was later seen as head coach back for Cougars after Art Briles left the program, but was eventually escaped to support Kevin Sumlin. Pardee has not trained since 1995.
John Jenkins era
Jenkins goes to the helm at UH with a reputation as a cheerful and innovative young coach, considered by many behind Run & amp; Shoot violations. Jenkins's offensive system reached its peak in the 1990 season.
Led by new quarterback David Klingler, the Cougars attack made the numbers more eye-popping in the 1990 season than they had a year earlier. Klingler scored a record by throwing 11 goals in one game during the 84-21 Eastern Washington University match at Astrodome. In the final victory over Arizona State University at Coca-Cola Classic played at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, the two teams joined for 107 points and over 1,000 yards to pass.
The Cougars achieved a high No.3 ranking in the AP poll but fell out of the national championship race after a season-ending loss to Texas Longhorns. 14. Cougars completed the 1990 season with a 10-1 record and No. 1 national ranking. 10, again good only for 2nd place in the conference standings. Klingler finished third in Heisman behind Ty Dether Tyren and Ragib Ismail Notre Dame. The program is undergoing its final trial period and again is not eligible to play in a bowl game.
Despite returning David Klingler and several other stars, the 1991 season suffered a significant setback from Cougars four years earlier. The season begins in lively fashion with a Louisiana Tech 73-3 home win, but the second game marks what will be behind being the end of an era. In a nationally televised event on ESPN billed as an inter-state meeting, Cougars face Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. Miami exploded early and often, keeping a powerful Cougars attack from gaining any momentum. Cougars not only lost 40-10 games, but also lost a lot of mystique that enveloped their offense. Other opponents Cougars' repeat the Miami game plan from a heavy blast. A week later against Illinois saw more of the same; they lost the contest 51-10. Although Cougars beat Texas for the fourth time in five years, they finished seventh in the conference with a 3-5 record and an overall 4-7 record. After the season, Klingler was voted Number 6 overall in the 1992 NFL draft, while the final defensive Glenn Cadrez was selected No. 1. 154 overall by the New York Jets. The 1991 season marked the beginning of what would be a decade-long autumn of success in the late 1980s. From 1991 to 2004, the Cougars had only three seasons of victory.
The 1992 season saw the program continue as a limited complement of scholarships for the 1989 season began to take full effect on them. The new quarterback, Jimmy Klingler, booked an impressive performance against low competition, but Cougars battled against a better team on schedule. Jenkins is getting increasingly criticized for his poor team's defensive performance and his tendency to "raise the score" in an unsportsmanlike way to weaker opponents. The '92 season ended with the Cougars completing another 4-7.
The controversial Jenkins resigned under pressure on April 17, 1993 after a group of players departing including Trey Hooper, Tim Woods, Geoff Tait, Christopher Tuffin and Tracy Good star recipient contacted legendary sports columnist Dick Schaap, who set up an investigative team from ESPN to see the offense The old rumored NCAA allegedly committed by their former head coach (the story goes on to win ESPN, 1993 Sports Emmy). Jenkins completed his tenure with an overall record of 18-15, although in the past two years, he has won just eight games overall and five games in the Southwest Conference game. In the turmoil surrounding Jenkins's sudden resignation, Houston sporting director Bill Carr hired Los Angeles Raiders hardliner Kim Helton to become the eighth head coach in the history of the program.
Era Helton
Following NCAA controversy and sanctions in the late 1980s and early 1990s, UH's athletic administration was determined to recreate the football program into one based on good discipline and transparency. The formidable Kim Helton, who really, seems to fit this need perfectly. Helton is almost the diametrically opposite of the brash, innovative John Jenkins. Where Jenkins believes in the superiority of passing offense above all else, Helton preaches a fundamental, hard-core football brand that is a setback to the 1970s.
Despite returning the 11th starter on offense for the 1993 season, Helton dumped Run & amp; Shoot violations for the sake of a more traditional run-based attack. Personnel who are already in the program find it difficult to adjust to the new system. In addition, the team still has not recovered from the loss of scholarship due to sanctions imposed in 1988; Cougars would not have a full scholarship until 1994. The team fought furiously under the burden of off-shore sea change and scholarship boundaries. In the first three seasons of Helton (1993-95), Cougars limped into a combined record of 4-28-1 for a winning percentage of just 0.125, including the 0-12 mark in non -ferential games.
Helton avoids the old program's dependence on local talent and instead begins recruiting junior college players from Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Thus, Helton effectively breaks the program ties to a local high school that has long been UH's football pulse. Indeed, many local high school coaches claim that they have not even seen Helton for seven years as head coach. This is a dramatic change to programs that have historically featured national strength built around a Houston-area talent.
In 1994, four schools from the Southwest Conference announced that they would join members of the Grand Eight Conference to form what would be the 12th Big Conference. Houston, along with TCU, SMU, and Rice, would not be invited to join the new conference. After over 80 years of playing SWC including 21 years of successful UH membership, SWC ceased to exist at the end of the 1995 season.
UH joined the newly formed US Conference for the 1996 season. In the inaugural season C-USA play, led by future NFL running back Antowain Smith and quarterback Chuck Clements, Cougars went 7-5 - their first winning season in six years. They also went 4-1 in the conference game to win part of the inaugural C-USA title, their first official "official" title in 13 years. UH won an important game of the season against Southern Miss 56-49 in extra time. As part of the new trend, the game was played at Robertson Stadium on campus rather than at their old home, Astrodome. Cougars also played in their first bowl match since 1988, losing to No. 2. 21 Syracuse 30-17 at Liberty Bowl.
UH retreated to a record 3-8 in a row in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. In 1999, Cougars went 7-4, scoring an impressive final win at LSU. Four-year starter Ketric Sanford broke many of Houston's scrambling records, but a 3-3 record in C-USA put Cougars out of the bowl. Despite the winning season, Helton was dismissed as head coach after the season. In seven years at UH, Helton has set an overall record of 24-53.
The decade of the 1990s is not good for UH football. Since the 10-1 season it was almost magical in 1990 where they ranked No. 1. 3 in November, Cougars has since failed to break the 25 Great APs and only played one bowl. Poor team performance in the field is not good to attract. Attendance declined slowly throughout the decade, and teams often played in front of a home crowd of less than 20,000 fans. The program also lacks stability in the athletic department after several changes in the athletic director. Clearly, significant changes are needed to get the program out of the apathetic cycle. In a move to reduce the financial burden of paying rent to Astrodome operators, Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk began pushing to renovate the Robertson Stadium to modern standards and move all home football matches back to campus for the first time since the 1940s. This idea came true in the 1998 season, and significant renovations to the 60-year-old stadium were completed the following year.
Also in 1999, the Houston-Rice competition was renewed after a three-year hiatus when the Southwest Conference was dissolved. Cougars beat the Owls at Bayou Bucket Classic this season.
Hoping to inject vitality into the program on the ground, UH hired a successful 37-year-old head coach in Wyoming, Dana Dimel, to take over the program at the end of 1999.
Dimel era
After coaching at Kansas State as an assistant under the legendary Bill Snyder, Dana Dimel was elected head of the Houston Cougars section 9 after a successful job as head coach in Wyoming. Dimel takes over the program with fan support at the lowest point of all time. Program linkages and standing with local high school coaches are also at the nadir as a result of Helton's attitude that often underestimates local programs. As part of Dimel's rebuilding program, he vowed to restore the aggressive attacks that the Cougars had shown during successful Pardee/Jenkins years.
In the 2000 season, Cougars opened with a 3-4 stretch, but did not win another game for the rest of the season as they finished 3-8. During the lonely season, Dimel brought one of the best recruiting classes in decades, and he began rebuilding positive relationships with local high school programs.
Despite the positive attentions surrounding Dimel's first recruitment class, the 2001 season is a disaster that has never been underestimated. Cougars went 0-11 in the season - to date, the only victorious campaign in program history. Despite the poor season, Dimel returned to bring top-class recruitment classes at Conference USA. This class features a number of players who will form the core of the future winning team, players like Jackie Battle, Willie Gaston, Will Gulley and Roshawn Pope.
Cougars fared better in the 2002 season, but new athletic director Dave Maggard explained that he expects significant progress in program performance in the field. At the end of the year, with Cougars holding a 4-7 record, Maggard informs Dimel that he will not be asked to return as head coach for the 2003 season. The final match of the 2002 season was a lousy 27-10 angry win over Louisville that ruined the Cardinals chance to win the title. conference, but UH finished with a 5-7 record which is only good for the 8th best at Conference USA. Despite landing some highly recruited recruits, Dimel's era featured a tremendous disappointment. Dimel has an 8-26 record in three years.
Brilliant Art Era
Seeking a sense of stability in the coaching staff, Athletic Director Dave Maggard starts looking for new head coaches who will stay and build the program in the long run. For this purpose, Maggard began searching for coaches with close ties to UH and Texas football in general. The forward-jumping candidate is Art Briles, a former Cougar player under Bill Yeoman and an assistant at Texas Tech. Briles has earned a reputation as a top-flight offensive coach while head coach at Stephenville High School of Stephenville, Texas, where he leads the team to several state titles running a unique version of the spreading offense. Briles became the 10th head coach in Cougar football history, and the first UH player to hold that position.
Briles inherited a program that had been lost in the field but was filled with young talent from a remarkable recruitment class from Dimel. Cougars won only eight games in Dimel's three-year term, but things will 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 Hawaii Warriors 54-48 in three hours overtime on Christmas Day 2003.
After his successful first season under Briles, Cougars fell back to 3-8 in 2004. Briles led the Cougars to a 6-6 season in 2005 and an appearance at the Fort Worth Bowl. Cougars' hopes for the winning season ended in a game-cup 42-13 defeat at the hands of Kansas Jayhawks.
The 2006 season was the most successful for UH in over 15 years. Led by senior quarterback Kevin Kolb, Cougars earned a regular 9-3 season record and a place at USA Championship Conference matches against Southern Miss. The Cougars hosted a national television show at Robertson Stadium and won 34-20 to claim the second C-USA Championship school and the 10th overall conference title. Cougars ended the season by losing to the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Liberty Bowl which gave them a final 10-4 win-loss record.
In 2007, Cougars went 8-4 and finished second at the USA West Division Conference to Tulsa Golden Hurricane. In late November, Cougars accepted an invitation to the Texas Bowl. Two days later, Art Briles was interviewed for an empty and employed Baylor Bears coaching position the following day. Despite criticism from many Houston fans, Briles soon left Houston for Waco and did not return to train the Cougars for their bowl game in December. Cornerbacks coach Chris Thurmond was named the interim coach for the bowl game that Cougar lost to TCU, 20-13.
Despite a grudge over the departure of Art Briles, his leadership was the most successful at UH since Jack Pardee left for the NFL nearly 20 years earlier. Briles has been recruiting well and coaching his team to succeed on the field, setting a 34-28 record in five seasons. More importantly, Briles has helped to return the program to honor, especially with the 2006 C-US Championship. Briles' close relationship with Texas high school coach helped him strengthen the ties of the program with his main talent base, and some of his players have become prominent choices in the NFL draft. Interest in fans increased in the Briles era, and talks began expanding Robertson Stadium beyond its current capacity. It is not too much to say that the Art of Bring brings the program to an altitude that he has not seen since the 1980s.
Era Kevin Sumlin
On December 14, 2007, Kevin Sumlin, a co-offensive coordinator for Oklahoma Sooners, was named as Houston Cougars' 11th football coach. Sumlin became the first African-American head coach in Cougar history, and eighth in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. In his final year with 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 he drew the second-largest audience ever to be a home opener at Robertson Stadium. Topping Bill Meek's record, he scored the most points in Cougar's history for his coach debut.
The first season of Sumlin in 2008 started with a rocky start when Houston lost consecutive games to Oklahoma State, the Air Force and the State of Colorado, but rebounded to end with a promising 8-5 record and victory in matches in a rematch with the Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. 2008's up and down season saw the recipients of Patrick Edwards suffering terrible injuries during a road race against Marshall University when Edwards broke his leg colliding with a Thundering Herd band wagon that was mysteriously placed behind the Marshall end zone in Huntington. , West Virginia. At the start of the 2008 season, Coach Kevin Sumlin was named sophomore Case Keenum as an early quarterback for Cougars and implemented a high-octane-based offense. Keenum will throw over 5,000 meters that season. In 2008, under coach Sumlin, Houston ended their eighth straight game of matches as they won the Former Armed Forces in 2008
In the 2009 season, Cougars defeated the State of Oklahoma on the road in what was one of Cougar's most impressive football seasons ever. On September 12, 2009, the Sumgin-led Cougars defeated No. 5-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater to capture his first win over top 10 opponents in 21 years, and his first win over top-5 opponents in 25 years. After defeating then - # 5 Oklahoma State, Cougars was ranked (No. 21 on the AP Top 25) for the first time since September 17, 1991. In the next game, in front of a sold-out crowd at Robertson Stadium, Houston will pull out another victory interesting, this time over Texas Tech 29-28 following an angry late-time comeback. In 2009, Houston went on to compile a 10-4 record which also featured a coming-from-behind second win in Tulsa and a victory over the Mississippi State of the SEC. Despite the great success of the 2009 season it culminated in disappointment with the defeat to UCF and East Carolina in the C-USA Championship match, which was followed by a lackluster performance against the Air Force in the Bowl Armed Forces. The Cougars continued to be ranked nationwide throughout the majority of the 2009 season, reaching No. 12 in major polls before losing their last two games. There is great promise because Houston ranks to start the 2010 season, having not seen the preseason ranking since the early 1990s. After Cougars directed their first two opponents, quarterback star Case Keenum suffered an ACL injury that ended the season, and QB reserve Cotton Turner also lost for the season, due to injury in the same match against UCLA. The 2010 season produced a disappointing 5-7 record, but the NCAA gave the sixth-year Keenum quarterback eligibility, allowing the record-setting to return for the 2011 season.
Kevin Sumlin led Cougars to the national rank at some point during each of the three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011. In 2011, after setting a 12-0 record and reaching No. 6 in the BCS rankings, Houston was on the verge of being called BCS Buster, needing only a home win over Southern Mississippi in a C-USA Championship match to reach the Sugar Bowl bid and a $ 17 million BCS Bowl payment. But Sumwin's Cougars dreams were desperate when the Golden Eagles defeated UH 49-28 at Robertson Stadium, amid rumors that Sumlin had been approached for a head-trainer position at Texas A & M, which Sumlin denies. Sumlin was announced as the new head coach of Texas A & amp; M University on December 10, 2011. The era of Kevin Sumlin sees Houston again becoming famous behind the all-time NCAA arm as a forward passer, Case Keenum, and an air-raid attack designed by Holgerson Fund Offensive Coordinator. Like Briles, under coach Sumlin Houston is known for his offensive prowess, leading NCAA in yard per game in 2009 and 2011 with an average of more than 50 points per game in the regular season of 2011. Houston scored more than 70 points three times during the period Sumlin's post and solved many of the offensive crosswalk records behind NCAA's leading forward, Case Keenum. Kevin Sumlin won more games in his first four seasons than any other Houston head coach in history, but this success was accelerated by Cougars' twice dropped in a C-USA Championship game. Despite his extraordinary success, Sumlin's departure before finishing the 2011 season, such as Art Briles in 2007, left many Houston fans with a bitter taste reinforced by Sumlin who openly insisted he intends to coach the 2012 season in Houston just hours before accepting the head coach position in Texas A & amp; M. In 2011, Houston completed the 13-1 season and was ranked in the final college final poll (No. 18 AP/No. 14 USA Today Coaches, No. 19 BCS) for the first time since the 1990 season.
Tony Levine's Era
Tony Levine was elected as the temporary head coach for TicketCity Bowl 2012 where Cougars defeated Penn State 30-14. After a ten-day training search for eight candidates considered, Levine was promoted to permanent head coach of the University of Houston soccer team. In his first press conference, Levine pointed out that Houston is his dream job, and, unlike Briles and Sumlin, he intends to make UH football training a long-term commitment. During his remarks at the initial press conference, Coach Levine reiterated his commitment to continue flying high Houston spreading his predecessor's offenses while improving his defense, which has shown some improvement in the 2011 season after achieving for many years. While Houston has long been an offensive giant, defense is also a staple for Houston teams under Houston's Bill Yeoman coach called the "Mad Dog" defense. Houston announced that it will break down in December 2012 at the new state-of-the-art football stadium.
In Levine's first full season as head coach (2012), there are high expectations in Houston due to associations to restart on defense and offense. David Piland had been given control of the Houston attack in the quarterback after the departure of Case Keenum. However, in the 2012 season opener for the Cougars, Houston suffered a devastating home loss to the Texas State Bobcats, who played in their first game as the FBS Division I team. In a downfall, coach Mike Nesbitt resigned his position as offensive coordinator for Cougars. Assistant coach Travis Bush assumed a call-play assignment for Cougars for the remainder of the season. Cougars will finish the season on 5-7, lose bowl offer, and suffer a defeat at SMU where Cougars let the most points for opponents in school history and surrender a record of nine turnover schools. What appears to be a promising start to his coaching lifetime by winning the bowl at the end of the 2011 season has turned bleak for Levine Coaches during the 2012 season.
The 2013 season saw a turnaround that most Cougar fans expected in the second year Levine and Cougars started playing at the new conference, the American Athletic Conference. Changes were made to the coaching staff, especially at the coordinating positions because Cougar was forced to play off campus at Reliant Stadium and BBVA Compass Stadium while the new stadium was built. Doug Meacham took over the offense and David Gibbs took over the responsibility of defense. After shooting to a 5-0 record, Cougars retreated towards the end of the season but managed to finish their season by beating the 34-0 High, Houston's first knockout victory since 1999. They finished the 8-4 season which collected Cougars place in 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl versus Vanderbilt , where they lost 41-24. After the season, Doug Meacham left the program, making way for Travis Bush to take over as offensive coordinator. Houston Cougars return to campus and their new stadium, TDECU Stadium, for the 2014 season.
The 2014 season will be a disaster in the eyes of loyal Cougar. The opening of the long-awaited TDECU Stadium by big loss for UTSA - the latest in a series of disgraceful losses under Levine. The Cougars fighting out of the gates in 2014 will be 2-3 with poor production on offense until Greg Ward, Jr. takes over the quarterback position. Cougars will rebound, winning five of seven games to finish the season, mainly because of Ward's playmaking ability and Gibbs's standout defense. Despite the turnaround, Levine will not be able to recover from the home opponents attack against UTSA, and on December 8, 2014, Levine was fired after three seasons in leading the Cougars. Cougars was invited to play in the Armed Forces Bowl, where Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs acted as head coach. Cougars plays Pitt Panthers, who are also under the temporary head coach. With less than 11 minutes remaining on game hours, Houston trailed Pittsburgh by 25 points, but Cougars went on to win by 35-34. It was the fourth largest quarterly comeback in the history of the bowl.
Tom Herman Era
Tom Herman was hired on December 15, 2014, to replace Levine, having won the Broyles Award as the country's top coach assistant while serving under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. Herman led Cougars in his first season as head coach for the first conference championship since 2006 by beating rival Temple 24/3 at the American Athletics Championship Conference, ending the regular season 12-1 . The Houston Cougars 2015 football team was selected to play at PeachÃ, Bowl, where, on December 31, 2015, they defeated Florida State Seminoles 38-24. UH was ranked 8th in the Top 25 AP poll. As a finalist for Eddie Robinson and the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards, Herman was named the Football Writers Association's Best Coach of the Year and this year's American Athletic Conference Coach. In Herman's first semester in Houston, the Houston Cougars Football program sets the mark for most of the hours passed per student-athlete in the spring semester with an average of 13.5 hours per student-athlete. The team recorded the highest semester GPA in the last four years, and the highest third semester IPK in program history, to increase its cumulative GPA to the second highest mark in program history.
During his second season, Tom Herman led the Cougars to victory in the opening match of the third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners at AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston. The team went on a five-game winning streak, gaining national recognition and competing prospects at Footballoff College Football 2016, to the Mustang State Highlight in early October. Cougars ended the regular season 9-3, with a second signature win over Louisville Cardinals in fifth place in mid-November. On November 26, 2016, it was announced that Herman would leave the University of Houston to take on the role of head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin. Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando was named Interim Head Coach on the same day.
Main Applewhite Era
On December 9, 2016, Major Applewhite was appointed head coach after the departure of Tom Herman. Applewhite has served as an offensive coordinator of the Cougars under Herman. He was given a five-year contract. Applewhite made his training debut in Houston at the Las Vegas Bowl with a skeleton staff, which Cougars lost to the Aztecs State of San Diego with a score of 34-10. Houston finished the 2016 season with a 9-4 record.
The 2017 season Houston Cougar sees fans hoping for the continued success that Herman brought to Houston. Mark D'Onofrio was hired to replace Todd Orlando left in Defense Coordinator, and Brian Johnson was hired as Offensive Coordinator. The opening game against UTSA was canceled due to Hurricane Harvey, which caused massive flooding and damage to the city of Houston and the Gulf Coast. The Cougars instead opened on the road against Arizona winning in a low scoring game, 19-16. A low score will be the theme for Cougars in 2017, as they struggle to continue the offensive output that historically is known as a program by the Cougars. Coach Applewhite and staff struggled to find a suitable replacement for Greg Ward Jr., who had moved to the Philadelphia Eagles. D'Eriq King, who established himself as a starter after initially playing as a receiver/versatile player at the start of the season, replaced Kyle Allen, and then Kyle Postma. Cougars will finish 2017 at 7-4, after winning signatures over Arizona and South Florida, but after suffering unexplained losses to Tulsa and Tulane. Cougars get an offer to bowl Hawai'i Bowl 2017, where they lost to Fresno State Bulldogs, 33-27. Coach Brian Johnson left his position as Offensive Coordinator after the regular season. In the end, Coach Applewhite's first season as head coach made the fans overwhelmed and hoped for better results in 2018.
Maps Houston Cougars football
Affiliate conference
The Houston Cougars' football program started the same year as the basketball program in 1946. Cougars played in the Lone Star Conference for their first few seasons until 1948. The university then decided to leave for the Gulf Coast Conference. From 1951 to 1959 Houston played at the Missouri Valley Conference. In 1956, when the NCAA was divided into divisions, the team began playing as part of the University Division (later known as Division I). From 1960 to 1976, Houston Cougars was the main independent player, reaching six straight final Top-25 (total eight independent moments) and five bowl appearances. In 1976, Cougars began playing at their first athletic conference since 1959 when they joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Cougars became the only Texas university to ever win an existing conference in their first year, doing so in the same year. After the outbreak of SWC in 1996, Houston became a charter member of the newly formed USA Conference.
In October 2011, Houston extended an invitation to join the Great Eastern Conference in all sports. This invitation is important because Big East is an Auto Qualification conference in football, which means that the conference champions are automatically invited to play in a favorable BCS bowl. The invitation was motivated by Syracuse and Pittsburgh departures from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference and was part of an effort by Big East to shore up its strength in football. The University of Houston's Bupati Council decided to authorize President Houston, Renu Khator, to take whatever action he deems useful in relation to the reorganization of the conference. On December 7, 2011, the University of Houston was officially announced as one of the newest members of the Great East Conference, effective July 2013. However, the subsequent membership shift caused the Great East split into football-sponsorship and non-football conferences. The soccer-sponsored conference, after selling Big East's name to a non-soccer conference, announced that it would operate as an American Athletic Conference after the split.
Head coach
- Jewell Wallace, 7-14-0 (1946-47)
- Clyde Lee, 37-32-2 (1948-54)
- Bill Meek, 13-6-1 (1955-56)
- Harold Lahar, 24-23-2 (1957-61)
- Bill Yeoman, 160-108-8 (1962-86)
- Jack Pardee, 22-11-1 (1987-89)
- John Jenkins, 18-15-0 (1990-92)
- Kim Helton, 24-53-1 (1993-99)
- Dana Dimel, 8-26 (2000-02)
- Art Briles, 34-28 (2003-07)
- Chris Thurmond, 0-1 (2007)
- Kevin Sumlin, 35-17 (2008-11)
- Tony Levine, 21-17 (2011-14)
- David Gibbs, 1-0 (2014)
- Tom Herman, 22-4 (2015-16)
- Major Applewhite, 7-5 (2016 -)
Bowl game
Houston has participated in 26 bowl matches, with Cougars collecting an 11-14-1 record.
Houston has competed in bowl games in twelve of the last fifteen football seasons. Prior to the 2008 Armed Forces' armed wins of Houston against the Air Force, Cougars had not won a bowl match since the 1980 Garden State Bowl. This put Cougars in second place behind Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a winning streak all the time. Overall Houston has made 26 bowl appearances throughout its history, including four Cotton Bowls, where Houston holds a 2-2 record with victories over Nebraska and Maryland. On January 2, 2012, Houston matched with Penn State of the Big 10 in TicketCity Bowl and won 30-14. The 2015 Armed Forces Bowl (January) victory over Pittsburgh featured the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in bowl history, as UH scored 25 points total in less than 11 minutes and 22 points missed in the final six minutes. Houston was invited to the game Six First New Year bowls in 2015, where they made Florida State 38-24 at the Peach Bowl.
Best win percentage, last 10 years
25 FBS victory percentage, 2008 to 2017, as of January 9, 2018:
25 top finish
The Houston Cougars were completed in Polling Poll and Coaches' Poll seventeen times in program history, with the highest ranking finishes No 4 in 1976, No. 5 in 1979, and No. 8 in 2015. Note: AP Poll began in 1936, and Coaches' Poll began in 1950. Prior to 1990, only the top 20 teams ranked in the AP Poll.
In addition, opinion polls Doctor Entropy and Howell have run since the 1940s. The best Cougar computer poll ratings are listed below.
Conference Championships
Cougars has won eleven conference championships in their history, six of which are direct championships. From 1960 to 1975, Cougars did not qualify for the conference championships because they were not affiliated with the conference.
- Co-champion conference
Rivalry
Recordings against rivals
Individual rewards
National award winners
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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