Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the
University of HoustonThe University of Houston is a public research university located in Houston and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System...
. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the
Coogs,
UH, or simply
Houston. After the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1996, in which these teams were a member, the Cougars joined
Conference USAConference 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...
as a part of the West Division. Also in the West Division of Conference USA is Houston's
major sports rivalThe Houston–Rice rivalry is a crosstown college rivalry between the University of Houston and Rice University. The universities are located approximately five miles from each other in Houston's "Inner loop" area...
, cross-town
Rice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University is a private coeducational research university located in Houston, Texas, United States...
.
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the
University of HoustonThe University of Houston is a public research university located in Houston and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System...
. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the
Coogs,
UH, or simply
Houston. After the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1996, in which these teams were a member, the Cougars joined
Conference USAConference 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...
as a part of the West Division. Also in the West Division of Conference USA is Houston's
major sports rivalThe Houston–Rice rivalry is a crosstown college rivalry between the University of Houston and Rice University. The universities are located approximately five miles from each other in Houston's "Inner loop" area...
, cross-town
Rice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University is a private coeducational research university located in Houston, Texas, United States...
. University of Houston's colors are
Scarlet redScarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel. It is redder than vermilion. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame. It may also refer to the color of the blood of a living person.The first recorded use of scarlet as a...
and Albino white and the mascot is a cougar named
ShastaShasta is the mascot of the University of Houston athletics teams, the Houston Cougars. Shasta is a female cougar. While previously a live cougar, Shasta is now a costumed mascot.-History:...
. The current athletic director for the Cougars is
Mack RhoadesMack Rhoades IV is the current athletic director at the University of Houston. On June 11, 2009 it was announced he would be leaving the University of Akron to take over the Athletics Director position at the University of Houston. Rhoades had been hired at Akron in December 2005 after former...
, who was hired to the position after the recent retirement of
Dave MaggardDave 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...
. Houston has had notable sports teams in its history including Phi Slama Jama.
Athletics
The University of Houston competes with teams in the following sports:
Men's sports:
- Football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Golf
- Cross-Country
- Track & Field
|
Women's sports:
- Basketball
- Softball
- Soccer
- Cross-Country
- Track & Field
- Tennis
- Swimming & Diving
- Volleyball
|
Football
UH fielded its first varsity intercollegiate football team in 1946. The Houston Cougars football team currently competes in the NCAA
Division IDivision I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States....
Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of
Conference USAConference 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 team plays its games in
Robertson StadiumJohn O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply 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...
and began the 2008 season with a new head coach,
Kevin SumlinKevin Sumlin is the current head coach for the University of Houston Cougars football team. Sumlin is the first African American head football coach in the 60-year history of the Cougars program....
.
Men's Basketball
The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cougars Men's basketball team plays in
Conference USAConference 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 team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1992. The Cougars are currently coached by
Tom PendersTom Penders is a college basketball head coach, currently in his fifth season at the University of Houston. He is from Stratford, Connecticut and has a 615-411 career record. Houston was a combined 80-49 in his first four seasons...
and play in
Hofheinz PavilionGuy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion, often known as simply Hofheinz Pavilion, is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston, Texas. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the University of Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams as well as...
.
Notable players for the UH Men's basketball team include
Hakeem OlajuwonHakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led to Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995...
and
Clyde DrexlerClyde "The Glide" Austin Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and an NBA championship in...
, who were part of the legendary Phi Slama Jama, as well as
Otis BirdsongOtis Lee Birdsong is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA and appeared in four NBA All-Star Games....
and
Elvin HayesElvin Ernest Hayes is a retired American basketball player. He is a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.-Early years:...
. Each of these players has had their number retired. Notable coaches for the Cougars are
Guy LewisGuy Vernon Lewis II is a former NCAA basketball coach who led the University of Houston Cougars program for 30 years from 1956-86.-University of Houston:...
and
Clyde DrexlerClyde "The Glide" Austin Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and an NBA championship in...
. Notable games for the Cougars include the first nationally syndicated NCAA basketball game, the
Game of the CenturyThe Game of the Century in college basketball was an historical NCAA game between the University of Houston Cougars and the UCLA Bruins played on January 20, 1968 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was the first NCAA regular season game broadcast nationwide in prime time...
.
Baseball
Along with the university's other athletic teams, the baseball team is a member of the Conference USA as a Division I team. They play their home games at
Cougar FieldCougar Field is a baseball stadium in Houston, Texas. It is the home field of the Houston Cougars baseball team. Several iterations of Cougar Field have existed. The current stadium holds 5,000 people, and opened for baseball in 1995. Since its opening, Cougar Field has hosted several notable...
and have been coached by
Rayner NobleRayner Noble is an American baseball coach and former player.He is a current NCAA Division I college baseball head coach at the University of Houston. In 13 years of coaching Houston Cougars baseball, he is the winningest coach in Cougars history...
since 1994. The Houston Cougars baseball program has appeared in numerous NCAA Regionals, Super Regionals, and
College World SeriesThe College World Series or CWS is a baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split in to two, four team double elimination brackets with the...
.
Rivalries
Houston's most meaningful current rivalry is with cross-town
Rice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University is a private coeducational research university located in Houston, Texas, United States...
, which is also a member of
Conference USAConference 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 Cougars and
Rice OwlsThe 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...
compete in football annually for trophy named the "
Bayou BucketThe Bayou Bucket is an award given to the winner of 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 award is a reference to one of Houston's popular nicknames as the Bayou City...
," referencing one of the city of
Houston's nicknamesThere are many nicknames for the city of Houston, the largest city in Texas and fourth-largest city in the United States. The city's nicknames reflect its geography, economy, multicultural population, and popular culture, including sports and music...
as the "Bayou City." The Cougars currently possess the trophy after defeating Rice 56-48 at
Robertson StadiumJohn O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply 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...
.
Historically, the
University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
was one of Houston's principal rivals, especially after Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference. This rivalry gave rise to the Houston Cougar Paw tradition.
Facilities
Most of the university's major sports facilities are located along Cullen Boulevard, a the central traffic artery through the campus. At times in the past, some of the university's teams have played their home games at off-campus venues such as the Astrodome and
Rice StadiumRice 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....
. The
men's golf programThe Houston Cougars men's golf team is an NCAA Division I golf program at the University of Houston. The team competes in Conference USA, and its head coach is Jonathan Dismuke....
competes off campus because it does not have a dedicated golf course on campus. University of Houston's current sports facilities include the following:
- Robertson Stadium
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply 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...
- Football
- Hofheinz Pavilion
Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion, often known as simply Hofheinz Pavilion, is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston, Texas. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the University of Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams as well as...
- Basketball
- Cougar Field
Cougar Field is a baseball stadium in Houston, Texas. It is the home field of the Houston Cougars baseball team. Several iterations of Cougar Field have existed. The current stadium holds 5,000 people, and opened for baseball in 1995. Since its opening, Cougar Field has hosted several notable...
- Baseball
- Cougar Softball Stadium - Softball
- Tom Tellez Track at Carl Lewis International Complex
The Tom Tellez Track at Carl Lewis International Complex, also known as simply Tom Tellez Track or Carl Lewis International Complex, is home to the Houston Cougars outdoor track & field teams...
- Outdoor Track & Field
- John E. Hoff Courts - Tennis
- CRWC Natatorium - Swimming
- Athletics/Alumni Center - All Sports
- Yeoman Field House - Indoor Track & Field
See also
- Houston Cougars men's golf
The Houston Cougars men's golf team is an NCAA Division I golf program at the University of Houston. The team competes in Conference USA, and its head coach is Jonathan Dismuke....
- Houston Cougars softball
The Houston Cougars softball team is the college softball team of the University of Houston. The team is a member of Conference USA as a Division I team. Their home games are played at Cougar Softball Stadium on-campus. The team was established in 2001, and has been the regular season champion...
- Houston Cougars women's basketball
The Houston Cougars women's basketball team represents the University of Houston in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Coached by Joe Curl, the team plays their home games at Hofheinz Pavilion on-campus at the University of Houston....
- List of notable Houston Cougars
External links