MEDIA ALMANAC HISTORY Historical Highlights .................. 78-79 Houston Basketball A to Z........... 80-83 Cougars in the NBA/NBA Draft .... 84-85 1966-67 NCAA Final Four Team .........86 1967-68 NCAA Final Four Team .........87 1981-82 NCAA Final Four Team .........88 1982-83 NCAA Final Four Team .........89 1983-84 NCAA Final Four Team .........90 Game of the Century .......................91 Coach Guy V. Lewis ..........................92 Otis Birdsong .................................93 Clyde Drexler .................................94 Elvin Hayes ....................................95 Hakeem Olajuwon ..........................96 Michael Young ................................97 Honor Roll ...............................98-101 NCAA Tournament Results .......102-103 2019-20 HOUSTON Conference Tournament Results . 104-105 NIT/CBI Results............................. 106 MEN’S UHCougars.com ............................ 107 All-Time Lettermen ................108-109 BASKETBALL Jersey Numbers ......................110-111 All-Time Series .......................112-113 Series Records ........................114-121 All-Time Results .....................122-131 Year-by-Year / Coaching Records ..... 132 77 2020-21 HOUSTON MEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY After winning college basketball’s “Game of the Century,” playing three-time All-America First-Team selection in school history, while played in the NCAA Tournament in his first season and advanced to in five NCAA Final Fours and producing the high-flying fraternity Chaney earned All-American honors in 1968. They combined to lead the second round of the NIT with a win over Fordham in 1987-88. known as “Phi Slama Jama”, the University of Houston has proven to Houston to its first two NCAA Final Four appearances in 1967 and 1968. In 1989-90, Houston returned to the NCAA Tournament when be one of college basketball’s most popular and one of the nation’s Hayes also claimed Houston’s career, single-season and single-game Carl Herrera, Craig Upchurch and Byron Smith combined to lead most successful programs. scoring and rebounding records and continues to hold them today. the Cougars to a 25-8 record. Herrera led the Cougars with 16.7 points Houston’s legacy includes conference championships in five In 1968, the Cougars played in college basketball’s most significant and 9.6 rebounds per game before leaving for the professional ranks. different leagues, 34 consecutive seasons without a losing record, game of the 20th century, when second-ranked Houston challenged Smith averaged 16.3 points, and Upchurch posted averages of 13.1 19 All-American players, three of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and defending national champion UCLA in the Astrodome on Jan. 20, 1968. points and 7.0 rebounds. four members of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The Cougars Not only did the game have two outstanding teams, it also featured Before the start of the 1990-91 season, Upchurch suffered a season- extended their winning heritage in 2004-05 by posting their 1,000th two consensus All-Americans and future Naismith Basketball Hall of ending back injury during preseason workouts, but Smith combined win in the school’s history. Fame players in the first nationally televised regular-season game. If with 7-foot center Alvaro Teheran to lead the Cougars to a NIT ap- that was not enough, it also marked the first game played in a domed pearance. The next season, Houston returned to the NCAA Tournament ORIGINS OF SUCCESS stadium with an attendance of more than 53,000 people. as Houston reloaded with SWC Newcomers of the Year Sam Mack and Houston’s first athletics team was its intercollegiate basketball The contest lived up to all of its pregame hype, as Hayes sank two Bo Outlaw. Upchurch also returned for his senior season and the trio team, which began playing at the end of World War II. The Lone Star free throws in the final 29 seconds to give the Cougars a 71-69 victory. led the Cougars to another 25-win campaign. Conference suspended operations in 1943 and 1944 because of World After beating the Bruins, Houston finished the 1968 regular season with In 1992-93, Outlaw teamed with David Diaz and Anthony Gold- War II and invited Houston to join the league when it resumed in 1945. a 28-0 record atop both the AP and UPI national polls. wire to lead Houston to 21 wins and the NIT. Outlaw was named the Under the direction of head coach Alden Pasche, the Cougars Playing without starting point guard George Reynolds in the NCAA SWC Player of the Year after leading the nation in field-goal percentage played their first game against defending league champion North Texas Tournament, the Cougars advanced to their second straight NCAA Final and leading the SWC in blocked shots for the second straight year. He on Jan. 10, 1946. The Cougars’ starting lineup that night consisted of Four before falling to UCLA 101-69, as the Bruins used a box-and-one also chipped in with 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Diaz team captain and center Guy V. Lewis, forwards Jack Wagner and defense to handcuff Hayes. Houston ended the season as the first team led the Cougars with 17.2 points per game, while Goldwire averaged Dick Pratt, along with guards Willie Wells and Charlie Carpenter. in school history to win 30 games with a 31-2 record. 14.2 points and 5.7 assists per game in his first season as a Cougar. That night, Lewis scored 19 points, while Wells added 16 to lead After the season, Ken Spain became Houston’s first Olympian in Following the 1993 NIT, Foster resigned as head coach. Alvin the Cougars to a 62-35 victory. Pratt scored the first field goal in school 1968, when he helped the United States win a gold medal in Mexico Brooks, Foster’s assistant coach for seven seasons, was named head history and ended the game with 12 points for Houston. City. coach. The Cougars went on to finish the season with a 10-4 record and were the Lone Star Conference champions with an 8-2 league PERENNIAL POWER BROOKS NAMED HEAD COACH record. Lewis set a conference record, averaging 21.1 points in 10 After two consecutive NCAA Final Four Appearances, Houston’s Brooks enjoyed his best season as a head coach in 1995-96 when league games. national success continued in the 1970s, as the Cougars opened the he led Houston to a 17-10 record and a second-place finish in the final The Cougars won a second consecutive LSC championship the fol- decade with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Early in the season of the Southwest Conference. Houston also upset third-ranked lowing year as Lewis averaged 19.7 points per game and Wells added decade, the Cougars featured a lineup of All-Americans that included Memphis that year. 10.2 points per contest. Houston finished the 1946-47 season with a Ollie Taylor, point guard Poo Welch, 6-8 standout Dwight Davis The following year, Houston joined Conference USA and began to 15-7 overall record and was 11-1 in LSC play. and Louis Dunbar. Taylor led the Cougars to a NCAA Sweet 16 finish compete again in one of the nation’s top collegiate basketball leagues. in 1969-70. Welch and Davis combined to lead Houston to another Galen Robinson was the Cougars’ first C-USA honoree, earning All- HOUSTON CHANGES LEAGUES NCAA Sweet 16 the following year. Conference USA honors in 1996-97 and 1997-98. After a fourth place finish and a runner-up showing in the Lone Star Houston competed in its third straight NCAA Tournament in 1971- Conference standings in 1947-48 and 1948-49, the Cougars moved to 72, and Dwight Jones played for the U.S. Olympic team later that DREXLER RETURNS the Gulf Coast Conference and won a league championship with a 6-0 summer. In 1972-73, Houston was invited to the NCAA Tournament Following the 1997-98 season, former Cougar All-America player conference record in their only season as a league member. for a fourth straight year. That team was led by Jones and Dunbar, a Clyde Drexler returned to his alma mater as Houston’s head coach. Houston joined one of the nation’s strongest collegiate basketball 6-10 player who redefined the meaning of versatility by playing all five Drexler won his first game as head coach against Texas on national conferences, the Missouri Valley Conference, in 1950. positions on the court. He took those skills to the Harlem Globetrotters television. He also guided Houston to its first two C-USA road wins and spent more than 26 years as a player and coach. in his first year. IN THE VALLEY In 1975-76, Houston began playing in the Southwest Conference During his second season, Drexler led Houston to its first C-USA The Missouri Valley Conference featured 13 squads that were and went on to win three SWC regular season championships and five Tournament victory over Marquette in 1999-00. ranked among the nation’s Top Five teams from 1950-60. In addition SWC Postseason Tournaments during the next 20 years. Gee Gervin was an All-Conference USA First-Team selection in both to its outstanding teams, the MVC produced 28 All-America performers Houston also continued to produce All-American players. Otis 1998-99 and 1999-00. Kenny Younger also earned All C-USA Third- during the 1960s. Birdsong was named a consensus All-American in 1977 while leading Team honors in 1998-99. George Williams became the first Cougar The Cougars played their first game against a nationally ranked Houston to the NIT championship game. Birdsong was named the SWC in school history to earn C-USA All-Freshman team honors in 1998-99.