Welcome to the Big 12 Houston Cougars, Dana, and Kelvin Too

STILLWATER – The city hall in downtown Houston will light up scarlet to commemorate the event on Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1 as the University of Houston is back in a Power Five college athletic conference in the Big 12. It has been a longtime coming as Houston collegiate athletics have been in a wilderness after competing favorably, as a champion in the old Southwest Conference. Houston was left out of the Big 12, but now 28-years later, “they’re back!”

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Holgorsen and Houston are a fit.

Houston has a solid athletic program in sports as they have 13 total sports, five on the men’s side and eight on the women’s side. They have deep, even rivalry style relationships with TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State. They have very recognizeable coaches to all Big 12 fans in their two flagship sports with Dana Holgorsen in football and Kelvin Sampson in basketball. This is a huge win for the school and the city of Houston. It is also a good win for all of the Big 12.

Need to Know Facts

Official Name/Location/Date Established: University of Houston (started as Houston Junior College)/main campus Houston, Texas/March 7, 1927

Mascot: Cougars (Shasta)

Official Colors: Scarlet and White

Enrollment: 46,148

Famous Alumni: Bonnie Dunbar, astronaut; Elizabeth Warren, politician; Jim Parsons, actor; Andre Ware, football; Clyde Drexler, basketball. Hakeen Olajuwon, basketball

President or Chancellor: Renu Khator

Athletic Director: Chris Pezman (Vice-President for Athletics)

Sports Offered Total (Men’s/Women’s): 13 (5/8)

Current Head Coaches

Matilde Sanchez

TDECU Stadium on the UH campus.

Head Football Coach: Dana Holgorsen - 4 seasons (27-20)

Football Stadium/Capacity: TDECU Stadium (40,000)

Head Basketball Coach: Kelvin Sampson - 9 seasons (222-74)

Head Women’s Basketball Coach: Ronald Hughey - 9 seasons (120-154)

Basketball Arena/Capacity: Fertitta Center (7,100)

UH Athletics

Fertitta Center is home of Houston basketball.

Head Baseball Coach: Todd Whitting - 13 seasons (418-310-1)

Baseball Stadium/Capacity: Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park (3,500)

Head Softball Coach: Kristin Vesely - 8 seasons (186-163-1)

Softball Stadium/Capacity: Cougar Softball Stadium (1,200)

History Lesson with Oklahoma State

KFOR-TV

Sutton and Sampson before the 2018 basketball game with UH and OSU.

The deepest history by far of all the new teams in the Big 12 is with Houston. Let’s start with a fairly recent moment. Houston came in to play basketball at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Dec. 8, 2018 and former OU head coach Kelvin Sampson, now head coach at Houston knew the sting of losing to Oklahoma State as a Bedlam rival and knew the feeling of losing to Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton. Sutton in fading health was in a wheel chair next to the donor seating on the floor and before the game Sampson visited his old rival, even kissed him on the cheek. Then in postgame after Houston beat Oklahoma State 63-53, Sampson broke down emotionally in talking about his relationship with Sutton. It was the last time they would see each other.

Houston leads the overall series in basketball with Oklahoma State 13-9. It has been competitive. Houston also won the most recent meeting in a neutral game in Fort Worth 72-61 on Dec. 18, 2022.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Boone Pickens Stadium flew the four new flags on July 1.

In football, Houston barely leads the series 10-9-1. It started back in 1951 and for Oklahoma State there was a three-game winning streak where the Cowboys, unranked in those years, beat two highly-ranked Cougars teams including a 26-17 win in front of the home folks at Lewis Field over a powerful veer attack No. 11 Houston team coached by Bill Yeoman.

The most recent meetings have included a game in the rain in Houston where the Cougars and head coach Art Briles were aided by some highly questionable calls in a 34-25 win at Robertson Stadium. Oklahoma State won in 2008 and then the most recent meeting was a 45-35 win by Houston inside Boone Pickens Stadium in 2009. 

The rivalry is renewed with Houston-area Oklahoma State alumni and fans gearing up for a Nov. 18 game at TDECU Stadium on the UH campus. 

Baseball has met only three times believe it or not. Softball has met 13 times with Houston leading all-time 8-5, but the most important meetings happened in an NCAA Super Regional in Stillwater in 2011 with OSU winning two-of-three to advance to the Women’s College World Series.