Art Briles Named Houston Football Head Coach
12/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 6, 2002
HOUSTON - Former Cougar standout Art Briles has been named the 10th head football coach in the University of Houston's history, UH Athletics Director Dave Maggard announced today. Briles becomes the first-ever former UH player to lead the Cougar football program.
After his exhaustive search, Maggard is pleased he has found the coach to return the Cougars to glory.
"During the past several days of our search for a new head football coach," said Maggard, "I have interviewed in person as well as by phone many candidates for the position as well as gathering background information on the candidates, their coaching abilities and fit for the University of Houston. I had heard about Art Briles a short time following my arrival at Houston, his being a member of the 76 Cotton Bowl team as well as his outstanding coaching abilities.
"Everyone with whom I have spoken hold him in high regard. He commands great respect from the college community and is especially well thought of by high school coaches in the State of Texas. It was essential that we attract someone who could recruit the entire State as well as the Houston region. He is known as a great innovator of the game and especially on offense and developing quarterback play. I consistently heard of his ability to motivate and prepare a team both mentally and physically. His strong work ethic is well known throughout the State. He brings great passion to his work and a desire to succeed.
"We are fortunate to have a man of Art Briles' caliber return to the University of Houston. I am convinced that he is the person to meet the challenge of rejuvenating our football program, so that all Cougars can take pride in the caliber of the team as well as their representation of the University and community. "
UH System Chancellor and UH President Arthur K. Smith praised both Briles' coaching ability and Maggard's diligent search.
"The thoroughness and speed in which Dave Maggard moved to fill this key position in our athletics program -- by hiring someone as well-qualified to recruit Texas and Houston for our football program as Art Briles - is a tribute to Dave's skill as an administrator and a recruiter," said Smith. "Art Briles fits into our stated mission of returning Cougar football to greatness, as well as our commitment to the academic success of our student athletes. Coach Briles' past accomplishments at the high school and college levels in Texas speak volumes about the character of the person who will start recruiting for UH tomorrow."
As for Briles, he is elated to return to his old stomping grounds and excited about rejuvenating the Cougar football program.
"This is definitely something I have aspired to do...be a Division I-A head football coach," said Briles. "This is a dream come true. I have bled the blood over the years to get to this point, and I am excited about this opportunity. (The game of football) is much more about the players than the coaches, but I am eager to jump right in with both feet.
"I want to express gratitude to both Chancellor Smith and Mr. Maggard to have the faith and confidence in me. It is a privilege for me to come back to UH and follow and carry on the tradition of excellence laid by Coach (Bill) Yeoman. I want to bring excitement back to Cougar football, so I want to show the players how we can accomplish this. There are no shortcuts. I have to emphasize to them that they must be better tomorrow than we are today.
"We will play great defense and get after the other teams. We also will be disciplined and tough, and we'll walk off that field after every game knowing we gave it everything we could.
"I am excited about returning to Houston and getting to see old friends who not only live in Houston, but also coach in the local high schools."
A former wide receiver for the Cougars in the early-to-mid 70s, Briles played for the legendary UH head coach Bill Yeoman and was a member of the 1976 Cougar squad that captured the Southwest Conference championship in UH's first-season in the league. He later played in the 1977 Cotton Bowl against Maryland, a game won by the Cougars, 30-21.
Briles returns to the place where his collegiate career began after spending the last three years as the running backs coach at Texas Tech University, where the Red Raider rushing attack drastically improved with each year. Freshman running back Taurean Henderson led the Red Raider rushing game, which averaged over 100 yards for the first time since the current staff's arrival, with 733 yards on 143 carries and 5.1 yards per attempt. Henderson also broke the freshman record for scoring with 11 touchdowns, six on the ground and five in the air.
Briles' running game complimented the air-it-out style of Leach. The Red Raiders led the Big 12 Conference and ranked fourth nationally in total offense and was seventh nationally in scoring at 37.1 points per game.
When Briles accepted the position, he inherited one of the nation's top running backs in Ricky Williams and a corps of underclassmen. Williams finished the 2001 campaign as the nation's second-leading receiver and was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection as an all-purpose back and a second-team pick as a running back. Williams finished second in the Big 12 with 122.7 all-purpose yards per game.
Texas Tech's record-breaking quarterback Kliff Kingsbury had nothing but praise for his former mentor.
"I think he'll breathe life into the (UH) program," commented Kingsbury. "He knows the game of football and knows high school football in this state, and more importantly, he is a player's coach.
"The fans down there will enjoy his brand of football. It will be exciting, and I expect to see big things there."
Briles spent 12 seasons at Stephenville (Texas) High School prior to his arrival at Texas Tech. During his tenure, the Yellowjackets won four state championships, including back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. His 1998 team posted a national record 8,650 yards of total offense and also holds the third and fourth positions on the national all-time list. During a six-year stretch, he set a record as his teams posted a 90-2-1 mark during the run. While coaching high school, Briles developed six Division I quarterbacks and had five quarterbacks throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. Briles has spent his entire coaching career in the state of Texas. He began at Sundown as an assistant in 1979 and moved on to Sweetwater for four seasons as an assistant in 1980. His first head coaching opportunity came at Hamlin in 1984-86, where he also served as athletic director.
In 1986, Briles began a two-year stint at head coach and athletic director at Georgetown, before moving on to Stephenville in 1988.
Briles received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Tech in 1979 and a Master's of Education from Abilene Christian University. He played collegiately at the University of Houston as a wide receiver from 1974-77.
Briles and his wife, Jan, have three children, Jancy, who is currently attending the University of Houston's pharmacy school this fall; Kendal, a redshirt freshman football player at Texas; and Staley, a junior in high school.
The contract for Briles will be for five years at a base salary of $250,000. With incentives the entire package could reach $450,000.