University of Houston Athletics
Brother Boosters Backing Briles and the Cougars
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 26, 2004
HOUSTON - For brothers Barry and Don Milner, giving to the University of Houston Athletics Department was not a difficult decision. In fact, the generous Cougar boosters have considered it payment for a past debt that enabled them to build a successful company.
"We both put a lot of pride in the fact that we graduated from there," Barry Milner said. "A lot of people don't do enough. They took advantage of receiving an education but are not giving back."
Co-founders of ExploreCo Pipe Limited -- a Houston-based company that sells pipes for oil and gas wells - the Milner brothers with their wives Celia and Vicky - have regularly donated both their time and money to the Cougars Athletics Department for the last six years. To help the University generate positive publicity, one facet quickly came to mind, Barry Milner said.
"Athletics brings the most attention to a program, so it's hard to sit back and watch the school not have a great athletics program," he said.
An avid Cougar supporter since the early 1970s, the brothers reveled in Cougar history with Phi Slamma Jamma, Cotton Bowl appearances and Heisman Trophy and Lombardi Award winners.
With the Cougar Football program jumping out to a 5-3 start in 2003, the Milners see good times around the corner for the UH Athletics Department, and it's starting to show everywhere. As a suite-holder in both football and men's basketball, Barry Milner said it was often difficult in past years to find someone to go with him to the games. However, with the Cougars' solid start, that hasn't been the case in 2003.
"This year, for the first time, I have had to be selective," Milner said.
And that's not the only positive feedback that he has received. His vehicle bears a license plate with "UH FAN" proudly displayed. After going unappreciated for a long time, Milner said Cougar fans have been honking at him for the last month and proudly displaying the UH hand sign.
With more than 300 student-athletes competing at the University of Houston, every donation can make an immediate impact in the overall maintenance of the Cougar Athletics Department. And Barry Milner said that the gratitude he has received from Cougar administrators separates UH from other schools
"It's easy to give to the school because people are so appreciative of it," Milner said. "At other schools, you might just become another donor, lost in the shuffle. But not here, and that's been important for us."
