University of Houston Athletics
UH Board of Regents Approves Sumlin Contract
1/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 23, 2010
Houston, Texas - The University of Houston Board of Regents voted unanimously on Friday to approve a new six-year contract for head football coach Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin's new deal runs through the 2015 season.
:Coach Sumlin has brought a new age to Cougar Football," said Regent Chairman Welcome Wilson, Sr. "The board is anxious that that this success continues. We were unanimous in approving a six-year contract for Kevin because we feel he is exactly the charismatic leader that the University of Houston needs.
"At the board meeting many Regents chimed in to express satisfaction and support for what Coach Sumlin has done. We think Kevin Sumlin is a class act."
Sumlin has guided the Cougars to back-to-back appearances in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, capturing the Conference USA West Division this past season and having posted a two-year record of 18-9. In his first season at the helm of the Cougar program in 2008, Sumlin led Houston to its first bowl win in 28 years.
This past season Sumlin put the Cougars back on the national map, as he coached Houston to a 10-4 record in a season that saw UH rise as high as No. 12 in the national polls. Along the way Sumlin knocked off No. 5 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, as well as Texas Tech at home and Mississippi State on the road, becoming the only BCS non-Automatic Qualifier team to defeat three BCS AQ squads.
Sumlin's 2009 team led the nation in total offense, passing, scoring and first downs, while recording a 5,000-yard passer (Case Keenum) and three 1,000-yard receivers (Tyron Carrier, James Cleveland and Patrick Edwards); a feat accomplished only two other times in Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) history.
Keenum finished eighth in the 2009 Heisman Trophy balloting, was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, Maxwell Trophy and Manning Award and won the Sammy Baugh Quarterback Award. Keenum also led the nation in total offense in both 2008 and 2009, while topping the nation in passing yards per game and points responsible for in '09.
Last week Sumlin was a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for National Coach of the Year, and he was joined by Mack Brown (Texas), Jim Harbaugh (Stanford), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech), Chip Kelly (Oregon), Chris Petersen (Boise State) and Nick Saban (Alabama) in contention for the prestigious award.
