University of Houston Athletics
Cougars to Host Howie Ryan Invitational
1/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
HOUSTON - After traveling out of state for the first time this season, the Houston Cougar track and field team returns home to host the 2015 Howie Ryan Invitational on Friday Jan. 30 and Saturday Jan. 31 at the Yeoman Fieldhouse.
The Howie Ryan Invitational will be Houston's first multi-day meet of the season and will feature 16 NCAA Division I teams from around the nation. Athletes from Central Arkansas, Grambling, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar, New Orleans, Northwestern State, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Sam Houston State, SMU, SFA, Texas, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas State and UTSA will compete in this weekend's meet along with countless other club teams and individual athletes.
Action is scheduled to begin on Friday at 10 a.m., with the women's weight throw and will continue throughout the day. The Pentathlon events will begin at noon, and the running events will kick off at 4:30 p.m., with the women's 400-meter dash.
Events will resume on Saturday at 9 a.m., with the women's shot put, with running events starting at noon with the semifinals of the women's 60-meter dash. A special presentation will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, to honor Houston's 18 seniors as part of the team's Senior Day festivities.
FOLLOW ALONG LIVE
For fans unable to attend the weekend's action, live stats will be available courtesy of Flash Results Texas. Live Results can be found by visiting FlashResultsTexas.com and following the appropriate links, or by clicking here.
ABOUT HOWIE RYAN
Ryan was a three-time letterwinner for the Cougars from 1965-1967 and helped lead the Cougars to Top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships during each of those seasons.
While competing for Houston, Ryan set new school records in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase. He was a nationally ranked competitor and participated in 12 national championships. No doubt Ryan had the endurance for distance, the agility to make it over steeples, and the speed to compete at the national level.
Former head track and field coach, Tom Tellez, remembered Ryan as "a kind individual that would do anything for others and he was a tough competitor."
In 1966, he was an NCAA All-American and later pursued excellence as he qualified for the 1972 Olympic Trials in the 5,000m run and in the steeplechase and again in 1976 in the steeplechase.
Following his competitive career, Howie began his coaching career at the high school level in 1970 before returning to his alma mater in 1976, where he was a coach for the Cougars for 26 seasons.
"I hired him right away and he was with me my whole time at UH. He related well with the athletes and was very knowledgeable about distance running," Tellez said.
After a coaching career that spanned decades and included the mentoring of numerous champions, he retired in 2002.
His life was short-lived as the Cougar great passed away on June 3, 2008 at the age of 63.
"Howie Ryan was all about his athletes," former athlete, Kyle Tellez recalled. "He would run with us during workouts, and he pushed as both a coach and training partner."
Ryan's contributions not only as an athlete, but also as a coach and mentor serve as a lasting legacy to the Houston cross-country and track and field programs. He will forever be remembered for his ability to motivate and lead by example.
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