University of Houston Athletics
Memorable Moments in the Metroplex
3/27/2024 1:17:00 PM | General
Ahead of the Sweet 16, a look back at Houston’s biggest wins in DFW
DALLAS – When #2/2 (1) University of Houston Men's Basketball team takes the court in the Sweet 16 against #13/14 (4) Duke at 8:35 p.m., Friday at American Airlines Center, it will mark just the latest in marquee games for the Cougars in the Metroplex.
From Cotton Bowl Classics to Conference Championships, let's look back at Houston's key wins and most memorable matchups in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Men's Basketball
2022 American Athletic Conference Championship Game: #18 Houston 71, Memphis 53 (Video)
March 13, 2022 • Dickies Arena • Fort Worth
Fabian White Jr. and No. 18 Houston Men's Basketball were a lock for the NCAA Tournament long before they clinched an automatic berth. They made the day extra special with a 71-53 victory over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.
A day after being limited to less than three minutes in the semifinals because of back tightness, White scored 20 points. Fellow first-team All-AAC big man Josh Carlton had 18 for the Cougars.
Houston had a confetti-filled celebration on the court to mark the tournament title, then went and watched the selection show. After seeing their No. 5 seed in the South Region, matching up with UAB, the Cougars came back out to cut down the nets.
2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Game: #17 Houston 91, Cincinnati 54 (Video)
March 14, 2021 • Dickies Arena • Fort Worth
Quentin Grimes scored 21 points with five 3-pointers, Marcus Sasser had 16 points and No. 7 Houston Men's Basketball beat Cincinnati 91-54 in the third consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championship game between the two teams.
The Cougars were a lock for their 22nd NCAA Tournament berth even before leading the entire game to win their first conference tournament title since 2010, when they were still in Conference USA, and five seasons before Kelvin Sampson became their coach.
DeJon Jarreau, two days after a triple-double in the quarterfinal round, hit a 3-pointer for the first basket of the game to put to Cougars ahead to stay. He finished with 10 points.
Sasser had 14 of his points by halftime, when Houston led 41-27. Grimes then scored 10 points in a 12-0 run soon after the break, with the 6-foot-5 junior guard bookending the 2 1/2-minute spurt with a pair of 3-pointers, and in between making a jumper and a dunk.
1983 Southwest Conference Tournament Championship Game: Houston 62, TCU 59
March 12, 1983 • Reunion Arena • Dallas
Top-seed Houston Men's Basketball defeated No. 5 seed TCU, 62-59, earning its third Southwest Conference Championship to receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Michael Young was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. He was joined by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon on the All-Tournament Team.
The victory was the Cougars' 22nd consecutive as part of their magical 31-3 season which including a perfect 16-0 mark in league play. Houston went on to finish as NCAA National Runner-Up.
Women's Basketball
2004 Conference USA Tournament Championship Game: #11 Houston 86, #16 TCU 75
March 7, 2004 • Daniel-Meyer Coliseum • Fort Worth
Chandi Jones scored 24 of her 36 points in the second half, and No. 11 Houston Women's Basketball beat No. 16 TCU, 86-75, to win the Conference USA tournament title and earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament in 12 years.
The senior guard scored just two points in the first 12 minutes before Houston coach Joe Curl told Jones to be more aggressive offensively. She responded with 34 points in the final 28 minutes.
Playing in its first conference championship game, Houston won its 12th straight overall.
Football
2015 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34 (Video)
Jan. 2, 2015 • Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth
Houston Football quarterback Greg Ward had just thrown his third touchdown in a flurried comeback that included two recovered onside kicks in a row to get the Cougars within a point in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Interim coach David Gibbs never had a second thought on what to do with less than a minute left in the game.
"We decided to go for two at the end because we had the momentum," Gibbs said.
Deontay Greenberry, already with two TD catches in that final 3:41, made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion and the Cougars beat Pittsburgh 35-34 on Friday with an improbable comeback - the largest in an FBS game this season, and largest ever in a bowl game that didn't go into overtime.
2012 Ticket City Bowl: #20/17 Houston 30, #24/23 Penn State 14 (Video)
Jan. 1, 2012 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Case Keenum finished his record-setting career with another performance for the history books.
The sixth-year senior threw for 532 yards and three touchdowns, leading No. 20 Houston Football to 30-14 victory against No. 24 Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl.
The Cougars (13-1) finished with a school record for victories and made Tony Levine a winner in his debut as Houston coach. Keenum came into the game as the NCAA's career leader in yards passing and touchdowns passes, then set a bowl record with 227 yards passing in the first quarter.
1980 Cotton Bowl: #8 Houston 17, #7 Nebraska 14 (Video)
Jan. 1, 1980 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Houston Football quarterback Terry Elston hit Eric Herring with a six-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left to give the Cougars a 17-14 victory over seventh-ranked Nebraska in the 1980 Cotton Bowl. The victory lifted UH to an 11-1 record on the year, tying the most wins in school history, and a No. 5 final national ranking.
The Houston defense limited a potent Nebraska offense to just 227 yards on the day, less than half of their season average. The Cornhuskers, featuring Jarvis Redwine and I.M. Hipp, gained just 136 yards on 41 carries and tallied only 13 first downs in the game. Elston led Houston with 87 yards rushing on 22 carries while fullback John Newhouse added 64 yards. Herring caught five passes for 51 yards.
Cotton Bowl: #6 Houston 30, #4 Maryland 21 (Video)
Jan. 1, 1977 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Houston Football stunned the Southwest Conference by winning the conference title in its first year of competition in the league, earning its first trip to a New Year's Day bowl. Then, the Cougars stunned fourth-ranked and undefeated Maryland, 30-21, in the 41st Annual Cotton Bowl Classic to achieve its highest final national ranking ever.
UH jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead on the Terps, and that lead, as well as a strong defensive showing in the second half, carried the Cougars to victory. Running backs Alois Blackwell and Dyral Thomas each gained over 100 yards with Blackwell's 149 yards on 22 carries leading Houston. His success came against a Maryland defense ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, and he was named the game's Most Valuable Offensive Player. UH cornerback Mark Mohr, who made seven tackles, broke up two passes, blocked a punt and recovered a fumble, was the Defensive MVP.
Swimming & Diving
2023 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 13-18, 2023 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston Swimming & Diving program successfully defended its American Athletic Conference title for a seventh consecutive season at the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships.
Houston clinched the title with 1,311.5 points, 11.5 points ahead of FIU with 1,300 points. The point total was Houston's highest at the event, besting the program's previous high of 1,009 in 2021.
For a second consecutive season, Houston Head Coach Tanica Jamison was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Earlier in the week, Houston Diving Coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Women's Diving Coach of the Year and diver Chase Farris captured the Women's Most Outstanding Diver of the Year.
2022 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 16-19, 2022 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston swimming & diving team defended its American Athletic Conference title for the sixth straight season, tallying 866.5 team points to finish the four-day meet with four individual championships and two relay titles.
In her first year leading the team, Houston head coach Tanica Jamison was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Diving coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Women's Diving Coach of the Year. Mary Catherine Jurica was the league's Freshman of the Year.
2021 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 25-27, 2021 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston Swimming and Diving won its fifth consecutive American Athletic Championship by tallying 1,009 team points to finish the three-day meet with nine individual championships and five relay titles. Houston's 1,009 team points are the most in The American Conference Championship's history on the women's side.
For the fifth year in a row, Houston head coach Ryan Wochomurka was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Diving coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Co-Diving Coach of the Year. Mykenzie Leehy and Ioanna Sacha shared Swimmer of the Year honors, while Laura Garcia Marin was the league's Freshman of the Year.
2018 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 14-17, 2018 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
University of Houston Swimming & Diving program earned its second straight American Athletic Conference Championship. With a combined 826 points, 23 podium finishes and nine conference championships the Cougars retained control of the top spot in the American Athletic Conference.
The Cougars outscored second-place finisher, Cincinnati by 163 points. Head Coach Ryan Wochomurka was named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Becoming the second coach in program history to earn the honor twice.
Soccer
Houston 1, #15 SMU 0
Oct. 7, 2021 • Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium • Dallas
Houston Soccer snapped #15 SMU's eight-match unbeaten streak, using a penalty kick goal from senior midfielder Mia Brascia in the first half to hold off the Mustangs for a 1-0 victory. The win was Houston's first against SMU in more than a decade and first in program history at SMU.
Baseball
Houston 6, TCU 5
March 7, 1975 • TCU Diamond • Fort Worth
Houston reliever Steve Boron tossed 12.0 innings of scoreless relief, helping the Cougars to a 6-5 victory at TCU. Boron's 12.0 scoreless innings in relief remain as the most in single-game program history. His 12.0 innings pitched in relief matched James Ripple vs. Baylor (March 13, 1970) as the most in team lore. Boron went on to become the ninth pitcher in Cougar history to lead the club in ERA, wins and strikeouts in the same season.
Tennis
#24 Houston 5, SMU 2
March 22, 2014 • Northwood Country Club • Dallas
#24 Houston Tennis came out and dominated from the first serve, taking down in-state rival SMU, 5-2, for its first-ever victory at SMU and first win over the Mustangs since Feb. 21, 1988. With the win, Houston snapped a 10-match losing streak against the Mustangs en route to one of the best seasons in school history.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of University of Houston Athletics by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining Cougar Pride which provides financial support for student-athlete scholarships and priority needs of the Athletics Department.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougars on X, formerly Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at HoustonAthletics or on the team's Instagram page at houstoncougars.
From Cotton Bowl Classics to Conference Championships, let's look back at Houston's key wins and most memorable matchups in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Men's Basketball
2022 American Athletic Conference Championship Game: #18 Houston 71, Memphis 53 (Video)
March 13, 2022 • Dickies Arena • Fort Worth
Fabian White Jr. and No. 18 Houston Men's Basketball were a lock for the NCAA Tournament long before they clinched an automatic berth. They made the day extra special with a 71-53 victory over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.
A day after being limited to less than three minutes in the semifinals because of back tightness, White scored 20 points. Fellow first-team All-AAC big man Josh Carlton had 18 for the Cougars.
Houston had a confetti-filled celebration on the court to mark the tournament title, then went and watched the selection show. After seeing their No. 5 seed in the South Region, matching up with UAB, the Cougars came back out to cut down the nets.
2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Game: #17 Houston 91, Cincinnati 54 (Video)
March 14, 2021 • Dickies Arena • Fort Worth
Quentin Grimes scored 21 points with five 3-pointers, Marcus Sasser had 16 points and No. 7 Houston Men's Basketball beat Cincinnati 91-54 in the third consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championship game between the two teams.
The Cougars were a lock for their 22nd NCAA Tournament berth even before leading the entire game to win their first conference tournament title since 2010, when they were still in Conference USA, and five seasons before Kelvin Sampson became their coach.
DeJon Jarreau, two days after a triple-double in the quarterfinal round, hit a 3-pointer for the first basket of the game to put to Cougars ahead to stay. He finished with 10 points.
Sasser had 14 of his points by halftime, when Houston led 41-27. Grimes then scored 10 points in a 12-0 run soon after the break, with the 6-foot-5 junior guard bookending the 2 1/2-minute spurt with a pair of 3-pointers, and in between making a jumper and a dunk.
1983 Southwest Conference Tournament Championship Game: Houston 62, TCU 59
March 12, 1983 • Reunion Arena • Dallas
Top-seed Houston Men's Basketball defeated No. 5 seed TCU, 62-59, earning its third Southwest Conference Championship to receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Michael Young was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. He was joined by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon on the All-Tournament Team.
The victory was the Cougars' 22nd consecutive as part of their magical 31-3 season which including a perfect 16-0 mark in league play. Houston went on to finish as NCAA National Runner-Up.
Women's Basketball
2004 Conference USA Tournament Championship Game: #11 Houston 86, #16 TCU 75
March 7, 2004 • Daniel-Meyer Coliseum • Fort Worth
Chandi Jones scored 24 of her 36 points in the second half, and No. 11 Houston Women's Basketball beat No. 16 TCU, 86-75, to win the Conference USA tournament title and earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament in 12 years.
The senior guard scored just two points in the first 12 minutes before Houston coach Joe Curl told Jones to be more aggressive offensively. She responded with 34 points in the final 28 minutes.
Playing in its first conference championship game, Houston won its 12th straight overall.
Football
2015 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34 (Video)
Jan. 2, 2015 • Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth
Houston Football quarterback Greg Ward had just thrown his third touchdown in a flurried comeback that included two recovered onside kicks in a row to get the Cougars within a point in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Interim coach David Gibbs never had a second thought on what to do with less than a minute left in the game.
"We decided to go for two at the end because we had the momentum," Gibbs said.
Deontay Greenberry, already with two TD catches in that final 3:41, made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion and the Cougars beat Pittsburgh 35-34 on Friday with an improbable comeback - the largest in an FBS game this season, and largest ever in a bowl game that didn't go into overtime.
2012 Ticket City Bowl: #20/17 Houston 30, #24/23 Penn State 14 (Video)
Jan. 1, 2012 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Case Keenum finished his record-setting career with another performance for the history books.
The sixth-year senior threw for 532 yards and three touchdowns, leading No. 20 Houston Football to 30-14 victory against No. 24 Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl.
The Cougars (13-1) finished with a school record for victories and made Tony Levine a winner in his debut as Houston coach. Keenum came into the game as the NCAA's career leader in yards passing and touchdowns passes, then set a bowl record with 227 yards passing in the first quarter.
1980 Cotton Bowl: #8 Houston 17, #7 Nebraska 14 (Video)
Jan. 1, 1980 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Houston Football quarterback Terry Elston hit Eric Herring with a six-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left to give the Cougars a 17-14 victory over seventh-ranked Nebraska in the 1980 Cotton Bowl. The victory lifted UH to an 11-1 record on the year, tying the most wins in school history, and a No. 5 final national ranking.
The Houston defense limited a potent Nebraska offense to just 227 yards on the day, less than half of their season average. The Cornhuskers, featuring Jarvis Redwine and I.M. Hipp, gained just 136 yards on 41 carries and tallied only 13 first downs in the game. Elston led Houston with 87 yards rushing on 22 carries while fullback John Newhouse added 64 yards. Herring caught five passes for 51 yards.
Cotton Bowl: #6 Houston 30, #4 Maryland 21 (Video)
Jan. 1, 1977 • Cotton Bowl • Dallas
Houston Football stunned the Southwest Conference by winning the conference title in its first year of competition in the league, earning its first trip to a New Year's Day bowl. Then, the Cougars stunned fourth-ranked and undefeated Maryland, 30-21, in the 41st Annual Cotton Bowl Classic to achieve its highest final national ranking ever.
UH jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead on the Terps, and that lead, as well as a strong defensive showing in the second half, carried the Cougars to victory. Running backs Alois Blackwell and Dyral Thomas each gained over 100 yards with Blackwell's 149 yards on 22 carries leading Houston. His success came against a Maryland defense ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, and he was named the game's Most Valuable Offensive Player. UH cornerback Mark Mohr, who made seven tackles, broke up two passes, blocked a punt and recovered a fumble, was the Defensive MVP.
Swimming & Diving
2023 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 13-18, 2023 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston Swimming & Diving program successfully defended its American Athletic Conference title for a seventh consecutive season at the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships.
Houston clinched the title with 1,311.5 points, 11.5 points ahead of FIU with 1,300 points. The point total was Houston's highest at the event, besting the program's previous high of 1,009 in 2021.
For a second consecutive season, Houston Head Coach Tanica Jamison was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Earlier in the week, Houston Diving Coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Women's Diving Coach of the Year and diver Chase Farris captured the Women's Most Outstanding Diver of the Year.
2022 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 16-19, 2022 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston swimming & diving team defended its American Athletic Conference title for the sixth straight season, tallying 866.5 team points to finish the four-day meet with four individual championships and two relay titles.
In her first year leading the team, Houston head coach Tanica Jamison was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Diving coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Women's Diving Coach of the Year. Mary Catherine Jurica was the league's Freshman of the Year.
2021 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 25-27, 2021 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
Houston Swimming and Diving won its fifth consecutive American Athletic Championship by tallying 1,009 team points to finish the three-day meet with nine individual championships and five relay titles. Houston's 1,009 team points are the most in The American Conference Championship's history on the women's side.
For the fifth year in a row, Houston head coach Ryan Wochomurka was named The American's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. Diving coach Bob Gunter was selected as the league's Co-Diving Coach of the Year. Mykenzie Leehy and Ioanna Sacha shared Swimmer of the Year honors, while Laura Garcia Marin was the league's Freshman of the Year.
2018 American Athletic Conference Championships: 1st place
Feb. 14-17, 2018 • Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium • Dallas
University of Houston Swimming & Diving program earned its second straight American Athletic Conference Championship. With a combined 826 points, 23 podium finishes and nine conference championships the Cougars retained control of the top spot in the American Athletic Conference.
The Cougars outscored second-place finisher, Cincinnati by 163 points. Head Coach Ryan Wochomurka was named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Becoming the second coach in program history to earn the honor twice.
Soccer
Houston 1, #15 SMU 0
Oct. 7, 2021 • Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium • Dallas
Houston Soccer snapped #15 SMU's eight-match unbeaten streak, using a penalty kick goal from senior midfielder Mia Brascia in the first half to hold off the Mustangs for a 1-0 victory. The win was Houston's first against SMU in more than a decade and first in program history at SMU.
Baseball
Houston 6, TCU 5
March 7, 1975 • TCU Diamond • Fort Worth
Houston reliever Steve Boron tossed 12.0 innings of scoreless relief, helping the Cougars to a 6-5 victory at TCU. Boron's 12.0 scoreless innings in relief remain as the most in single-game program history. His 12.0 innings pitched in relief matched James Ripple vs. Baylor (March 13, 1970) as the most in team lore. Boron went on to become the ninth pitcher in Cougar history to lead the club in ERA, wins and strikeouts in the same season.
Tennis
#24 Houston 5, SMU 2
March 22, 2014 • Northwood Country Club • Dallas
#24 Houston Tennis came out and dominated from the first serve, taking down in-state rival SMU, 5-2, for its first-ever victory at SMU and first win over the Mustangs since Feb. 21, 1988. With the win, Houston snapped a 10-match losing streak against the Mustangs en route to one of the best seasons in school history.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of University of Houston Athletics by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining Cougar Pride which provides financial support for student-athlete scholarships and priority needs of the Athletics Department.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougars on X, formerly Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at HoustonAthletics or on the team's Instagram page at houstoncougars.
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