Members of the Spirit of Houston marching band performed in Austin at UHS Day at the Capitol on Feb. 23. | Cara Smith/The Cougar
At the UHS Day at the Capitol on Feb. 23, students and alumni lobbied for some of the University’s biggest legislative goals — tuition revenue bonds, funding for a Public Affairs school and Hazlewood reimbursements. But one subject near and dear to Texans’ hearts came up throughout the lobbying: football.
Representatives of the University were vocal about UH’s ambitions to become part of the Big 12 Athletic Conference. Trey Wilkinson, chair-elect of the UH Alumni Association, stressed the importance of competitive athletics in alumni engagement.
Wilkinson attended UH and played for the golf team in the mid ‘90s; he said being a member of the Southwest conference “really put them on the map” in terms of alumni engagement and being able to offer competitive athletics. He was at UH around the time when Andre Ware won the Heisman trophy, and when basketball “was still terrific.”
“To see us get kind of left behind when the Big 12 was formed was certainly disappointing, and we’re very, very engaged in trying to get ourselves into a better athletic place. We’re happy with our affiliation with the American Athletic Conference — it’s a much better conference than where we were before,” Wilkinson said. “But there’s no question that with the changing landscape of college athletics, it’s important if you can to get (into a higher conference).”
This comes off the heels of Board of Regents chairman Tillman Fretitta calling it “an embarassment” that UH hasn’t received a Big 12 bid yet despite its location in the fourth-largest city in the United States. Currently, the Big 12 includes four Texas universities: University of Texas, Baylor University, Texas Christian University and Texas Tech University.
During her address to the attendees of UHS Day at the Capitol, President and Chancellor Renu Khator highlighted UH’s football team and its importance for all students of the UH System, making note of new head coach Tom Herman’s “fire” and passion for students.
“There are some things the system has together, (but there are some things) where there is only one,” Khator said. “We have one chancellor, good or bad, take it or leave it… But you also only have one football team in the system, and you have one coach.”
In the past, Khator has championed athletics as being integral to student and alumni engagement and key to giving students “bragging rights” for their university. UH’s recent hire of Herman aligns its focus on athletics as the fundamental block to help UH receive funding and national attention.
Its about time we’ve got people in power positions related to the University actually being vocal. Call it begging, bullying, hustling, etc. Its just good to know we’re not gonna sit on our hands.
it will never happen, Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, and even A&M will never let it happen. they all know that as soon as UH is in a power 5 conference there will be no stopping the cougars, when UH coaches can go in the homes Houston bred 5 star talent and offer a chance at a national tilte and a chance to play against the big boys, the horns, Aggies, Bears, and such are finished. way to many politicians having their pockets padded by boosters to give in to letting the cougars in the big 12
Uhm, I don’t know if you noticed ‘football forever’ but A&M isn’t in the B12. They have less than zero say. In fact, it their exit from the B12 that makes UH’s entrance into the B12 more likely in the future. The B12 is losing the Houston market to the SEC at a rapid pace. There aren’t many Tech, Baylor or TCU fans in Houston and even less B12 fans from schools North of the Texas border like OU, OSU, KU, KSU, ISU. With UT having down years in football its exacerbated the problem. But even if/when UT gets back it won’t help the other schools Houston ratings…and Houston’s 6+Million TV viewers are important
IAll UH has to do is keep its upward trajectory and it is only a matter of time before they are a P5 school. I see it as a ‘when’ not ‘if’ question.
There are some short sighted people in power in the Big 12 or Houston would already be invited to the conference. The SEC just might like to be in Houston and take UH. It would serve the Big 12 right.i