Former-head coach Guy V. Lewis piloted the Cougars for 30 seasons and led the school to an all-time high level of success. | File photo/The Cougar
Guy V. Lewis was a Cougar for life.
From attending UH and playing basketball, to coaching his entire 30-year head career for the Cougars, Lewis did some spectacular things for the University and for the game of basketball.
Lewis became head coach of the Cougars in 1956 after serving as an assistant coach since 1953. Over the length of his career, Lewis would accomplish things that no one had before and no one has since.
He was a pioneer in more ways than one. Lewis considered the dunk as the highest percentage shot, telling his players to pass up the jump shot in favor of the dunk, a lesson his Phi Slama Jama teams took to heart.
Lewis was also one of the first coaches at a major university in the south to recruit African-American athletes. He made history when signing the first two black players at UH, Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney, in 1964.
The Cougars had one of their first great seasons under Lewis, with Chaney and Hayes buoying the roster during the 1967-1968 season.
During that season, UH strung together 31-straight wins, earning them a place in the Final Four, their second-consecutive appearance at the stage.
During that season, Lewis orchestrated “The Game of the Century” between the Cougars and the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins at the Astrodome. That game was the first of its kind as it was the first nationally televised regular season game.
The Cougars entered the game ranked second in the nation, while the Bruins held onto the top spot. Hayes, Chaney and UH came out victorious in an all-time great matchup over UCLA and Lew Alcindor, who would later be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Though the Cougars weren’t able capture a title, that season helped to promote both the game of basketball and boost UH in the public eye.
Lewis and the Cougars exploded with the Phi Slama Jama teams, the high-flying fraternity of players which featured such legends as Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Micheaux, Michael Young and more.
After a couple of years with either early first-round exits or no appearances in the NCAA tournament at all, the Cougars again made a deep run into the playoffs during the 1981-1982 season.
The next two seasons, the Phi Slama Jama and Lewis led the Cougars to back-to-back Southwest Conference titles and records of 31-3 and 32-5 respectively. The Cougars also made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship game, but failed to capture a title in those two appearances.
Lewis coached two more season for UH before retiring from the game with a 592-279 all-time record.
During his tenure, Lewis revolutionized the men’s basketball program at UH, coaching legends like Hayes, Olajuwon, Drexler, Chaney, Otis Birdsong, Dwight Jones, Louis Dunbar and Ken Spain.
During his career, Lewis was twice named the AP Coach of the Year, once in 1968 and again in 1983. He was also inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
He is gone now, but the work Lewis did with the team and the impact of his time here will be felt for years to come.
