Bill Yeoman at a UH football game in 2012. | File Photo
UPDATED: Bill Yeoman, the winningest coach in the history of the Houston football program and an offensive pioneer in the game, died Wednesday in Houston.
“It was a great life,” his son, Bill Yeoman Jr. told Fox 26. “Very few people live a life as charmed as his.”
According to his son, Yeoman died of pneumonia and kidney failure around noon on Wednesday.
The 25-year tenured head coach, who was with the University from the early ’60s to the late ’80s, won 160 games as the leader of the Cougars. He is credited for inventing the veer formation offense. He took UH to 11 bowl games during his tenure, winning six of them.
“Coach Yeoman was a leader and visionary in our game,” current UH head coach Dana Holgorsen said in a statement released by the University. “Not only was he a Hall of Fame coach, but also he brought our program to national prominence during his tenure.
”His legacy will live on in our program and will stand the test of time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, former players and coaches.”
His resume was officially made legendary in 2001, when Yeoman, who won four Southwest Conference titles during his tenure, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“He turned the program into a winner,” his Hall of Fame profile says.
After his team beat Navy in the 1980 Garden State Bowl, it took the program nearly 30 years to win another postseason football game.
“For three decades, coach Yeoman worked tirelessly to build the foundation and set the standard for success at the University of Houston,” UH athletic director Chris Pezman said in a statement. “He was one of the most innovative minds in the history of the sport, securing his place in the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Coach Yeoman will always be beloved by his players and dedicated his life to helping them succeed on and off the playing field.”
The 92-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus in July and was in the hospital for a month but had recovered from the illness in early August.
