UH alumni and community members are invited to attend the University’s first Cougar Fest on Saturday.
A collaboration of the Department of Athletics, UH Army ROTC, the U.S. Army and the Texas National Guard, the event will begin at 8 a.m. at Robertson Stadium.
Director of Athletics Dave Maggard said he chose to combine the game and Army ROTC activities in an effort to give participants the best possible UH experience.
"The Cougar Fest is a great new thing we’re doing for our community, our alumni and our students and faculty to get people back on the campus, and to generate interest in our university," Maggard said.
Cougar Fest will promote various educational and athletic aspects of the University before kicking off the annual Red-White football game at noon.
After an Apache flyover and a 5 kilometer run, interactive games such as rock-climbing will be available to fans, and several organizations such as Union Pacific, Shell Global Solutions and the Houston Police Department will have booths designed to give students a chance to submit r’eacute;sum’eacute;s and inquire about employment opportunities.
Sports fans will hear from former Olympians such as basketball player Cynthia Cooper and sprinter Joe DeLoach at the Olympic Athlete Forum in the "Tailgate Village" area before watching the Army Golden Knights skydive into Robertson Stadium to deliver the game ball, according to a release.
"There’s going to be so many fun things for kids and adults in our community to do at this event before the football game even starts," Maggard said.
"We have such a beautiful campus, and we want people who maybe aren’t aware of the changes that have been taking place here to come out and see everything that we have going on." In addition to the pre-game activities, UH football players will meet fans for an autograph session after the game, as well as a barbecue for former UH athletes sponsored by Cougar Pride.
If you are interested in participating in the 5K run, contact Dale Marrou at (713) 743-3877.