Football Sports

Football retires jersey No. 7 in honor of two quarterbacks

Case Keenum

Quarterback Case Keenum scored 178 touchdowns in his time as the Cougar signal-caller. | File photo/The Cougar

A historic number is up.

The Cougars announced Wednesday that no other Cougar football player — besides quarterbacks David Klingler and Case Keenum — will be No. 7 following the 2016 season. This action will take effect on Oct. 29 when the team faces the University of Central Florida Knights.

Klinger and Keenum are two of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NCAA history. Klingler sported the number from 1988 to 1991 while Keenum wore it from 2006 to 2011.

Together, the duo owns 32 NCAA records.

Keenum played six seasons with the Cougars after redshirting his freshman season and a medical waiver in his junior season. In his tenure, Keenum accumulated 20,114 yards of total offense — still an NCAA record.

Keenum, now a quarterback for Los Angeles Rams, is the most successful player in his position in UH football history with a 37-14 career record as the signal-caller. He finished his career on a high note by leading the Cougars to a 13-1 record and a win in the 2012 TicketCity Bowl over Pennsylvania State University.

Klingler rose to prominence in the 1990 season when he stepped in as the Cougars’ full-time starting quarterback. He captivated fans by completing 374 passes for 5,140 yards.

Klingler also tallied 54 touchdowns to just 20 interceptions in the season.

On Nov. 17, 1990, Klingler became a college football legend when he threw a record 11 touchdown passes against the Eastern Washington Eagles. The record remains unbroken.

The Houston native was known for his big-game potential as he had five career games with at least seven touchdowns. In a game against Louisiana Tech University in 1991, Klinger threw a record eight touchdowns in the second quarter.

According to a UH press release, to be eligible for jersey retirement at UH, a player must meet at minimum two of the following requirements:

  • Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
  • Major National Award Winner
  • Consensus All-American
  • Conference Most Valuable Player/Player of the Year
  • Three-time All-Conference First Team member
  • Hold at least 5 NCAA Records for at least 10 years

No. 7 will become the third number retired in program history after 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware’s No. 11 and 1976 Lombardi Award winner Wilson Whitley’s No. 78.

The Cougars will battle UCF at 11 a.m. in TDECU Stadium.

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