Houston head coach Willie Fritz walks off the field following a disastrous debut against UNLV on Aug. 31. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
From the dismal years of Dana Dimel to the untold stories of Willie Fritz, Houston’s head coaching debuts have and will continue to offer only snapshots of what’s to come.
Houston football coaches have kicked off their tenures with a fair share of blowouts and a handful of close calls. Here is a look at eight debuts this century.
Willie Fritz, 2024, 27-7 loss to Nevada Las Vegas
Fritz, the program’s 16th head coach, kicked off his 31st season as a head coach with a blowout loss to UNLV.
Houston struggled on both sides of the ball. The Cougars narrowly avoided a shutout, thanks to a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Ui Ale to junior wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV.
It’s yet to be seen if the Cougars will turn the page on the loss and recover the season.
“We have 11 opportunities left,” Fritz said. “We can’t sit there and not have our best attitudes this week, or we are destined to have the same outcome.”
Dana Holgorsen, 2019, 49-31 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma
Holgorsen kicked off his five-year stint in Houston by becoming the first UH head coach to face a ranked team in his Houston debut.
Oklahoma, led by now Philadelphia Eagle quarterback, Jalen Hurts, took a 21-0 lead early in the game.
Holgerson went on to finish his first season 4-8.
Major Applewhite, 2017, 19-16 win over Arizona
After Hurricane Harvey delayed his debut in Houston, Applewhite claimed his first win on the road.
That season, the Cougars finished with a 7-5 record.
Applewhite led UH to its fifth straight bowl appearance where they lost to Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl.
Tom Herman, 2015, 52-24 win over Tennessee Tech
Herman became the third coach in Houston history to lead the Cougars to 50+ points in their inaugural game, as Houston slaughtered Tennessee Tech in front of their home crowd.
The Cougars went on to win the American Athletic Conference Championship with their 13-1 record.
Herman became the fourth coach in NCAA history with at least 13 wins in his first season and the fifth to win the first 10 games of his career.
The Cougars became the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Champions after they defeated No. 9 Florida State, the fourth-ranked opponent they defeated in 2015.
Tony Levine, 2012, 30-13 loss to Texas State
Houston welcomed Levine as an official head coach when they kicked off their final year at Robertson Stadium. The Bobcats held UH to one touchdown.
Houston finished the season 5-7.
Kevin Sumlin, 2008, 55-3 win over Southern
Sumlin’s Cougars tallied 55 points in their opener, marking the most points recorded during a Houston coach’s debut, and the most in an opener since its 73-3 win over Louisiana Tech in 1991.
Sumlin led the Cougars to an 8-5 record, and they claimed the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, snapping their nearly three-decade-long winless postseason streak.
Art Briles, 2003, 48-14 win over Rice
became the first former Cougar football player to run the program.
In his debut, he led the team to a decisive win against crosstown rival, Rice. The margin of victory was Houston’s largest in the Bayou Bucket series since 1989.
Houston finished the season 7-6 and advanced to the Hawaii Bowl, their first since 1996.
Dana Dimel, 2000, 30-27 loss to Rice
Dimel kicked off the new century with an overtime loss against Rice. The Cougars would go on to finish the season 3-8.
