HOUSTON – As the University of Houston celebrates its 75 years of Houston Athletics with festivities and tributes planned throughout the 2021-22 sports calendar, the Men’s Basketball program revealed its All-Time Starting Five at halftime of Saturday’s game against Wichita State inside the Fertitta Center.
In voting by the fans, Rob Williams (point guard), Otis Birdsong (shooting guard), Clyde Drexler (wing), Elvin Hayes (power forward) and Hakeem Olajuwon (center) were selected with Guy V. Lewis as coach.
Lewis led the Cougars to 600 wins with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, five NCAA Final Four berths, two NCAA Tournament Championship game appearances and six Southwest Conference titles from 1956 to 1986.
Combined, the players appeared in nearly 500 games in the Scarlet & White, accumulating 10,269 points with 4,403 rebounds and 1,261 assists with 11 NCAA Tournaments, seven NCAA Final Four appearances and an NIT Championship Game between them.
ROB WILLIAMS – Point Guard
• First Cougar to be named NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player (1982)
• 1982 All-America Second-Team selection
• 1981 All-America Honorable Mention
• 1981 USBWA District Player of the Year
• Three-time All-Southwest Conference First-Team honoree (1982, 1981, 1980)
• 1981 Southwest Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player
• Two-time Southwest Conference All-Tournament Team member (1982, 1981)
• Ranked among Houston’s Top-10 career leaders in both scoring and assists
• Selected with the No. 19 pick of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets
OTIS BIRDSONG – Shooting Guard
• 2018 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2000 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Four-year letterman from 1973 to 1977
• 1977 Consensus All-American
• 1977 Southwest Conference Player of the Year
• Southwest Conference Player of the Decade for the 1970s
• Remains the second-leading scorer in program history more than 40 years after his final collegiate game
• No. 2 player taken in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Kansas City Kings
• #10 jersey retired on Jan. 18, 1997
CLYDE DREXLER – Wing
• 2004 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to two NCAA Final Fours and 1983 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game
• 1983 All-America First-Team selection after averaging 15.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior
• Three-year letterman from 1980 to 1983
• Member of the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team for the 1980s
• Remains the school career record-holder with 268 steals nearly 40 years after his final collegiate game
• Only player in school history with 1,000+ points, 900+ rebounds, 300+ assists and 250+ steals
• Selected with the No. 14 pick of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers
• #22 jersey retired on Feb. 12, 1997
ELVIN HAYES – Power Forward
• 1990 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2013 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1974 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to first two NCAA Final Four appearances in school history (1968-67)
• Continues to hold scoring and rebounding career, single-season and season game record more than 50 years after his final collegiate game
• 1968 National Player of the Year
• Three-time First-Team All-American (1968, 1967, 1966)
• Scored 39 points with 15 rebounds to lead No. 2 Houston to a 71-69 upset over No 1 UCLA inside the Houston Astrodome during the Game of the Century in front of nearly 53,000 fans
(Jan. 20, 1968)
• First Cougar to be taken with No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets in 1968
• One of first two African-American basketball student-athletes in Houston history
• #44 jersey retired on Dec. 18, 1993
HAKEEM OLAJUWON – Center
• 2008 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to three NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA Tournament National Championship game appearances
• 1983 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player – Last student-athlete from a team which did not win the national championship to be so honored
• Only Cougar to be named NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player twice (1984, 1983)
• 1984 Consensus All-American
• 1984 Southwest Conference Player of the Year
• Third player in NCAA history to lead nation in two statistical categories in 1983-84 (67.7 FG%; 13.5 rpg)
• Second Cougar to be taken with No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets in 1984
• #34 jersey retired on Feb. 12, 1997
GUY V. LEWIS – Coach
• 2013 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2007 College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee as coach
• 1971 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee as student-athlete
• Assembled a 592-279 career record from 1956 to 1986
• Led Cougars to four Southwest Conference Tournament championships and two Southwest Conference regular-season titles
• Produced 15 All-Americans with 26 1,000-Point scorers, two NBA Draft No. 1 overall picks, 11 NBA Draft First-Round selections, and 29 NBA Draft selections
In voting by the fans, Rob Williams (point guard), Otis Birdsong (shooting guard), Clyde Drexler (wing), Elvin Hayes (power forward) and Hakeem Olajuwon (center) were selected with Guy V. Lewis as coach.
Lewis led the Cougars to 600 wins with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, five NCAA Final Four berths, two NCAA Tournament Championship game appearances and six Southwest Conference titles from 1956 to 1986.
Combined, the players appeared in nearly 500 games in the Scarlet & White, accumulating 10,269 points with 4,403 rebounds and 1,261 assists with 11 NCAA Tournaments, seven NCAA Final Four appearances and an NIT Championship Game between them.
ROB WILLIAMS – Point Guard
• First Cougar to be named NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player (1982)
• 1982 All-America Second-Team selection
• 1981 All-America Honorable Mention
• 1981 USBWA District Player of the Year
• Three-time All-Southwest Conference First-Team honoree (1982, 1981, 1980)
• 1981 Southwest Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player
• Two-time Southwest Conference All-Tournament Team member (1982, 1981)
• Ranked among Houston’s Top-10 career leaders in both scoring and assists
• Selected with the No. 19 pick of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets
OTIS BIRDSONG – Shooting Guard
• 2018 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2000 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Four-year letterman from 1973 to 1977
• 1977 Consensus All-American
• 1977 Southwest Conference Player of the Year
• Southwest Conference Player of the Decade for the 1970s
• Remains the second-leading scorer in program history more than 40 years after his final collegiate game
• No. 2 player taken in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Kansas City Kings
• #10 jersey retired on Jan. 18, 1997
CLYDE DREXLER – Wing
• 2004 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to two NCAA Final Fours and 1983 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game
• 1983 All-America First-Team selection after averaging 15.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior
• Three-year letterman from 1980 to 1983
• Member of the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team for the 1980s
• Remains the school career record-holder with 268 steals nearly 40 years after his final collegiate game
• Only player in school history with 1,000+ points, 900+ rebounds, 300+ assists and 250+ steals
• Selected with the No. 14 pick of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers
• #22 jersey retired on Feb. 12, 1997
ELVIN HAYES – Power Forward
• 1990 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2013 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1974 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to first two NCAA Final Four appearances in school history (1968-67)
• Continues to hold scoring and rebounding career, single-season and season game record more than 50 years after his final collegiate game
• 1968 National Player of the Year
• Three-time First-Team All-American (1968, 1967, 1966)
• Scored 39 points with 15 rebounds to lead No. 2 Houston to a 71-69 upset over No 1 UCLA inside the Houston Astrodome during the Game of the Century in front of nearly 53,000 fans
(Jan. 20, 1968)
• First Cougar to be taken with No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets in 1968
• One of first two African-American basketball student-athletes in Houston history
• #44 jersey retired on Dec. 18, 1993
HAKEEM OLAJUWON – Center
• 2008 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee
• Led Houston to three NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA Tournament National Championship game appearances
• 1983 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player – Last student-athlete from a team which did not win the national championship to be so honored
• Only Cougar to be named NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player twice (1984, 1983)
• 1984 Consensus All-American
• 1984 Southwest Conference Player of the Year
• Third player in NCAA history to lead nation in two statistical categories in 1983-84 (67.7 FG%; 13.5 rpg)
• Second Cougar to be taken with No. 1 overall pick in NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets in 1984
• #34 jersey retired on Feb. 12, 1997
GUY V. LEWIS – Coach
• 2013 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2007 College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1998 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee as coach
• 1971 Houston Athletics Hall of Honor inductee as student-athlete
• Assembled a 592-279 career record from 1956 to 1986
• Led Cougars to four Southwest Conference Tournament championships and two Southwest Conference regular-season titles
• Produced 15 All-Americans with 26 1,000-Point scorers, two NBA Draft No. 1 overall picks, 11 NBA Draft First-Round selections, and 29 NBA Draft selections
• Following Saturday’s game, the Cougars will take a week-long break from competition before meeting Tulsa at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 15, inside the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla. That game will air on ESPN2.
• The Cougars then return to the Fertitta Center to play two straight home games, starting 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18, vs. South Florida and continuing at 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 22, vs. East Carolina.
• All Houston Men’s Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.
anytime or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours.
Fans who were unable to secure 2021-22 season tickets may start preparing for next season by putting down a $75 deposit and placing their names on the
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Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men’s Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
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