1973 Houston Cougars football team
The 1973 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. It was the 28th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by 12th-year head coach Bill Yeoman who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. The team played its home games in the Astrodome, a 50,000-person capacity stadium off-campus in Houston at the Astrodomain. Houston competed as a member of the NCAA in the University Division, independent of any athletic conference. It was their fourteenth year of doing so. The Cougars had been admitted to the Southwest Conference two years prior, but were ineligible for conference play until the 1976 season.[1] After completion of the regular season, the Cougars were invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl where they defeated the Tulane Green Wave.[2]
| 1973 Houston Cougars football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl champion | |
Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, W 47–7 vs. Tulane | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 13 |
| AP | No. 9 |
| 1973 record | 11–1 |
| Head coach | Bill Yeoman (12th season) |
| Offensive coordinator | Bill Yeoman (12th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Houston Veer |
| Defensive coordinator | Don Todd (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Astrodome (50,000) |
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 15 | Rice | No. 18 | W 24–6 | 43,917[3] | ||
| September 27 | South Carolina | No. 16 |
| W 27–19 | 24,019[3] | |
| September 29 | at Memphis State | No. 15 |
| W 35–21 | 40,126[3] | |
| October 6 | at San Diego State | No. 14 |
| W 14–9 | 37,489[3] | |
| October 12 | Virginia Tech | No. 14 |
| W 54–27 | 27,103[3] | |
| October 19 | at Miami | No. 14 |
| W 30–7 | 29,340[3] | |
| October 27 | at No. 11 Auburn | No. 12 | L 0–7 | 58,426[3] | ||
| November 3 | Florida State | No. 18 |
| W 34–3 | 27,587[3] | |
| November 10 | at Colorado State | No. 15 | W 28–20 | 17,532[3] | ||
| November 24 | Wyoming | No. 14 |
| W 35–0 | 18,441[3] | |
| December 1 | Tulsa | No. 14 |
| W 35–16 | 21,500[3] | |
| December 29 | Tulane | No. 14 |
| ABC | W 47–7 | 44,358[3] |
| ||||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Alma mater (Year) | Year at Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Yeoman | Head coach/offensive coordinator | Army (1948) | 12th |
| Don Todd | Freshman Assistant Coach | Hardin–Simmons (1964) | 2nd |
| Melvin Brown | Offensive backs coach | Oklahoma (1954) | 11th |
| Billy Willingham | Offensive line coach | TCU (1951) | 8th |
| Barry Sides | Offensive line coach/defensive ends coach | Houston (1968) | 5th |
| Clarence Daniel | Defensive backs coach | Huron (1955) | 2nd |
| Larry French | Defensive coordinator | Colorado State (1965) | 4th |
| Joe Arenas | Wide receivers coach | Nebraska-Omaha (1951) | 11th |
| Carroll Schultz | Freshmen coach | Louisiana Tech (1948) | 12th |
| Bobby Baldwin | Freshmen coach | Houston (1958) | 9th |
References
- "Houston Joins Southwest Conference". Star-News. 1971-05-03. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
- "Cougars Rout Tulane 47–7". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. 1973-12-30. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
- "2009 Houston Cougars Media Guide: Year-by-Year results" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-20.