“In 1993, the (UH) Faculty Senate made a demand — abolish intercollegiate athletics — which led to a vote to recommend forgoing Division 1-A athletics… The vote passed 25-15, but the UH System Board of Regents denied the request… ‘I’d be surprised if we still had intercollegiate athletics in five years,’ (Physics Prof. George Reiter) told the Chicago Tribune in 1993 after the Faculty Senate’s vote. ‘Do we really want to be a part of the entertainment industry?’”
My reply to his rhetorical question: “Heck, Yes we want to be part of the alum entertainment industry! You don’t get 40,000 Coogs coming back to Cullen Blvd. several Saturdays each fall to watch the Physics Dept!”
That was the result of some narrow minded, uninformed or ignorant academics. These kind of folks belong over at Lone Star College rather than at UH.
I recall a sideline conversation (back in that era) during a spring football drill with such an “academic” type who mentioned that he thought our resources might better be spent on professors’ salaries. So then I asked him how he came to choose to attend/teach at the University of Houston rather than at the University of Dallas. Perplexed, he looked at me and said he had never even heard of the University of Dallas. So then I answered him along the lines of - “that’s right since they don’t have an athletic program they are largely irrelevant!”
Thankfully, Renu Khator is keenly aware of how important a prominent athletics program is to the overall health and growth of a major public university. Her visionary comment that athletics is the “front porch of the university” reflects her terrific intellect and leadership.
Not everyone who isn’t super gung ho. Isn’t part of some sinister conspiracy. All schools have this faction of academics. Yes even Texas and Aggie. They aren’t vocal about it but they are there. These faculty believe that college should be about education first through last.
Schools with mediocre/bad programs ten be too have s much louder wing. Especially for us back in the early 90’s when resources for everyone were seriously scarce, and we started our decent into the athletic abyss. The faculty smelled blood, and saw an opportunity for that pool of money going to athletics to come to them.
The irony of the argument is that a successful athletic program actually increases the number of applicants. That in turn, allows a school to be more selective in whom it accepts and you get better students. Better students raise the academic profile of students. This could lead to more alumni contributions when they graduate. Maybe even more money for faculty salaries.
I have once said before on here. People like that do not need to be employed by the university! I hope everyone of those 25 are banished from the our beloved university. I obtained a degree from this school and am damn proud of it too! But reality is reality and I know damn well people wouldn’t know UH without football and basketball! Athletics is the main money driver & marketing arm for the university!
Triggered. I lived through this crap. My respects to the professor, but that Faculty Senate could go eff themselves. Imagine Coach Brooks trying to recruit and keep the basketball program together while this crap was going on. I am happy for him that he is on the current staff. Of course, the senate vote was just one of many events that expressed the university’s downward spiral.
I was at UH from '88 to '97, '88-92 as a part time student while working before going full time. I would say that '93 was the year that traditions died and cohesive school spirit and pride also died. It was nothing like the '88-'92 years, coincidentally when we were having great success in athletics. There was no pride in going to UH nor was there anything resembling alumni involvement as it is now. By the time we became aware of what was happening, the damage was already done.
It makes me appreciate what we have now and how much work Dr Khator, Tillman and the rest of the current leadership has done in rebuilding the university, both in athletics and academics, and showing the way that you can have both, successfuly.
I never thought I’d see a UH medical school, I never thought we’d make it to the Sweet 16 again, or have significant, consistent success (despite the coaches) at football, reaching the Peachbowl. Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Golf…amazing. Attendance is up and people are living on campus again.
The leadership is only tapping the potential of the University, the potential we all knew was there but just a dream.
Damn…thank you @steveo642 for posting this. I will never forget and always appreciate where we came from.
