The 1989 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the 44th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by third-year head coach Jack Pardee. Serving as offensive coordinator was John Jenkins, who succeeded Pardee as head coach following the season. The team played its games off-campus at the Astrodome, which had recently received upgrades to seat 62,439 spectators. These Cougars boasted the first squad to have a 4,000-yard passer (Andre Ware), 1,000-yard rusher (Chuck Weatherspoon), and 1,000-yard receiver (Manny Hazard) in FBS history, finishing the season ranked as No. 14 by the AP Poll.[1] Junior quarterback Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award following the conclusion of the season. Under probation by the NCAA from rules violated in prior seasons, Houston was ineligible for participation in a bowl game and could not be listed in the Coaches Poll. The Cougars were also barred from live television.
Ware became the first Black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy when he threw for 4,699 yards, 46 touchdowns, and set 27 NCAA records. Many of the records were thanks to the innovative use of the run and shoot offense, which his successor, David Klingler, also used to great effect. The Cougars ended the season ranked the No. 14 team in the nation by the Associated Press. Ware then declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year.[2]
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 2 | at UNLV* | No. 21 | | W 69–0 | 22,416 |
September 23 | at Arizona State* | No. 17 | | W 36–7 | 67,357 |
September 30 | Temple* | No. 14 | | W 65–7 | 15,121 |
October 7 | Baylor | No. 12 | - Houston Astrodome
- Houston, TX
| W 66–10 | 31,433 |
October 14 | at Texas A&M | No. 8 | | L 13–17 | 66,423 |
October 21 | SMU | No. 16 | - Houston Astrodome
- Houston, TX (rivalry)
| W 95–21 | 20,009 |
October 28 | at No. 13 Arkansas | No. 12 | | L 39–45 | 55,112 |
November 4 | at TCU | No. 17 | | W 55–10 | 19,212 |
November 11 | Texas | No. 15 | - Houston Astrodome
- Houston, TX
| W 47–9 | 45,586 |
November 25 | No. 18 Texas Tech | No. 13 | - Houston Astrodome
- Houston, TX (rivalry)
| W 40–24 | 30,097 |
December 2 | at Rice | No. 13 | | W 64–0 | 22,700 |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
[3]
1989 Houston Cougars football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
K
|
|
Roman Anderson
|
So
|
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
|
Week-to-Week Rankings
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.
Poll |
Pre |
Wk 1 |
Wk 2 |
Wk 3 |
Wk 4 |
Wk 5 |
Wk 6 |
Wk 7 |
Wk 8 |
Wk 9 |
Wk 10 |
Wk 11 |
Wk 12 |
Wk 13 |
Wk 14 |
Wk 15 |
Final
|
AP
|
21
|
22
|
18
|
17
|
14
|
12
|
8
|
16
|
12
|
17
|
15
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
14
|
Coaches'
|
Ineligible (on probation)
|
Andre Ware threw for a career-high 7 touchdown passes.
Manny Hazard hauled in a school-record 5 touchdown receptions.
SMU at Houston
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Mustangs |
6 |
8 | 7 | 0 |
21 |
• No. 16 Cougars |
24 |
35 | 22 | 14 |
95 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | HOU | Anderson 28-yard field goal | Houston 3–0 |
| 1 | | HOU | Weatherspoon 2-yard run (Anderson kick) | Houston 10–0 |
| 1 | | HOU | Weatherspoon 54-yard run (Anderson kick) | Houston 17–0 |
| 1 | | SMU | Ballard fumble recovery in end zone (kick blocked) | Houston 17–6 |
| 1 | | HOU | P. Smith 62-yard pass from Andre Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 24–6 |
| 2 | | HOU | Cooper 7-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 31–6 |
| 2 | | SMU | Beard 2-yard pass from Mike Romo (Collins pass from Lawson) | Houston 31–14 |
| 2 | | HOU | Williams 40-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 38–14 |
| 2 | | HOU | Hazard 3-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 45–14 |
| 2 | | HOU | Williams 87-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 52–14 |
| 2 | | HOU | Hazard 28-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 59–14 |
| 3 | | HOU | Hazard 46-yard pass from David Klingler (Anderson kick) | Houston 66–14 |
| 3 | | SMU | Love 26-yard run (Lomerick kick) | Houston 66–21 |
| 3 | | HOU | Weatherspoon 22-yard run (Anderson kick) | Houston 73–21 |
| 3 | | HOU | P. Smith 53-yard pass from Klingler (Perry run) | Houston 81–21 |
| 4 | | HOU | P. Smith 74-yard pass from Klingler (Anderson kick) | Houston 88–21 |
| 4 | | HOU | Cooper 16-yard pass from Klingler (Anderson kick) | Houston 95–21 |
|
Houston shattered the NCAA record for total offense with 1,021 yards, and set the mark for passing yards with 771.[4] Andre Ware threw for 517 yards and 6 touchdowns while completing 25 of 41 attempts, and did not play in the second half. Backup David Klingler threw for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns in the second half. Paul Smith caught 6 passes for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chuck Weatherspoon rushed 15 times for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns.[5]
[6]
Texas at Houston
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Longhorns |
3 |
6 | 0 | 0 |
9 |
• No. 15 Cougars |
6 |
21 | 14 | 6 |
47 |
- Date: November 11
- Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
- Game start: 4:02 pm CST
- Elapsed time: 3:25
- Game attendance: 45,586
- Game weather: Indoors
- Referee: Joe Thomas
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | 8:26 | TEX | Clements 25-yard field goal | Texas 3–0 |
| 1 | 3:27 | HOU | Anderson 24-yard field goal | Tied 3–3 |
| 1 | 2:17 | HOU | Anderson 38-yard field goal | Houston 6–3 |
| 2 | 13:00 | HOU | Anders 18-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 13–3 |
| 2 | 6:43 | TEX | Clements 52-yard field goal | Houston 13–6 |
| 2 | 1:40 | HOU | Hazard 38-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 20–6 |
| 2 | 0:44 | HOU | Anders 31-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 27–6 |
| 2 | 0:00 | TEX | Clements 47-yard field goal | Houston 27–9 |
| 3 | 11:08 | HOU | Weatherspoon 60-yard run (Anderson kick) | Houston 34–9 |
| 3 | 8:12 | HOU | Hazard 9-yard pass from Ware (Anderson kick) | Houston 41–9 |
| 4 | 10:39 | HOU | Anderson 33-yard field goal | Houston 44–9 |
| 4 | 4:28 | HOU | Anderson 36-yard field goal | Houston 47–9 |
|
[7]
[8]
[9][10][11]
Team players in the NFL
edit
- ^ "25 years later, Andre Ware's season matters". ESPN.com. August 7, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Houston: History & Records" (PDF). University of Houston Athletic Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "2009 Houston Cougars Media Guide: All-Time Series Game-By-Game" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- ^ "FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Houston Rolls It Up Against SMU With 95 Points, 1,021 Yards". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Arkansas Chills Score-Happy Houston, 45-39". Tulsa World. October 29, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "UH air show bombs 'Horns again, 47-9". Odessa American via newspapers.com. November 12, 1989. p. 37. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Houston Routs Rice". The New York Times. December 3, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Passing Puts Ware on Receiving End of Heisman". The Washington Post. December 3, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "THE HEISMAN TROPHY: Invisible Ware Gets Hardware". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Houston's Ware Wins Heisman". The New York Times. December 3, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
- ^ "Ware wins Heisman". Houston Chronicle. December 3, 1989. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "NFL Draft History: Full Draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.