Houston Sports And Teams
Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States, it also has some of the most passionate sports fans in the world, who stick with their teams even when they aren’t doing too well.
Houston Sports Teams
Houston has four major sports franchises, The Texans, Rockets, Astros, and Dynamo. Unlike most major cities, Houston doesn’t have an NHL franchise. The Houston Dash is the city’s only female professional team. When it comes to college athletics, Houston has four Division I programs. The University of Houston, Rice University, Houston Baptist University, and Texas Southern University.
Houston Sports Achievements
Houston might be one of the biggest cities in the country and have some of the most loyal and enthusiastic fans in the world, but the city hasn’t achieved as much as most major cities when it comes to championships.
In football, the only achievements Houston has is two AFL championships in 1960 and 1961. This was achieved by the Houston Oilers before the NFL merger, and the team moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, becoming the Tennessee Titans, and taking all the records and statistics from their days in Houston with them.
In 2002, the NFL awarded Houston with the Texans. As an expansion team, it took the franchise a while to become good, in 2012, they made their first trip to the playoffs. The Texans made it back into the playoffs in 2013, but they haven?t been able to advance to the Super Bowl. Step into any bar on Sunday in the fall, and you can bet the Houston Texans are on Satellite TV.
The Houston Astros is the oldest sports franchise in Houston, since their inaugural season in 1962, they have been to the World Series once, losing to the Chicago White Sox in 2005.
The Houston Dynamo moved from San Jose in 2006, and had very quick success in their new city. The Dynamo won the MLS Championship in 2006 and 2007, making them the third Houston franchise to win consecutive titles. In 2011 and 2012, they made it to the MLS Championship game, but lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy both times.
The Houston Rockets are the most successful franchise in the city. The team moved to Houston in 1971, after four years in San Diego. They have been to the NBA Finals three times, and won the championship in 1994 and 1995, which made them the first major Houston franchise to win a championship since the Oilers did it in the 1960s.
The Houston Comets were a female basketball team that played in the WNBA. Before going defunct in 2008, the Comets were one of the most dominant female basketball teams in the country, winning the WNBA Championship four consecutive times from 1997 to 2000.
Houston College Sports
College teams in Houston have had some success over the years, the University of Houston Cougars football team has played in 20 post season bowls, and won several conference championships. In 1989, quarterback Andre Ware became the first Cougar to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy.
The University of Houston men’s basketball team has had even more success, making it to 19 NCAA tournaments and five Final Fours. The team also had two of the greatest basketball players in Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Other notable sports University of Houston has had success with include baseball, golf, and women?s soccer.
Rice University hasn’t had a lot of success in sports, but the team won the 2003 College World Series, giving the school its first national championship in collegiate sports.
Houston Athletes
Some of the notable players that have played in Houston either professionally or on the collegiate level include: Hakeem Olajuwon, who won two titles with the Rockets, Clyde Drexler, who won one title with the Rockets. Olajuwon and Drexler also played for the University of Houston and took the team to the NCAA Championship game twice. Roger Clemens, who helped the Astros make their only World Series appearance, Yao Ming, Carl Lewis, Craig Biggio, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Warren Moon, Andre Johnson, Charles Barkley, and George Foreman.
