Hofheinz Pavilion

Cougars And Owls Finish Very Disappointing Basketball Seasons

March Madness begins on Tuesday and gets into full swing on Thursday. And for the first time in probably forever (technically 1977), not one single Texas college was invited to play in the NCAA Tournament. No UT. No A&M. No Baylor. No Rice, UH, Sam Houston State, or SFA. Not one. But not all hope ... More >>

Rusted Shut's Don Walsh Loves Him Some Zappa

If I were forced to choose a single favorite Houston musician, and no offense to all the others, I would pick Rusted Shut mastermind Don Walsh, easily. Rusted Shut has been a presence on the local scene for probably 25 years now, specializing in the kind of gruesomely loud and assaultive noise-rock ... More >>

What Does 2013 Have In Store For The University of Houston Cougars?

This is a year the Houston Cougars would probably prefer to forget. It started with a bang as the Cougars demolished Penn State on January 2 at the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas. But the football team wasn't quite the same after the departure of Case Keenum and his receiving corps. As the Cougars move i ... More >>

Cougars Stage Reunion With the Aggies, Then Lose

The arena was crowded. The fans were loud. Two old foes prepared to face off on the court. Close your eyes and you could almost swear you were back in the 1980s and the Southwest Conference still existed. Such was Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday night as the Houston Cougars hosted the Texas A&M Aggie ... More >>

Bruce Kessler's Incredible Houston Concert Photo Archive

Freakish Practice Injury Nearly Kills Houston Cougars' D.J. Hayden

Football is a violent, dangerous sport. But when watching a running back break free of the line of scrimmage and bust into the open and sprint 40 yards for a touchdown, the violence and danger can be forgotten. The perfect spiral into the outstretched arms of a receiver sprinting down the sideline b ... More >>

Is This The Dawning of A Cougars Renaissance? Don't Be Too Sure

The Houston Chronicle's Sam Khan, Jr. had a good story on Houston Cougars athletics yesterday. It's called a story of a renaissance, and it looks back at the last 10 months of the program. It's told through the eyes of the football program, going through the incredible season the Coogs had as they m ... More >>

UH Board Approves New Football Stadium, Construction to Begin

The UH Board of Regents has approved plans to build a new football stadium on the other end of campus from on the site of Robertson Stadium, president Renu Khator says. "Board approves construction of stadium at current site...watch for the new stadium rising!" she tweeted a short while ago. The s ... More >>

Coog Hoops Show Hope; Rice & UH Open Their Baseball Seasons

It was all right there for the taking. A win and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles would take sole possession of first place in Conference USA. A win and Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy would earn his 400th victory as a head coach. But on a misty, drizzling, miserable Saturday night in the ... More >>

Owls Stage the Comeback and Stun the Coogs in Game That Epitomized Both Teams

The Houston Cougars dashed off to a 13-0 lead against the Rice Owls on Wednesday night. The offense worked to perfection. There was some decent defense being played. But as the teams went into a timeout only 7:45 into the game, one couldn't help but sense doom hanging over the Hofheinz Pavilion cour ... More >>

Owls and Coogs Disappointing Basketball Fans, Dammit

These guys are turrible!​The Rice Owls (11-8, 2-2) lost a basketball game they should have won on Wednesday night. The Houston Cougars (9-9, 1-4) were blown out yet again. It's turning into another disappointing men's basketball season in Houston, Texas. It's not supposed to have been this ... More >>

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: The Year Just Past In Cougar Sports

John RoyalCase Keenum was the Man of the Year for the Cougars​Yes, it's that time of year. That time of year when I take a look back at the year just past. On Friday, I looked back at the sports year for the Rice Owls. Today, let's take a look at the top 25 events, in no particular order, f ... More >>

Watch Out Big East, Here Come the Cougars

The Cougars are going to have a new home starting in 2013.​The expansion of the Big East has been a long-expected announcement, especially seeing as how several members of the conference are on the verge of departure. And one of the long-rumored names of this expansion has been the University ... More >>

Checking in with UH AD Mack Rhoades

​This has got to be a strange season that's coming up for Houston Cougar Athletic Director Mack Rhoades. His first year was spent settling into the city and the school as the football team went on an amazing ride. Last year saw the school introducing numerous new head coaches, including both ... More >>

Lyrical Advice For The Class Of 2011

"Move back in with your parents! Let them worry about you!"​There will be no guitars and Marshall stacks at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend, just "Pomp and Circumstance." As the Class of 2011 walks across the stage soon to be occupied by Peter Gabriel, Widespread Panic and Ki ... More >>

College Basketball: Owls Lose a Heartbreaker While Coogs Appear to Give Up

John RoyalRice's Arsalan Kazemi battles for position under the Rice basket​No coach wants to have to draw up a play with 2.3 seconds left that, if it works, merely ties the score and sends the game to overtime. But such was the position Rice Owls coach Ben Braun was in last night, his Owls do ... More >>

James Dickey Offers Up an Apology As SMU Smacks Down the Coogs

John RoyalThe Cougar Dolls were about the only things worth cheering at Hofheinz Pavilion last night​James Dickey was not a happy man last night. He prowled the Houston Cougars sidelines like a caged animal, scowling, barking commands, pleading to his players. Shouting out at them to play de ... More >>

Houston Cougars Blow Away the Golden Hurricane

John RoyalKirk Van Slyke tips off against Tulsa to start the game​James Dickey preaches the importance of defense to his players. If the Houston Cougars can't score, the thinking goes, they can still win the game by shutting down the offense of the other team. So when the Tulsa Golden Hurric ... More >>

Cougar Basketball: Happy Birthday, Mr. Nixon

John Royal Maurice McNeil goes strong to the bucket​Have you ever had one of those moments? A flash that this is your day, your time, and that nothing can change that? Houston Cougar point guard Zamal Nixon had one of those moments on Saturday. And when he had that flash, he just knew that ... More >>

Dear Mr. Santa: A Houston Sports Fan's List

Dear Mr. Santa...​Dear Mr. Claus: I know it is Christmas Eve, and maybe I'm a bit late with sending this little note to you, but I'm sure that with this newfangled internets thing you'll get it in time. I'm also aware that I might have been a bit naughty, and that I've made a few people an ... More >>

The So-So Year In Cougar Sports: 25 Things From 2010

The year in UH sports​Since I'm taking a look at the sports year that is about to come to an end, I thought I would focus on the Houston Cougars, one of the teams that I cover for the Press. So... 1. The men's basketball team shocked the students, alums, administration, fans, C-USA, and the ... More >>

Roadrunners Speed Past Cougars

The Coogs were missing the Slama and the Jama against UTSA​That the Houston Cougars (6-4) played a basketball game on Saturday night was not too surprising. That none of the so-called Cougar fans could be bothered to come by Hofheinz Pavilion for the game was not too surprising either. In ... More >>

Believe It Or Not, It's Time For College Basketball

John Royal Cougars prepare to play basketball​They were just exhibition games, and they tell us that exhibition games are meaningless. They don't count in the standings. They're a chance to test game conditioning. To see how well everyone understands the offense. To see what improvements ne ... More >>

UH's James Dickey Prepares For His Deliverance

uh.com Sure he's smiling now. But wait until the season starts​It may seem like it's been awhile since Mack Rhoades and the Houston Cougars hired James Dickey to take over the men's basketball program.But in many ways, the time has been flying by as Dickey and his staff have attempted to se ... More >>

The Rolling Stones At Hofheinz Pavilion In 1972, Firsthand

Ed. Note: Rocks Off's own Lonesome Onry and Mean himself, William Michael Smith, attended the Rolling Stones concert at Hofheinz Pavilion in June 1972 that was filmed for the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones. Since the movie screens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at several Houston-area theaters ... More >>

Rolling Stones To Screen 1972 Texas Shows In Movie Theaters

​In 1972, the Rolling Stones were arguably at their live zenith, rumbling through the world behind that year's Exile on Main Street and blazing a debauched path of crazy sex, deviant drugs and bluesy rock and roll. The live footage from Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones was culled fro ... More >>

Mack Rhoades Wants UH Fans To Show Up, Darnit

No, this is not DURING a Coog game​I got the chance to visit with Houston Cougars athletic director Mack Rhoades last Friday to discuss the school's new stadium plans -- I was just one of the several media members there. And while Rhoades was trying to get out his vision for the future, there was ... More >>

UH's New Stadium/Arena Plan: Now Comes The Hard Part

Illustrations courtesy UHYour Name Here Stadium​UH has announced a bold plan to upgrade facilities, essentially building a new football stadium and massively renovating the basketball arena.The $160 million plan has the backing of UH president Renu Khator and the board of regents, so it's going ah ... More >>

Game Time: Cheer Up Coogs Fan, There's Still A Chance Mack Rhoades Just Has A Killer Sense Of Humor

​Today is the first day of the Shell Houston Open. If you remember, last year the first day had to be postponed because of some nasty winds that had blown into the Houston area. Suffice it to say that if there is a strong breeze in the Houston area on this first day of the Shell Houston Open, it's ... More >>

Coogs Off To Good Start In The C-USA Tournament

Photo courtesy UH​The Houston Cougars won their first game in the C-USA men's basketball tournament yesterday, defeating ECU 93-80.The game was close for most of the first half, but the Cougars went on a spurt at the end to take the 50-37 halftime lead. The Cougars continued that spurt in the se ... More >>

UH Begins To Look At Renovating Its Football And Basketball Facilities

Photo by krisandapril​Lost amidst the news of a tuition increase and the "leave of absence" granted to associate basketball coach Marvin Haralson last week at the University of Houston was some big news coming out of the athletic department. That news was the school's retaining of Fortune 500 comp ... More >>

Coogs' Kelvin Lewis Helps Rip The Mustangs

Photo courtesy UH​The Cougars shot only 32.2 percent from the field on Saturday afternoon while the SMU Mustangs shot 38.2 percent. Usually when the Cougars shooting percentage has been this bad this season, they have lost. But they got the 66-60 win on Saturday because the Cougars did have an inc ... More >>

UH's Tom Penders, Maybe On The Way Out The Door

Photo courtesy UH​The Tom Penders radio show has the potential to be rather interesting tonight. Interesting not so much because of the basketball team, but because of the rumors and turmoil currently swirling around the team, primarily those rumors surrounding the coaching staff.The known facts a ... More >>

UH Loses: Fans Tossed From The Game

Photo by UH​Hofheinz Pavilion was a rather interesting place to be on Saturday night. There was the Houston Cougars playing a conference opponent in front a national television audience. There was a close game that saw the Cougars down by only one point with 1:19 remaining in the game.Oh, yeah, ... More >>

Coogs Come Out Flat-Footed Against La. Tech

Photo courtesy UH​The Houston Cougars (7-4) lost 99-94 to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-2) last night in what UH head coach Tom Penders called a "rock-em-sock-em up-and-down great basketball game." And despite the loss, it was one of the more exciting games played inside Hofheinz Pavilion this s ... More >>

Coog Basketball Fever! Catch It For Free! With Food, Drinks & Sean Pendergast

The Houston Press has a suite at Hofheinz Pavilion, and we feel like sharing the love.So we're giving away 10 tickets to the UH-UTEP basketball game January 13. You not only get the tickets, you not only get free food and drinks, you not only get to marvel at Tom Penders' hair....You also get to han ... More >>

Coogs Basketball's Three-Headed Monster, And How They Had To Go To Alaska To Play Oklahoma

Photo courtesy UH​Lost amidst the anxiety over the Houston Cougar football team and possible bowl game scenarios, the men's basketball team took to the court at Hofheinz Pavilion on Sunday afternoon and engaged the Texas A&M-Corpus Christ Islanders in a fast-paced game that saw the Cougars eme ... More >>

Cougar Basketball So Far: Lots Of Offense, Not Much D

Photo courtesy UH​The question mark for the Houston Cougars basketball team coming into this season was the defense. Head coach Tom Penders noted that when interviewed during practice before the season, and he reiterated it after the first game against Nicholls State.And it's something he reiter ... More >>

Coog Hoops Has Leaders, Bulk And A Good Shot At March Madness

Photo courtesy UH​The time has come. The time for Tom Penders and his Cougars basketball team to show their worth. The hopes are that this squad is one that will make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the early 1990s.There are a couple of things working in the team's favor. First and ... More >>

Where Does Sunday's Rockets Victory Rank? It'll Have To Top These To Make The Top Five

Where does yesterday's deceptively close 99-87 shellacking of the Lakers rank in the annals of great Rockets victories? It's too soon to tell. If they build on that win by taking this series and then slip into their fifth NBA finals, minus not just Yao but also his geriatric Congolese understudy, no ... More >>

Homeless Man Killed On University of Houston Main Campus

Sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning an older man, who the Houston Police are saying was homeless, was shot in the head and killed at a campus bus stop outside Hofheinz Pavilion. His body was discovered by a student around 7 a.m. Saturday morning.HPD is investigating the murder, and ... More >>

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German culture has been a part of Houston for well over a century

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