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| Title | Houstonian, 1997 |
| Contributor (LCNAF) |
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| Date | 1997 |
| Description | This edition of the Houstonian, published in 1997, is the official yearbook of the University of Houston. |
| Donor | Burns, Lisa |
| Subject.Topical (LCSH) |
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| Subject.Name (LCNAF) |
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| Subject.Geographic (TGN) |
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| Genre (AAT) |
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| Language | English |
| Type (DCMI) |
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| Original Item Location | LD2281.H745 H6 v. 63 1997 |
| Original Item URL | http://library.uh.edu/record=b1158762~S11 |
| Digital Collection | Houstonian Yearbook Collection |
| Digital Collection URL | http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/yearb |
| Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries |
| Repository URL | http://info.lib.uh.edu/about/campus-libraries-collections/special-collections |
| Use and Reproduction | In Copyright |
| Note | The digitization and presentation of this yearbook was made possible by a gift from Ms. Lisa Burns in honor of her service as Houstonian editor. |
| File Name | index.cpd |
| Title | Athletics |
| Format (IMT) |
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| File Name | yearb1997195.jpg |
| Transcript | Junior Alicia Rodriguez makes an acrobatic layup while a sparse crowd looks on. Though poor attendance at athletic events was a problem blll carr inherited, it continued to lag throughout his four-year tenure. Photo By: Shane Schermeier Bill Carr announced his resignation as UH athletics director in the early months of 1997. Criticism of his work has since varied, but few have denounced his attempt at reshaping the Cougars troubled athletic program. Feb. 24, Bill Carr called his co-workers and told them he was resigning his position as the University of Houston athletics director - just 30 minutes before his official announcement at an impromptu press conference. Literally in an instant, UH was left to search for its fourth athletics director in five years. Columnists and colleagues have offered mixed assessments of Carrs accomplishments at the post - though they generally commend his day-to-day attempt at fixing UHs muddled athletic program. Carr had a five-year plan to restructure the Athletics Department, which included putting winning teams back on the playing field and insuring that student-athletes excel in both athletics and academics. According to Chris Pezman, Carrs personal assistant, the nature of the athletics director position and the circumstances surrounding it kept his boss working at a constant. "When hes in town, Monday is his in-house day. He'd come in and have numerous phone calls to return, then he'd attend a staff The Driver's Seat Mark Smith meeting for the senior level athletic department. He was especially busy before the Liberty Bowl, talking to donors and overseeing the trip itself. But he'd always give someone a good conceptual idea of what needed to be done and then he'd see it through',' Pezman said. This thoroughness and ease of manner was an important virtue, particularly when the department was working on immense projects. Pezman said UHs move to Conference USA required as much thought and preparation as any task he could remember. In the early days of his tenure, Carr watched the Southwest Conference disband. The nationally prominent Big 12 was Carrs first choice for the Cougars replacement league, but he couldn't gain UH acceptance due in part to poor event attendance. That left the Western Athletic Conference and C -USA. Carr chose the latter, a move sports critics have since called strategic. At his departure, Carr seemed to have been well on his way to achieving the points he outlined in his five-year plan. The graduation rate of athletes is up slightly, and Cougar sports teams have won three conference titles in C -USA. But daunting challenges still remain for Carrs interim replacement, Bill McGillis, and any future athletic directors. The school still records an annual deficit in the multi-million dollar range, and attendance is still lagging. 262 Athletics |