- The Houston Cougars have never won a national championship.
- Hakeem Olajuwon came off the bench in his first season with the Cougars.
- Elvin Hayes averaged 31 points and 17.2 rebounds per game across three seasons.
The Houston Cougars have enjoyed a lot of recent success making their basketball lines attractive, but it hasn’t always been like this.
The Cougars have never won a national championship. Before 2019, they last made a Sweet Sixteen in 1984. Their most recent success was the Final Four in 2021, the Elite Eight in 2022, and the Sweet Sixteen in 2023.
They lost the 1983 and 1984 national championships.
Founded in 1945-46, the Cougars are 1,403-877 overall.
Below, I’ll list the seven best players in their program’s history.
7 Best Houston Cougars Basketball Players of All Time
| Rank | Player | Position | Kansas Years |
| 1 | Hakeem Olajuwon | C | 1981-1984 |
| 2 | Elvin Hayes | F | 1965-1968 |
| 3 | Clyde Drexler | G | 1980-1983 |
| 4 | Otis Birdsong | G | 1973-1977 |
| 5 | Rob Williams | G | 1979-1982 |
| 6 | Michael Young | G/F | 1980-1984 |
| 7 | Dwight Jones | F | 1970-1973 |
1. Hakeem Olajuwon
Nicknamed “The Dream,” Olajuwon was dominant in the NBA and college basketball. Emigrating from Nigeria, Olajuwon mostly came off the bench in his first season. After that, though, he was sensational, leading the Cougars to three NCAA Final Fours and two National championship appearances. In the 1983-84 season, he was the third player in NCAA history to lead in two categories, shooting 67.7% from the field and averaging 13.5 rebounds per game. That same year, he averaged 16.8 points and 5.6 blocks per game.
🏀 Jan. 10, 1983: Hakeem Olajuwon earns the 1st of his 10 Cougar triple-doubles as a Cougar as No. 19 Houston beats Louisiana-Lafayette, 79-78. pic.twitter.com/7UjVNIioH2
— HoustonSportsPast (@Htownsportspast) January 11, 2019
In addition to his No. 34 being retired by the school, he was an All-American, named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1983, and more.
2. Elvin Hayes
Playing back in the mid-1960s, Hayes was unstoppable. He averaged 31 points and 17.2 rebounds per game over his three-year stint. He led the Cougars to their first two Final Four appearances and still holds the record for scoring and rebounding.
He was a three-time All-American and the National Player of the Year in 1968.
On this date in 1968…
Houston beat UCLA 71-69 at the Astrodome to snap its 47-game winning streak in "The Game of the Century"
Elvin Hayes scored a game-high 39 points, the last 2 coming on free throws to secure the win for Houston. pic.twitter.com/tVzj9Gc4Ye
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 20, 2018
His highlight moment was on Jan. 20, 1968, in the “Game of the Century” against No. 1 UCLA. He scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds as the Cougars upset UCLA 71-69 in front of more than 53,000 people.
3. Clyde Drexler
Drexler played alongside Olajuwon for two seasons. In his three years with the Cougars, he averaged 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. He was a second-team All-American and the SWC co-Player of the Year in 1983, and his No. 22 was retired by the team.
Houston's Clyde Drexler dunks over Andre Turner of Memphis State in the 1983 NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Houston won, 70-63 to advance to the Elite Eight.
One of my top three favorite college basketball dunks ever. pic.twitter.com/7umpaHuWvh
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) March 28, 2020
He’s the only player in Cougars history with 1,000+ points, 900+ rebounds, 300+ assists, and 250+ steals.
4. Otis Birdsong
Inducted into the Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2000, Birdsong played four years for the Cougars in the mid-1970s. He averaged 24.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game during those four years, shooting 54.7% from the floor. He also averaged at least 1.7 steals per season.
An All-American and Southwest Conference Player of the Year, Birdsong is the second-leading scorer in Cougars history.
5. Rob Williams
Viewed as the best point guard in Cougars history, Williams was the first player in program history to be named the NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player. Williams was a three-time All-SWC First-Team honoree, and in the top 10 in program history for both points and assists.
Over his three-year career, he averaged 20.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
6. Michael Young
Kicking off the 1980s, Young was with the Cougars for four seasons. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals per game, and shot 49.1% from the floor. He was part of the 1983 and 1984 runner-up teams, but, like everyone else in Cougars history, could not secure a championship.
He was a third-team All-American and was named to two first-team All-SWC squads. The team retired his Number 42.
7. Dwight Jones
Playing two seasons for the Cougars, Jones averaged 17.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in the early 1970s. The 6-foot-10-inch forward/center also shot 49.3% from the field.