Tony Levine: When he was named interim head football coach at UH.
I like the pick. When the University of Houston named former University of Minnesota receiver (1991-95) Tony Levine yesterday as the new permanent head football coach of the Cougars, I could not have been more thrilled. His background spoke for itself. His 16 years as a coach has included 2 seasons with the Carolina Panthers of the NFL and several other collegiate stints with Auburn, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, and Texas State.
The 39-year old Levine joined Kevin Sumlin’s staff at UH in 2008 as receivers’ coach and has also borne the title of assistant head coach the past two years. He was named interim head football coach at UH roughly two weeks ago when Sumlin suddenly left the Cougars for the same job at Texas A&M. That temporary delegation alone made a number of us take notice. Levine appeared deeply moved and almost brought to tears by the unexpected turn of events. Tears don’t win games for you, but they often tell you that the person they come from has a heart for such things as a bond to the cause at hand.
I haven’t heard an incoming coach at UH speak so eloquently of his character and intentions with UH since Bill Yeoman came to Houston in 1962 and then lived out these words of his UH coaching career and professional like. If the UH is half that lucky this time, a lot of us old-time Cougar alums will be more than happy.
A coach has to win on the field, but Levine has already been a big part of the Sumlin success on the field and he is the kind of guy who has a great working relationship with his players and the recruits. Throw in a capacity for articulating the essence of commitment and UH may just have landed the best man for the job, but one who only became available when the guy above him moved on.
Tony Levine: When he was named permanent head football coach at UH.
According to the Houston Chronicle story today, Dec. 22, 2011, UH Athletic Director Mark Rhoades explained the Cougar pick of Levine this way: “We consistently talk about building a program and building upon our culture here at UH and when you have the perfect fit right here on staff. you feel fortunate. But we still wanted to do our due diligence. We talked to some great folks … but the best fit for UH is Tony Levine.”
As far as I’m concerned, Tony Levine’s own acceptance of the job words from the same Chronicle story are reason enough to like the pick” “I’m both humbled and excited to have this opportunity to lead the Houston football program and continue my work with our student-athletes and staff. – This is a dream come true for me and my family. We love Houston and I’m proud to say that Houston is our home. When you have the opportunity to head a program, it has to be more than a job. Houston is a destination spot. Continuing to build this program is a personal challenge because this place means so much to us.”
Welcome aboard the Big East Express, Tony Levine, and thanks for putting into words what a lot of us Cougars have been wanting to hear from a head coach for a very long time.
Tags: Tony Levine, UH Football
The Pecan Park Eagle 
December 22, 2011 at 6:34 pm |
I think it is a good hire and I like the continuity it puts in the program – that someone can build on Sumlin’s success rather than come in and change everything for his own ego’s sake. Likely this will keep some assistants from following Sumlin to A&M for fear of being swept out by a new regime.
40 is the perfect age, in that profession, to start a head coaching career – young enough to relate to and inspire young men in their early 20s and old enough to have learned at the feet of several great coaches on what to do and say and what not to do and say.
Assistants who are promoted to the head job encounter two major obstacles – one is learning how to be responsible for all facets of the game and to let others do the work under him. The other is the PR aspect of dealing with the media and keeping one’s mouth shut when the temptation is to lash out. In college, it also means being mindful of the way the staff projects themselves while on the recruiting trail.
Good luck to Coach Levine and the Cougars. May his new coaching tenure begin with a successful effort against the dysfunctional Lions of the Big 10.