Bill Yeoman’s first game as UH’s head coach in 1962 was a 19-0 win over the Baylor Bears at Rice Stadium.
Sophomore running back Joe Lopasky scored three touchdowns in his first college game. Defensive back Byron Beaver tied an NCAA record with five interceptions against the Bears, which still stands today. The Cougar run defense held Baylor to just 21 rushing yards in the game. The UH ground game put up 163 yards, while QB Billie Roland was 7/10 passing for 96 yards.
“Our boys just wanted it more than they did,” Yeoman said after the game, munching on an apple. “We just ran basic stuff, and our boys did a remarkable job.”
Yeoman’s debut included a significant change to how the Cougars looked: the Baylor game was the first time the Cougars wore the UH logo on their helmets, a tradition that went uninterrupted until Dana Holgorsen added the script Cougars some 60 years later.
Lopasky opened the scoring in the 2nd quarter on a five-yard run and scored again in the third and on the first play of the 4th quarter. He ran for 43 yards on 13 carries.
UH’s history with Baylor stretches back over 70 years to 1950.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram sent reporter Galyn Wilkins to the game, and his story’s lede put it best.
“An army of relentless sophomores, down-right disrespectful of Baylor’s touted aerial game, spearheaded Houston University to a 19-0 conquest of the favored Bears.”
Houston-Baylor gallery
