1982 Donruss - UH Golfers

With 1992 Pro Set, we looked at 11 University of Houston golfers. Now with 1982, we have another 7 golfers which shows even more how many great Cougar golfers there are.

All of these cards are from the 1982 Donruss set.

Keith Fergus #21


Ed Fiori #36


Tom Jenkins #54


Bruce Lietzke #4 and #64



John Mahaffey #24 (I love the Cougar red pants and shirt)


Bill Rogers #5


Jim Simons #33

1986-87 Fax-Pax #7 Nick Faldo

Today's player is a little controversial, Nick Faldo. Faldo is one of the greatest golfers of all time and he did play golf for the University of Houston. So where's the controversy?

He attended the University of Houston for only 10 weeks. As far as I can tell, he only participated in one tournament as a Cougar. He became frustrated that going to class was cutting into his golf practice time. So he left UH to focus on golf full time.

So what do you do with a player like Faldo? Do you claim him as a Cougar?

How about players like Randy Brown in basketball or Barrick Nealy in football who transferred out? I've included them in my checklists so my list will be as complete as possible. They did play for UH so I think they belong.

What about coaches of UH athletes who didn't play at UH? Coaches like head coaches Bill Yeoman and Jack Pardee or current assistant coach Jim Jeffcoat. Should those be included?

Or even more of a disconnect from UH athletics: what about someone who has a degree from UH, but who never played or coached for UH? Tom Landry falls into that category even though he is usually associated with UT because he played football there.

I've been hit and miss on these, including Yeoman and Pardee, but excluding Jeffcoat and Landry. I think I should list them all to be fully comprehensive.

What do you think? I'd love to get your feedback so PLEASE COMMENT.

1992 Pro Set - UH Golfers

The University of Houston golf program is one of the most successful sports programs in collegiate history. The Cougars have won 16 team national championships and 8 individual national championships. UH has also had 44 All Americans.

Today I'm just going to overload a post with players and cards. This is just a sampling of the greats who have gone to UH. Not all of the players spent their entire collegiate careers at UH, but they all spent some time there.

All of the cards are from the 1992 Pro Set.

1992 Pro Set #11 Billy Ray Brown


1992 Pro Set #31 Steve Elkington


1992 Pro Set #90 Brad Fabel


1992 Pro Set #92 Blaine McCallister


1992 Pro Set #228 Phil Rodgers


1992 Pro Set #18 Mike Smith


1992 Pro Set #137 Mike Standly


1992 Pro Set #215 Rocky Thompson


1992 Pro Set #161 Tray Tyner


1992 Pro Set #56 Bobby Wadkins


1992 Pro Set #259 Kermit Zarley

1981 Donruss #46 Fuzzy Zoeller

The University of Houston golf program is one of the legendary athletic programs in NCAA history. 16 NCAA championships and some of the biggest names in golf are part of the UH legacy.

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr is one of those big names. Fuzzy came from Edison Junior College and only played one season for the Cougars, 1973. Unfortunately the 1973 season was not a championship year as UH came in second. Zoeller was not a big player for UH though since he didn't even compete during the championship match. That year Bill Rogers was first team All American and Bruce Lietzke made the All American Second team.

Zoeller did have a big impact on the PGA tour though going pro in 1974. He is one of only three players to win the Masters in his first appearance there (1979). He also won the US open in 1984. In 1985, he won the Bob Jones award.

I'm personally intrigued by a venture he started in 2009, Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka. The vodka is getting rave reviews. Sounds like something I need to try.

Today's card is the 1981 Donruss #46. Early '80s cards in general for all sports appear to have a low quality compared to cards of today, but this increase in competition with Topps and willingness to try new designs improved quality and design in the long run.

2009-10 Upper Deck NBA Draft Edition Alma Mater #FC Fred Couples

Here's an interesting card... the 2009-10 Upper Deck NBA Draft Edition Alma Mater card #FC featuring Fred Couples. Why is a golfer included in an NBA set? Several non-basketball players from several sports are featured showing the school they came from.

This card features a picture of Couples post-swing. It includes the University of Houston "wet cougar" logo on a shield, a logo not in existence when Fred played at UH. It also has a Fred Couples autograph. With only 99 cards printed, this is a pretty nice collectible despite the oddity of it being in a basketball product. Other variations of this card without an autograph are a black card (1/1), blue card (#'d to 99), green card (#'d to 50), red (#'d to 25), and a non-numbered base card.

Hakeem Olajuwon is also featured in this set with Draft Pics and Tournament Titans inserts.

Of course Fred Couples is one of many Cougar golf greats. He played golf at UH from 1977 to 1980. He later went on to the PGA where he won the Masters and was Player of the Year in 1992.

In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Houston Hall of Honor.