Ranking the Top 10 Quarterbacks in Houston Football History
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The Houston Cougars have had a plethora of talented quarterbacks that had lead the team to greatest.
From 1970 all the way to modern football, Houston has had quarterbacks revolutionize the game of football and some who have adopted concepts to thrive in College Football.
Based on stats, records and career achievements, here are the top 10 quarterbacks in Houston of all time.
Houston's Top 10 Quarterbacks
No. 1 - Andre Ware
Ware was the first Black quarterback in the history of college football to win a Heisman Trophy in 1989. Ware is also most notable for being one of the first to use the run-and-shoot system, which popularized the pass-heavy offenses that are popularly known nationally. Ware has thrown for 8,202 yards and 75 touchdowns.
Along with the Heisman, Ware has won the Davey O'Brien Award, was a First Team All-American in 1989 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Additionally, Ware had set 26 NCAA records in 1989.
No. 2 - Case Keenum
The all-time passing leader and passing touchdowns leader, Case Keenum, takes the spot. Keenum has compiled 19,217 passing yards and 155 touchdowns. Additionally, Keenum has brought the Cougars their first bowl win since 1980, beating Air Force in 2008. Keenum also led the Houston Cougars to a 13-1 record in 2011, where they ended the year by beating Penn State in the 2012 TicketCity Bowl.
Keenum has won multiple accolades, including a two-time Sammy Baugh Award winner and a two-time Conference USA Most Valuable Player.
No. 3 - David Klinger
At No.3, David Klinger comes in, who adopted the same run-and-shoot offense that Ware put in place. Klinger put up 9,430 passing yards, 91 touchdowns and 726 completions. On top of that, Klinger set the record for most passing touchdowns in a single game with 11 touchdowns.
He won the 1990 Sammy Baugh Trophy, was a Heisman Trophy finalist and was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008.
No. 4 - Greg Ward Jr.
No. 4 spot goes to Greg Ward Jr., a quarterback who dominated in the modern era. Ward put up 8,505 passing yards with 51 touchdowns. In 2015, Ward led the Houston Cougars to the Peach Bowl, where they won against the Florida State Seminoles 38-24.
Ward has been on many award watchlists such as the 1026 Lombardi Award Watchlist and the Peach Bowl MVP.
No. 5 - Kevin Kolb
No. 5 goes to Kevin Kolb, who put up 9,833 yards and 60 touchdowns. He led Houston to the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl, where they lost against the Kansas Jayhawks 42-13.
Kolb was a 2003 C-USA Freshman of the Year, along with making the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
No. 6 - Clayton Tune
No. 6 goes to Clayton Tune. Tune has 11,996 yards and 104 touchdowns. Tune led the 2020 Houston Cougars to the New Mexico Bowl, but lost to Hawai'i 28-13.
No. 7 - Danny Davis
Davis put up 2,702 passing yards and 20 touchdowns with the Cougars. Davis led the Houston Cougars to a 20-5 record and two Cotton Bowl appearances, a win against Maryland in 1977 and a loss against Notre Dame in 1979.
Although Davis did not have any notable awards, he was a Two-time Southwest Conference Champion and was inducted into the Houston Athletics Hall of Honor.
No. 8 - Gary "Moon" Mullins
Mullins played in an era where run-first was oriented in Houston. With that said, Mullins had 2,426 passing yards and 20 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 48.6.
Mullins led the Cougars to the 1969 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, winning against Auburn. Additionally, he had a 25-5 overall record with Houston.
No. 9 - D'Eriq King
King had 4,027 passing yards and 44 touchdowns in his career. He was on the 2018 American All-Conference Second Team and won around nine Player of the Week awards. King brought the Cougars to the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl but Houston would lose against Army 70-14.
No. 10 - David Piland
At No. 10 is Piland, who took over the quarterback role after Keenum. Piland put up 5,642 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. He also led Houston to the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl, where Houston lost to Vanderbilt 41-24.
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