Houston Cougars Announce New Campaign to Grow Brand
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The brand of the Houston Cougars has continued to grow and make a name for themselves over the last few years. While Houston Athletics has been around since 1946 with the start of the football and basketball programs, the recognition and growth of the name has been interesting to watch.
With Houston having a large number of professional sports teams, the prominence of the city's collegiate program has been mixed over the years. Houston is not a collegiate town, and the Cougars have to deal with competition in a number of events. Winning will get the attention of fans no matter what.
That is exactly what the basketball program has done under coach Kelvin Sampson over the past seven years. Houston Cougar basketball is now one of the big sports brands in the city and a source of pride for UH alumni.
The revenue and budget of an athletic program is especially important these days in the NIL era, and Houston understands that. Being one of, if not the lowest funded program in Power Four, the Cougars need to find additional sources of support to stay competitive.
Houston announced a new motto and campaign to increase community engagement and brand awareness on Wednesday morning.
Built By Houston
Built by Houston is the motto, and it's a fitting name given what the Cougars are trying to accomplish. This is an 80-day celebration campaign from April 8 to June 26 where UH Athletics will connect with 80 locally owned and operated businesses run by Houston alumni to build community engagement and create partnerships.
Houston being the fourth largest city in the country, presents plenty of opportunities for the Cougars to grow the brand by staying local. Houston Athletics will go out to all of these 80 local alumni-owned businesses, as well as 80 local bars with merchandise such as flags, koozies, pennants, coasters, and more.
The goal is to connect these businesses with the brand that will further the growth and recognition in the community.
"This is a key initiative for Houston Athletics," Chief Revenue Officer Alvin Franklin said. "We look forward to getting out in the Houston community and throughout the state to share our message and interact with people that love the Coogs!"
Other goals mentioned by Houston are to grow the department's fan base and build a common sense of pride among Cougars. Going out to businesses isn't the only plan. Houston would also like 80 new Nantz Leadership Society commitments and fill 80 tables at the upcoming Hall of Honor gala in October. Additionally, Houston is targeting 800 new Cougar Pride members, whose financial support is important to sign and retain high recruits.
The Cougars will also host the six Coaches Caravan events across Texas with Sampson and football coach Willie Fritz later in 2026.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.