(credit: Nate Griffin/SportsRadio 610)
The Universityof Houstonmade it official on Thursday as UH President and Chancellor Renu Khator and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades introduced Tony Levine as their 12th head football coach. He has spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at UH, the final two as the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.
Levine’s press conference was held on the UH campus and it all began with Khator, setting the stage and making a resounding statement regarding what UH football means to her and beyond.
“We have great things going on (here at theUniversityofHouston). We need to keep the winning attitude and that starts with expectations. You have to set high expectations and then you have to work extra hard to achieve those. I am 125-percent committed. I see football not as an independent program or as a form of entertainment, but as an integral part of the University as a whole.”
Khator continued. “The coach knows that I am counting on those 42 hours of football being played, and that I have full faith and confidence in him. I am very excited because we have something magical going on here.”
PROMOTED FROM WITHIN
Named one of the country’s Top 10 Fastest Rising Assistant Coaches by CBS Sports, Levine coordinated special team’s play which saw the Cougars advance to three bowl games in the last four years. The Cougars won a school record 12 games in 2012 and new Head Coach Tony Levine is happy to have the opportunity to continue the run and to continue living in the 4th largest city inAmerica.
“This job is the best job in the country and it is my dream job for a number of reasons.”
Lavine continued. “We absolutely love living here. It’s a place that we are going to raise our kids and family. In the coaching profession, the average stay at a school is three years. I want that when my oldest son, who is six, is asked in 20 years where he is from, he will answer Houston, Texas.”
STEPPING RIGHT IN
Levine became a three-time letter-winner at wide receiver for the Gophers after walking-on at the University of Minnesota. He was twice named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team. Levine talked about begin thankful for the opportunity and while doing so, spoke directly and thanked those who helped pave the way.
One of those was his collegiate wide receivers coach – his former head and current Texas A&M Head Football Coach, Kevin Sumlin.
