41 Facts About Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Dale Sampson was born on October 5,1955 and is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the Big 12 Conference.

Kelvin Sampson excelled in the classroom and the athletic arena during his prep days at Pembroke High School, in Pembroke, North Carolina.

Kelvin Sampson's father was one of the 500 Lumbee Native Americans who made national news by driving the Ku Klux Klan out of Maxton, North Carolina in what is annually celebrated by the Lumbee as the Battle of Hayes Pond.

Kelvin Sampson earned four letters in basketball and three in baseball, and was team captain of the basketball team as a senior.

Kelvin Sampson earned Dean's List recognition throughout his collegiate career and received the Gregory Lowe Memorial Award as the school's outstanding physical education major his senior year.

Kelvin Sampson left with his degree and a year's experience as a graduate assistant under Jud Heathcote.

Kelvin Sampson turned in three consecutive 22-win seasons and claimed three Frontier Conference championships at Montana Tech.

Kelvin Sampson led his teams to two NAIA District 12 title games and was named the league's coach of the year in 1983 and 1985.

Kelvin Sampson was named Kodak District 14 Coach of the Year by the NABC for the second time in three years; he first won it in 1991 when the Cougars produced their first winning season since 1983.

Kelvin Sampson was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1992.

Kelvin Sampson became the 11th head coach at the University of Oklahoma on April 25,1994.

Kelvin Sampson directed the Sooners to postseason tournament berths in each of his 12 seasons, with a Sweet 16 showing in 1999, a Final Four appearance in 2002 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2003.

Kelvin Sampson's teams played in the Big 12 tournament title game on five occasions during the 10 seasons he coached in the Big 12.

The University of Oklahoma is where Kelvin Sampson earned his nickname "Mr Blue Shirt" as he only wore blue dress shirts when he coached.

On March 29,2006, Kelvin Sampson was named the head coach at Indiana University following the resignation of Mike Davis.

Kelvin Sampson was the second minority coach in the history of the Hoosier basketball program behind Davis.

On February 22,2008, Kelvin Sampson was forced to resign due to allegations of serious NCAA violations, which included sending text messages to recruits, something that was against NCAA rules between 2007 and 2013.

On March 8,2008, Kelvin Sampson was hired in an advisory role by the San Antonio Spurs, before accepting a role on May 14,2008, as assistant coach of the Bucks under Scott Skiles.

Kelvin Sampson was instrumental in Houston's push to raise funds to build a $25 million practice facility in 2016 and a $60 million renovation to Hofheinz Pavilion in 2018.

Kelvin Sampson led Houston to the NIT in his second and third seasons.

In 2021, Kelvin Sampson led Houston to its first conference tournament crown since 2010.

Kelvin Sampson became the fifteenth coach to have reached a Final Four again after a gap of over ten years, having last reached the Final Four in 2002.

In 2022, Kelvin Sampson's Cougars overcame season-ending injuries to two key players to win both the regular-season American Athletic Conference crown and the conference tournament and proceeded to advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Kelvin Sampson is currently the second-winningest coach in UH history, behind only Hall of Famer Guy Lewis.

Kelvin Sampson played a role in the controversial recruitment of star player Eric Gordon, who signed with Indiana after reneging on an early verbal commitment to the University of Illinois.

Kelvin Sampson was criticized by fellow coaches for failing to communicate with then-Illinois coach Bruce Weber about the recruitment, and hiring people close to Gordon to gain favor.

Under Kelvin Sampson's watch, Oklahoma was placed under a three-year investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations.

The NCAA barred Kelvin Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year, ending May 24,2007.

On February 8,2008, the NCAA informed Indiana that Kelvin Sampson had committed five "major" rules violations.

The NCAA alleged that Kelvin Sampson knowingly violated telephone recruiting restrictions imposed on him.

Fox Sports reported that Kelvin Sampson was to be fired on February 22,2008, but later reports indicated that Kelvin Sampson would be suspended without pay.

In return, Kelvin Sampson agreed not to sue Indiana for wrongful termination.

Sports Illustrated college basketball columnist Seth Davis implied that Indiana officials had already decided Kelvin Sampson was guilty, based on the fact that its internal investigation would only last a week.

Kelvin Sampson said that the only reason Sampson was allowed to continue coaching was because his contract didn't allow the school to suspend him immediately.

ESPN's Pat Forde said that Kelvin Sampson's departure was "preordained" the moment the NCAA sent out its notice of allegations, and suggested that Kelvin Sampson might never coach in Division I again.

When he was hired at Houston, Kelvin Sampson became only the fourth coach to get a head coaching job at another school after receiving a show-cause.

In December 2008, Eric Gordon raised issues of drug use on the Indiana team, stating that some players were abusing drugs and that this led to the disintegration of the team, and that Kelvin Sampson tried to stop it, but did not as he was focused on winning.

Kelvin Sampson was an assistant coach under George Karl for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

Kelvin Sampson was the head coach of the United States Junior National Team that participated in the Junior World Games in Athens, Greece, in the summer of 1995.

Kelvin Sampson served as an assistant to former Southern California head coach George Raveling.

In 1993, Kelvin Sampson was selected head coach of the West team at the US Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas.