Geographist

Otis Birdsong Born: December 9, 1955 Sport: Basketball (All-American, 4-time All-Star, All-NBA) While the World Baseball Classic has caught quite a bit of attention in recent days, I wanted to wait just a bit before launching into posts about the boys of summer.  Instead, with college basketball season coming to its conclusion with this week's conference tournaments (not to mention that it's Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament and I'm taking my daughter to the regional final that will hopefully include Houston) I've decided to shine the light on one of the great players to take the court for the Houston Cougars.  Otis Birdsong may not be the household name that some other UH alumni have become but his career stands among the very best, and his jersey is one of just five to have been retired by the school.  So even though he played on teams that didn't reach the same levels of success as other Cougars squads, let's give credit where its due and get to know t...

Calvin Murphy Born: May 9, 1948 Sport: Basketball (3-time All-American, All-Rookie, All-Star, Hall of Fame) I hope you've enjoyed our time focused on the Olympics, but this week we return to basketball which is the most significant US sport currently enjoying a regular season.  Football has been in the news because players are getting released or traded, contracts reworked, and rosters otherwise prepared for the upcoming draft.  Baseball has entered spring training while also going through its once-every-four-year World Baseball Classic tournament.  Hockey...well, we've already covered the one guy I could come up with that was related to Houston.  The spotlight falls on someone who originally came to Houston along with his entire team, and he ended up becoming the shortest member of the Hall of Fame during his lengthy career.  And once he took off the uniform and sneakers Calvin Murphy stayed in town, becoming a regular and well-loved face of the team's TV broad...

Bela Karolyi Born: September 13, 1942 Sport: Gymnastics (Coached 9 Olympic champions and 15 world champions, Hall of Fame) It's been a week since the 2026 Olympics concluded, and even though several other sports are currently getting their share of the spotlight, including basketball and baseball, I wanted to make one more post before shift our attention to a new arena.  So in keeping with the theme of the international games I wanted to take a look at one more important figure in the Houston area that loomed large on the world stage.  Although not a competitor himself, Bela Karolyi was the driving force behind two of the most successful gymnastics programs of the last century.  The number of champions and medals that he, alongside his wife Marta, are responsible for is unprecedented in the history of the sport.  He has not been without his share of controversy, however.  Let's turn our attention towards another sports figure who may not have gotten his start in...

Simone Manuel Born: August 2, 1996 Sport: Swimming (7 world records, 6-time individual NCAA National Champion, 2-time team NCAA National Champion, 7-time Olympic medalist: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze) The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics wrapped up today, and it was a very successful event for the host nation of Italy, while also being record-setting for Team USA and the overall medal count winner, Norway.  Among the highlights were United States gold medals over Canada in men's and women's hockey, with the guys becoming Olympic champions on the 46th anniversary of the famed Miracle on Ice game in Lake Placid, NY, over a heavily-favored Soviet team.  Shout out to the only Texan included on either winning roster: Hannah Bilka of Coppell, TX!  At my house we celebrated the winter Olympic spirit by watching both Cool Runnings and Miracle .  But in keeping with our focus on Houston-based Olympians we'll turn the spotlight this week to a recent champion who is still act...

Mary Lou Retton Born: January 24, 1968 Sport: Gymnastics (5-time Olympic medalist: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, Hall of Fame)  On February 1 of last year I celebrated reaching 200k views on this website.  Last October the counter hit 300k.  And now, just four months later, it's notched another milestone at 400,000.  That's such an incredible thing to realize, and I am continually humbled and grateful for each individual who takes the time to check out what's going on here.  I can't believe this modest blog is starting the countdown to half a million!  It's very cool - thank you to all you readers out there!  This week, as the Milan Cortina games move into the second half of their schedule, we're going to look at the story of an Olympian who adopted Houston as her home and became one of the city's most decorated athletes in a very short time.  And that gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, also happened to go to the same church I did for a period of time and at...

Chad Hedrick Born: April 17, 1977 Sport: Speed Skating (52-time Inline World Champion, 9 straight World Overall championships, 5-time Olympic medalist: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, 18 world records combined in roller skating and ice skating, Hall of Fame) Last week I brought up the Olympics and pointed out that Houstonians typically handle the warm-weather events during the summer games better than those freezing temps of the winter games.  But contrary to popular opinion, there has been at least one shining example of success on the ice that has originated here.  It is interesting that his journey to Olympic gold actually began with his natural family surroundings, despite the climate being vastly different.  So this week let's take a dive into the story of Chad Hedrick, a talented and versatile athlete that not only reached the pinnacle of two different sports, but did it in two different thermostat settings.  And, to my knowledge, he remains the only person from th...

Carl Lewis Born: July 1, 1961 Sport: Track & Field (6-time All-American, 10 Olympic Medals - 9 Gold & 1 Silver, 10 World Championship Medals - 8 Gold & 2 Bronze, IOC Sportsman of the Century, Hall of Fame)  This week marks the beginning of the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.  The United States competitors have traditionally performed better at the summer games than the winter version of the international competition, and Houston's geography has contributed to an even more exaggerated leaning towards success in the warm-weather events.  So while snow and ice will take center stage for the duration of February, we'll take a look at the Houston sports figures that left their mark, despite being summer athletes.  To kick off this world-class group who made Space City proud, we'll look at the life and story of one of history's greatest track competitors, and probably the first Olympian I can remember cheering for - Carl Lewis.  The UH campus at th...

James Harden Born: August 26, 1989 Sport: Basketball (All-American, 3-time scoring champ, 11-time All-Star, 8-time All-NBA, MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist) It's been a few months since we took a look at a player that is still active, but a few factors played into my decision to look at James Harden.  First, it's the anniversary of a consistency mark that allowed him to pass the greatest of all time - on this date seven years ago, he passed Michael Jordan for second all-time in consecutive 30-point games.  Second, the city of Houston is currently experiencing a weather-related shutdown, and Harden had experience dealing with climate drama during his time in town.  And while I hope everyone out there is finding a way to stay warm and out of the frigid air, here is a brief spotlight on another significant Houston sports figure to help you pass the time until things return to normal. Toyota Center, home to the Houston Rockets when James Harden arrived in 2012 Born and raised in C...

Moses Malone Born: March 23, 1955 Sport: Basketball (13-time All-Star, ABA All-Time Team, 8-time All-NBA, 3-time MVP, Hall of Fame)  Professional football season ended today in Houston, as our local team once again failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs.  There are three weeks before the Olympics begin and a few more after that until baseball's spring training gets going, which means basketball has the city's undivided attention for a little while.  Fortunately our local team is doing fairly well, competing hard with some of the best teams in the league while holding their record on a trajectory to be relevant once the postseason arrives.  Houston has a history of having some of the very best big men to ever play the game, so this week we'll look at the story of a dominant center who played a good chunk of his legendary career for the Rockets - Moses Malone.  The Summit was the home of the Rockets during Moses Malone's time with Houston The ch...

Guy V. Lewis Born: March 19, 1922 Sport: Basketball (592-279 coaching record, 2-time AP Coach of the Year, Hall of Fame)  Last week I considered him, and today I'm pulling the trigger.  Yesterday I was watching the University of Houston Cougars take apart a conference opponent and remembered how the team earned the nickname "Phi Slama Jama" in January, 1983 (coincidentally the year I was born).  That team boasted a number of Hall of Fame players, but for some reason their head coach took a long time to finally earn the same recognition.  Fortunately it did finally happen before he passed away in 2015, as the Hall of Fame corrected one of its most glaring omissions in 2013.  So this week let's do the same and not omit Guy V. Lewis from this blog, recognizing the contributions of a man who called UH home through five different decades.  Guy V. Lewis coached most of his career at the Hofheinz Pavilion on the UH campus The son of an oil wildcatter, also named G...