Remembering Jack Pardee UH lost a football legend when former coach Jack Pardee died in April. Pardee fought a lengthy battle with gall bladder cancer that began in November; he was 76. In conjunction with the UH Athletics Department, the Pardee family established the Jack Pardee Memorial Scholarship Fund after his death, which will award one walk-on player each season. Pardee coached the Cougars from 1987 to 1989 and oversaw some of the most memorable events in University history. He became the first coach in NCAA history to have an African-American quarterback win the Heisman Trophy
when Andre Ware claimed the award in 1989. In a game against SMU, Pardee’s Cougars became the first major NCAA team to produce more than 1,000 yards in offense in a 95-21 victory. Head football coach Tony Levine said Pardee was a special person who meant a lot to the program. “When you talk about the University of Houston, coach Pardee is a name that comes right to the forefront of everybody’s mind,” Levine said. “His family is very close, and his extended family is very close to our program.” BY CHRISTOPHER SHELTON
JACK PARDEE 1936–2013
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