FROM CLUTCH TO COOG

From Clutch to Coog: Former Rockets mascot boosts University of Houston's football program

From Clutch to Coog: Former Rockets mascot boosts University of Houston's football program
After 21 years of suiting up as the Rockets mascot, Boudwin has a new clutch Houston role. Photo by Owen Conflenti

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Robert Boudwin, the man behind (and inside) Clutch the Bear for 21 years at Houston Rockets games, has a new role. He is now the assistant athletic director for marketing and events presentation at the University of Houston.

I'll translate that job title for you — Boudwin is in charge of putting butts in seats at UH football games.

He's got his work cut out for him.

Geographically, colleges located in NFL cities, like Houston, don't draw huge crowds to their football games. The NFL is simply the bigger draw and dominates sports media. The Houston Texans sell every seat to every game at 72,220-capacity NRG Stadium, and has a waiting list for season's tickets a mile long. 

Even when the University of Miami was racking up national titles in the '80s, the Hurricanes failed to sell out most of its games in the Orange Bowl. Georgia Tech (Atlanta), Arizona State (near Phoenix), Boston College (Boston), and SMU (Dallas) don't pack their football stadiums.

Historically, colleges located near recreational water in warm climates don't fill their football stadiums, either. There's just too many other things to do on sunny Saturdays. And sadly, colleges that belong to secondary, non-Power 5 conferences, like UH in the American Athletic Conference, aren't making scalpers rich on StubHub.

Last year, UH averaged 32,000 fans last year in the 40,000-capacity TDECU Stadium. So far this year, attendance has been about the same — 32,000 against Arizona on September 8 and 30,000 against Texas Southern on September 22. Rice struggles even more, averaging fewer than 20,000 fans in a stadium that holds 47,000.

From Clutch to Coog
Boudwin, a first-ballot inductee into Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006, says UH has a few things going for it, plus he's got a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Engaging fans and providing the best game experience for them is a new priority at UH. This position was created specifically for me. They're giving me all the tools I need to make UH games a fun and memorable time," Boudwin says.

Some are nuts-and-bolts ideas, like free face-painting and hair-spraying stations at the stadium — and the biggest spirit flag in U.S. sports. One burly cheerleader will wave a 22-foot flag reading "Eat 'em up Coogs" as the team takes the field. The previous biggest flag? The 21-foot banner that Clutch unfurled at Rockets games when Boudwin ran the show at Toyota Center. There will be a DJ with two turntables at top of the student section.

A new tradition: Before each game, a Houston celebrity will lead the crowd in the H-Town Declaration: "This is our house, this is our city, you are now in the cage!"

Boudwin doesn't accept the notion that college football can't thrive in an NFL town. For several factors, like Houston's climate and thriving economy, and UH having a large commuter student base, UH students tend to stick around here after they graduate.

"I don't believe that UH football is secondary in a lot of people's minds," he says. "UH has 270,000 alumnae within the Houston area. They have an affinity for the place where they went to school. They do have tons of passion for this school. My job is to show them a good time at games."

Of course there are some things that even a two-time NBA "Mascot of the Year" can't control: "I would consider it a personal favor if it didn't rain Thursday night," when Tulsa visits the Coogs at TDECU Stadium on October 4.

Ken's cuts
CBS is bringing back Murphy Brown, the '90s sitcom starring Candice Bergen. One week in, the ratings are a dud, nothing near what Roseanne pulled last year. Murphy Brown, wasn't funny then ...

The thing is, bringing back shows is tricky. I've got a bad feeling about Magnum P.I., which I once liked. Seinfeld may be my favorite show ever, but I would be horrified at the thought of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer doing it again. 

Tasty trivia
I ate at a famous restaurant recently. Sign on the wall said "World's Leading Server of T-Bone Steaks." Can you name the restaurant?
(Answer: Waffle House. I ordered pancakes.)

Continue reading on CultureMap.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome