Former UH coach Lewis hospitalized after stroke

Get well, Guy. We want you to be there in person when you finally get inducted into the Hall of Fame...

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Former UH coach Lewis hospitalized after stroke
By BRIAN McTAGGART
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

Former University of Houston basketball coach Guy V. Lewis, who coached the Cougars to five Final Four appearances, is in stable condition at Methodist Hospital after suffering a mild stroke early this morning.

Lewis, who turns 80 on March 19, was admitted to the hospital at 2 a.m. today after complaining of stroke-like symptoms. Methodist spokesperson Stefanie Asin said Lewis was alert and talking this afternoon and receiving visitors. He will undergo a series of test in the coming days, Asin said.

A native of Arp, Lewis won 592 games as head coach of the Cougars from 1956 until his retirement in 1986. Lewis guided UH to five Final Fours (1967, 1968, 1982, 1983 and 1984), including two NCAA championship game appearances (1983, 1984).

Known for carrying his trademark checkered red and white towel on the sidelines, Lewis led UH to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and three 30-wins seasons. He produced 15 All-Americans, 29 NBA Draft picks, including 11 first-round selections.

Lewis was co-captain of UH's first two teams and scored 19 points to lead the Cougars to a 62-35 win over North Texas in their very first game Jan. 10, 1946. After returning to UH in 1953 as an assistant coach, Lewis became head coach before the 1956-57 season and helped the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1961.

With three-time All-American Elvin Hayes leading the way, the Cougars advanced to their first Final Four appearance in 1967. UH ended the 1967-68 regular season with a 28-0 record and ranked No. 1 after beating top-ranked UCLA and Lew Alcindor 71-69 before 52,693 fans at the Astrodome on Jan. 20, 1968. Known as the "Game of the Century," it put the Cougars and college basketball on the map.

UH returned to greatness under Lewis in the early 1980s when it played in three consecutive Final Fours. Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Young led Phi Slama Jama to the 1983 championship game, but the Cougars lost a 54-52 heartbreaker to North Carolina State on a last-second shot.

Drexler turned pro after that season, but UH returned to the championship game in 1984 and fell to Georgetown 84-75. The Cougars went 16-14 in 1984-85 and 14-14 in 1985-86 -- Lewis' final two seasons on the bench.

Even after his retirement in 1986, Lewis attended nearly every UH game and sat behind the Cougars bench. The court at Hofheinz Pavilion was named in honor of Lewis in 1995. He's the only member of UH Hall of Honor inducted twice as a player and as a coach.