Kelvin Sampson’s coaching history and record: Houston HC's career explored

On Monday evening, the Houston Cougars' Kelvin Sampson will take part in the first national championship game of his head coaching career when his team faces the Florida Gators in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. He has been a coach for more than four decades, making stops at different destinations throughout that span.

Let's take a closer look at each team he coached during his long career and showcase how he did for each program.

Kelvin Sampson's Coaching record throughout his career

Michigan State

Kelvin Sampson spent the first two years of his collegiate coaching career with the Michigan State Spartans. He started out as a graduate assistant before taking the next step as an assistant for the Montana Tech Orediggers. After serving in the position for two years, he earned the promotion to become their head coach.

It marked a solid start for Sampson, considering it was his first stint as a head coach. He went 73-45 in four seasons, winning two coach of the year awards in the Frontier Conference as he led the program to two NAIA District 12 title games.

Washington State

Kelvin Sampson moved from the NAIA level as he went up to the Division I ranks, embracing the assistant coach position at Washington State.

Similar to his previous stop, he served two years in the role before earning the promotion to become the Cougars' head coach. It was a big challenge for Sampson, having a fair share of winning and losing seasons.

However, he showcased potential as a solid coach. He went 103-103 in seven seasons, making two postseason appearances. He made the NIT in 1992 and the 1994 NCAA Tournament in his last season with the program, losing to Boston College in the first round in 1994.

Oklahoma

This time around, Kelvin Sampson got hired by the Oklahoma Sooners to become their next head coach. Not needing a promotion from an assistant this time, Sampson had a big responsibility to bring success to the program.

Safe to say he excelled in the role for 12 seasons from 1994 to 2006. The Sooners went 280-108 with a .722 winning percentage. Sampson won three Big 12 Tournament titles and one regular-season title as well.

They became consistent postseason contenders, making the NCAA Tournament in all but one of their 12 seasons with Sampson at the helm. Oklahoma made several deep runs, including a Final Four appearance in 2002, when they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers.

Indiana

Kelvin Sampson embraced a new challenge after his strong tenure at Oklahoma, taking on the head coaching gig with the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers showed promise in his first two seasons with the program, going 43-15 in that stretch. He led them to the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, indicating they were on the rise with him leading the way.

However, his time at Indiana was cut short. He was forced to resign in 2008 due to allegations of violating NCAA rules. The NCAA eventually imposed a show-cause penalty that lasted for five years.

Houston

Kelvin Sampson returned to college basketball in 2014, when he took over the Houston Cougars. Until the show-cause penalty expired, he served two positions in the NBA as an assistant, specifically with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets.

Sampson elevated the Cougars from the ground up, transforming them from the bottom of the American Athletic Conference to being a strong team in the postseason. They made five NCAA Tournament appearances and two NIT berths, reaching the Final Four in 2021. His efforts were recognized with four AAC Coach of the Year Awards as a result.

He continued that momentum in the program's move to the Big 12 in 2023. He got them to the Sweet 16 in their inaugural season and now has them in the national championship game the following year.