Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson has found himself in the spotlight in recent years while constructing one of the best college basketball programs — yet his history is dotted with NCAA violations.
Kelvin Sampson’s Past of NCAA Violations, Including a Major Scandal
Houston is two wins away from winning a national championship—the first in school history. A huge reason for that has been Sampson, who was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to a Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament title.
Sampson’s calling card is his defense, as his team leads the nation with the fewest points allowed per game, at an eye-popping just over 58 ppg.
This is his 11th season at the helm for the Cougars, as he’s come to be known as one of the top coaches in the country. But prior to this stint in Houston, Sampson was a coach for both the Oklahoma Sooners and Indiana Hoosiers.
At both stops, he was accused of violating NCAA rules, with an emphasis on the manner of his recruiting style.
With the Sooners, he was accused of making hundreds of phone calls to potential prospects when he wasn’t allowed to, giving himself a leg up in the relationship-building aspect of recruiting. Minor penalties followed, but it was during his time with the Hoosiers that the hammer was truly brought down on Sampson.
After 12 seasons in Norman, OK, he was hired to be Indiana’s next head coach. He lasted only two seasons before similar allegations followed Sampson, resulting in a $750,000 buyout and his departure from the program after the 2007-08 season due to the pressure of the pending investigation.
The allegations, according to the NCAA, were found to be true.
While the Hoosiers’ athletic department decided to self-ban themselves from postseason activity for one season, Sampson was issued a five-year show-cause penalty—essentially banning him from being involved in college basketball for the entirety of five years for illegally contacting recruits.
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During that time, Sampson worked as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks before being hired and coaching for the Cougars once his ban was over.
He hasn’t looked back since, leading Houston to seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances — including two Final Fours — with a chance to add the school’s first national title.
Despite his past, Sampson has seemingly put that behind him and looks forward to leading the Houston program for the future with no signs of slowing down.
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