COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHEN UH FOOTBALL GOT LOST IN THE ASTRODOME “I was at UH in the late 80′s when interest in football among students, alum and faculty was non-existent. Home games were held at the dome, where UH would be lucky to fill even 10% of the seats. The NCAA wouldn’t let UH use Robertson because of its size and condition. Despite that, calls for a new stadium were met with almost universal derision and open hostility from all but the most ardent athletic supporters. At the time, I was among the majority that ignored the football program and as the chairman of the student service fee allocation committee I successfully fought to cap its share of the student service fee. Despite that history, I’m glad UH fought for and succeeded in moving games to Robertson, and I’m glad that the boosters were correct in predicting such a move would rejuvenate interest in the program and the school as a whole. Kudos on the successful program and for the new facility!” [PaulP, commenting on Goodbye, Robertson Stadium: Replacement UH Football Venue Gets Go-Ahead]
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I don’t believe that there was ever an NCAA prohibition regarding the use of Robertson. Rather, I suspect that the Southwest Conference required it. For example, as a condition to joining the conference, UH had to agree to play UT and A&M at Rice Stadium the first couple of seasons in the conference.
Moreover, UH football coaches Yeoman, Pardee and Jenkins strongly favored playing in the Dome — despite the generally lackluster crowds — because the Dome was a strong recruiting tool for the program.
Once the Southwest Conference disbanded and regular home games against UT and A&M no longer were scheduled, UH made the move back to Robertson primarily for financial reasons, but the UH community quickly realized that the on-campus setting for football games was far superior to that of the Dome.