Lovette Lee Hill (March 23, 1907 – August 27, 1989) was an American football and baseball coach. He was the fourth head coach of the Houston Cougars baseball team from 1950 to 1974.[2] Hill holds the record for the longest serving head baseball coach in University of Houston history.[3] While at Houston, Hill compiled a 343–325–5 record with five first-place finishes in the Missouri Valley Conference. He guided the Cougars to their only two College World Series appearances, in 1953 and 1967. In 1967, his team was national runner-up.

Lovette Hill
Lovette Hill, ca. 1958
Hill, c. 1958
Biographical details
Born(1907-03-23)March 23, 1907
Granger, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 27, 1989(1989-08-27) (aged 82)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1928–1931Centenary
Position(s)End[1]
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Baseball
1950–1974Houston
Football
1949–1961Houston (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall343–325–5 (.513)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • GCC regular season (1950)
  • 3 MVC tournament (1951, 1953, 1960)
  • 4 MVC regular season (1951–1953, 1960)
Awards
  • University of Houston Hall of Honor (2004)

From 1949 to 1961, Hill also served as an assistant coach for the Houston Cougars football team. He graduated in 1931 from Centenary College of Louisiana.

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Houston Cougars (Gulf Coast Conference) (1950)
1950 Houston 10–6 4–0 1st
Houston Cougars (Missouri Valley Conference) (1951–1960)
1951 Houston 16–9 7–1 1st (West) NCAA District playoffs
1952 Houston 11–6 6–1 1st (South)
1953 Houston 15–11 6–2 1st College World Series
1954 Houston 12–10 4–5 3rd
1955 Houston 6–13 3–5 5th
1956 Houston 14–10 5–4 4th
1957 Houston 6–11–1 4–3 3rd
1958 Houston 11–13 6–3 1st (West) NCAA District playoffs
1959 Houston 7–14 5–4 1st (West)
1960 Houston 12–11 6–1 1st (West) NCAA District playoffs
Houston Cougars (NCAA University Division Independent) (1961–1972)
1961 Houston 4–11
1962 Houston 16–6
1963 Houston 4–15
1964 Houston 16–13
1965 Houston 12–14
1966 Houston 18–11–1 NCAA District playoffs
1967 Houston 21–11 College World Series Runner-up
1968 Houston 14–15–1
1969 Houston 15–23
1970 Houston 19–17
1971 Houston 24–15
1972 Houston 25–23–1
Houston Cougars (Southwest Conference) (1973–1974)
1973 Houston 15–16–1 9–11 5th
1974 Houston 20–21 10–13 6th
Houston: 343–325–5 (.513) 75–53 (.586)
Total: 343–325–5 (.513)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ "Lovette Hill New Assistant Coach at Houston U." The Daily News. July 30, 1949. p. 9.
  2. ^ "Former UH baseball coach dies". Houston Chronicle. August 29, 1989. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "UH Hall of Honor". Houston Cougars athletics. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2008.