Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Dale Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the Big 12 Conference.

Sampson was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, to parents who were members of the Lumbee Native American community of Deep Branch in Robeson County, North Carolina, in which he was reared. Sampson excelled in the classroom and the athletic arena during his prep days at Pembroke High School, in Pembroke, North Carolina. Sampson was captain of his high school basketball team for two years, and played for his father John W. "Ned" Sampson, who was later named to the UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame. His father was also one of the 500 Lumbee Native Americans who made national news by driving the Ku Klux Klan out of Maxton, North Carolina in what is annually celebrated by the Lumbee as the Battle of Hayes Pond. Later he played at Pembroke State University (now UNC Pembroke), concentrating on basketball and baseball. He earned four letters in basketball and three in baseball, and was team captain of the basketball team as a senior. He also earned Dean's List recognition throughout his collegiate career and received the Gregory Lowe Memorial Award as the school's outstanding physical education major his senior year.

After earning degrees from Pembroke State in both health and physical education and political science, Sampson pursued his master's degree in coaching and administration at Michigan State University. He left with his degree and a year's experience as a graduate assistant under Jud Heathcote.

After leaving Michigan State, Sampson moved to Montana Tech (of the NAIA) in Butte, where he became assistant coach. After serving as an interim coach for one season, Sampson guided the Orediggers to a 73–45 record in his final four seasons. Montana Tech had won just 17 games combined in the three years before his arrival. Sampson turned in three consecutive 22-win seasons and claimed three Frontier Conference championships at Montana Tech. He led his teams to two NAIA District 12 title games and was named the league's coach of the year in 1983 and 1985.

After five years at Montana Tech, Sampson joined the staff at Washington State University in June 1985 under head coach Len Stevens, replacing Stu Jackson as assistant coach. Two years later in April 1987, Stevens left the Palouse for Nevada and Sampson was promoted to head coach at age 31, with a two-year contract and a base salary of $42,500 per year. When he led the Cougars to the NIT in 1992, it was Washington State's first postseason appearance in nine years. Sampson was named Kodak District 14 Coach of the Year by the NABC for the second time in three years; he first won it in 1991 when the Cougars produced their first winning season since 1983. Sampson was also named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1992. In his final year in Pullman in 1994, he led WSU to their first NCAA tournament berth in eleven years. With records of 22–11 in 1992 and 20–11 in 1994, Sampson became one of only four men to win twenty or more games in a single season in Washington State history; he finished with a 103–103 record in his seven seasons as head coach.

Sampson became the 11th head coach at the University of Oklahoma on April 25, 1994. Sampson was named national coach of the year in 1995 (his first year at OU) by the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Weekly after guiding the Sooners to 23–9 overall and 15–0 home marks. It was the second-best overall record posted by a first-year coach in Big 8 history.

Sampson possesses the highest winning percentage in Oklahoma history (.719). He guided OU to nine consecutive 20-win seasons. He averaged 24.4 wins over those nine campaigns. He directed the Sooners to postseason tournament berths in each of his 12 seasons (11 NCAA Tournaments), with a Sweet 16 showing in 1999, a Final Four appearance in 2002 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2003. His teams also played in the Big 12 tournament title game on five occasions during the 10 seasons he coached in the Big 12. In 2001, 2002, and 2003, the Sooners won that tournament. Sampson finished with a Big 12 Tournament record of 17–7. His 279 wins are second in school history, behind only Billy Tubbs.

The University of Oklahoma is where Sampson earned his nickname "Mr. Blue Shirt" as he only wore blue dress shirts when he coached.