Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: 1962-1986
Place of Birth: Elnora, IN
Date of Birth: Dec. 26, 1927
Place of Death: Houston, TX
Date of Death: Aug. 12, 2020
The first representative from Houston to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Yeoman coached the Cougars for a remarkable 25 seasons from 1962 to 1986, and his 160 victories are the most in program history.
Yeoman was the man responsible for turning the Houston football program from relative obscurity into national prominence in two-and-a-half decades. He guided the Cougars to four Southwest Conference championships and 11 bowl games, posting a 6-4-1 mark in postseason competition.
During his time at Houston, he coached College Football Hall of Famer Wilson Whitley and 2020 electee Elmo Wright. Off the field, Yeoman played a key role early in the integration of college athletics with the signing of running back Warren McVea in 1964 as the Cougars' first African-American football student-athlete.
The Cougars had 17 winning seasons under Yeoman, including nine campaigns with at least eight victories. UH finished nationally ranked 11 times, concluding the 1976 season with its highest national ranking at No. 4 by both the Associated Press and United Press International.
Well known as an innovator on the playing field, Yeoman's greatest legacy may be the invention of the Veer Offense, an offense that gave opponents fits throughout his coaching years and had a tremendous impact not only in the Southwest Conference but the entire nation as well.
For three straight years, Houston led the nation in total offense, averaging 437 yards a game in 1966, 427 in 1967, and 562 in 1968. The 1968 total was an NCAA record at the time. Houston also led the nation in scoring with 42.5 points a game that year.
Before coming to Houston, Yeoman served as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1954-61 after spending three years in the United States Army. The Elnora, Indiana, native played center for three seasons at Army (1946-48), serving as a captain in 1948 and helping the West Point institution to a 22-2-4 record in his time after transferring from Texas A&M where he earned a letter as a 17-year old freshman in the Aggies' program.
Yeoman was also a member of the Southwest Conference Hall of Honor, Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions. In 2002, Yeoman received the Paul Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award.
Yeoman passed away Aug. 12, 2020, at the age of 92.
