University Of Houston: Whose House? Coogs' House!: UH Releases 2021-22 National Commercial

Press release from the University of Houston:

Chris Stipes

August 26, 2021

The popular chant “Whose House? Coogs’ House!” has been a hallmark of University of Houston Athletics events for decades, and now it’s the centerpiece of the University’s 2021-22 national commercial released today.

Produced by the UH Division of Marketing and Communications, “Whose House? Coogs’ House!” showcases the pride and strength of University of Houston tradition, which endures beyond the borders of campus. In the chant started during a football game by former Houston cheerleader Paul Pettit in 1988, fans spiritedly ask, “Whose house?” which draws the passionate response, “Coogs’ house!” three times in succession.

The new commercial plays out in locations across the United States beginning with UH alumnus Adrian Castillo (’16) pausing from his hike atop the South Rim of the Grand Canyon before yelling the question into the vast landscape. He hears a distant reply: “Coogs house!”

More than 2,000 miles away, UH junior nutritional sciences major, Bea Caroline Seitz, a member of the Spirit of Houston cheer team, walks through New York’s Times Square and pauses to pose the same question. To her surprise, the response “Coogs’ house!” appears larger than life on a billboard in the middle of Broadway.

The commercial culminates with Houston football players leading the traditional chant in the tunnel of TDECU Stadium prior to taking the field before a big game.

Beneath the rich visuals, the commercial delivers the narrated message: “No matter where we go, or what we do, true we’ll ever be.” “True we’ll ever be” is the final line of the University’s alma mater and is meant to convey that UH allegiance and traditions endure.

“Developing the idea for our institutional commercial is a point of self-examination and reflection,” said Lisa Holdeman, vice president of University Marketing and Communications. “We know the University of Houston is bold and resilient and fueled by an unrelenting will to achieve. Our job is to capture that in 30 seconds, deliver that feeling to our nearly 300,000 alumni who have great pride in their university and at the same time show the rest of the world what UH stands for.”

The commercial will debut nationally on Saturday, Sept. 4, during the Houston Cougar football opener against Texas Tech at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The spot will air during each televised UH football game, as well as during regional and national telecasts featuring UH Athletics teams throughout the 2021-22 academic year.

This press release was produced by the University of Houston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.