Cougars Coach Kelvin Sampson Chases 800th Career Victory in NCAA Finals

Houston basketball is one win away from winning the program’s first men’s NCAA Tournament championship going into Monday’s national final matchup with Florida.

However, history is not only a victory away for the Cougars.

One of the best college basketball coaches, Kelvin Sampson of Houston, enters the national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio with 799 career wins. The win will further establish his reputation as one of the best college basketball coaches.

Already, Sampson has led the Cougars to one of the most spectacular comebacks in Final Four ever. Houston defeated No. 1 Duke in the Final Four on Saturday by a comeback thanks to an 11-1 run in the final 1:14 of the second half and the nation’s top-ranked defense.

A closer look at Sampson’s career highlights is provided here, ahead of Monday’s national championship game:

Record of Kelvin Sampson’s career

• Win-loss record for Kelvin Sampson’s career: 799-353

When Sampson plays Florida in the national championship game on Monday night, his total record is 799-353. Houston has accounted for 299 (37.4%) of his 799 victories.

After nine years in the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars joined the Big 12 prior to the current season, so Sampson’s achievements at Houston are especially impressive.

Sampson has guided the Cougars to consecutive unchallenged Big 12 regular-season titles and a Big 12 conference tournament victory this season in two years in the Big 12, which was regarded in the past as one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball.

However, Houston’s achievements throughout Sampson’s tenure are far more extensive than what the Cougars have accomplished in the Big 12. Houston has made five consecutive Sweet 16 visits, two Final Fours, and won at least 30 games in nine seasons under Sampson. The team has also received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament three times, including once in the AAC, which is difficult for a mid-major league team to achieve.

This is a summary of the Cougars’ performance under Sampson, year by year:

• 2014-15 (Houston): 13-19
• 2015-16 (Houston): 22-10
• 2016-17 (Houston): 21-11
• 2017-18 (Houston): 27-8
• 2018-19 (Houston): 33-4 (Sweet 16)
• 2019-20 (Houston): 23-8
• 2020-21 (Houston): 28-4 (Final Four)
• 2021-22 (Houston): 32-6 (Elite Eight)
• 2022-23 (Houston): 33-4 (Sweet 16)
• 2023-24 (Houston): 32-5 (Sweet 16)
• 2024-25 (Houston): 35-4 (National championship game)
• Record at Houston: 299-83

Resume for Kelvin Sampson’s coaching

Here is a list of Sampson’s professional coaching stops:

• 1979-80: Michigan State (graduate assistant)
• 1980-81: Montana Tech (assistant)
• 1981-85: Montana Tech
• 1985-87: Washington State (assistant)
• 1987-94: Washington State
• 1994-06: Oklahoma
• 2006-08: Indiana
• 2008-11: Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) (NBA)
• 2011-14: Houston Rockets (assistant) (NBA)
• 2014-present: Houston

Kelvin Sampson awards

Here are some of the most significant honors Sampson has received over his coaching career:

• Two-time Associated Press National Coach of the Year (1995 and 2024)
• Four-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023)
• Two-time Henry Iba National Coach of the Year (1995 and 2024)
• Two-time Frontier Conference Coach of the Year (1983 and 1985)
• Two-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year (2024 and 2025)
• Two-time John McLendon National Coach of the Year (2021 and 2024)
• 2002 NABC National Coach of the Year
• 1995 Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year
• 1991 Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year

What is Kelvin Sampson’s win total?

Sampson has 799 career victories going into his matchup with Florida in the national championship on Monday.

According to the NCAA record book, just 16 other Division I college basketball coaches have achieved Sampson’s 800th career victory, which would come via a victory on Monday.

Here’s a breakdown of where Sampson ranks in career wins among active coaches, per the NCAA record book:

• 1. Rick Barnes (Tennessee): 836
• 2. John Calipari (Arkansas): 835
• 3. Bill Self (Kansas): 816
• 4. Kelvin Sampson (Houston): 799
• 5. Dana Altman (Oregon): 780
• 6. Rick Pitino (St. John’s): 762
• 7. Mark Few (Gonzaga): 741
• 8. Tom Izzo (Michigan State): 737
• 9. Greg Kampa (Oakland): 715

How many times has Kelvin Sampson made it to the Sweet 16?

Sampson, who made his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 while coaching at Oklahoma, has guided his teams to nine Sweet 16 appearances.

When the then-No. 3 seed Cougars fell to No. 2 Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019, he guided Houston to the Sweet 16 for the first time.

The victory over Gonzaga in the second round this year was the sixth time Sampson has guided Houston past the opening week of the NCAA Tournament and into the Sweet 16.

The following details each of Sampson’s Sweet 16 looks:

• 1999
• 2002
• 2003
• 2019
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024
• 2025

How many times has Kelvin Sampson reached the Final Four?

Houston’s participation in the Final Four during the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament marked the third occasion that Sampson has guided a team to the tournament’s final weekend. According to the University of Houston, the 69-year-old coach is among just 16 DI coaches who have successfully led multiple programs to the Final Four.

“You can’t control what people think. The thing I’ve noticed about being in this position is most people that have opinions of you don’t know you. So they’re basing their opinion on what someone else said. I would encourage people before you make statements about somebody, get to know the person. Might not be what you think,” Sampson said on April 4 when asked about his legacy with leading another team to the national semifinals.

“But I would hope my legacy would be I tried to help my kids be the best they could be so that when they got older they were in a position to help somebody be the best they could be. If that’s my legacy, then I think I’ve had a career worth having.”

At Oklahoma in 2002, Sampson guided a team to the Final Four for the first time. The Sooners upset No. 15 seed UIC in the first round, No. 7 seed Xavier in the second round, No. 3 seed Arizona in the Sweet 16, and No. 12 seed Missouri in the Elite Eight to go to the Final Four that year.

His first Final Four appearance with Houston occurred in 2021, at a time when the Cougars were still considered a mid-major in the American Athletic Conference.