June 6, 2008

HOUSTON - Former University of Houston cross country and track and field coach Howie Ryan died June 3 at the age of 65.

Ryan, also a former track letterwinner, coached the Cougars' cross country and distance runners from 1976-2002, mentoring numerous student-athletes to Southwest Conference and later Conference USA success.

A viewing will be held Sunday, June 8, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., with the funeral at 10 a.m. Monday morning. Both events will be held at Klein Funeral Home (16131 Champion Forest Drive, Klein, TX, 77379 - 281-320-2674).

A native New Yorker, Ryan began his coaching career in 1970 as the track and cross country coach at Alexander Hamilton High School in Westchester County and John F. Kennedy High School in Somers, N.Y.

He was a two-year letterwinner at UH from 1965-67 and earned his bachelor's degree in 1967. Ryan helped lead the UH cross country squad to an eighth-place finish in the 1964 NCAA Championship. Prior to joining the UH staff, he qualified for the 1972 Olympic Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.