Organization news and notes

In 1997, freshman running back Anthony Evans made his debut in the middle of the season for first-year head coach Tony Heath and as they say, the rest is history.

Evans rushed for 177 yards and scored three touchdowns against Sam Rayburn to snap a three-year district losing streak for the Oilers. Evans rushed for 712 yards in five games that initial season and became the backbone of the Pearland offense for the next three years to finish as the No. 2 all-time leading rusher in Class 5A Texas

football history with 6,192 yards and 66 touchdowns. The swift-footed Evans gained 1,371 yards his sophomore year and then was the leading rusher in the Houston area his junior and senior seasons with 2,055 and 2,054 respectively while being named the Houston Chronicle's "Player of the Year" in 2000. The two-time all-state running back finished behind UT running back Cedric Benson who closed out his illustrious high school at Midland Lee as the 5A all-time leading ground gainer with 8,414 yards.

It came as no surprise that Evans was a hot item among Division I college recruiters including Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, and UCLA to name a few. Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops found his way to the home of Evans in Pearland to personally give his sales pitch to become a Sooner, but Evans opted to stay at home to play for the University of Houston Cougars.
The final year that Evans closed out his sensational high school career marked one of the major milestones for the Oilers' football program as Pearland defeated Deer Park 35-13 in the Reliant Astrodome in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs before an estimated Pearland crowd of over 10,000 followers. The playoff victory snapped a 50-year drought giving the Oilers their first win in the post-season since the 1950 Pearland squad won a playoff game when competing in Class B.

Evans had 25 carries for 179 yards and scored three touchdowns while catching two passes for 72 yards and another score to lead the Oilers to the monumental victory.

It is hard to believe that the Pearland product is on the threshold of his senior year for the Cougars though it seems like only yesterday when Evans was racing up and down the field for the Oilers.

Evans was red-shirted his freshman year for former UH head coach Dana Dimel. Evans was in the shadow of Joffrey Reynolds his first year of eligibility and played sparingly in 2002 with 58 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

The breakout year was in 2003 when Evans led the Cougars in rushing as a sophomore with 1,149 yards on 236 carries and nine touchdowns under new head coach Art Briles. The Cougars played in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl where Evans rushed for 66 yards on 24 carries and helped tie the game in the first overtime with a six-yard scoring run. The tough-runner recorded four straight 100-yard games with his career best 165 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns against University of Alabama at Birmingham that helped UH clinch a bowl bid.

Evans became only the 20th player in UH football history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season joining wide receiver Brandon Middleton to give the Cougars their first 1,000-yard rusher and and 1,000-yard receiver in one since since 1989.

Evans was the leading ground-gainer for the 'Coogs in 2004 with 788 yards on 153 carries and four touchdowns and was named as a candidate for the prestigious Doak Walker Award prior to the start of the season honoring the nation's top running back. But a slight tear in his calf muscle sidelined him for three games during the season keeping him from crossing the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year.

One of the highlights of Evans' 2004 season was when he rushed for 282 yards on 34 carries for two scores in leading the Cougars past Army 35-21. Evans had scoring runs one and 25 yards. That showing earned him Conference USA "Player of the Week" honors.

Evans now has 2,117 career rushing yards for the Cougars entering the 2005 football campaign.

Evans will graduate this summer with a degree in communications and begin work on his Masters degree in the fall. Depending on the kind of year he has, Evans is keeping his options open for the NFL.

Pearland and UH fans will want to keep their eyes on the Pearland standout this season and cheer the Cougars on to victory. The 'Coogs will host Oregon on Thursday, September 1 at Reliant Stadium.

An interesting matchup will happen on Saturday, September 10 when UH hosts Sam Houston State pitting Evans against former Pearland teammate and quarterback Noah Allen who will take the offensive controls in his junior year for the Bearkats.

Evans is the son of Albert and Olympia Evans of Pearland.