1930–1932 Centenary 1948–1954 Houston 1932–1935 Overton HS (TX) Name Clyde Lee | 1935–1941 Kilgore Role American football player 1945–1947 Tulsa (assistant) Positions End | |
 | ||
Overall 37–32–2 (college)
57–10–5 (junior college) | ||
Clyde Lee was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1948 to 1954, guiding the Cougars to a 37–32–2 record. Lee played his college career at Centenary College from 1930 to 1932 under Homer Norton. Among his college teammates was Lovette Hill, who later served as his colleague at Houston on his coaching staff and as head baseball coach for the school.
After his college playing career, Lee served as head coach for several sports including football to Overton High School in Overton, Texas. He was paid $90 a month, taught five math classes, a history class, and coached for four sports without an assistant. In three seasons, his record was 28–3–2. Lee then moved into his first college coaching job as head coach for Kilgore College where he compiled a 57–10–5 record before entering the United States Navy. Upon leaving the armed services, he coached at the University of Tulsa under Buddy Brothers for two years.
At Houston, Lee was credited with improving the strength of the Cougars' schedules. This began during the 1949 season, when Houston played its first major opponent, William & Mary. He led the Cougars to their first bowl berth, and a conference championship in 1952. During his first season, less than 100 season tickets were sold by the Cougars, but by 1952, over 10,000 were sold.
After retiring from coaching, Lee moved to Freeport, Texas, and became a regular at Cougars home games.