A Hawkeye All His Life (Article written for magazine reporting class)

A Hawkeye All His Life

Over the past 60 years Iowa City has seen mammoth floods and tornados, the construction of a state of the art hospital, presidential candidates from both parties and two Rose Bowl championships. One current Iowa coach has seen all of what Iowa City has seen in the same 60 years.

Steve Houghton was born when Iowa City’s famous Hamburg Inn No. 2 was in its infancy. As a kid he attended Hawkeye basketball games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s predecessor, the campus Field House. And after all these years his veins still flow black and gold. While most college kids use Iowa City as a stepping stone in their lives Houghton used Iowa City as the only stone in his life. Maybe he was destined to be a Hawkeye for life even if he did not know it as a kid.

If you were to go to the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center today you will see him on the sideline with a clipboard in hand but no whistle around his neck. With dark-grey hair and standing in at over six-feet Houghton observes while his assistant coach, also named Steve, sternly yells to his players that laziness will not be tolerated. Houghton jokes and says, “This is their punishment.”

Born in January 1949 in the Manville Heights area of Iowa City, Steve Houghton, has lived in Iowa City all his life. Houghton is now in his 30th season coaching the men’s tennis team at Iowa and has assumed the role of the dean of Iowa coaches.

Houghton constantly lived and died with every Hawkeye football game as a kid.
Houghton said, “I started going to football games at the age of five. I always worshipped the athletes and the Big Ten type of thing.”

But he never dreamed of being a coach at the university he loves so much.

The 60’s and 70’s in Iowa City was dealing with Vietnam protests. While many students protested, Houghton was just trying to focus on where he wanted to play tennis. Iowa seemed like the obvious choice but Big Ten rival Michigan State was also courting him to smash aces for the Spartans. He said his choice was not easy but when it came down to it he did not want to leave his high-school sweetheart and wife to be, Leora.

Houghton said with a smile, “We started dating in high school and got married right after college. Back in those days it was more simple than it is now.”

Houghton’s college career was very successful. He compiled a 40-15 record with the Hawkeyes, which is second best in school history with his shining moment coming in the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston on the campus of Northwestern University. He remembers this day more than any other day during his playing career. He said that he won the 5th place singles Big Ten tournament and won a gold medal for his efforts.

Houghton said, “Playing-wise it was a special day.” His team finished number 19 overall that year and he would love for the current Hawkeyes to get that high in the polls.

But after three years of playing tennis for Iowa (freshman were not allowed to play in their first year then) Houghton wanted to pursue his PHD in political science and history. While in school Houghton’s team had the highest cumulative GPA of any NCAA team and with a team full of future doctors and lawyers Houghton’s career choice surprisingly went into a very different direction than his teammates.

The athletic department approached Houghton in 1981 when they asked if he wanted to become the next Iowa tennis coach. He said it was another life-changing decision but he thought the chance was too good to pass up.

He said he has no regrets, “I’ve been living a dream since the early years.”

This dream has now become a lengthy career. He now lives near his former high school, City High School and has had four tennis-playing kids with his wife Leora. And since has seen them all grow up and move out. But at only the age of 62 he still has plenty of coaching left in him.

He said that he loves mentoring and the process of coaching young men makes him proud. When asked when he will be done coaching he said, “I don’t think I know when I will be done. I see no stopping point in the future.” He is still recruiting players and selling them the university and the Iowa City area.

Houghton said, “When they come out they love it here. Not all recruits stay here but they generally love it.”

Unlike many recruits, Houghton has stayed in Iowa City and has no intention of going anywhere. Retiring in Iowa City might just give him time to work on that unfinished PHD.