Houston Cougars football coach Tom Herman is proud to be a Cincinnati West Side native, even though Herman has not lived in the area since he was 6 years old.
The 40-year-old Herman, whose No. 18 Houston team (8-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference West) plays host to the University of Cincinnati (5-3, 2-2 AAC East) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., has been quite the success story in his first year as Cougars head coach. Herman also still retains close ties to Cincinnati.
“I was born at Good Sam,” Herman said, during the weekly American Athletic Conference coaches teleconference. “My parents were in St. William parish there on the West Side. My dad is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery there on West 8th Street. So yeah, we’re all West Siders.”
Herman needed little prompting to discuss his Cincinnati roots, volunteering several details about growing up in the area. He lived in Cincinnati until age 6 before moving to Simi Valley, California.
“My Mom and Dad dad divorced when I was 1 year old,” Herman said. “My Mom remarried when I was 5, and my stepdad’s job took us out to Southern California. But my real dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it, every single one of my extended family still lived in the Greater Cincinnati area.”
Herman made frequent trips back home.
“Every summer, every Christmas, I would go back and spend time with my dad and hang out with my cousins and grandparents," he said. "I had the luxury of growing up a Reds and Bengals fan in Southern California, which wasn’t too popular.”
Herman eventually played college football at California Lutheran, then began his coaching career. The path took him to Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win the national title last season as offensive coordinator. Herman then was named head coach at Houston, one week after winning the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.
Back in Cincinnati, Herman still has a large rooting section.
“A lot of my cousins and extended family are UC grads and have a very tight affiliation with the university,” Herman said. “I consider Cincinnati my hometown, even though I grew up and went to high school in Simi Valley, California.”
Herman said that his grandmother, Louise Kuhlenberg, still works five days a week as a seamstress at Peppe Ramundo & Son Custom Tailors on Glenway Avenue.
“It’s over there by Western Hills High School, by the Frisch’s there,” Herman said. “My grandma is coming to the game this week, and she’s supposed to bring me a bunch of Montgomery Inn ribs and Skyline chili.”
Yes, the football game. Houston is an 8-point favorite, but Herman is wary of the potent UC offense. UC ranks No. 5 nationally in total offense, but Houston ranks No. 7 in total offense itself.
“With the high-powered offense that Cincinnati has, led by their quarterback and receivers, it’s going to be a big test for our defense,” Herman said.
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