After 44 seasons as a coach Kelvin Sampson Finally Has A Shot to win the National Championship

Since Kelvin Sampson has taken over the Houston Cougars men's basketball program in 2014, the Coogs have been a national powerhouse returning to the glory daze of the 1980's.

Sampson has taken Houston to six consecutive Sweet 16's and two Final Fours including a national championship berth tonight as they take on the Florida Gators in a must see tv matchup.

How do Sampson get to Houston, if you didn't know or are new to college basketball Sampson, 69 coached a Indiana in a short stint before resigning as head coach.

Why did Kelvin Sampson leave Indiana? 

Sampson was forced to resign from Indiana on Feb. 22, 2008.

Sampson resigned with a $750,000 buyout during the 2007-08 season with an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations.

The NCAA came down hard on Sampson with a five-year ban of Sampson, meaning he would need to be suspended if he was hired for any college over the next five years.

With an five-year NCAA ban in place, Kelvin Sampson was let go by Indiana and took a job in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was hired Houston by Rockets coach Kevin McHale in 2011 and became a key assistant in Houston before taking the Cougars job back in college.

Sampson went 43-15 in less than two seasons at Indiana; the Hoosiers were 22-4 when he resigned.

Prior to Indiana, Sampson coached at Oklahoma for 12 seasons. Sampson's record during his 12 seasons as head coach at Oklahoma (1994-2006) was 279-109 overall, with a 128-60 record in Big 8 and Big XII conference play.

Sampson becomes the second former Indiana coach to advance to a NCAA championship game after leaving Indiana joining the great late Everett Dean. Dean coached the Hoosiers from 1924-38, leading the Stanford Cardnial to the title game in 1942.

Kelvin Sampson completely turned around Houston

Houston had a great basketball tradition that included three straight Final Four appearances in the early ‘80s on rosters led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

But in the 22 years before hiring Sampson, Houston only one NCAA tournament appearance in 22 seasons.

Kelvin Samspon is 299-83 overall and 35-4 this season at Houston.

The Cougars head coach at 69 years of age, would become the oldest to ever win a men's national championship if he leads Houston to its first title.

If Sampson wins tonight could he ride off into the sunset?