Levine named Sumlin's replacement at Houston

Dec 22, 2011 - 6:09 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Tony Levine was announced as the permanent head football coach at Houston on Wednesday.

Levine was named interim head coach when Kevin Sumlin left Houston for the same position at Texas A&M earlier this month.

"We consistently talk about building a program and building upon our culture here at UH and when you have the perfect fit right here on staff, you feel fortunate," Houston director of athletics Mack Rhoades said. "We talked to some great folks, some people that are already outstanding Division I head coaches, but the best fit for UH is Tony Levine."

Levine had been on Sumlin's staff for the past four years, first as a special teams coordinator from 2008-09, then taking on the title of assistant head coach in 2010.

He has 16 years of coaching experience, including two with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, three at the University of Louisville, one at Louisiana Tech and two at Auburn.

Houston lost to Southern Miss in the Conference-USA championship game on December 3, spoiling its undefeated season and a bid to a BCS game.

The Cougars will play Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl on January 2.