“What he’s done in his time here is the best job anybody has done, in my opinion, in America in that period of time” said Kansas coach Bill Self recently about Kelvin Sampson. The 69-year-old’s impact after instructing the Houston Cougars’ squad for over a decade has been quite noticeable. After all, before Sampson’s arrival, the team had gone to the NCAA Tournament just once in the previous 22 seasons. They were a 13-seed in 2009-10 under Tommy Penders. Now, Houston is playing in its fifth consecutive March Madness series, and recently made the ‘Sweet 16’ stage for the fifth consecutive season too. From not underestimating his rival teams during pressers to endorsing new hires of other teams, Sampson is unlike any normal person one might come across. He commands respect through his players and win record, but also spreads it around.
While several have seen him give instructions to LJ Cryer from time to time, not many would be aware of the rich cultural background he comes from. They wouldn’t be aware of what his father and grandfather had to go through just because of their heritage. Therefore, with the spotlight on Houston due to their presence in ‘Sweet 16’, there is no better time than now to know more about this coaching star.
What is Kelvin Sampson’s ethnicity? Is he a Native American?
According to reports, Kelvin Sampson was reportedly born back in October 5th, 1955, in the Lumbee Native American community of Deep Branch in Robeson County, North Carolina. He reportedly hails from the Lumbee Tribe, which is a race of Native Americans primarily based in North Carolina.
The Lumbee Tribe is the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River, with a population exceeding 55,000, and their unique history of partial federal recognition in 1956 via the Lumbee Act—without full benefits—has fueled a resilience Sampson mirrors in his life and career.
A significant part of the tribe also resides in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland counties. This means that Sampson holds a Lumbee Native American heritage. Over the years, the college basketball coach has been quite open about discussing his heritage, and how his tribe has “fought prejudice and racism our entire lives.”
Did Kelvin Sampson face discrimination when he grew up in North Carolina?
Kelvin Sampson once said, “Racism was a big part of our community. I’m not going to revisit history, and I’m not going to call out those communities, but the communities we grew up around, we were treated like second- or third-class citizens.”
Kelvin has rarely discussed any personal incidents where in he himself faced prejudice due to his skin color. However, he openly revealed how bad things were for his father, John Willie Sampson. When visiting coaching clinics with his father, Kelvin recalled how minority coaches had to sit upstairs in metal folding chairs. Meanwhile, white coaches sat down in the balcony in the theater chairs. In his father’s part-time job in a Tobacco factory, there were water fountains and bathrooms labeled “colored,” “white” and “other.”
“You didn’t think anything of it at the time,” said Kelvin. “It’s the way it was in the 1960s. It was very divided. Very racist. But we survived. We achieved.”
When discussing his father, Kelvin described him as “a rock, and a foundation piece for that community. My dad’s reputation was somebody that you looked up to. He was The Coach. He was a pretty good person to have as a role model and a hero.”
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Cincinnati at Houston Mar 1, 2025 Houston, Texas, USA Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson cuts down the net and celebrates after winning the Big 12 Conference after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fertitta Center. Houston Fertitta Center Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xThomasxSheax 20250301_ams_sy9_0003
Kelvin has publicly discussed his father’s role in being one of 500 Lumbees who drove the Ku Klux Klan out of Maxton, North Carolina, back in 1958, when Sampson was just 3. For Kelvin, the KKK being “huge in that area,” caused him to have a very “vivid, vivid memory, very clear memory” of how things were in his community during the 60s. Kelvin’s father reportedly taught him about the struggle for justice, and he had not insulated him from bigotry. This lesson, and everything else he saw growing up, made Sampson identify with the plight of African American coaches, and become active in the Black Coaches Association. In the coach’s own words, as he stated in an Andscape interview back in April 2021, “I always identified with the brothers — and still do”.
Is Kelvin Sampson religious?
Unfortunately, Kelvin Sampson has not publicly chosen to ever speak about his religious affiliations. According to a report by ‘Our State’, the people belonging to the Lumbee tribe mainly adhere to the Southern Baptist or Methodist faith. However, we cannot specifically say the same about Kelvin Sampson.
From growing up watching the worst in humanity to creating a memorable legacy on the basketball court, Kelvin Sampson has come a long way. Having missed the Elite Eight stage in the last 2 years, one feels that it is high time Sampson takes his team back to that stage, and maybe even bring home the NCAA title for Houston for the first time ever!
The post What is Kelvin Sampson’s Ethnicity and Religion? Digging Deeper Into Houston Coach’s Nationality and Family Background appeared first on EssentiallySports.
