Sixth in a series

The decade of the 2010s had its share of highs and lows for Houston sports. Here's a look at our top Houston sports stories of the decade.

1. Astros become a powerhouse, win World Series

The Astros began the decade as a team in dire need of an overhaul. They ended it as an MLB juggernaut. After he was hired in December 2011 by new owner Jim Crane, general manager Jeff Luhnow undertook a scorched-earth rebuild that reshaped the roster through high draft picks that netted the likes of Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr. and Alex Bregman to join budding young stars Jose Altuve, Dallas Keuchel and George Springer. The Astros also replenished their farm system and used that prospect capital to land Justin Verlander in a 2017 deadline deal. The result was a magical postseason run that saw the Astros knock off the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers, with the latter two series won in seven games. A 5-1 victory at Dodger Stadium in Game 7 brought home the franchise’s first championship, giving Houston an emotional lift after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. The Astros then came one game shy of another title in 2019, falling in Game 7 at home to the Nationals. Then came electronic sign-stealing allegations from ex-Astro Mike Fiers that — rightly or wrongly — tarnished the perception of the franchise and its accomplishments in the eyes of some. That was the latest bit of espionage involving the Astros, whose computer database was hacked from 2013-14 by then-Cardinals employee Chris Correa, who was later sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.

2. Texans become a playoff regular

The Texans, after nine seasons in the wilderness, finally joined the NFL’s playoff party in 2011. They repeated as AFC South champs in 2012 before cratering in a hellish 2-14 season in 2013. That cost longtime coach Gary Kubiak his job and ushered in the Bill O’Brien era. O’Brien just won his fourth division championship in five seasons, but the jury is still out on him among a good portion of the fan base as the team still hasn’t made it past the second round of the postseason. And for the first time in their history, the Texans have a franchise quarterback in the dynamic Deshaun Watson to complement star defender J.J. Watt, whose rise to stardom mirrored that of his team.

3. Star search, Rockets style

The Rockets didn’t make it to the NBA Finals this decade, but they were one of the NBA’s most entertaining — and headline-grabbing — teams. General manager Daryl Morey made a franchise-changing deal in the fall of 2012 by prying James Harden away from the Thunder. He then added a variety of second stars the rest of the decade,with the revolving door featuring Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and now Russell Westbrook. The Rockets have been playoff regulars but had the misfortune of being in the Western Conference during the heyday of the Warriors, who ended Houston’s season four of the past five years.

4. Summer of Simones

The Houston area had much to be proud of during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Spring’s Simone Biles set a U.S. record with four gymnastics gold medals in Brazil while Sugar Land’s Simone Manuel won two gold and two silver medals and made history as the first African-American woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming. Biles has continued her dominance as the most decorated gymnast in American history, with 25 world championship medals while Manuel followed up her Olympic performance with five gold medals at the 2017 world swimming championships.

5. Astros finally make it to Cooperstown

It took 53 years, but the Astros finally got their logo on a Baseball Hall of Fame plaque when franchise icon Craig Biggio was inducted in 2015. Two years later, his longtime “Killer B’s” running mate Jeff Bagwell joined him in Cooperstown, N.Y. as part of the most memorable year in franchise history.

6. Guy V. gets his due

For years, Guy V. Lewis’ absence from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was inexplicable as he was shut out despite his on-court success at the University of Houston and his role as one of the first college coaches in the South to integrate his program. In 2013, Lewis was finally recognized for his work and took his rightful place in Springfield, Mass., two years before his death on Thanksgiving Day 2015.

7. Resurgences for UH football, basketball

The 2010s saw the football and men’s basketball programs at UH make dramatic leaps. In football, the “H-Town Takeover” led by new coach Tom Herman ended with a school-best, 13-1 record and Peach Bowl victory over national power Florida State in 2015. On the hardwood, UH returned to the NCAA Tournament under Kelvin Sampson and in 2019 was nationally relevant again, making a run to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama salad days of 1984. UH also opened new facilities for each sport, with football’s TDECU Stadium in 2014 and basketball’s Fertitta Center in 2018.

8. Texas A&M leaves for SEC

The landscape of Texas college football changed in 2011, when Texas A&M announced it was leaving the Big 12 for residence in the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies cut ties in football with longtime rival Texas, and the archrivals haven’t played since 2011. Kyle Field's capacity and the Aggies' revenues expanded, but on the field they haven’t been a player in a treacherous SEC West division that includes perennial powers Alabama, LSU and Auburn.

9. Rise and fall of CSN Houston

Launched in 2013, Comcast Sports Net Houston arguably was the best sports TV product Houston has ever seen. The only problem was too few people were actually able to see it thanks to carriage issues that meant large swaths of the city were unable to watch the Astros and Rockets, the network’s primary tenants and part-owners. CSN Houston went off the air after 14 months, with AT&T and DirecTV Sports Networks buying it on the cheap and rebranding it Root Sports Houston (now AT&T SportsNet Southwest). And the CSN Houston court battles involving current and former Astros owners continue to this day.

10. Houston’s PGA Tour event saved

Shell, the longtime sponsor of Houston’s PGA Tour event, dropped its sponsorship after the 2017 Houston Open. The event’s future was in peril before Astros owner Jim Crane emerged with a local investors to strike a deal with the PGA Tour and keep the event in Houston. The 2020 event is slated to take place at the renovated Memorial Park course.

ALSO CONSIDERED

• Dynamo opens BBVA Compass Stadium in 2012.

• Rise and fall of Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

• Deaths of Bum Phillips, Bud Adams and Bob McNair.

• Karolyi Ranch pulled as USA Gymnastics training site in 2018 in the wake of the Larry Nasser sexual abuse scandal.

• The Aeros move to Iowa in 2013, leaving Houston without professional hockey.

PREVIOUS

Dec. 21: Games to remember

Dec. 22: Games to forget

Dec. 23: Top executives and coaches

Dec. 26: Best transactions by Houston teams

Dec. 30: Houston's top athletes of the decade