This past Sunday, the University of Houston Volleyball department retired the legendary Flo Hyman jersey (#31). Flo was a trailblazer in the mid-70s, not only as an athlete but as an African American woman. The legacy of Flo lives long at the Fertitta Center, honoring her stomping grounds and the mark she made.
Who was Flora Jean Hyman
Flo was the second born out of eight children born July 31, 1954, in Los Angeles, California. She always stuck out as a child, “When they were three foot tall, I was four foot tall. When they were four foot tall, I was five”. For a short time, Hyman felt embarrassed by her height, but her family and friends urged her to embrace it. Her childhood nickname was “Jolly green giant.” At twelve years old, standing at 6’2″, she began playing beach volleyball with her sister, Suzanne.Â
Collegiate Career
 At Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, she began playing volleyball at the school. By the time she was 16, she had become a professional athlete. Flo started as a star playing basketball & track and field in high school, but playing competitive volleyball wasn’t on her radar until she was 17 years old. It wasn’t until her senior year that she developed her lethal spike. Hyman started her collegiate career at El Camino College before transferring to the University of Houston a year later. She attended UH on the first female athlete scholarship in 1974. At the young age of 19, Hyman committed a philanthropic act; she decided to share funds from her scholarship with her new teammates. While attending UH for three years, Hyman led the Cougars to three top-five national finishes in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Hyman went on to lead the Cougars to an impressive 112-25 record in her three years while being recognized as an AIAW All-American for three consecutive seasons. During her collegiate career, she was the first person to win the Broderick Award, now recognized as the Honda Sports Award. In 1977, this award recognized her as the nation’s best female collegiate volleyball player.
Olympics
Hyman decided not to complete her final year of undergrad; instead, she went to play for the national team in Colorado, a team without a coach. She stepped up to the plate and took on a leadership role as captain. Within four years, Hyman helped reshape the team into Olympic qualifiers, winning the gold medal in 1980. Before she made it to the U.S team, they failed to qualify in 1972 and 1976; all they needed was the “Flying Clutchman” (Hyman’s 110 mph spike). While she may have anticipated great success in winning, the U.S team finished 5th in the World Championships. Luckily, Hyman’s determination continued in 1981. She played in the World Cup the following year (1982), and also played in the World Championship, leading to the U.S winning the bronze medal. In her hometown, Los Angeles, California, during the 1984 Olympic Games, she guided her team to a silver medal while her friends and family watched. In the finals, the team won the silver medal while taking a loss to China.Â
Legacy
Flora Jean Hyman was a trailblazer who made the path for female and African American athletes to have an equal opportunity. She took her stance on gender equality (Title IX) seriously by testifying before Congress, where she used her platform and personal experiences in her advocacy. To pursue her professional career, she left Colorado to play in Japan’s volleyball league. Her talents grew on and off the court as she became a model and actor in high demand. Hyman planned for a return to the U.S, but unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make it. After being subbed out of a game on January 24th,1986, Hyman collapsed, later passing away that evening. Her passing was first announced as a heart attack; eventually, it was discovered that Marfan Syndrome was the cause of death. Her inventiveness lived on as she was the inspiration behind National Girls and Women in Sports Day, established by an Act of Congress in 1987. Now, Hyman is a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame (1988), the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2015), and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame (2025). Here at the University of Houston, our illustrious volleyball team honors Flo by holding the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup, also referred to as the Flo Hyman Classic. Hyman’s legacy is nothing short of heroic, inspiring, and overall amazing.Â
Let’s see how our current coogs will honor cougars #31’s legacy after her jersey will forever be displayed inside the Feritta Center.