HOUSTON (Jan. 26, 2006) -- Gary Kubiak returned home to become coach of the Houston Texans, saying he was "overwhelmed" and that his dream is to bring a championship to the city.
Kubiak, who spent the last 11 years as Denver's offensive coordinator, inherits a team that had a league-worst 2-14 record last season that cost Dom Capers his job. He reportedly signed a five-year contract worth about $10 million.
"I won't let you down. I promise you that," he told team owner Bob McNair seconds after being introduced as the Texans second coach. "The No.1 thing is to have expectations. My dream is to see this city win a championship and I am confident that we can get that done."
He sat flanked by McNair and his wife, Rhonda, wearing a red tie covered with tiny Texans logos identical to the team owners', during an elaborate news conference that was televised live in Houston.
The Texans formally interviewed six candidates, including four offensive coordinators, but Kubiak, who has never been a head coach at any level, emerged as the front-runner quickly.
"It became obvious during the interviews that there was one person that really fit our situation and that was Gary," McNair said.
Kubiak, who grew up in Houston and is a former Texas A&M quarterback, played for Texans consultant Dan Reeves and backed up John Elway from 1983-91.
He said he hasn't evaluated Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young, but that he's excited about getting to work on deciding who the Texans will pick with the No. 1 draft choice.
While he didn't have much to say about possible draft decisions, he said plenty about Houston quarterback David Carr, the top pick in the 2002 draft.
"I'll find a way to make him successful because it's in him," Kubiak said. "I'm a David Carr fan. I like the skills he has. There is no reason that David shouldn't be a successful quarterback."
The Texans must decide by the Pro Bowl if they want to pick up the option on Carr's contract to keep him with the team.
Kubiak briefly coached at Texas A&M before joining Mike Shanahan on George Seifert's staff in San Francisco in 1994. With Shanahan as the offensive coordinator and Kubiak as the quarterbacks coach, the 49ers won the Super Bowl and Steve Young was named the MVP.
Shanahan became the Broncos' coach the following season and took Kubiak with him. Since then, the Broncos have had one of the league's top 10 offenses in 10 of 11 seasons and won two Super Bowls. The Broncos ranked fifth in total offense in 2005.
Kubiak was a candidate for the job the first time around and was interviewed in 2001 before the Texans picked Capers.
