The Michael Houghton Memorial Scholarship for Music was established by his family and friends with proceeds from the Michael Houghton Memorial 5K Run. Michael graduated in 1986 from The University of Tulsa with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He was an aspiring musician and an avid runner who died at age 27 in 1987.

At 11 years old, Michael was nationally ranked for his age group for the mile and was invited to be a block boy for the 1973 National Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) Track and Field Championships held in Bakersfield, California. A picture of him during this event was on the cover of the August 1973 issue of Runner’s World. Michael was a dedicated runner throughout his life and also took the time to train younger runners.

Michael’s true passion was his music. He was an accomplished musician, playing guitar, drums, piano and trumpet. He played in the band “Joe Rockhead” and also loved teaching music. Michael had more than 30 students through Saied Music. At the time of his death, he was in the process of organizing his commercial recording demonstration tapes in an effort to launch his music career.

The first Michael Houghton Memorial 5K Run was held in late November 1987. Proceeds from the annual event have been donated to create this endowment, which provides scholarship assistance to deserving music students at The University of Tulsa. The final Michael Houghton Memorial 5K was held in November 1994; in May 2009, a bronze statue of Michael running was installed along Tulsa’s Riverside Drive in memory of him and his many accomplishments.