HOUSTON — Nothing gets sweeter than scurring your way to the Sweet 16! And that's just what the University of Houston's Men's Basketball Team did.
The city is doing everything it can to cheer on the team to the Final Four and an NCAA championship, including one of Houston's most popular donut chains.
As long as UH is in March Madness, bear claws are no longer at Shipley Do-Nuts. You will now address the fried pastry with cinnamon and vanilla glaze as the "Cougar Paw."
The "Cougar Paw" will only be sold at 10 Shipley locations throughout Houston:
- 17425 North Freeway at 1960
- 979 Bunker Hill Road
- 9209 Gulf Freeway
- 13349 East Freeway
- 6602 N. Shepherd Drive
- 14135 North West Freeway
- 11285 Southwest Freeway
- 3117 Center St.
- 2902 Southmore Ave.
- 6545 Bissonnet
We can all thank one UH super fan for the name change.
On Jan. 13, Twitter user @thisisnotmark had the bright idea and wrote Shipley Do-Nuts, telling them their bear claw could be easily made into a Cougar Paw.
"Start selling them as Cougar Paws in some locations and I'm sure you'll sell a lot," @thisisnotmark said.
Two months later: mission accomplished.
"Done," Shipley wrote back.
“We got a really funny tweet from a Cougar fan that we should rename it a ‘Cougar Paw,’” Jessica Lawson, director of marketing with Shipley Do-Nuts, said. “To celebrate UH being in the Sweet 16, we thought why not temporarily change it. We’re really excited to continue to support them.”
Shipley Do-Nuts will keep “Cougar Paws” on the menu at select locations as long as UH is in the tournament.
“I like it. I’ve always liked Shipley Do-nuts. They rule Houston,” Mark Sarmiento, who is a big fan of the Coogs, said.
KHOU 11 is your home for everything Final Four! Get complete info by texting MADNESS to 713-526-1111 or by checking here.
KHOU 11 Bracket Challenge
Speaking of brackets, did you enter the KHOU 11 Bracket Challenge? The winner gets a big-screen TV and brand new mattress! Check the leaderboard here.
Register for the fun
There are all kinds of events across the Houston area for Final Four weekend, including a four-miler, FanFest, March Madness Music Festival and more! Before you head downtown, you'll need to register.
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