A 6'8", 225 pound Forward-center, Houbregs attended the University of Washington from 1949 to 1953. In 1952, Houbregs was a Second Team Consensus All-America selection. In 1953, as a senior, he was named NCAA Player of the Year, was a Consensus All-America selection, helped lead the University of Washington to the Final Four, and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 34.8 points per game in the post-season. Houbregs served as general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1970 to 1973. Houbregs is a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.