Born in Battersea. Arguably one of the most famous players to have played for Oxford. Having joined Chelsea as an apprentice and signing professional forms in 1963, he scored in the 1970 FA Cup final against Leeds United, and he won a European Cup winners medal with the Blues the following season, when they beat Real Madrid in the final. After Chelsea were relegated to Division Two in 1975 Oxford paid £35,000 for Houseman, who had played 343 games and 39 goals for the Stamford Bridge side.

Houseman, his wife Sally, and their friends Alan and Janice Gillham were all killed in a car crash on the A40, near Oxford, on his way home to Witney on 20 March 1977. Both couples left three parentless children and a fund was established to raise funds for the six orphans. A youth league in Oakley, Hampshire, where Houseman set up and coached a youth team has been named after him.