Frank Howard (American Football Coach) - Later Life and Family

Later Life and Family

Howard retired from coaching on December 10, 1969, after 39 years on the Clemson coaching staff, 30 of which were as head coach. He was also athletic director during this time and he kept this position until February 4, 1971, when he was named assistant to the vice president at the university, the post he held when the mandatory retirement age of 65 rolled around.

An era at Clemson University ended June 30, 1974, when Frank Howard officially retired from the payroll. Another era ended January 26, 1996, when Howard died at the age of 86 and forever silenced a voice that had been synonymous with Clemson for nearly 65 years. He was the school's best known ambassador.

Although he retired from all official duties in 1974, he never quit coming to the office and he never stopped representing Clemson in a manner which continued to win friends for the place that was so dear to his heart.

Shortly after his retirement the Clemson Board of Trustees named the playing surface of Memorial Stadium as "Frank Howard Field" in honor of his long service to the university. It was only the third time that a building or installation had been named by the trustees for a living person. Over the years, Howard has been inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and the Clemson Hall of Fame (charter member in both), as well as the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame and the State of Alabama Hall of Fame. On December 5, 1989 he joined an elite group in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. The ceremonies took place in the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. He joined former Clemson mentors John Heisman and Jess Neely in the membership.

Howard was also honored in December 1981, when he was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Honor along with former Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, and Tommy McDonald, a former Oklahoma star. In the summer of 1990 he was inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame.

For over three decades Howard was in great demand both as a banquet speaker and a clinic lecturer. Few states escaped his homespun oratory, which brought the house down on many occasions.

After his retirement, Howard was active in other endeavors. He served as state chairman of the South Carolina Heart Fund drive, was roasted several times on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and was active in selling the Kickoff Publication out of Knoxville, TN.

Howard kept his hands in football as he served as the chief recruiter for the Gray squad in the annual Blue-Gray game in Montgomery, Alabama. The Blue squad recruiter was Don Faurot, who opposed Howard in the 1949 Gator Bowl.

Howard has also been inducted into the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame in San Francisco, was an honorary member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, and is a member of the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Clemson University has also honored Howard once more with the presentation of the Clemson Medallion, which is the highest public honor bestowed by the university to a living person who exemplifies the dedication and foresight of its founders. He was a charter member of Clemson's Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium in 1994.

After coming to Clemson, Howard married the former Anna Tribble of Anderson, South Carolina (who died May 15, 1996) on August 23, 1933. They were the parents of a daughter, Alice (Mrs. Robert McClure of Gastonia, North Carolina) and a son, Jimmy, of Pendleton. The Howards also had three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Jimmy followed in his dad's footsteps as a football player, only at a different position. The son was regular fullback on the local high school (Daniel) team for three years and was a halfback-fullback for three years on the Clemson varsity. Jimmy gained over 1,400 yards his senior year in high school and scored over 100 points. He graduated from Clemson in June 1964 with honors, and earned his masters degree in horticulture from Clemson in 1967. Today he is district entomologist with the Plant Pest Regulatory Service at Clemson.