Leaving a Legacy
Glenn Howard has done so much for the Paulsboro High football program, first as a player and then as one of the most successful head coaches in South Jersey history.
As an appreciation for all he has done, Paulsboro will be naming their stadium after Howard during halftime of their Sept. 6 game against Audubon. Kickoff is 11 a.m.
“I am very honored for this to happen,” Howard said in an interview with SouthJersey.com.
Howard was a standout player for Paulsboro, starting at linebacker and converted from tight end to quarterback during his senior year. He then enjoyed a standout career at the University of Minnesota and was a linebacker who played three seasons for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the USFL. The Stars lost in the USFL championship game in their first season in 1983 and then won the league title in 1984 and 1985. The USFL folded after that.
Howard was then signed with the New York Jets but failed his physical due to having bone chips in his knee.
“I was trying to decide if I was going to get my knee cleaned out and (former Paulsboro athletic director) Bob Frederick was instrumental in leading me into coaching,” Howard recalls.
Frederick hired Howard as a volunteer assistant coach.
“I was 27-years-old, and never dreamed of being a football coach,” Howard said. “I knew I loved the game of football and enjoyed playing it, but I didn’t see myself as a coach.”
Frederick had a different vision.
“I thought about it and prayed about it and talked to my family about it,” Howard said. “It was like the Lord opened the door and set my feet on that path.”
Howard served as an assistant at Paulsboro to Gerry Taraschi during that season in 1986.
When Taraschi resigned before the next season to become defensive coordinator for former Paulsboro coach Tom Brown at Washington Township, Howard was approached about the head coaching job.
“I didn’t interview for the job,” Howard recalls. “Bob Frederick asked if I wanted to be the coach, I got back to him and that put the wheels in motion.”
Howard justified the faith that Frederick showed. In 35 years as head coach, Howard guided the Red Raiders to a 316-70 record. The Red Raiders won 14 South Jersey Group 1 titles. When Howard coached, winning a South Jersey title was as far as a team could go because state championships for public schools weren’t introduced until the 2022 season. Howard’s final season as coach was 2021.
In addition to the South Jersey titles, he guided Paulsboro to 21 Colonial Conference championships.
During his time as a head coach, Howard had five of his players perform in the NFL. They were running back Isaac Redman, linebacker Gerald Hodges, defensive lineman Alex Silvestro, offensive lineman Julien Davenport and running back Bhayshul Tuten, who is a rookie this season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Howard went 8-3 in each of his first three seasons as a head coach. Paulsboro hit its peak when the Red Raiders earned a state-record 63 consecutive wins. The streak began in 1992 and lasted until the 1998 season. That included five consecutive 11-0 seasons from 1993 through 1997.
Since he has retired from coaching, Howard has kept close with the program. He frequently talks to his successor Kevin Harvey, a 1996 graduate who went 43-1 as a high school quarterback.
“I am just a spectator today and am enjoying it,” Howard said.
The stadium that will have his name will always provide special memories to Howard.
“I remember when I was converting to a quarterback I used to throw 100 balls a day into the baseball backstop,” he said. “I got a lot of history down there at the school and it is really neat, and I am honored they thought so highly of me to do this.”
Photo: Courtesy of Glenn Howard
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Author: Marc Narducci
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