Member Biography

Seldom has one man been identified with one school as long as Frank Howard at Clemson. He arrived in 1931. He was Clemson assistant coach 1931-1939, head coach 1940-1969, and athletic director 1940-1971. For many years after that, he maintained an office on the Clemson campus and represented Clemson at official functions. He became known as "Legendary Frank Howard", as the school presented him its most prestigious award, the Clemson Medallion, and named the football field for him. His record as head coach was 165- 118-12, and his teams played in the Sugar, Orange, Gator, and Bluebonnet Bowls. Frank's home-spun humor made him a national star on the banquet circuit. He said that he left his home town, Barlow Bend, Alabama, "walking barefoot on a barbed-wire fence with a wildcat under each arm." He attended the University of Alabama on an academic scholarship. Upon graduation in 1931, he went to Clemson. He recalled, "My first title was line coach, but I also coached track, managed ticket sales, recruited players and had charge of equipment. In my spare time I cut grass, lined tennis courts and operated the canteen while the regular man was out to lunch." Howard was born March 25, 1909, at Barlow Bend, Alabama; he died January 26, 1996.