Howard played three sports at
Valley View High School in
Germantown, Ohio. After high school, he played
college baseball and
college football as a backup
quarterback for
Ball State. He was named the inaugural
Mid-American Conference Baseball Player of the Year in 1986 after leading the conference with a .448
batting average and 23
home runs. He would go on to be inducted into the Ball State athletics hall of fame in 1996. He became the first Ball State athlete ever selected in the first round of a major sports draft when the Padres took him with the 11th overall pick in the
1986 Major League Baseball draft. In 1015 Major League games over 11 seasons, Howard posted a .264 batting average (655-for-2483) with 297
runs, 123
doubles, 22
triples, 44 home runs, 264
RBI, 66
stolen bases, 165
bases on balls, .311
on-base percentage and .384
slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .986
fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. In nine postseason games, he hit .158 (3-for-19) with one RBI. , Howard lived in
Atlanta, had five children and worked in the health and fitness industry. ==References==