Home Local Sports ROSports Exclusive: Bennie Howard reflects on 30 years of coaching; “proud” to...

ROSports Exclusive: Bennie Howard reflects on 30 years of coaching; “proud” to be a Raider

Former Richmond soccer coach Bennie Howard is retiring after 30 years of coaching and earning over 500 career wins.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Pillar.

ROCKINGHAM – Thirty years is a long time to make memories. And for Bennie Howard, the last 30 years as the head soccer coach of the Richmond Senior High School soccer program has been everything he wanted it to be and more.

On the cusp of retirement after two and a half decades as a teacher in Richmond County Schools, Howard leaves two storied franchises behind to newly announced head coach, and six-year assistant, Chris Larsen. But he knows everything is in a good place.

For anyone who knows Howard, knows that his trademark horseshoe mustache is always accompanied by a grin and an outgoing personality. They also know that his love, passion and investment in Richmond soccer over the past three decades far supersedes what the norm is for high school coaches today.

Born and raised in Germany for the first seven and a half years of his life, Howard moved to the United States and spent a lot of time moving between Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. But to him, Richmond County, and Hamlet more specifically, “has always been home.”

He attended 13 different schools, but graduated from RSHS in its inaugural school year in 1972-73. As a teenager, Howard was an active athlete who participated in a handful of sports, including baseball and basketball. Most notably, he ran track at Richmond and made the all-conference team as a senior in the mile relay. Howard even played a year of collegiate basketball for Richmond Technical Institute (now Richmond Community College), which competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

But limited in his repertoire of athletic skills was soccer, as he explained he had some, but not much experience growing up. But all of that changed in the late 1980s when he took a chance and headed an up-and-coming soccer program at Richmond.

And ironically enough, through years of dedication and selfless service to local high school student-athletes, that’s what he’ll most be remembered for.

When Richmond’s assistant principal George Whitfield hired Steve Lear as the boys head soccer coach in the fall of 1987, Howard was in his 14th year working for the railroad. His involvement in coaching soccer started a couple of years before when a railroad engineer asked Howard to assist with a local rec ball team.

Howard volunteered as an assistant under Lear for the first season, but was awarded the head coaching position in 1988 after Lear left. And since then, the rest is history.

After a couple of years on the job while still working for the railroad, Howard’s coaching career seemed in doubt. When Jerry Goodman came to the high school as an assistant principal and athletic director around the turn of the decade, Howard actually wasn’t the soccer coach for a couple of hours.

“Mr. Goodman called me one morning and wanted to meet with me,” Howard recalled, smiling. “He told me if I wanted to continue to coach, I had to get a teaching degree and work for the school system. When I said no, I left. But a couple of hours later, he (Goodman) called me back saying he couldn’t find anyone who wanted the job. So, I was hired back.

“In 1991, I left the railroad and went back to school for my teaching degree,” Howard continued. “I started out at Monroe Avenue (in Hamlet) and have spent the last 25 years as a teacher, and this is my 14th year at the high school.”

In that span, Howard hasn’t just developed a cultured boys soccer program, but also started the Lady Raiders’ program in 1994. He reminisced on the first season when the team didn’t have any uniforms and he and his players fundraised by selling doughnuts. But now in 2018, both programs made contending for regular season conference and conference tournament titles commonplace year in and year out.

Howard also helped the programs grow in notoriety in an area where soccer hasn’t been the dominating high school sport. He also took the program not only to the next level in its development and competitiveness, but also made a point to make sure its facilities were top-notch and one of the best in the state.

“For the first five years I coached, we didn’t have anywhere at the high school to practice,” Howard explained. “We actually used Browder Park (in Rockingham). But then we used the (football) stadium until we had our own field built.

Richmond’s soccer pitch, which Howard has maintained and groomed with the help of Larsen since opening in 2015, is one of just three schools in the Sandhills Athletic Conference to have its own soccer stadium. And it’s arguably one of the nicest soccer facilities in the state.

“A lot has changed (at Richmond) since I started coaching,” Howard said. “One of the biggest differences has been that when I started, I had athletes who played soccer. Now I have really good soccer players who are also athletes. We’ve come a long way.

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“Both teams have gone through the beginning stages of soccer, and it wasn’t always easy for us,” he continued. “From the mid 1990s until the early 2000s, the level of play fell off. But we continued to get better and in the last four years or so, we have really picked up our play.”

Over the years, Howard has seen hundreds, if not thousands of players for both teams play under his tutelage. He’s also had “the pleasure” to coach approximately 50 foreign exchange students from a multitude of countries, including: Brazil, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. He noted that he has “been fortunate to have so many great players,” and he’s glad for the opportunity to train with international coaches from England and Germany to help make them more successful.

When asked what some of his favorite memories are or stories to tell from his 54 combined seasons, Howard put it plainly by saying there “are so many memories, goals and unforgettable moments that stick out” in his mind, but he did share a couple.

One of Howard’s fondest memories comes from this past season when he was able to coach his granddaughter, Kyra Wall, as a junior. He added that he’s looking forward to watching her play as a senior next spring before she graduates from Richmond Early College.

Others include during his first season as head coach in 1988 when the boys team defeated Pinecrest High School in overtime when Howard recalled he told former player Kevin Cooper to “stay wide and cross it”, resulting in an overtime win. In 1997, Howard led the boys to their first conference championship over Scotland High School, and he recalled from another season Gio Correa’s 30-yard strike that led the Raiders past Cape Fear High School and into the second round of the state playoffs.

Howard also has some funnier stories regarding team bus rides, as he’s been on countless trips around the state in the last 30 years.

“One time I had a player who decided to make an obscene gesture to a passing cop,” Howard laughed. “The cop pulled the bus over and actually took the player off the bus. He said he wanted to ‘scare’ him just a little bit, as long as I promised to run him at practice.

“Another time I had a player throw a drink out of the bus and it hit a cop car,” Howard continued. “With the girls, we played in an Easter tournament twice at Lee County (High School) in the mid 90s, and we beat Pinecrest both years.”

As laughable or memorable as those moments might be to Howard, nothing truly matches his proudest accomplishment while wearing the Richmond soccer crest.

“In this day and time, a lot of coaches, in all sports at all different schools, move from school to school,” Howard said. “But having coached my whole career of 30 years at one school is something I’m very proud to say. To be at the school I graduated from, it’s like they say — once a Raider, always a Raider.

“I’m not the only one to ever do it at Richmond, but I’m proud to say I’ve spent my whole time here,” he continued. “Wins and losses mean a lot, but to be able to see a lot of my players from years ago be successful, that means to most.”

Almost as long as his list of memories is Howard’s list of people who he’d like to thank for support and encouragement during his time at Richmond. He started with his wife Robin, who he was gracious toward for allowing him to commit to such a time-consuming task, as well as using their storage room at their house for soccer purposes.

Howard also noted that his father took “countless” pictures over the years, and that his daughter Jennifer would always call to find out if his team had won or lost. According to Howard, he’s also been through five athletic directors, four principals and three superintendents during his three decades, and wants to thank them, along with all of his coworkers, assistant coaches and former players for time well spent.

In his career, Howard tallied a 518-431-75 overall record between both programs. In the 30 years with the Raiders, he notched a 289-215-45 record, and with the Lady Raiders, he wasn’t far behind with a 229-216-30 record in 24 years.

In his final season, the Raiders went 11-9-1, finishing fifth in the SAC and just missing out on a chance to play in the state playoffs. With the Lady Raiders this spring, Howard and company set the single-season record for wins by tallying a 17-6 overall record. Richmond finished tied for second with Jack Britt High School in the regular season, but beat the Lady Bucs in the SAC tournament to earned its first home playoff game since 2004.

“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat without a second thought,” Howard concluded.

The ROSports department would like to wish Howard good luck in retirement and commend him on a career well done.

 

 

 



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.