HBCU football has another long-road coaching story as Thomas Howard takes over Savannah State with 23 years of lessons behind him.
Howard’s path did not come with shortcuts. It started at Morehouse, where he graduated in 2003. From there, he jumped into coaching at Allen University as a 22-year-old trying to find his way in the profession.
“I got blessed with the opportunity to get into college coaching,” Howard told HBCU Gameday via The SIAC Sit Down. “I cut the grass along the fields. I drove the bus to practice.”
That first stop gave Howard more than football experience. It taught him how much goes into building a program when resources are limited. He learned how games are run. He learned how officials are paid. He also learned how much work happens before the ball is ever kicked.
Those are not glamorous lessons. They are HBCU football lessons.
Thomas Howard built his résumé the hard way
Thomas Howard kept moving, learning and building. His coaching journey included stops at Slippery Rock, Lincoln University in Missouri, Findlay, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State, Alabama A&M and Fayetteville State.
Each stop gave him something different. At North Carolina A&T, Howard worked under Rod Broadway and Sam Washington. At South Carolina State, he worked under Buddy Pough. At Alabama A&M, he worked with Connell Maynor.
Howard said those stops taught him more than X’s and O’s.
“It’s the fundraising. It’s the interaction with the young men. It’s the different pieces that you need to have in your program to be successful,” Howard said. “We’re not blessed with all of the money.”
That line explains the job in front of him. Savannah State needs a builder, not just a play-caller. Howard understands that. He has spent more than two decades watching how programs operate from the inside.
“It’s about you,” Howard said. “Your interaction with those young men to help them and push them and guide them, because they’re going to be leaders of households soon.”
Savannah State wanted Thomas Howard
Howard said the fit with Savannah State started with one thing.
“First off, they wanted me,” Howard said. “You go where they want you.”
That mattered to a coach who waited 23 years for his first head coaching opportunity. Howard said meeting Savannah State alumni and campus leaders felt different.
“To have a school that was excited to have me in the building, meeting with the alums, meeting with the people on campus, it was like a breath of fresh air,” Howard said. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”
Now comes the proof.
“I got to go out and prove all these people right,” Howard said. “We’re going to work through it and get it right and make people have to come down to Savannah and see about us.”
Savannah State gives Howard his Chennis Berry moment
The comparison to Chennis Berry is easy to understand. Berry spent years as a respected HBCU assistant before Benedict gave him his first head coaching job. He turned that chance into back-to-back SIAC titles before moving to South Carolina State, where he has since led the Bulldogs to back-to-back MEAC championships. (SC State Athletics)
Howard’s story is not Berry’s story. Savannah State is not Benedict. The focus is still on Howard and the Tigers.
Still, the comparison matters. It shows what can happen when a long-time HBCU coach finally gets the keys.
Howard has his keys now.
Thomas Howard wants Savannah State to play with a chip
Howard knows Savannah State has not been the top program in the SIAC. He also knows what it feels like to be overlooked.
“I’m an underdog, man,” Howard said. “I’m one of them little guys who was on the team that didn’t get recruited like that.”
That mindset still drives him.
“It’s taken me again 23 years to get to this seat,” Howard said. “So that chip been working like crazy now.”
Howard wants Savannah State to carry that same edge. He said the Tigers must be “fast,” “physical” and “disciplined” every time they take the field. He also wants the program to compete in everything, even away from the field.
“We got to compete like crazy,” Howard said. “We got to compete to get to the lunch line first. We got to compete to be the first guy at the weight room.”
The message is simple. Savannah State is not waiting around for respect.
Howard’s pitch is just as direct.
“We’re going to win championships, and you’re going to earn your degree,” Howard said.
For Thomas Howard, the wait is over. The work at Savannah State has just begun.