June 9, 2007

Ryan's brother is a big hit, too
Chris Howard, the older brother of the Phillies slugger, has made a name for himself in KU athletics.

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE | There isn't an exact moment that sticks out, but Chris Howard can give you a ballpark estimate.

September 2005. That's when Chris transitioned from a successful man with his own identity and became known simply as Ryan Howard's older brother.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman in town this weekend with the Philadelphia Phillies, was bursting onto the scene and well on his way to the National League Rookie of the Year award. So people started approaching Chris, recently hired as an associate athletic director for alumni relations at Kansas, a little differently.

"People started asking questions," says Chris, who at 6 feet 5 has the same imposing presence as his little brother. "People started introducing me as Ryan Howard's brother."

Chris' friends and colleagues who didn't know the connection almost felt betrayed when they found out.

"What was I supposed to say, 'Hi, I'm Chris Howard, and guess what, my brother plays professional baseball'? It's not like people feel the need to say, 'My brother is a doctor or a lawyer.' "

Chris Howard's accomplishments could certainly stand alone. They had his entire life until Ryan arrived in the big leagues. There are 12 years between the brothers, and the 39-year-old Chris appears on the fast track to becoming a Division-I athletic director.

A Kansas alum three times over with a bachelor's degree in education, a master's degree in sports administration and a law degree, Howard is back in Lawrence after spending the last six years working in compliance at the NCAA and LSU. And with the Phillies in town for an interleague series with the Royals, the Howard family -- from St. Louis -- is having a reunion of sorts.

In attendance are Ron and Cheryl Howard, the parents. Then Chris, the AD in training. Then Karen, who works with juvenile delinquents in St. Louis. Then Corey, Ryan's twin who works at AT&T in Springfield. And, of course, there's the big bopper, who went two for four with a home run in Friday night's 8-4 loss to the Royals.

Ryan, who went to Southwest Missouri State for three years, is the only one in the family without a college degree. In the Howard family, that is a big deal. No matter how many millions the reigning NL Most Valuable Player's swing is worth.

***

When the kids were old enough, usually around 13 or 14, Ron Howard took each of them on an educational journey to his childhood home in Birmingham, Ala.

It was in that house that Ron first learned that he didn't like the word "can't." Ensley High School was about 100 feet from his home, but the folks who were making decisions in the segregated South told Ron that he couldn't attend Ensley because of his skin color. Instead, Ron had to walk a few miles to the all-black high school.

So Ron would pull up in front of his old house with his children and tell them the story. He wanted them to know what can't really meant.

"They wanted us to know where they came from," says Corey Howard, "because it's really where we came from."

As a teenager in Birmingham, Ron joined the civil-rights movement, walking and protesting with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. So he and Cheryl weren't going to let all of their hard work go to waste on their own kids.

"My dad said that education was power," Chris Howard says. "Ryan's the only one that doesn't have his degree, but if my dad is living and breathing when Ryan has finished playing ball, he's going to get on Ryan to get his degree. And Ryan will probably do it anyway because that was something instilled in him."

Ryan was on his way to a degree in journalism when he left school for the minor leagues. Ron and Cheryl signed up their kids for everything when they were growing up. Chris remembers tennis lessons, swimming lessons and band to go along with all of the traditional sports he played. The Howard kids could form a band of their own if they wanted, with Chris on saxophone, Karen on clarinet and the twins on the trombone. Ryan even played football and did marching band at the same time.

In other words, the Howard kids learned there was nothing they couldn't do.

"You can always figure out a way to do something," Chris says. "That was his mind-set. Being a part of a movement that was able to change a lot of stuff so that people could do things, that was something that was instilled in us. When people say you can't do this and you can't do that, there's a part of us that says, 'Hold on, there's a way to do it.' "

***

The age difference between Chris and Ryan made sure that, by the time Ryan turned 6, Chris wasn't around very much.

But that didn't mean that Chris was totally unaware of his little brother's baseball talents. It was hard to miss, considering Ron had put a net in the basement of their home for Ryan to hit balls into.

At 18, Chris joined the Army Reserve and went to KU as an undergrad. When the first Gulf War broke out, Chris went on active duty and spent eight months in Iraq. When he returned, he was stationed in a couple of random places, including Alaska for a few years.

But Chris' and Ryan's paths would cross when Chris was a graduate student at Kansas and Ryan was playing ball at Southwest Missouri State. The Bears were in Lawrence for a game against KU, and Chris ran down to Hoglund Ballpark after class. Ryan was in the on-deck circle, and Chris whispered to him from the stands, reminding Ryan that KU was one of many schools who didn't recruit him. Ryan hit two home runs that afternoon.

Now, years later, Chris Howard brings a bag with a Phillies logo to work every day at the Parrott Center next to Allen Fieldhouse. KU athletic director Lew Perkins sought out Howard four years ago, before Howard went to LSU, and the two finally agreed earlier this year it was time for Howard to come home.

Howard expects to perform a wide variety of roles for the Jayhawks. First and foremost, though, his job is to connect with former KU athletes and bring them back into the fold, and to help raise money for major projects such as the Anderson Family Football Complex.

After seeing the LSU football program win the 2003 national championship, Howard wants to bring his first-hand knowledge to help build Mark Mangino's program.

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman says that Howard admirably handled one of the least attractive jobs in college athletics.

"All compliance coordinators are trying to get another job," Bertman says. "That's a horrible job at any school."

Bertman says that Perkins got himself a dandy in Howard.

"He's a winner," Bertman says. "Can't miss. The chances of him being a good athletic director or a great one are pretty obvious."

Howard already imagines the day when he's the man in charge.

"What I've done is I've tried to get a broad perspective of each department," Howard explains, "so that when I'm Captain Kirk on my ship, and I say, 'Hey, Mr. Scottie, I need some more power,' and he says, 'Captain, I can't get it to you,' at least I'm a little more understanding."

But still, Mr. Scottie will have a tough time convincing Chris Howard that he can't give more power.

"Can't for a lot of people is just that escape clause, that catch phrase, 'I can't do it,' " Howard says. "Well, why can't you do it? There's no reason why you can't do it. You just don't want to do it."

To reach J. Brady McCollough, Kansas reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4363 or send e-mail to jmccollough@kcstar.com

J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell)