Day-in-the-life: National Athletic Director of the Year Darren Howard 

OH Athletic Director (AD) Darren Howard was nationally recognized this year for his accomplishments for OH athletics. This summer, Howard was named National High School Athletic Director of the Year by the National High School Athletic Association. 

Because of his success, 42Fifty shadowed Howard to see what a day in the life was like for an award-winning AD. 

8:00 am – Team Meetings

After settling into his office, Howard prepares for the variety of meetings he has with OH coaches. Depending on the program, he may invite the entire coaching staff, including head coaches and assistant coaches. 

“I invite all the assistant coaches to meet with me, it is mandatory for the head coaches,” Howard said. “You never know where a good idea will come from.”

Howard collaborates with coaches, both in-season and out-of-season, to talk about the goals and success of the program. Howard diligently asks each coach individually, “Is there anything we can do better?”

Because of Howard’s effort to provide support for all of the programs, each coach can speak on how they feel and what they need.

“I ask coaches to be candid with me and I am candid with them. Doing that helps us work through problems without being emotional with each other,” Howard said. 

9:00 am – Correspondence and More Meetings

As meetings are scheduled throughout the work day, Howard has a few minutes between each meeting to answer emails. 

“I get people who email me questions from all over the state asking for advice,” Howard said.

As OH athletic director, he also has to approve posts for social media, ensuring they are school-appropriate and accurately represent OH. “Anything that you guys see on social media has to be approved in advance,” Howard said, showing a graphic for boys’ volleyball. 

At transportation meetings, Howard and Secretary Lisa Kowalczyk meet to plan the transportation for away sporting events due to the lack of bus drivers. They collaborate with a charter bus company to fill the areas that do not have any transportation from the district. He plans which teams will use transportation and allows them to move things around. 

“People don’t understand that there is still work being done for the sports that aren’t in season, people lose sight of that,” Howard said.

10:00 am – Softball and Event Meeting

Howard met with OH softball coaches to discuss the fundraiser they will host, in honor of changing the name with the field. Tedious planning goes into vendors, scheduling game times, discussing potential weather delays, and how to spread awareness of the fundraiser. 

Conducting these meetings with the coaches helps the athletic staff be aware of each program’s aspirations and what they want to accomplish during the season. Howard prioritizes these meetings to give coaches and athletes the best opportunity and experience they can have at OH. 

“I never turn a coach or a student away when they need to talk to me unless I’m in a meeting with a superintendent, but unless I’m not I want to be able to hear their voice and what they have to say,” Howard said.

11:30 am – Online Meetings

Howard enjoys holding meetings in person, but some coaches do not work in the in-building, so they utilize Google Meet calls to stay in contact. 

Joining a few online meetings throughout his day to continue providing support for the coaches, he shows his tremendous efforts as AD. Howard notes that he bases his meetings on their schedules because their time is important too.

“We have about 120 coaches across the board, so being able to touch base with them on their schedule is very helpful,” Howard said. 

After logging off of his meeting, he noted his pride in the OH coaching staff. “The number of OHS graduates that have come back to coach here boards very well for things they have learned and the values they have to bring back to us,” Howard said. 

Howard encourages other coaches, students, or staff to reach out if they need anything at all. He has made his efforts to create mentor groups for the staff as well. “[This] continued professional development with our coaches just how our school does that type of development with our teachers,” Howard said. 

1:00 pm – Athletic Meeting

In the heart of the winter sports season, there are a lot of events OH has to hold. With that, Howard collaborated with assistant AD, Mark Johnson, and Kowalczyk to plan the upcoming events.

The group takes the time to plan events like the upcoming Communities vs. Cancer basketball game, Hall of Fame game, and Bowling regionals. There is a lot that goes into each event with set up, sponsors, and inviting specific people, so it takes a whole team to organize these events.

2:30 pm – After School

Although 42Fifty had to part ways from Howard for the day, he also mentioned what his evening would look like for the rest of the night. His duties as AD are essential and time-consuming, so he does everything he can to be at each event.

Howard would make his way to the main gym for wrestling senior night, and help them set up the tables, mats, etc. He then would drive to Parkside Bowling Alley to cheer the girls on for their senior night. After that, he comes back to OH for the wrestling meet, and fulfill the role of the supervisor.

“My night will end around 9:00 pm, and then I will do it all again tomorrow,” Howard said. 

Howard works diligently each day to make sure all athletes have the best opportunities and experiences throughout high school. OH is incredibly grateful for what he has done for our school and is excited to watch what else he will do for OH athletics.