THE NAME OF THE
AMERICAN GAME by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Lauren Howard
T
here’s something magical about baseball. What else could make hotdogs taste so sublimely delicious? What else could make a stinging, back-of-the-neck sunburn feel so good? And what else, according to Ryan Howard, head coach for the Coppell Cowboys, can turn boys into the best husbands, fathers, workers, employers, politicians, teachers, etc. of the future? Howard is a local baseball kid. His uncle, Fred Howard, was a coach, and that sat well with Ryan, who loved the game. “I wanted to play competitively for as long as I could,” the Lantana resident confessed. “I played through college, followed by a year of independent ball. That was about the time I looked in the mirror and admitted I wasn’t good enough to go on. “Just because I recognized I wasn’t good enough for pro ball didn’t mean I wanted to let go of everything. I wanted to stay involved with the sport and, in some way, remain competitive. I’ve always loved kids, so the next natural step pointed to coaching.” Howard’s family was steeped in baseball. He grew up watching different coaches, including his earlier mentioned Uncle Fred. He packed his duffel bag and headed out to frequent baseball camps, where he coached from a young age. Even though he was unaware of the actual construction process, Howard’s baseball experiences were building his character into one of those future husbands, fathers, teachers. “I developed my coaching philosophy early,” Howard continued. “For instance, I prefer to think of us as having standards rather than rules. I sincerely believe young people
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SEPTEMBER 2021 | LANTANA LIVING | 47
