Southwest’s Howard an uncommon talent
It has been a busy month for Nick Howard.
The Green Bay Southwest senior earned a Top 10 award at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., and had his wisdom teeth removed when he returned home.
For good measure, Howard also won a pair of titles at the Fox River Classic Conference track and field meet last week.
“I was just waiting for a nice day with decent weather,” Howard said. “I felt good. I felt like I was going to have a big day.”
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The Dartmouth College football recruit recorded personal-best marks to win the FRCC shot put and discus titles.
Howard won the discus with a throw of 152 feet, 7 inches and the shot put with a toss of 54 feet, 2½ inches, which was 4 inches away from a 51-year-old school record.
Due to his busy schedule and in the inclement weather it was the only the third meet this season that he was able to throw the discus at.
“I haven’t thrown disc in a competitive varsity meet in a month,” Howard said. “Today, was probably my best performance of my track career.”
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is certainly an uncommon talent. After all, it’s not often you see a quarterback gravitate to the throwing circles in track and field.
Howard credits his middle school coach, Christy Faymonville, for encouraging him to give the throws a chance in seventh grade.
It was certainly a wise decision, resulting in him setting both of Lombardi Middle School’s records.
After advancing to sectionals in both throws last year, Howard hopes he can carry over his strong performance at the FRCC meet to cap his career with a WIAA state appearance.
“I’ve just carried it through,” Howard said. “It’s football in the fall and track in the spring.”
Competing in track and field help Howard enjoy a stellar career on the gridiron as a four-year varsity player, starting at quarterback and safety for a majority of it.
He led the FRCC with 2,004 passing yards as a senior and finished fourth with 636 rushing yards despite missing a game with an injury as a senior.
The run to the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals in 2017 will be something he’ll never forget.
“Everything about that I hold near and dear to my heart,” Howard said. “That’s one of my all-time greatest memories.”
Howard is a natural leader that has shined as a student-athlete.
Along with classmate Nate Klein, Howard participated in an integrated marketing campaign project that led to the DECA ward.
He’ll graduate in the Top 10 in his class in a couple of weeks before setting his sights on attending Dartmouth, an Ivy League program.
Howard is undecided on what he’ll major in, but is considering economics, social science or the humanities. He’ll also have the opportunity to play quarterback.
“I believe my biggest steps as a quarterback will be on the mental side of the game,” Howard said.