Prior to his arrival, between 1969-2002, Spring Gardens football teams had an overall record of 65-226-1. On average, those Panther teams won two games per year, and made the playoffs just two times in that span.

Howard spent two seasons at Ohatchee High School, his alma mater, in 2010 and 2011, where he went 5-15 before returning to Spring Garden in 2012.

Howard announced in in the summer of 2022 that he would be stepping down at Spring Garden after 18 seasons serving as head football coach. After 18 seasons with the Panthers, Howard totaled a 129-78 record to go along with five straight region titles from 2018-2022 and 16 total playoff wins.

In 20 seasons as a head coach, Howard compiled a 134-93 overall record, including a 16-12 mark in the playoffs. He spent two of those years at Ohatchee (2010-11), his alma mater. The football field at Panther Stadium was named in his honor on Feb. 4, 2022.