Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2020
Troy State College, also known as a factory for exceptional coaches.
“I remember Max Howell playing here at Troy,” former Troy football player Mike Amos said. “However, I remember his coaching career very well too because back then, they produced a lot of coaches.”
A crucial two-year letterman and all-conference player for the 1960 and 1961 Red Wave, Max Howell went on to have a storied coaching career because of the guidance he received as a player.
“We weren’t quite winning all of the national championships yet, but Troy produced a lot of good coaches back then,” Amos said. “I’ll tell you this: Max Howell was very well known and coached at some really good places. Him being a good coach wasn’t surprising at all.”
After his time on the football field, Howell joined Troy Hall of Fame head coach Billy Atkins’ staff and help lead the Red Wave to the 1968 NAIA National Championship.
“He was one of the coaches on the NAIA National Championship team,” Amos said. “He did a great job coaching linebackers and helping run the offense. He had a lot of responsibility on that really successful team.”
Howell’s coaching trajectory proved to have a positive outlook from his time under Atkins.
“You could tell from his time with Coach Atkins that he would have a good coaching career,” Amos said. “During his time at Troy, the team had two eight-win seasons and an 11-win season. The NAIA championship really proved that he had a lot of coaching potential.”
The Prattville, Ala., native, went on to move through the high school coaching ranks after earning a national title at Troy. Howell coached future NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith at Escambia (Fla.) High School.
After spending time at the high school football level, Howell jumped back into college coaching when he joined Bobby Bowden’s staff at Florida State for the 1987 and ‘88 seasons. The prominent coach also served as the recruiting coordinator under Billy Brewer at Ole Miss from 1989-90.
Following his coaching days, Howell’s time talking about sport didn’t quite come to an end, as he became a prominent sports media member.
“He was very well known, so he got into the radio business,” Amos said. “He became one of the top analysts in the country.”
Howell is best known as the host of multiple syndicated sports radio programs across the South and is actively involved in sports media, writing for various sports publications and internet sites. He pioneered the medium of southern sports radio and is widely known for his times as a sports talk host in the Atlanta area.
Howell currently serves as a partner for the Southern Classic Radio and owner of Gameday Marketing. Howell is the new host of “Game Day Ticket” and continues to make frequent guest appearances on several sports programs throughout the southeast.
Despite his storied coaching career blooming into a successful sports media career, Max Howell remains well connected to the place where it all started: Troy, Alabama.
“He is always close to Troy and with his Troy connections,” Amos said. “He is a good friend of mine and of Troy.”
