Buckskin86
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1987: Ronald ?Buster? Howe, Zanesville
The inaugural winner of the award was Buster Howe, a 5-11, 182-pound all-purpose star.
As a senior in 1987, he rushed for 1,795 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and scored 34 touchdowns. As a single wing back, he added 431 passing yards. He also had eight interceptions, three field goals, 38 extra points and averaged 40.9 yards per punt.
Yes, he could do it all.
Howe was a member of John Cooper?s first recruiting class at Ohio State. He was recruited as a running back, but never carried the ball for the Buckeyes.
Howe was a Prop 48 casualty in 1988 and had to sit out his first season at OSU.
As a sophomore in 1989, things didn?t get much better.
?It just didn?t work out for me,? Howe told Bucknuts.com. ?I didn?t get any playing time. I was just sitting back waiting.?
As a junior in 1990, Howe was approached by the coaching staff about a possible move to defense. Robert Smith was joining the team and Carlos Snow was also on the roster (although he would miss the entire 1990 season with an injury).
?Yeah, they wanted me to play DB, but that was a totally different situation,? Howe said. ?They recruited me as a running back, but they wanted me to play defense. I hadn?t played defense since high school. Offense was always my thing.
?I think I just got off on the wrong foot with the new coaching staff and they never gave me a chance. I returned a couple of kickoffs, and that was it.?
Howe says he and Cooper never discussed the lack of playing time.
?Actually, he didn?t communicate well at all,? Howe said. ?It was just one of those things. But that?s all right. It?s in the past.?
Howe, who wore the No. 37 at OSU, left the school for good after the 1990 season and returned to Zanesville. He decided not to transfer to another college.
?No, that was it for me,? he said.
Today, Howe, 35, is married and is the proud father of five girls. He works for the city of Zanesville and seems happy with his life after football.
And he will always have the distinction of being the first Mr. Football winner in Ohio ? a state known for its outstanding high school football.
?Yeah, that?s something I still take a little bit of pride in,? Howe said. ?It?s an honor not everyone can receive. I don?t think about it too much, but now my girls know about it and they like to kid and joke me about it.?
Howe never considered getting into coaching. ?No, I just enjoy the sport now,? he said. ?I follow the Buckeyes a little bit.?
http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/360649.html
Howe, a two-way standout who defined the term "all-purpose player."
As a single-wing quarterback, he ran for 4,055 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career. As a senior, he ran for 1,795 yards and 34 TDs and passed for 431, while he also intercepted eight passes, kicked three field goals and 38 PATs and had a 40.9-yard punting average.
He was named AP and UPI Back of the Year in Ohio as a senior, when was also named a first-team Parade All-American on offense and first-team Bally's All-American on defense.
He earned All-BCC honors at four positions -- running back, safety, punter and placekicker.
His play drew the attention of major college programs throughout the country, many of whom visited to meet with Howe.
"You can't imagine what it was like at school with Jimmy Johnson rolling in and Lou Holtz and George Perles," club secretary Mike Young said, of the former head coaches at Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan State.
He eventually signed with Ohio State before returning to Zanesville, where he is married with five children.
"(Ohio State Coach John) Cooper got hired on Jan. 3 and he came down to watch him play a basketball game," Young recalled. "Buster jumped center and won the opening tip and then went down and dunked. After that, Coop got up and left and told Coach Parks, 'Well that's all I need to see.' That's the kind of athlete he was."
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder....-QB-Club-honor-Buster-Howe-Mr-Football-dinner
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abdix7TSG_U"]The First Mr. Football In Ohio - Buster Howe - YouTube[/ame]