By: Richard L. Smith
Newark native Brad J. Howard has spent more than three decades doing what he loves most, teaching, coaching, and mentoring young people across the city he has always called home.
Tonight, his life’s work will be celebrated in front of nearly 100 friends and family members at Galloping Hill Catering Hall in Union, where loved ones, colleagues, and former students will gather to say “thank you” to a man whose impact stretches far beyond classrooms and basketball courts.
I first crossed paths with Coach Howard in the early 1990s, when he served as an assistant coach for the powerhouse Central High School girls basketball team.
Those games, especially the unforgettable Newark Christmas Tournament battles between Central and West Side girls, drew crowds that packed the gym and electrified the city.
Coach Howard was right there in the mix, shaping players who carried Newark pride on their shoulders. Later, as I taught at Arts High School while he coached, we shared stories of growing up in Newark, particularly around Central Ward.
His family and mine were familiar through the years, adding a personal layer to the respect I have for him not only as a professional but as a friend.
I even had the honor of teaching his daughter Lena in broadcast production—an exceptional student who reflected the values of hard work and excellence that her father modeled.
Howard’s story is one of Newark perseverance. Born in the South Ward at Beth Israel Hospital in 1963, his family moved to the Vailsburg section of the city in 1969, where he has lived ever since.
A proud graduate of Arts High School, he excelled in tennis and basketball before earning a degree from Kean University and later a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Saint Peter’s University.
Along the way, he found himself rallying with tennis legends Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson and even coaching a young Queen Latifah during his early days at St. Ann’s School.
But it was in Newark Public Schools where Coach Howard cemented his legacy. For 31 years, he served as a teacher, mentor, and coach, touching lives in classrooms and on playing fields.
He taught at schools across the city, from Camden Middle to Quitman Street, University High, South 17th Street School, and Arts High.
His students knew him not only for his lessons in math, science, and literacy, but for his ability to connect on a deeper level, guiding them through after-school programs, mentoring them through Sigma Beta Club, and instilling values of discipline, responsibility, and resilience.
On the athletic side, Howard’s reach has been remarkable. He spent nearly three decades coaching basketball, tennis, cross country, softball, and football across Newark.
He has led teams at Central, West Side, Arts, Bloomfield Tech, and now Payne Tech High School, where he is the inaugural head coach of a program that carries the name of Congressman Donald Payne. Where he will stay on to continue coaching the boys’ varsity program.
Along the way, he coached against NBA players like Tony Parker and Andrew Bynum, always emphasizing character as much as competition.
Howard’s influence wasn’t confined to the gym. As a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma, Chi Sigma Chapter, he worked tirelessly to uplift his community through voter registration drives, food distributions, cancer awareness efforts, and youth mentoring.
For years, he directed Newark’s Youth Games Team, giving children a stage to shine while teaching them lessons they would carry for life.
What makes tonight so meaningful is that Brad Howard’s journey represents something rare and powerful: an African-American male educator dedicating his career to Newark’s children at a time when role models like him were scarce.
For the countless young people who saw themselves reflected in his leadership, his presence mattered. It still does.
As his family, fraternity brothers, friends, and former students rise to honor him tonight, they celebrate more than a career, they celebrate a legacy.
A legacy of excellence, mentorship, and devotion to community. Coach Howard’s story reminds us that when great leaders stand tall, they inspire generations of great children, athletes, and citizens to thrive.
Congratulations, Coach Brad J. Howard. Newark salutes you.