Logan County Athletic Director Greg Howard,who has overseen the vast improvement of nearly every Cougar and Lady Cougar sport as well as major expansions in modern athletic facilities, is leaving to become the first full-time athletic director for all Warren County Schools.
He wrote in an email to coaches in the six schools and the media late Monday:
“I wanted to let everyone know that after many great rewarding and memorable years, I will be leaving Logan County to take on a similar role in the Warren County Public School System. I've had the pleasure to work with so many great people and student-athletes.
“Logan County has helped mold me into who I am today and for that I will always be grateful. I hope to see many of you before my last day, which will be sometime before the end of this month.
“Logan County will still be my home and I will be here to cheer teams on and help in the community.”
Greg Howard came on the Logan County sports scene as basketball coach at Chandlers Middle School in the mid-nineties. New Cougar boys basketball coach Ray Maggard chose him as his top assistant in 1996-97, and their first team reached the regional finals.
He left LCHS briefly to be girls basketball coach at Todd Central, and he had been hired to be head girls coach at Franklin-Simpson, but Mike Haynes, who had known great success as the Lady Cougar basketball coach, had become head boys coach and insisted on Howard becoming his assistant coach and designated successor. Howard served as head coach of the basketball Cougars from 2002-2005.
His greatest successes as a coach came in track and cross country, roles he maintained for decades. He built cross country at LCHS into two-time champions in the region, which is much wider than revenue sports regionals. He also manicured the cross country course into one of such quality that regional meets were held here before it had to be removed to make room for the Logan County CTC.
In 2015, Greg Howard was named Athletic Director for the Logan Schools, succeeding the retiring Hugh McReynolds, who had been in that role for about a quarter of a century and was later named to the national athletic directors’ Hall of Fame.
Howard, who also serves on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Controls, has built a culture of winning at Logan County, He expects coaches in all sports to support other programs.
He also wrote a weekly column for local media, bringing praise to Cougars and Lady Cougars in a public way. Very few other athletic directors do that anywhere.
Logan’s football, volleyball, cross country, archery, baseball and cheerleading teams have all won regional championships in recent years. Volleyball won the Class 2 A state tournament last year while archery, cheerleading and JROTC are national contenders.
Greg Howard and his wife, retired Chandlers teacher Gayle Howard, will continue to live in Auburn near their children and grandchildren.