His son is an NFL starting QB. Now this ‘Duke’ is coaching high school football in Waxhaw
Duke Howell didn’t raise his voice during his debut as a head football coach until the game was over, when he emphatically told his Cuthbertson players how well they played.
During the game, Howell calmly walked back and forth on the sidelines, rarely gesturing, and wearing a calm and confident look that you’d expect of someone who had a plan and expected it to work.
With his glasses and neatly trimmed beard, he looked like a college psychology professor.
“I guess I’m trying to keep a gentle demeanor,” Howell said with a laugh, after his Cavaliers finished off Union County rival Parkwood 24-0 in a season-opening game Friday.
“I suppose I’m getting kinder and gentler as I grow older,” he added.
His son, Sam, is among the Carolinas’ most famous football players. He played at Sun Valley High and at North Carolina. Friday, he was named starting quarterback for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
But what about dad, this new face on the coaching scene?
Well, first off, Duke Howell is not a new face. This is not a case of, “Gee, his son is a great player, so let’s hire his dad and see if he can coach.”
Duke Howell worked for this head coaching position by serving as an assistant for nearly a decade at Sun Valley, and then at Cuthbertson.
He has surrounded himself with what he thinks is a solid coaching staff, led by offensive coordinator Anthony Marple (a former Sun Valley player) and defensive coordinator Cam Madison.
Howell focused on offense during most of his days as an assistant, but he’s been more than happy to help build what appears to be a strong Cuthbertson defense.
“Defense is where we’ll hang our hat this year,” he said. “We have some really good players and a lot of experience.”
“And we’ll work on the offense. “We have two new players at quarterback, and we’ll sort that out.”
People who knew him at Sun Valley said Howell could get animated. He doesn’t deny that.
“I could get worked up at times,” he said. “But I think I’m different now.”
He said — and this is supported by comments from players and assistant coaches — that he is trying to build a sustainable program at Cuthbertson. He wants consistency in the program, and he already has found a routine that he is comfortable with.
“I get into my office in the morning,” he said of game days. “Some of the other coaches come in after a few hours, and we review everything we want to do that night.”
He said he is Duke Howell, head football coach at Cuthbertson — not the dad of an NFL quarterback.
“We don’t really talk about that,” he said of his son. “I’m sure everyone knows, but that’s not what we’re focusing on. We’re trying to play football and do it successfully.”
Howell acknowledged that his first Game Day as head coach didn’t go quite as planned. In fact, his schedule blew up before he even got to the office.
“My day started with about 100 texts, with people messaging me about Sam,” he said.
The Commanders announced before 9 a.m. Friday that Sam Howell had won the starting quarterback job.
“By lunchtime, I started getting the ‘good luck’ messages for me,” Duke Howell said. “My phone was busy all day.”
“It won’t be like that every Friday,” he added. “I know that. And I know I’ll find a routine after a while. This was just a special day in the Howell household.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "His son is an NFL starting QB. Now this ‘Duke’ is coaching high school football in Waxhaw."
