20 Dick Howe

Dick Howe was born Richard Samuel Howe on August 30, 1936, in Carbondale, Illinois. At Carbondale Community High School, he emerged as a phenomenal multi-sport standout, starring for four seasons as both a basketball pivotman and a football grid end. During his senior year in 1954, the towering 6-foot-5 ace paced his basketball squad in scoring with a 24-point average and pulled down 238 rebounds. Howe’s scoring prowess was legendary; he set a Southwest Egyptian Conference record by scoring 261 points in 12 conference games, which included a sensational 32-point performance against Anna-Jonesboro that smashed the league’s previous record by 50 points. These achievements earned him a first-team spot on the All-Southern Illinois team, honorable mention All-State recognition, and football All-Conference honors. Recognizing his incredible athletic and academic promise, the University of Kentucky signed him to a basketball scholarship, and Howe enrolled early in June 1954 to attend summer school, proactively lightening his future study load in civil engineering.

Upon arriving in Lexington, the scrappy 6-foot-6 pivotman made an immediate impression in practice drills. Legendary head coach Adolph Rupp thought so highly of his talent that he held Howe out of action during his sophomore season to preserve a year of eligibility, commenting that he was too good to be playing second string. Rupp envisioned him as the ideal future successor to center Bob Burrow, noting that Howe’s rigorous engineering curriculum would keep him in school for five years anyway. Howe spent his remaining eligibility as a highly reliable reserve, ultimately earning a coveted spot on Kentucky’s historic 1958 National Championship team. Beyond his gritty play on the hardwood, Howe is warmly remembered by Wildcat fans as the ultimate student-athlete. Rupp famously praised his academic discipline, noting that Howe maintained a stellar 3.8 GPA in the demanding UK College of Engineering, while also serving as vice-president of the campus chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and joining Delta Tau Delta and the senior honorary society, Lamp and Cross.

Howe’s collegiate career was highlighted by several memorable performances on the court. During his freshman season with Coach Harry Lancaster’s Kittens, he helped secure a resounding 100-64 revenge rout over Xavier in Memorial Coliseum, scoring the historic final free throw that pushed the freshman squad to the century mark. As a varsity sophomore, he came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points against Miami of Ohio on December 3, 1956, helping Rupp’s Cats secure a blowout victory on their home floor. After concluding his playing career with 15 total varsity appearances, 22 points, and 43 rebounds, Howe was honored with a letter award at the annual basketball banquet. He completed his civil engineering degree in 1959, serving as the historian of the K-Club and earning membership in the elite senior honorary society, Lamp and Cross.

Howe’s post-basketball career was a masterclass in academic and professional excellence. He earned a Master’s degree in Sanitary Engineering from MIT in 1961, worked with the U.S. Public Health Service, and eventually obtained his Ph.D. in Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971. In 1976, Dr. Howe moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he served for 25 years as a founding Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Division of Environmental Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He was instrumental in building UTSA’s engineering programs and co-founded the city’s public Engineering and Technologies Academy in 2004 alongside his wife, Linda. Today, his legacy of dedication to students is permanently enshrined at UTSA through multiple prestigious undergraduate teaching and service awards named in his honor.