18 Jim Howe

Jim Howe was born James Robert Howe on October 5, 1926, in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, to Albert and Marie Howe. The youngest of four children, he became an all-state basketball and football player at Highlands High School, where he earned the school’s best all-around athlete award. A four-sport standout, he captained the basketball and track teams during his final prep season and helped capture the Northern Kentucky high school doubles tennis championship. His basketball coach, former Kentucky player Ralph Carlisle, helped connect him with Adolph Rupp, bringing Howe to Lexington as a two-sport athlete.

As a freshman in 1944–45, Howe joined a Kentucky basketball team that finished 22–4 and captured both the SEC championship and SEC Tournament. The 6-foot guard appeared in five games, scoring 18 points and averaging 3.6 points per appearance. Contemporary coverage described him as a starting guard before military service interrupted his season early in 1945. His most memorable basketball performance came on January 8, when he led the Wildcats with 12 points in a 75–6 victory over Arkansas State.

Howe served 22 months in the U.S. Army infantry during World War II, working as a bayonet instructor at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and advancing to staff sergeant. After returning to Kentucky, he concentrated on football under Bear Bryant, becoming one of the athletes who played for both of Kentucky’s legendary coaches. On December 6, 1947, his 29-yard touchdown run against Villanova became the first bowl-game touchdown in Kentucky history, helping the Wildcats win the Great Lakes Bowl, 24–14. The following season, he again delivered against Villanova, racing 69 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds remaining to help Kentucky salvage a tie.

Beyond athletics, Howe pursued mechanical engineering and participated actively in campus life. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta, served as cadet captain and commander of Company A, and held the treasurer’s office in the Kentucky Student Branch of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His college roommate was George Blanda, the future professional football great, whom Howe remembered encouraging to attend class and prepare for life after college.

After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree, Howe declined an opportunity with the Green Bay Packers in favor of business and family life. He married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie “Marge” Macke, on December 20, 1947, and they raised nine children. In 1962, he founded Cincinnati-based Big Chief, which manufactured and distributed electric heating and temperature-control products. His competitive spirit continued through tennis, in which he became nationally ranked later in life. Howe died on October 18, 2024, at age 98, surrounded by family, including his wife of nearly 77 years. He left a Kentucky legacy spanning basketball, football, military service, and achievement beyond athletics.