Howard takes over baseball program at Cartersville

Bobby Howard, former baseball coach at Columbus High School and more recently at Central High School in Phenix City, AL, has been named the new head baseball coach at Cartersville High School.

Howard, 66, takes over for Stuart Chester who stepped down in May to become the head baseball coach at Buford.

Howard coached at Columbus High School from 1984 until two seasons ago when he made the move to Phenix City Central. He previously coached at Jordan High School, Kendrick High School, and Middle Georgia College.

Howard won 819 games and 12 state titles at Columbus and his teams had several notable playoff match-ups with Cartersville over the years.

Columbus beat Cartersville in 2005 and 2006 in the state quarterfinals, but Chester’s Canes defeated Howard’s Blue Devils in the 2008 quarterfinals and the 2009 state championship series. Columbus captured the last two match-ups, winning a quarterfinal series over the Hurricanes in both 2010 and 2012.

At Phenix City Central, Howard’s teams defeated Cartersville each of the last two seasons as the two colleagues maintained their friendly rivalry.

Howard’s teams have compiled a 985-296 record in 39 seasons. In addition to his dozen GHSA state championships, his teams finished state runner-up in Georgia eight times and collected 29 region titles.

Howard has been a state coach of the year multiple times. He was named the Diamond Baseball National Coach of the Year in 2000; USA Today National Coach of the Year in 2004; and the ESPN High School Coach of the Year in 2012.

Cartersville Athletic Director Darrell Demastus and new Canes' head baseball coach Bobby Howard

Howard was inducted into the Columbus State University Hall of Fame in 1998, the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

At least ten of Howard's former players have reached the major league level, including former Chicago White Sox star Frank Thomas, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.