USAFA 1991 graduate Dr. Chris Howard named 2018 Armed Forces Merit Award Recipient
11/8/2018 10:59:00 AM | Football
Howard is currently president at Robert Morris University
Dr. Chris Howard, an Air Force veteran and Robert Morris University president, has been selected as the seventh recipient of Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Coordinated by the staff at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, the Armed Forces
Merit Award presented by the FWAA was created in June 2012 "to honor an individual and/or a group within the realm of the sport of football."
Brant Ringler, the Executive Director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, and Steve Richardson, the FWAA's Executive Director, announced here Thursday on an 11 a.m. (CT) teleconference that Dr. Howard was selected from a list of 56 nominations as the 2018 recipient by a seven-person committee made up of FWAA members and Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl officials.
Kansas State and its football team was honored last November as the sixth recipient of the Armed Forces Merit Award for the university's partnership with the United States Army that created a bond between the school's athletic department and the Iron Rangers at Fort Riley.
"Dr. Howard has distinguished himself as collegiate football player, an Air Force veteran and now as a college president where he continues to active in the sport along with providing guidance with those men and women that serve our country," said Ringler. "We had a list of 56 outstanding nominations for this year's award and it is difficult to honor only one annually when we have individuals and programs that are very deserving of the honor."
Richardson added that "Dr. Howard has had remarkable career across the board. He embodies what this award is all about. Certainly, from a scholastic standpoint, he is truly outstanding as the NFF's Campbell Award winner. Then add in the military and football sides of the equation, what more can you say? The FWAA is very excited about honoring someone of this caliber."
Becoming the eighth president of Robert Morris University in suburban Pittsburgh in February 2016, Dr. Howard is a 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. As Rhodes Scholar, he earned a doctoral degree from the University of Oxford before graduating with an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
In 1990, Dr. Howard received the Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award in the nation presented to a senior college football player, and he was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate athletic careers.
Dr. Howard is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, the College Football 150th Anniversary Committee, and the NCAA Honors Committee.
A retired Air Force reserve lieutenant colonel, Dr. Howard served as a helicopter pilot and then became an intelligence officer for the elite Joint Special Operations Command. He served on active duty in Afghanistan in 2003 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Dr. Howard also served as the Reserve Air Attaché to Liberia.
As RMU president, Dr. Howard has opened the Center for Veterans and Military Families. RMU recently announced that it is partnering with the SEAL Future Fund to help active-duty and retired Navy SEALs transition to civilian careers. RMU also offers its MBA program at a deep discount to service members stationed at any of four military bases located near its campus.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this award, which is as much a testament to what we've achieved at Robert Morris University as it to me personally," said Dr. Howard, who served as the president of Hampden-Sydney College, the oldest privately chartered college in the southern United States located near Richmond, Va.
"The lessons in leadership and character that I learned on the football field served me well as an Air Force officer, and that in turn has shaped my success in business and education, as well as the nonprofit and government sectors," added Dr. Howard, who graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1987 after helping lead the1986 football team to the Texas State Championship.
Nate Boyer of the University of Texas, Austin was the initial Armed Forces Merit Award recipient in 2012. Other recipients were Brandon McCoy of the University of North Texas in 2013, Daniel Rodriguez from Clemson University in 2014, Bret Robertson of Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.) in 2015 and Steven Rhodes from Middle Tennessee State University.
Coordinated by the staff at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, the Armed Forces
Merit Award presented by the FWAA was created in June 2012 "to honor an individual and/or a group within the realm of the sport of football."
Brant Ringler, the Executive Director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, and Steve Richardson, the FWAA's Executive Director, announced here Thursday on an 11 a.m. (CT) teleconference that Dr. Howard was selected from a list of 56 nominations as the 2018 recipient by a seven-person committee made up of FWAA members and Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl officials.
Kansas State and its football team was honored last November as the sixth recipient of the Armed Forces Merit Award for the university's partnership with the United States Army that created a bond between the school's athletic department and the Iron Rangers at Fort Riley.
"Dr. Howard has distinguished himself as collegiate football player, an Air Force veteran and now as a college president where he continues to active in the sport along with providing guidance with those men and women that serve our country," said Ringler. "We had a list of 56 outstanding nominations for this year's award and it is difficult to honor only one annually when we have individuals and programs that are very deserving of the honor."
Richardson added that "Dr. Howard has had remarkable career across the board. He embodies what this award is all about. Certainly, from a scholastic standpoint, he is truly outstanding as the NFF's Campbell Award winner. Then add in the military and football sides of the equation, what more can you say? The FWAA is very excited about honoring someone of this caliber."
Becoming the eighth president of Robert Morris University in suburban Pittsburgh in February 2016, Dr. Howard is a 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. As Rhodes Scholar, he earned a doctoral degree from the University of Oxford before graduating with an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
In 1990, Dr. Howard received the Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award in the nation presented to a senior college football player, and he was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate athletic careers.
Dr. Howard is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, the College Football 150th Anniversary Committee, and the NCAA Honors Committee.
A retired Air Force reserve lieutenant colonel, Dr. Howard served as a helicopter pilot and then became an intelligence officer for the elite Joint Special Operations Command. He served on active duty in Afghanistan in 2003 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Dr. Howard also served as the Reserve Air Attaché to Liberia.
As RMU president, Dr. Howard has opened the Center for Veterans and Military Families. RMU recently announced that it is partnering with the SEAL Future Fund to help active-duty and retired Navy SEALs transition to civilian careers. RMU also offers its MBA program at a deep discount to service members stationed at any of four military bases located near its campus.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this award, which is as much a testament to what we've achieved at Robert Morris University as it to me personally," said Dr. Howard, who served as the president of Hampden-Sydney College, the oldest privately chartered college in the southern United States located near Richmond, Va.
"The lessons in leadership and character that I learned on the football field served me well as an Air Force officer, and that in turn has shaped my success in business and education, as well as the nonprofit and government sectors," added Dr. Howard, who graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1987 after helping lead the1986 football team to the Texas State Championship.
Nate Boyer of the University of Texas, Austin was the initial Armed Forces Merit Award recipient in 2012. Other recipients were Brandon McCoy of the University of North Texas in 2013, Daniel Rodriguez from Clemson University in 2014, Bret Robertson of Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.) in 2015 and Steven Rhodes from Middle Tennessee State University.
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