GREAT FALLS — Last Friday, Montana Coaches Association hall of fame inductee Bob Howard announced his resignation and retirement after after 40 years, including the past 22 leading the Great Falls High boys basketball program.
"There's just a lot of things," Howard said Friday of notable memories during his tenure. "You stick around for 40 years, there's a lot of things that stick to you."
Howard's four decades as a head basketball coach included stops at seven different schools, with his time at Great Falls High taking up more than half of it.
He said there have been some special moments coaching the Bison.
"We were in the state tournament 10 years in a row," Howard said. "We went 13 or 14 times, so a lot of different kids got experience, you know, going there and competing."
Howard got to coach his sons while he was manning the sidelines for the Bison, something he said was meaningful.
"I really enjoyed it, I don't know if they did," Howard said. "As times go, you forget some of the tense times, and you remember the good times. So it was very enjoyable."
While coaching his oldest son Bobby, the two got to share winning the 2006 Class AA state championship alongside one another.
"That was huge," Howard said on winning the title with Bobby. "That was like my second or third year (at Great Falls High), and those guys, we had a kind of rocky first year and a couple guys that are coaching with me now, Eric Chaon and Jerry Schmitz, were seniors on that team. And it was a really good competitive group.
"We had a nice three-year run with those guys."
Howard has also had his youngest son Brendan as an assistant the past few seasons.
"It was nice having Brendan as assistant," Howard said. "He really likes coaching. He's trying to find a little niche."
But even though Howard is closing the book on his tenure for now, he hopes it isn't truly the end of his time coaching.
"I don't know if it's going to be a little kids travel teams or junior high, I mean there's a dozen schools within driving distance of (Great Falls)," Howard said. "A couple years there will be some openings. You know if I'm still fired up about it, there will be plenty of opportunities."
