Howard Heading PaliHi Athletics

It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to oversee Palisades High’s athletic program than Russ Howard, who has contributed more than his share of successes to the school’s proud sports tradition over the years. On July 1, Howard took over as assistant principal in charge of athletics and will work in tandem with new athletic director David Keese (who replaces Rich McKeon) to keep the Dolphins’ programs as strong as they were when the school opened in 1961. “I’ll handle the administrative side of things–the finances, the policy and the personnel–and David will handle the paperwork, scheduling and transportation aspects,” Howard said. “It’s a perfect match.” Howard started at Palisades in 1986, coaching what was then called the “Bee” football team, and was the baseball coach for 17 seasons before stepping down after leading the Dolphins to the City Invitational title at Dodger Stadium in 2003. He then moved into administration, taking over as Dean of Students that September, a position he held through the 2008-09 school year. He will also oversee the P.E. Department and Student Activities. “Whether you’re a teacher, an administrator or a coach, to be successful you have to be a good communicator and that’s not going change with this position,” Howard said. “Whenever I’m handling an issue that comes up one thing I try to do is put myself in the other persons’ shoes. That way, people will respect my decisions even if they don’t always agree with them.” Keese, now beginning his second stint as A.D., is equally satisfied with the new arrangement, which allows him more time to focus on the “details” associated with being the athletic director. “If I had to describe it, I guess you could say Russ is the ‘people’ side of the job and I’m the ‘places’ and ‘things’ side of it,’ said Keese, who served as A.D. from August 2006 through May 2007 before stepping down to be a part-time gym and field supervisor. “I’ll be at the games and in the [athletics] office like I was before, I just won’t be directly involved in hiring coaches or talking to parents.” Howard not only supports athletics, he has the knowledge that comes with having coached high school sports. One of his primary goals is to maintain Palisades’ high level of excellence. “Stability with coaches is really important to build a strong program,” Howard said. “For the most part, we’re already there with a lot of our teams.” Though he has many fond memories from his coaching days, one that stands out in his mind was a 4-3 upset of No. 2-seeded Narbonne in the City’s upper division playoffs. He said he still gets the urge to return to coaching every once in awhile but is content being in administration. “I’ve moved on (from coaching) but yes, I do miss it,” he said.